Author David Meerman Scott has just released his new book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. I am about halfway through and I am finding it a very interesting read:
- How the Web has changed the rules of marketing and PR (how the Web has changed the rules)
- Web-based communications to reach buyers directly (a tour of the various tools)
- Action plan for harnessing the power of the new rules (how to effectively use the tools)
The book is full of case studies, some of which I had never heard about before. I have also found a couple of nuggets already. One of the more interesting nuggets include David's experience with public relations people in his role as contributing editor at EContent Magazine. He writes:
How difficult can it be to read the blogs of the reporters you are trying to pitch? It teaches you precisely what interests them. And then you can e-mail them with something that they are likely to write about rather than spamming them with unsolicited press releases. This is nuts! When I don't want to be bothered, I get hundreds of unsolicited press releases a week. When I do want feedback and conversation I get silence. Something is very wrong in PR land.”
Another idea that resonated with me is the fact that our role as marketers and PR professionals is subtly changing, we need to think of ourselves as publishers:
Marketers…successfully using the new rules recognize the fact that they are now purveyors of information, and they manage content as a valuable asset with the same care that a publishing company does.”
I will give a more complete report after I am finished with the book; however, in the meanwhile, support David and put one on advance order at Amazon.com. They are only $16.47 each, and I plan to get them for all of my clients.
If you can’t wait, you can also snag David's free e-book that formed the basis for the new book, The new rules of PR: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly.
