Free E-Book on Viral Marketing – David Meerman Scott Unveils New Rules

Great resources deserve to be passed along. David Meerman Scott, online thought leadership and viral marketing strategist, just published “The New Rules of Viral Marketing, How word-of-mouse spreads your ideas for free.”

Download the e-book (for free!) here.

I like the timeliness of this offering: companies are still adjusting marketing strategies for the year and online content is a hot topic. No less than four clients talked with me about online content in the past week. I spoke with three other consultants and our topic was social media. Of the seven conversations, at least two were gambling on instant success; read, reality check needed. As David Meerman Scott suggests, “think like a venture capitalist.” He’s referring to the generalized rule of VC that says three of ten companies may be a winner.

Scott gives some definitive examples of viral success and analyzes what does and doesn’t work, and why. He offers real guidance for those who are wildly and indiscriminately adding social media to their traditional media strategies. (I’m reminded of those with a mission to get more people tied to them on LinkedIn for no particular reason.)

In addition to a portrayal of what works, I like the resources highlighted in this e-book. The chapter “Grade your Web site,” for example, showcases a cool marketing tool from HubSpot, an inbound internet marketing system for entrepreneurs. The free tool, Website Grader, measures the marketing effectiveness of any website. How cool is that?

With the plethora of information on the internet, in books and magazines, and resting on your bedside table, it’s tempting to pass more of the same by. Don’t make that mistake with this valuable 34-page missive. Take the time to read The New Rules of Viral Marketing. Let me know what you think…and how you plan to put one of the new rules into action.

Business Book to Buy, Read and Recommend: Ready, Fire, Aim. Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat

Michael Masterson, best-selling author, successful businessman and entrepreneur encourages speed. His newest book, Ready, Fire, Aim Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat, presents a compelling case for entrepreneurial development of the sort that doesn’t resemble business as usual.

Masterson identifies four stages if business by revenues using the analogy of infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Throughout the 368 pages of discussion I found myself underlining, scribbling notes on post-its, and circling specifics to bring to the attention of others.

The simple, practical information and relatable business terms alone make this book worthwhile; the real experiences, quick-moving dialogue and engaging examples create a fascinating read. What stood out?

• How to write a great business memo
• RFA Business proposals
• Selling – and OSS, Optimum Selling Strategy
• Customer service
• Wants versus needs
• Crash course on sales and marketing

No question. This is a must have business book in my opinion. Add it to your business library and prepare to use it throughout 2008. I agree with Jay Abraham who wrote the foreword: “I can promise that when you put down this book when you’re done reading it, you will be a far different – completely transformed- business owner than you were at the start.”

Check it out for yourself and then let me know what you liked!

Create a Wow Conference Provides Learning Opportunities for Entrepreneurs

Happy New Year! While every New Year presents a blank slate begging to be written on, this one is particularly important. In numerology, 2008 is a beginning number:

2008 is 2 + 0 + 0 + 8 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1.

I don’t pretend to know the science of numerology and yet I love the idea that it represents.

In the spirit of planning for the new, I’ve considered my blog, planned my newsletter and outlined my scope of visibility for the coming months. While the specifics may change, the strategies remain. I invite you to do the same.

Define the core messages your business will focus on for the year. Choose three. ProfitMeister, for example, focuses on small business marketing strategies.

• My rule is that the information must be practical, professional and profitable for entrepreneurs.
• While I consider the five critical audiences (stakeholders, customers, employees, media and community), I prefer to specialize in media stories and opportunities.
• Finally, I want to be a resource or provide resources on the topics presented.

One such resource presented to me at the end of 2007 is the Create a Wow Virtual Conference sponsored by http://www.ideamarketers.com/. Create a Wow runs from Tuesday, January 8, 2008 – Friday, January 11, 2008 and features pre-recorded streaming audio seminars that you can tune into at your convenience. If you’re looking for online marketing information or inspiration this could be your ticket. It’s free. It’s packed with professional presenters and titles including these three:

• You Name It! How to Create a Successful Brand - presented by: Phillip Davis http://puretungsten.com/
• How to Use Press Releases to Get Visitors to Your Web Site (and get some
  publicity to boot) AND How to Make Your Web site Go Ka-ching! - presented by:
  Michele PW http://www.theartistsoul.com/cmd.php?af=701568
• Relationship Marketing Using LinkedIn - presented by: David Nour http://www.relationshipeconomics.net/

Create a Wow Virtual Conference offers you an opportunity to begin your New Year with a bit of learning. Add to the skills that your already own. Experiment with a new topic. (NOTE: The three listed here are just a few of many.) Let me know if you sign up. One of the free downloads is a ten minute timer…the idea is to take a mere 10 minutes a day to focus on your goal. Enjoy your new beginning!

Bits and Bytes Build the Brand

As I’ve blogged before, branding is the compilation of all the little things about you and your product. The making of a brand makes for fascinating study and considerable debate. Yesterday’s Brand You Summit offered an outstanding collection of experts on Branding. This morning, I opened Change This and discovered “Build Your Brand in Bits and Bytes,”a manifesto by brand strategist, public speaker and author, Willian Arruda. Arruda founded Reach, the global leader in personal branding.

Download your copy of the manifesto, Build Your Brand in Bits and Bytes.

In 15 succinct pages, Arruda gives instructions for gauging your personal brand effectiveness on the web. “You’re being googled,” he writes and offers an online tool to evaluate just how your personal brand effectiveness stacks up.

A simple table demonstrates where your brand ranks on the digital scale; answer five questions and Arruda’s easy-to-use tool calculates the answer for you. Even better, he explains how to implement a plan to develop the online brand you want to portray. I encourage you to take the test. Are you digitally disguised, dissed, disastrous, dabbling, or distinct?

Once again William Arruda has provided high content, easy-to-understand branding information that can take you to the next level in your ongoing quest to a positive web presence.