Blog
Blog #1: Book Review: Ann Handley - "Everybody Writes"
- Publication Date: 03/24/2025
- Purchase Link: Click Here
Ann Handley is a trailblazer in digital content marketing, currently serving as Chief Content Officer at “MarketingProfs”. Her book, Everybody Writes, is a strategic framework to writing in the digital age, where every email, blog post, landing page, or social post contributes to your personal brand. It focuses on how writing that is driven by clarity, meaning, and empathy yields results - especially in fields like digital marketing and consulting where communication is a key factor.
Ann Handley - "Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content"
Introduction: In the rapidly evolving world of digital marketing and consulting, effective communication is crucial. In “Everybody Writes”, Ann Handley poses that writing isn’t just for writers - it’s for everyone. Her core idea is that "everybody writes" in the digital age — and that the proficiency of that writing directly embodies a brand’s reputation. This message is particularly significant for business and systems analysts, who must break-down complex frameworks into clear, practical messages for all segments of stakeholders.
Body Paragraph: Handley separates the book into consumable, chapters to emphasize the three pillars of strong content and their applicability: clarity, practicality, and empathy. For a systems analyst or consultant, this is invaluable. You’re often faced with the challenge of completing the circuit between business needs and technical feasibilities - requiring written proposals, analysis reports, and user experience documentation. Handley’s prompts writers to “write with empathy”, which especially valuable for communication complex data or system stipulations into natural language that can be absorbed by clients or executives. She also emphasizes tone, structure, and formatting as critical elements of composing user documentation or marketing content. A notable piece of information from the book is her approach to treating writing as a service to the reader, which aligns with the approach consultants should take toward clients.
Conclusion Paragraph: “Everybody Writes” isn’t just a basic writing manual — it’s a strategic framework that can be applied by professionals in digital marketing and business technology. For consultants looking to find the balance between authority and accessibility, Handley presents practical methods to foster trust through clear, customer-centered communication. In a digital environment oversaturated with meaningless content, where our brand reputations precede us - how you write could just be your biggest competitive advantage - and Handley conveys this message masterfully.
References:
- Handley, A. (2022). Everybody writes: Your new and improved go-to guide to creating ridiculously good content (2nd ed.). Wiley.
Blog #2: Book Review: Gary Vaynerchuk: "Crushing It!"
- Publication Date: 04/21/2025
- Purchase Link: Click Here
Gary Vaynerchuk, is a renowned business mogul, who if the founder and CEO of VaynerMedia. In “Crushing It!”, Gary gives readers the framework for building an impactful personal brand in the digital atmosphere, leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. The book is chalked full of case studies on young individuals who have grown their personal branding efforts into successful brands.
Gary Vaynerchuk: "Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence - and How You Can, Too"
Introduction: For any aspiring consultant in business technology (like myself), visibility is as valuable as talent. In “Crushing It”!, Gary Vaynerchuk provides a blueprint for how personal branding has become a strategic tool for entrepreneurs, consultants, and professionals who want to gain competitive advantage, expand their engagement, and foster trust in the digital marketplace. His advice is increasingly pertinent in digital marketing and consulting, where competition is abundant and first impressions are progressively made online.
Body Paragraph: Gary's message is clear: "Your personal brand is your reputation", and digital platforms are how you scale it. For a systems analyst or consultant, this means actively engaging with online platforms — posting insights and building credibility preemptively for the client you have yet to meet. Gary proposes the idea of “pillar content” and “micro-content,” which can used to reorient knowledge into blog posts, LinkedIn articles, videos, or short updates that serve more value online than stored in your mind. He pushes readers to focus on providing value, not looking for it in return - which aligns with the consultant business model where trust and content transparency are catalysts for prospective customers. Notably, he also highlights platform-specific strategies, paricularly on LinkedIn and Instagram, which are popularly used by consultants to share case studies, milestones, and industry analysis.
Conclusion Paragraph: “Crushing It!” is a methodical approach that can be applied to drive the benefits of a modern digital marketing. Gary Vee’s formula - create content, show your value, engage your community - is simple, yet it's exactly how independent consultants can establish credibility and grow their personal brand, letting your achievements speak for you before you even get to shake a clients hand. For anyone looking to gain competitive advantage in the consulting field, this book is screaming your name.
References:
- Vaynerchuk, G. (2009). Crush it!: Why now is the time to cash in on your passion. HarperStudio.