Book review: The New Rules of Marketing and PR
How to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing and online media to reach buyers directly
By David Meerman Scott, John Wiley & Sons Inc, second edition, 2009.
11 March 2009
If your organisation doesn't need a website or other online presence in order to conduct its business then you don't need this book. Otherwise … The New Rules will appeal to a wide readership from beginner to expert, from marketing or PR professional to small business owner. Particularly for those who glaze over at the mere mention of RSS, blogs or search engine optimisation, but nevertheless want to exploit the business benefits of the web, the book is a must.
Structure
The New Rules is divided into three parts. Part one – How the Web Has Changed the Rules of Marketing and PR – sets out the author's key arguments – how the rules of communications have changed in an online world. Part two – Web-based Communications to Reach Buyers Directly – focuses on technology, devoting a chapter each to blogs, news releases, online audio, forums and wikis, viral marketing and, bringing them all together, the content-rich website. Part three – Action Plan for Harnessing the Power of the New Rules – focuses on content and is packed with 12 chapters' worth of advice on how to exploit the new technologies in the context of the new rules.
New rules or just hype?
So, have the rules really changed?
As the author points out, some of the old rules still apply. But, he argues, many of the rules have changed profoundly because the means of communication have changed. For example, before the web the principal available channels to connect with buyers were big-budget advertising, PR professionals working in conjunction with journalists, or direct mail. These are expensive, relatively inefficient, and one-way: they rely on interrupting activities such as watching TV or reading a paper, in the hope of influencing behaviour.
A shift in power and scale
But the internet changes everything. It is not only easily accessible and cost effective, but it also enables direct engagement including conversations with potential buyers as a means of persuading them to take action. This allows much more targeted provision of goods and services. And it has taken away much of the power previously enjoyed by the media gatekeepers of the marketing and PR (not to mention budget-holding) worlds, opening these communications channels to all. It also changes the scale of what is possible. Whilst word of mouth referrals have always been important in business, the internet has the potential to enable conversations amongst millions ("word of mouse").
The new technologies
In part two the author looks at the principal so-called Web 2.0 technologies.
Blogs
First comes some sound advice on getting started with blogging. Rather than setting up a blog and just expecting it to work, the author advises beginners to start by reading other blogs in their particular areas of interest and then to test the water by commenting on those blogs. Once they are comfortable regularly joining in the conversation in this way, they will be much better placed to successfully set up their own.
There is also good advice on the benefits of allowing negative comments on a blog. Doing so still seems somewhat counter-intuitive to many who still operate within the old rules. But the value has been demonstrated many times, most notably perhaps by Robert Scoble (who incidentally wrote the foreword for this book). As a Microsoft employee Scoble ran a blog that was sometimes critical of his employer. It attracted an audience of millions. When he left Microsoft the story made headlines around the world with The Economist commenting that Scoble had "put a human face on Microsoft". Microsoft was widely seen as having achieved a PR coup by tolerating Scoble’s criticisms.Note 1
But at the same time the author is not advocating an "anything goes" approach. He argues that all organisations need a general communications policy setting out what their employees can and can't do. But it should be a general policy for all forms of communication including, of course, email which has previously got quite a few organisations and individuals into hot water.Note 2
News releases
As the web, blogs and RSS feeds allow direct-to-consumer releases of news, the author argues, there is no longer complete reliance on PR-cultivated relationships with journalists in order to reach potential buyers (although these will remain an important part of the mix for some organisations). As a result, what was once just a press release now becomes a news release delivered directly to potential buyers as well as to the media. It is also, incidentally, a resource which, if optimised for search engines, can continue to attract customers for many years, unlike the conventional press release.
Online audio + RSS (podcasting)
Whilst blogs are still relatively new, online audio has been technically possible since the early days of the web. But as the author points out, the really profound shift that has turned online audio into a valuable marketing tool (as with blogs) has been the emergence of RSS as the means of distribution. The importance of RSS as a component of web marketing strategy, he argues, cannot be overstated. Yet surprisingly few organisations to date have exploited it.
Video
Better than any description in the book, recently on his own blog the author demonstrated the potential impact of video to get a message across, even on the lowest budget. With just a hand-held camera the author filmed himself speaking at a conference asking the audience the following question:
"In the last 1 to 2 months, either privately or professionally, in order to research a product or service that you might want to buy, or to answer a question, how many people in the room have:
- gone to the printed phone directory (Yellow Pages)?
- answered a direct mail advertisement?
- referred to mainstream media (newspapers, magazines, radio or TV)?
- used Google or another search engine?
- tapped a network of friends and colleagues online, either by email, Twitter or Facebook etc, and then received an answer that was a website that you then visited?"
On a show of hands the corresponding answers were (approximately):
- (phone directory:) 0%
- (direct marketing:) 4%
- (mainstream media:) 25%
- (Google:) 100% (minus a few note takers)
- (Referral/website:) 90%
Be informed and entertained – check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj0xK4jlJUM&eurl=http://www.webinknow.com/ Note 3 Note: this link can be pasted into a browser but is not active here as it breaks this site's valid HTML rule.
The content-rich website
After a look at wikis, forums and viral marketing, part two of the book concludes with a chapter on the content-rich website that pulls it all together. As the author notes, all too often visual appearance dominates but "the best websites focus primarily on content". This might seem blindingly obvious, but sadly, far too many organisations do prioritise flashy design over content and in doing so fail to address the needs of their audiences. Part three of the book looks at this issue in detail.
Putting it all together
Part three – Action Plan for Harnessing the Power of the New Rules – contains plenty of advice on creating effective content. Chapter titles include:
- How to write for your buyers
- How web content influences the buying process
- How to use news releases to reach buyers directly
- Blogging to reach your buyers
- Podcasting and video made, well, as easy as possible
- Search engine marketing
Here you will find a good mix of old rules, new rules and general "how-to", from identifying and targeting "buyer personas"; to the importance of avoiding gobbledygook; to the incorporation of search terms in your copy; to social media tags; to online media rooms; to blogging ethics; to podcasting 101; and finishing off with an introduction to MySpace, Facebook and Squidoo.
And all (the whole book) in just 246 pages.
A highly recommended read.
Ted Page Director PWS
PWS web maintenance services
For further information on any issue raised in this article or on any aspect of our web editorial and maintenance services please contact us on 01932 355 222 or 07918 952 874.
RSS (subscribe)