$16.95
Customize It
Paperback
287 pages
ISBN 9780470379288 Published Oct. 2008
John Wiley & Sons
See all formats
Tweet
Posted Aug. 6, 2009 4:42 a.m. by the-roy
In Marketing - 800 CEO Read Blog
I found this review on www.blogcritics.org - it seems like a very intriguing read... especially for those of you in the P.R. world. It's almost been a year since its publication into paperback and it would be neat to do a 'reality check' into if this book actually has tapped into the changing face of marketing... so, if you've checked this book out or will - let us know your thoughts on what is going on in your world.
Here's what blogcritic.org thought of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly by David Meerman Scott (Oct. 2008)
This book is definitely a must-read for those involved in the promotion and marketing of products and services. Scott does a wonderful job of covering the soup to nuts process of understanding your story, telling your story and then getting others to tell your story for you. His point is clear and hammered home, the old way of pushing your story via a general broadcast is not only expensive, but ineffective. In today’s world, where pitching a good story to the right people — focusing on the targeted few instead of the masses — is more likely to get many others talking about your story.
Focus on your buyers, not your product. How do customers relate to your product? What problem do you solve? What does Starbucks really sell?
Write in plain language, in the language of your customers. Invite them to engage in a dialogue instead of broadcasting your monologue.
I always preach similar techniques in my marketing practice. It's not about the features of your product/service. In fact, it's not about the product or service at all — it's the relationship that customers have with your wares. What emotional connection — what need — does it satisfy?
If you are a fan of novels/movies then think about Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne. Basically, they have the same template: ugly, romantic guy vies against handsome, dumb guy for heart of beautiful girl. In the former, the hero duels with swords and in the latter he duels with tennis racquets. The point is that the template defines the emotional connection — the duel for love — and the nouns, namely the sword or the racquet are irrelevant because they are interchangeable. If we apply the principles from Meerman's book, we'd see that it is paramount to focus on the template, not the instrument, i.e., the buyer and not the product.
The New Rules also talks about dialogue instead of monologue, engagement instead of broadcast. The Internet has made the world smaller. If I wanted to, right now, I could find someone online in another country and engage them in conversation. Even better, if I knew that they might have some interest in my product or service, by engaging them in conversation I've revealed that I'm a real person — I exist in the world — and that comfort can easily be translated to a stronger pitch for my wares to a potential customer or a journalist.
While reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR, think about the verbs that your customers use and the emotions that you can tap into to strengthen that connection... then get out there and do it.
Books for Understanding Social Media
Posted June 5, 2009 7:51 a.m. by todd-sattersten
In Information Technology - 800 CEO Read Blog
Everybody has been asking us what books they should read to understand social media. People are trying to make sense of this newly connected world. How does Facebook affect my business? Should I be tweeting? Do blogs still matter?
"Yes" is the answer to all three of those questions. Open a facebook account. Step up a search on Twitter. And for Pete's sake, keep in the blog going.
Books provide context. They examine the broader implications. I am not sure we have worked out all the broader implications and with the snail pace of books, publishing is just catching up with the product.
Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky comes the closest to making these complicated issues apparent. We reviewed the book in April for Jack Covert Selects.
The impetus behind this post was from a list I ran across at bpodr.com (post one and post two). The list is pretty good and if you are not familiar with these, you have some reading to do.
- The Cluetrain Manifesto by Levine, Searle, Locke, and Weinberger
- Naked Conversations by Scoble and Israel
- Groundswell by Li and Bernoff
- The Search by Battelle
- The Long Tail by Anderson
- Now is Gone by Livingston and Solis
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR by Meerman Scott
- Purple Cow and Meatball Sundae by Godin
- Always Be Testing by Eisenberg & Quarto-vonTivadar with Davis
