The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly

by David Meerman Scott

A completely revised and updated edition of the BusinessWeek bestseller on effective, modern marketing and PR best practices, The New Rules of Marketing and PR shows you how to leverage the potential that Web-based communication offers your business. Finally, you can speak directly to customers and buyers, establishing a personal link with the people who make your business work. This new second edition paperback keeps you up-to-date on the latest trends. The New Rules of Marketing and PR, Second Edition gives you all the information you need to craft powerful and effective marketing messages and get them to the right people at the right moment-at a fraction of the price of a traditional marketing campaign.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Social Media, Reference, Buisness, Communication, Writing

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

About the author

Our always-on, Web-driven world has new rules for competing and growing business. Advance planning is out – agile is IN! Those who embrace new ways will be far more successful than those who stay who stay stuck and afraid to change. No one knows more about using the new Real-Time tools and strategies to spread ideas, influence minds and build business than David Meerman Scott. It’s his specialty.

He’s a sales and marketing strategist who has spoken on all seven continents and in 40 countries to audiences of the most respected firms, organizations and associations.

David is author or co-author of ten books - three are international bestsellers. He is best known for The New Rules of Marketing & PR, now in its 6th edition, which has been translated into 29 languages and is a modern business classic with over 400,000 copies sold so far. David also authored Real-Time Marketing & PR, a Wall Street Journal bestseller. He is co-author of Marketing the Moon (with Rich Jurek) and Marketing Lessons from The Grateful Dead (with HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan).

Reviews

[Trang Ngo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some thoughts while reading:
* I wish that there are some good books on marketing in Vietnamese market. I am very interested in real examples from companies operating in Vietnam.
* The examples in this book are very unfamiliar to me.
* Cultural differences might play a role in the direction of the change in the rules. What is written in the book might be correct in the US market; however, applying the same techniques in Viet Nam might not work. One of the reasons can be that we don't have good Vietnamese platforms that are made for Vietnamese people, the majority of whom don't know English. It seems China is good at creating platforms for just Chinese people although I am not sure if they do it on good purpose.
* I have a feeling that everything in Viet Nam does not have a strong and firm base. Improvements in all areas of life are made on weak systems. We are all living a superficial life.
* The third part can be useful as guidelines for your marketing program

Things to remember:
* Companies should monitor blogs to be aware of what is being said about them. Respond to those blogs when necessary, either by commenting or sending private emails
* Choose your target reader and the goal of your blog
* Blog is to raise one's subjective voice, do not expect bloggers to be objective and do not believe in every thing they say
* If you are serious about attracting people to your blog, go commenting in other blogs to get yourself in the community
* Welcome conflicting comments, theys help more than hurt
* News release is the new press release. It's direct-to-consumer.
* Divide your target customer into different personas. Build these personas to get a feeling of your target buyers. Then learn their languages and communicate to them using their languages. Rememeber that different personas buy different things from your company, therefore, the message you tell them should be tailored to their needs.
* Thought leadership
* Thought leaders might be important for you communication campaign
* "Do not write about your company amd your products. Thought leadership content is designed to solve buyer problems or answer questions and to show that you and your organization are smart and worth doing business with."
* Avoid jargon of your company and your industry. Instead, write for your buyers.
* Make use of RSS to provide the right content to the right people.
* Your website's browsability is as important as searchability. By browsing the site, users come across information that they don't think of before but that is important for them.
* "The single most effective thing PR people do is read what I write and send me personalized, smart pitches for stories that I am actually likely to write."
* In order to prevent automated robot from collecting your published email, write it in a way that only human can understand: abc (at) xyz (dot) com.
* Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, search engine advertising.
* Landing page is important. Craft it carefully!

[Manny]

Somehow, despite all my so-called principles, I appear to have ended up in viral marketing. I guess I'd better find out something about it. Just ordered this book. Meanwhile, here's a list of plusses and minuses:

+ I'm only part-time. Consulting a few hours here and there. Heck, I'm not really working in this field at all!

+ It turns out that viral marketers are great guys. They're a pleasure to hang out with. Why does the world always have to be so confusing?

+ Our latest effort, which just went live, has its amusing points. If you or your child is a Phineas and Ferb fan, I'd go as far as to recommend checking it out.

- I may be in danger of losing my immortal soul. I've written to Pope Benedict XVI to see if I can get any more information, but I guess he's busy with the Christmas rush.

- I promised Ceridwen that there would be zombies, and in fact the animation was removed at the last minute. Ceridwen, I'm so sorry to have got your hopes up like that!

[Rachel Brune · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is immediately going permanently on my professional bookshelf. If you are in any way involved with organization communication in any capacity, I.e. PR, brand journalism, marketing, etc., it should be on yours as well.

[Loy Machedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loy Machedo’s Book Review: The New Rules of PR and Marketing by David Meerman Scott

There are quite a number of books related to Online Marketing. Some of them cloak themselves with grandiose titles like how they made Millions and you can do it easily, About living the life of their dreams and how they can help you live yours and about some never before shared new Secret Secrets which they will finally share with you. But yeah, they charge you $47 for this kind gesture.

Now the problem is there is not one but a sea of such books and offers. So among this swarm of endless offers, comes another book - The New Rules of PR and Marketing by David Meerman Scott which I am glad to say stands out from the rest of the garbage out there.

The book is a treasure chest of tips, tricks and tit-bits on how you can use the power of the online world to you advantage. It gives you the various forms, definitions and explanations of online communication – Blogs, Podcasts, RSS Feeds, SEO, Viral Marketing, Webinars and the rest. What makes the book a worthwhile investment is the fact that it is easy to read, has plenty of examples and acts as a guide on what should and shouldn’t be done.

Some of the best nuggets from this book (which I randomly picked up) are:
1) The most important ingredient for any website is not just design but content.
2) If you are everything to everybody, you are nothing to nobody.
3) If you provide useful worthwhile Information for free – you become the expert and get into the demand cycle.
4) Educate the Consumer by being fair and honest and he will most probably become your client.
5) Be smart with tags & links.
6) Create links & Connect to others through your website.
7) Participate and Comment on other people articles & websites.
8) People will comment bad under your articles or videos, allow them. This will increase traffic.
9) Experiment and have fun.
10) Interruption Marketing is an old format of selling.
11) Keep the language jargon free and fun.
12) Encourage people to contact you.

Moment of Truth.
Just as there are dieting books out there that tell you if you follow their advice you too can have a world class physique, does not mean everyone would achieve this state of excellence. In the same way, I believe not everyone who reads this book is going to come out as the next big thing. However, if you are looking for a good book that informs, educates and entertains you with worthwhile information then, this is a book I would highly recommend.

Overall Rating – 8 out of 10

Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | loymachedo.tv

[Diana Bogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had been on my radar for a very long while and I finally picked up a copy when I decided to interview for PR and marketing jobs. My undergraduate degree is in PR and although my work life began in a PR department over the years I moved through other media positions. So, my intention in reading this book was to refresh and update my knowledge and skill set. This was set, however, with the assumption that my skills were sorely outdated because the words Public Relations or Marketing anything haven't been included in my job title for many years.

So, that's how I came to read this book -- eager and anxious to get back up to speed. I ended up both disappointed and elated. I was disappointed that there were only two or three sections that I found truly helpful and worth the read. One example is the section in which he writes about creating a buyer profile.

Although I was disappointed that I didn't feel like I was really learning much from reading it (which made it difficult to motivate myself to sit and read) on the flipside I was elated to find that my path over the years through various media related jobs has in fact kept my skills up-to-date and applicable should I find myself landing a gig where the words Public Relations and/or Marketing grace my job title again.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

This was not exactly a bad book but neither was it helpful. I checked it out because I periodically read business books to stay updated on topics. I did not realize quite how old this book was. It was first published in 2007 which in the grand scheme of things but in things regarding technology nine years is ancient these days.

I also found the author's tone off-putting. He spent a large amount of time talking about his accomplishments and personal experiences. This could have been done to establish credibility, but mostly it just came across as arrogant. And I found his examples were neither captivating nor particularly informative.

Overall the book was not useful for anyone in marketing. Rather, it would probably only be useful to small business owners who are technological neophytes. It mostly discusses very basic concepts and walks the readers through such rudimentary steps such as choosing a Twitter handle. But none of the content was unique or as revolutionary as the title would imply.

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 2 Stars
Writing Style: 1 Star
Consistency: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 2 Stars
Attention to Detail: 3 Stars

[Jona Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful and I forced myself to finish it just to get it off my shelf. I was hoping for practical advice for using social media to market, which it contained. To illustrate his points he would talk about what a type of business was doing, but instead of a paragraph or two it would go on for pages complete with quotes and more quotes from people I never heard of promoting their business. The examples did NOT elucidate, they promoted another company. This whole book felt like a promotion of other people's business rather than an explanation of the new rules of marketing. If you are wanting information on how to use social media to market your business, I am sure there are other books that do a much better job. In fact, the rules he shared were really nothing I didn't already know.

[Amanda | District Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mind-blowing information gleaned from this book:
"Pitch bloggers like Gizmodo"
"Write individualized pitches"
"Don't use Re: in the subject line"
"Use hashtags"
"My company puts photos on Flickr and Facebook and it totally worked"
"Use the tip-line/form on a news outlet's page instead of pitching directly"
"Pitch using email"

...Wow, revolutionary! I've been working in PR for 5+ years, and this is all either common-sense stuff, or blatantly wrong, ineffective wastes of time (i.e. that horrible tip-line item). Save yourself some time and do a single PR internship or visit any PR blog. The book also confuses digital marketing with PR frequently, without seeming to understand that they are handled separately in many corporations. A publicist isn't necessarily blogging on a corporate blog, nor is a digital marketer pitching media.

Incredibly outdated.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading New Rules, I found myself thinking "why am I reading this?" and "I don't think I want to finish this."
For anyone in the marketing industry or anyone who has read several marketing books - this book will not be very helpful, and I recommend skimming through it.
However, it is very comprehensive and Scott's writing and breakdown of marketing ideas and tactics makes it very approachable. It worked as a good review on what I learned in my college marketing courses.
Would recommend to anyone needing an intro to marketing, would not recommend to marketers.
I'm rating this book on the writing and presentation of ideas. The formatting and writing were great and made for a good narrative sense if you read straight through it. I haven't read previous editions so I cannot compare this edition to earlier versions.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, while touted as the sixth edition, could easily have been reduced by two-thirds to create what would be a book that would be of value to more people. Throughout the book, Scott boasts of the accomplishments of what is assumed to be his client base and so it is definitely a marketing tool for him as he continually reminds readers that his services are for hire. There are, however, a few places in the book that would be of value to any reader--those pertaining to employment searches and religious organizations hoping to increase their membership. What he does not account for is the cost to smaller places, like churches, who do not have the budget to use some of his suggestions. While I read it to update my skills after having been out of the public relations profession for almost twenty years, I was very disappointed.

[Andrew Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't really recommend this book highly enough. Scott lays out the new rules of social media and content marketing clearly, he repeats himself often enough to let it sink in (but not so often that it gets repetitive), and gives clear, contemporary, real-world examples of how the rules work (and how the old rules don't). You may think this book only has significance for marketing coordinators and directors in the corporate world, but oh no: if you have a small business, or a freelance writer struggling to break in (like me), this book can give you some great, actionable tips. Splendid job. I'll be anxiously awaiting the seventh edition.

[Charles McEnerney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read my fair share of social media books, but I think this one is a good introduction for those who might be overwhelmed by all the terms and technologies that are being bandied about these days. Scott takes you through a good overview of how the media landscape has changed and how marketers (and, really, everyone) needs to shift their game in order to play in that proverbial level playing field we call the Internet.

[Shantanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on Digital Marketing...hundreds of examples...Must read

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Meerman Scott’s principles of marketing and PR are quintessential to a successful digital business today. Will the experienced marketing professional encounter anything groundbreaking in 2021? Hard to say.

What many reviewers are missing is how transformative and prophetic this book was at first release. Anyone who follows the marketing space now is well acquainted with the importance of content, buyer personas, social listening, etc. So while much of the book will feel like redundancy for todays marketer, so would Euclid’s Elements be the same to todays mathematicians.

This book is the definitional business classic. A foundational piece of literature who’s ideas laid the bedrock for a revolution in business communications.

[Alberti Gjoka · Rating 2 out of 5]

nuk mendoj se vlen edhe aq ne aspektin praktik

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good primer on online marketing. Those experienced in online marketing are unlikely to benefit much from it. The principles still stand, though many of the specific resources mentions are dated. There are over 50 examples of small and large organizations succeeding online.

Summary: Marketing isn't about "the message." It's about being insightful. Stop advertising and get your ideas out there by understanding buyers and telling them stories that connect with their problems. Participate in discussions.

I added this to my list because it was recommended by Buffer, and I've heard it mentioned by a couple other web pros.

I read 2013 edition. It's hard to fairly judge books about technological change, which broke more ground when they first came out than they do years later. I generally judge books based on how valuable they are to me when I read them.

Notes
Social Media And Your Targeted Audience
Connect your product to popular books, movies, TV shows, video games to cause people to attach emotionally.

Take money you would have spent on traditional marketing and put it into a really interesting website or idea, or improving customer experience.

Audio and Video Drive Action
Get people to share their ideas and tell their stories. Develop an idea that resonates authentically in lives of real people.

Humor is effective in videos, especially when topic is usually boring.

Don't think you must be business-like (serious) in B2B marketing. People want to do business with people. Treat buyers like humans and have fun.

Going Viral: The Web Helps Audiences Catch the Fever
Rules of The Rave (viral content)
Nobody cares about your products. They care about themselves and solving their problems.
Don't try to coerce (free shipping, this week only, 20% off, etc.).
Make content totally free and shareable it's not about generating leads.
Be involved in online communities of people likely to share your content.

"Free content sells"; make select content available for free to generate interest. Doing this can reach new people, motivate people to buy products, show off products, build loyalty.

The Content-Rich Website
Key to successful website is to understand buyers and build content especially for them.

Show personality and authenticity. Let passion shine through.

You Are What You Publish: Building Your Marketing and PR Plan
Questions to ask about buyer personas
What are their goals and aspirations?
What are their problems?
What media do they rely on for answers to problems?
How can we reach them?
What words and phrases do they use?
What sorts of images and multimedia appeal to them? Are short and snappy sentences better than long, verbose ones?

To learn about buyers and develop personas, interview buyers. Read and listen to media they do.

Organize your website content by buyer personas and their associated problems, not by your products and services.

Marketing Strategy Planning Template.

Offering an ebook or other downloadable content ungated (without requiring registration) increases its downloads by 10-50x. People are more willing to download and share free content. Ungated ebooks have more inbound links and higher search engine rankings.

Make first ebook totally free and ungated. Within that ebook, offer premium content, such as webinar, and gate that. This spreads your ideas and still lets you collect leads.

Online Thought Leadership to Brand Your Organization as a Trusted Resource
A good white paper defines a problem, offers a solution, but doesn't pitch a particular product or company.

Benefits of sharing results of a survey you conduct:
You get accurate data.
You're recognized as thought leader.
Your survey info ranks well in search engines.

Social Networking Sites and Marketing
In your Twitter bio, don't put a list of attributes ("father, husband, surfer, …") That's not good personal branding because it doesn't focus on your particular expertise. Be descriptive and specific.

Make it Happen
Consider hiring a journalist (or former journalist) to help with online marketing. They're great at understanding an audience and creating content buyers want to consume.

[Andreus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author is knowledgeable in his field which is extremely important on conducting internet tech based business. I really liked how he offers some online tools absolutely free! check it out on page 153.

[Pete Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock full of suggestions you can implement right away.

[Dmitry · Rating 1 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Что это у нас за книга тут такая? Опять автор пишет о самоочевидных вещах, да? Да.…Интересно вот, а на кого рассчитана такая книга? На школьников, которые никогда не видели Интернет либо на пожилых людей, которые хоть и знают что такое Интернет, но сами очень редко им пользуются (или вообще не пользуются). Не знаю как в остальном мире, а России у нас есть такой пенсионер, который не пользуется Интернетом. Зовут этого пенсионера Владимир Владимирович Путин. Думаю, именно ему эта книга будет полезна и интересна. Однако, как сказал близкий к Путину олигарх (Пугачёв), Путин не читает книг (не знаю, так это или нет). Так что, даже в этот случаи книга не актуальна. Возможно, книга была актуальна в 2000, но не сейчас, 2022. Проблема не в том, что многое поменялось, ибо, по сути, не так и много произошло изменений. Проблема в том, что изменения эти не достаточно крупные чтобы ради них стоило бы писать целую книгу. Вот это - суть моей претензии к этой книге. Более того, это единственная претензия. И эта претензия определила и оценку этой книге.

Итак, для человека, который ежедневно пользуется Интернетом, книга бессмысленна. Всё что автор нам предлагает, это перечисление тех возможностей, которые предоставляет нам Интернет. Что конкретно? Форумы, сайты, подкасты, чаты, видеохостинги типа YouTube и, конечно же, социальные сети. Всё что существует в Интернете, всё было включено автором в эту книгу. Более того, автор большую часть книги – где-то 80% - посвящает примерам. Да-да, в книге просто огромнейшее число примеров как та или иная компания открыла для себя какой-то один конкретный инструмент, связанный с Интернетом, будь то видеохостинг, форум, блог или социальная сеть. И вот эти примеры, они БЕСКОНЕЧНЫ. Ради увеличения объёма книги автор не придумал ничего лучшего, чем влить в книгу различных примеров из мира бизнеса. И вот всё это, читать было просто невыносимо скучно. Мало того что для большинства людей это является самоочевидной информацией так ещё всё это снабжено огромнейшим количеством примеров, которые так же скучны и не интересны, как описание общей информации связанной с блогами, форумами и пр. В итоге получается, что книга чем-то напоминает очень и очень большой блог. Да, это типичный блог человека, который решил срубить бабла на том, чтобы объяснить людям, банальные и очевидные всем вещи. С таким же успехом можно было бы написать книгу на тему фруктов и овощей, в которой давалось описание различных способов их поедания + общая информация об этом фрукте/овоще, которую можно найти в любом журнале, сайте и пр.

Но знаете, чего в этой книге нет? Что было бы действительно интересно и что крайне важно для всех маркетологов? Данных о том, как использование того или иного инструмента в Интернете повлияло на прибыльность бизнеса. Что сейчас мы имеем в связи с использованием социальных ��етей с целью продвижения товаров? Знаменитые компании и их бренды и без того знамениты, а компании которые мало кому известны, даже после использования социальных сетей так и остаются малоизвестными. Итог: реальный эффект от использования одних лишь социальных сетей всё ещё остаётся не доказанным (если компания Procter & Gamble откажется от своих социальных сетей, это никак не скажется на чистой прибыли). Я специально отслеживаю эту тему, но так ничего и не нашёл. Нет железных доказательств, которые показывали чёткую корреляцию между прибылью и использованием социальных сетей. Разумеется, компании, которые специализируются на данном вопросе, предлагают на своих сайтах и статистику и якобы реальные факты, что тот же Instagram может принести прибыль, если его использовать для продвижения. Однако такие отчёты легко фальсифицируются, и именно поэтому нам необходимы результаты сторонних компаний, которые никак не связаны с деятельностью по помощи в продвижении в Интернете. Вот их нет. По крайне мере, я их не видел, хотя уже какой год ищу, где только можно. Вот если бы автор предложил такую информацию, т.е. информацию, которая бы показала, насколько эффективен каждый инструмент Интернета, т.е. блог, форум, чат, социальные сети (Instagram, Facebook и пр.), то тогда этой книге цены бы не было. Увы, книга предлагает вместо этого совершенно пустую информацию, в смысле информацию очевидному каждому, кто регулярно пользуется Интернетом.

What kind of book do we have here? So, again the author writes about self-evident things, right? Yes... I wonder, for whom is such a book intended? Schoolchildren who have never seen the Internet or the elderly, who know what the Internet is, but rarely use it (or do not use it at all). I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Russia, we have a pensioner who does not use the Internet. His name is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. I think he will find this book useful and interesting. However, as an oligarch close to Putin (Pugachev) said, Putin does not read books (I do not know if this is true or not). So, even in this case, the book is not relevant. Maybe the book was relevant in 2000, but not now, in 2022. The problem is not that much has changed because, in fact, not much has changed. The problem is that these changes are not big enough to warrant an entire book. It is the crux of my complaint with the book. Moreover, it is the only complaint. And it is the complaint that determined my evaluation of this book.

So, for a person who uses the Internet on a daily basis, the book is meaningless. All the author offers us is a listing of the possibilities that the Internet offers us. What are some of them? Forums, websites, podcasts, chat rooms, video-sharing sites like YouTube, and, of course, social networks. Everything that exists on the Internet has been included by the author in this book. What's more, the author devotes most of the book - about 80% - to examples. Yes, yes, there are an enormous number of examples in the book of how one company or another discovered one particular tool related to the Internet, whether it was video hosting, a forum, a blog, or a social network. And these examples are endless. For the sake of increasing the volume of the book, the author couldn't think of anything better than to pour into the book various examples from the business world. And all of this, it was just unbearably boring to read. It is not enough that for most people this is self-evident information, but, it is also provided with a huge number of examples, which are as boring and uninteresting as the description of general information related to blogs, forums, etc. As a result, the book reminds me of a very, very big blog. Yes, this is a typical blog of a person who decided to make a buck by explaining to people the trivial and obvious things that are obvious to everyone. Might as well write a book on fruits and vegetables, describing the different ways of eating them + general information about the fruit/vegetable, which can be found in any magazine, website, etc.

But you know what this book doesn't contain? What would be really interesting and crucial for all marketers? The data on how the use of this or that tool on the Internet has affected the profitability of the business. What do we have now in relation to the use of social media to promote products? Famous companies and their brands are already famous, while companies that are little-known remain little-known even after the use of social media. Bottom line: the real effect of using social networks alone is still unproven (if Procter & Gamble were to abandon its social networks, it would have no effect on net profits). I've been tracking this topic specifically, but I haven't found anything. There is no ironclad evidence that shows a clear correlation between profits and social media use. Of course, companies that specialize in this matter offer on their websites both statistics and supposedly real facts that the same Instagram can bring profit if it is used for promotion. But such reports are easily falsified, and that's why we need results from third-party companies that have nothing to do with online promotion assistance activities. There aren't any. At least, I have not seen them, although I have been looking for a year, wherever I can. If the author had offered such information, i.e., information that would show how effective each tool of the Internet is, i.e., blog, forum, chat room, social networks (Instagram, Facebook, etc.), then this book would have been priceless. Alas, instead, the book offers completely empty information, in the sense of information obvious to anyone who regularly uses the Internet.

[Jung]

The End of Marketing is specifically about the power of social media to enhance your brand in an age when traditional marketing strategies are being surpassed. But there are other ways that the digital revolution has affected both marketing and the related field of PR. In the book to David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR (2007), you’ll not only learn about social media but also other ways that your business can harness the power of the new digital age, from blogging and mobile apps to online videos.

---

Make your voice stand out by being human and getting engagement.

Have you seen the movie Cast Away? In a nutshell, Tom Hanks gets stranded on an island, can’t make contact with anyone, and starts talking to a volleyball he calls “Wilson.”

Bad social media posts can feel a bit like that – as if you’re yelling and yelling, but nobody is listening to you. It might feel like a volleyball would be great company.

But the thing is, you’re not really on your own. People are all around you. You just need to work out how to engage them.

How do you do that? How do you get people to engage with your brand on social media, so you don’t end up chatting away to inanimate sporting goods? The answer is to be more human.

One quick win is to ask your followers questions. Questions like “What’s the best thing you’ve bought recently?” or “What’s your favorite emoji?” might sound basic – and they are – but they still spark a conversation, which is the most important thing. You can also try sharing interesting facts or tips that relate to your product – educating people as well as keeping them entertained.

Whatever you do to get people’s attention, you need to follow up on it too – in other words, you need to be social. That means not signing off after you post, but rather checking back and engaging with people’s replies to you – thanking them for responding, and answering their questions.

You should also back up your posts by going under the radar. As soon as you post something, it’s worth telling people about it via DM. You can also set up group chats for people you know appreciate your work, known as engagement pods. This should ensure that your post circulates widely. Plus, getting early interactions will make the social network’s algorithm think that your post is popular, which will further boost its reach. This applies especially to Facebook.

You also need to bring an analytical approach to every part of the process. That means not just measuring the success of particular posts, but also deciding which platforms to post to in the first place. Maintaining a social media presence is a lot of work, so you should only invest your time in the platforms your target demographic actually uses. Otherwise, you might as well be talking to a volleyball.

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The key to a successful online presence is personality.

In 2018, the well-known American chain International House of Pancakes – IHOP – decided to change things up, and rechristen themselves “IHOB.” The controversial B stood for “Burgers” – as you can guess, they were shifting the focus of their menu.

“What a great opportunity for a rebrand!”, you might think. But the chain got one-upped by a competitor. Rival burger outlet Wendy’s delivered the perfect tweet. It read: “Can’t wait to try a burger from the place that decided pancakes were too hard.”

While of course an official account has to stay on message, it's vital to let a little bit of personality shine through. That tweet from Wendy's is a great example of how it is possible to be entertaining and promote your brand at the same time.

Social media is full of opportunities for you – and your brand – to express your personality. So you need to hunt them out. You should search through social networks like Twitter and Instagram for mentions of your brand, even the ones you’re not tagged in. In other words, you should find out what people are saying about you behind your digital back. You can even take a leaf out of Wendy’s book and follow what people are saying about your competitors.

Of course, not every brand can be like Wendy’s – it would be frankly weird for an insurance company to act like that online. But you can still make an impact by creating fresh, relatable content that your target audience wants to see. For more serious-minded companies, the key is education. Think about what people want to know about insurance, or whatever else, and find a fun and relatable way to share that information with them.

Brands need to work hard to create online personalities that feel human. Individuals, meanwhile, need to build up a well-defined personal brand. The author did this during a period of unemployment around 2014. Across platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, he created content that was all about his experience of being unemployed – this was highly personal content that really resonated with people, and eventually helped establish him as a social media expert.

Whether you’re a burger chain or an individual looking for work, the same point holds: build up a personality, and you’ll become well known for being you.

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Social media personalities can help your brand – but only if they’re brilliant, relatable storytellers.

One dark evening in December 2015, musician and producer DJ Khaled found himself stranded at sea on a Jet Ski.

So, naturally, DJ Khaled got out his phone… and went on Snapchat.

He documented his hair-raising experience though a series of posts – Snaps, as Snapchat calls them – that set the social network alight. It was a huge sensation. Soon after, each of his Snaps was getting several million views.

The reason for his success? Simple. DJ Khaled is a born storyteller. Through his charm and personality, he captured the attention of millions.

No wonder then, that when he tries to sell his followers something, they pay attention.

Another social media icon is Kim Kardashian West, who despite her incredible wealth and fame has an online image that shows her as a real, even normal, person. Few people can resist such a candid look at her lifestyle.

But Khaled and Kardashian West are more than just social media icons. They’re also canny business operators who understand how to promote products.

First, Kardashian West makes her fans feel like they know the real her – by sharing content from her day-to-day life. These posts won’t sell anything at all. But then, and only every so often, she’ll put out a post promoting a product like her lipstick. When she does that, she’ll use real people – usually herself, or her family – and she’ll put out a limited-time offer along with it, creating a sense of exclusivity.

Similarly, DJ Khaled has proved himself a superb brand ambassador, championing products from plant-based milk to cocoa butter to a tool to help you do your taxes. When he promotes a product on social media, it doesn’t feel like a celebrity endorsement – it feels like a recommendation from your fabulously successful friend.

All that said, the author is wary about “influencers” in general. Paying social media stars to promote products isn’t a strategy that guarantees success – particularly because many so-called influencers have bought their followers and use tricks to get engagement that won’t translate into sales.

Better than influencers, he says, are ambassadors – people who look and sound like your target buyers, and authentically understand the value of your product. They can effectively become company spokespeople.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re working in contemporary marketing then you need to read this book – it’s as simple as that. True, not all of it was necessarily directly related to what I do in my day job, but the concepts that are covered here are important across the board, whether you’re a marketeer or whether you’re a specialist, such as a web developer, within a marketing team. Let me tell you why.

The way that people communicate has changed, and brands are struggling to keep up. In The New Rules of Marketing & PR, Scott starts out with a basis in traditional marketing theory, and then expands upon it to cover the competitive landscape in the modern age. Essentially, this is your bible, and it’ll explain to you how all of the different channels that are now available, due to the rise of the internet, the web and social media, can be worked to their maximum potential to generate revenue and profit for your business.

Sure, it’s been a few years since the book came out, but Scott keeps it regularly updated, and so make sure you snag the latest edition. The reason that it has to be regularly updated is that it was one of the first serious books to hit the market when this new phase of marketing emerged, and Scott has continued to write on the subject at length since its publication. He’s one of the de facto thought leaders in modern marketing, which is what makes this book so remarkable.

Incidentally, if you’re wondering why he publishes with his middle name, it’s because there was an astronaut called David Scott. Being known as David Meerman Scott helps people to find him on search engines. Isn’t that an awesome way of practicing what you preach? Oh, and one other thing to note – this book is praised by Brian Halligan, co-founder of HubSpot, who also penned a book with him called Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead. I recommend that book, too – combined, they make a force to be reckoned with.

[Sean Fishlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first saw the cover, I cringed a bit, as it looked like just another piece of granstanding fluff. But as they say, never judge a book by its cover ... this is a very useful intro for marketing managers.

Although it delves into plenty of "Web 2.0" concepts that are in themselves difficult to convey, a different tack to most is used. You won't find any confusing Internet industry jargon, just a personal approach accessible to any business professional, making it a great intro to emerging technologies. Although there is plenty of ego and personal anecdotes in this book, it is designed to read like a blog, which adds excitement, promise and addictive nature of its content. Kept me from start to finish, and is able to be read within a couple of sittings.

I already knew a lot of what is covered through several years of experimentation. It covers what I have been preaching to clients, but sums it up really well, allowing reflection with some good case studies that make it easier to explain the concepts more succinctly to customers. A little licence is taken with the title, I couldn't really find any concrete "rules" as such. The author even takes great effort to reinforce the ever changing technology and the constant stream of new opportunities which it presents. Instead contains a lot of advice, principles, guidelines and best practice in laymans terms. Yhe boldness, catchiness and effectiveness of this style is what the book is all about - being audacious with new marketing strategies to generate new business.

Best of all, it contains a list of really useful resources and footnotes to some really interesting stuff, making it quite a useful reference.

I'd recommend "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" to any marketing, public relations manager or digital media consultant who is looking to "go viral" with their business or who wants to build a business case for doing so.

[Blog on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

After being wowed by David Meerman Scott at the 2007 Book Expo, we at Blog On Books naturally felt compelled to check out his book, "The New Rules of Marketing and PR." After all, we are a blog, and his book specifically addresses how to put together a successful blog, among other things.

While writing his book, Scott first posted each chapter on his blog, www.webinknow.com, in order to get feedback from his readers. The result of this process is that the finished book is arranged like a blog, with each chapter containing a set of "postings" about a particular subject. These subjects range from the process of releasing an effective press release in an online world to the process of creating a "viral" marketing campaign. The reader can pick and choose whichever subjects are most relevant and then skip straight to those parts of the book.

Since our interest is in maintaining this blog, we reaped the most benefit from Chapter 4, "Blogs: Tapping Millions of Evangelists to Tell Your Story." However, we also found many relevant facts scattered throughout the rest of the book. For example, although we thought we were well versed in search engine optimization before reading the book, this book showed us that some of our perceptions were incorrect.

In conclusion, we highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to succeed in the ever-changing world of e-commerce and online media. We ourselves will be implementing Scott's tips as we continue to build Blog on Books. - David Jonelis @ BlogOnBooks

[Sarah Packard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an easy read and provides great detail on how to reach buyers through the Internet. If you are looking for a comprehensive idea of what public relations or marketing is, I wouldn't look to this book first.

As someone who came of age when social media and blogging were an integral part of everyday life, most of the information seems intuitive to me. Nonetheless, I appreciate the outline Scott provided for different available online tools. In fact, it gave me information on online media I don't normally choose. He provided many great examples from different industries and made it applicable to anyone--from large corporations and start-ups to pastors and rock bands. He also highlighted what makes online marketing appealing: as a marketer, you can target your audience very precisely and engage with it. As a consumer, interruption tactics turn me away. I appreciate it when an organization attempts to provide informative content that adds value to the market. I am more likely to look at that organization as one of value than I would at one that continues to advertise and corner me into making a decision. And that's exactly what he was aiming at with all of his ideas. Organizations need to be thought leaders in their field.

As an aspiring marketer or public relations specialist, I have several great ideas on how to begin establishing myself in the industry and how I can contribute to the organization that hires me after reading this book.

[Alain Burrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading the third edition of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott. It is a large book, and one that seems to be aimed at larger businesses than small businesses or solo firms, but I do feel anyone interested in marketing and PR can benefit from this book as a reference guide to various aspects of marketing and PR.

Social media is changing all the time, and I noticed that a fourth edition of this book just came out after I picked this one up to read. I'm not sure how much will be updated, but I did find that this book contains general information that is still applicable.

Will everyone need everything in this book? Probably not. I know there were chapters that didn't interest me, and strategies I don't see myself and my businesses doing. However, there were other chapters that were right on point. And who knows, in the future some of those that I am not interested in right now may become more important and things I need to know about. I especially thought Scott provided great advice in regards to dealing with and contacting reporters.

Most people involved with marketing will have more than one resource; I know I do. With that said, Scott's “New Rules of Marketing & PR” should be one of those handy on your shelf. Read it, use it, and get a leg up with your marketing and PR efforts.

[Bucket · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle says it all: how to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. Scott includes all sorts of up-to-date examples, from a Costa Rican resort website doing an outstanding job providing expert content on the country to Oregon capitalizing on the Super Bowl blackout by posting a relevant image with commentary on Twitter.

The content of this book is very much adapted from his blog, which is good and bad. Good because it can be read in several dozen blog-length nuggets, each of which feels pretty complete. But bad because it's pretty repetitive and not always very depthful. After all, Scott tells each story in just a page or two.

Overall, this is a great introduction to the practicalities of marketing and PR in the age of the internet and it helps get your wheels spinning and ideas flowing. You will still likely need (and want) more in-depth advice and information about any given area you decide to tackle in your work.

Themes: marketing, public relations, communication, media, internet, technology, social media, business

[Coyora Dokusho · Rating 4 out of 5]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. (i.e. DESTINY wants me to read this book.)

Tags: Personal Growth,

I'm going to update my review as I read the book!! Why? Because it's fun~

9/14/2013 5:02 PM

I've been thinking a lot lately that I want to get into the nonprofit sector, that's where I really feel like I can *help* - but I LOATHE sales, loathe them. I can do it; I'm even good at it, but it bothers me to, well, bother people. Luckily my bank has enough financial products and offers that I'm generally able to find something that will genuinely HELP the customer, so I can stomach it and do what I need to do; however, I am never, never taking a job in profit-based sales ever, ever again. Thus! I was worried about what I was going to do in a non-profit, because, like, we need donations right? I feel like this book has the answer!!! Let you guys know~

DISCLAIMER: I FREELY USE AND ABUSE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR MY OWN AMUSEMENT

[Viktoras Jasaitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguojantis pavadinimas, panaudojant pačioje knygoje pateikiamus patarimus. Perskaičius jį, natūraliai kyla klausimai - "O tai kokios jos? kokios buvo senosios taisyklės?". Ir nejučiomis pasiimi knygą į rankas, pradedi skaityti, skaitai skaitai, gauni Daugybe naudingos informacijos, ir tik paskutiniame skyriuje autoriai prasitaria, kad visa ši knyga yra sutelkta tik į paieškos sistemų optimizavimą (SEO).

Knygoje paliečiama daug skirtingų interneto sklaidos kanalų, būdų ir gudrybių. Taip pat pilna nuorodų, adresų (deja, ne visi jie veikiantys ar aktyvūs šiandienai). Atkreipiamas dėmesys į įvairias smulkmenas, kurios ne visada atrodo svarbios, bet perskaičius knygą pradedi jas pastebėti interneto platybėse.

Knyga maloniai skaitosi, neapkrauta sudėtingais terminais ir pompastiškais sakiniais, bet ir nesubanalinta iki kioskelio prekeivio kalbos, kas išlaiko šiokį tokį profesinį pasitikėjimą.

Išduosiu pagrindinę žinią ir mintį visos knygos - "Turinys (tekstas, ne meniu) yra DIEVAS ir viskas, kas svarbiausia. Geras turinys garantuoja sėkmę".

[Amelia Mulder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott's book is definitely a very thorough introduction to new media marketing and PR, especially for "old school" marketers and PR professionals trying to adapt to the changing landscape of their field. However, as someone who has only ever worked in online marketing I found the book a bit obvious or basic, not adding anything to what I already know of the subject.

Scott raises a good point when he says that the difference between the "old rules" and the "new rules" of marketing is that marketers now have the opportunity to communicate directly with their customers, and that they should try to meet the needs of the customers in their communication rather than blaring marketing messages at them. The modus of communication has changed. That, in my view, is the most important message of the book.

[Sergey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this book has both negative and positive parts. First of all 3/4 of information presented here - is well known truth for the basic level specialists.

You should read it if you don't know how Twitter works, or its "better to share news on Facebook to get higher coverage". The author uses old examples and in some cases information presented there (even in the 4th edition) is not relevant at all. For me this is "old-school approach", full of hard-selling advices.

If you are 50, you never had a social media account and you need slow detailed explanation how it works - this book for you. And yes, if you like to hear about achievements and self-promotion - read it.

Positive stuff: well, author makes some interesting points on press releases distribution.

I don't recommend this book for PR pros.