In his new book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly
, David Meerman Scott explains how new web tools & technologies are the best way to communicate directly with your customers.
He explains that while historically, the press release was meant to be viewed only by members of the press, these new technologies are shifting the emphasis to a “direct to consumer” type of release . Scott prefers to use the term news release to emphasize this new approach. While his ideas are listed as the “new” approach to PR, I found it interesting when he pointed out that the definition of PR as defined by Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) doesn’t contain any mention of the media.
Similar to the philosophy behind Duct Tape Marketing, Scott teaches the importance of defining the needs and wants of you ideal customer (he uses personas) first, and then crafting your news releases to address their needs rather than just touting your products and capabilities. Scott contends that a properly written news release contains the perfect information for visitors who are ready to buy.
The book is organized into three sections. The first section provides an overview of how the web is changing the “old” rules of marketing and PR. Part II outlines the different tools and technologies that are available for online marketing and PR. The last section of the book provides the meat and potatoes about how to get started using these tools in your business.
I like this book for small business for the same reasons that I like good blogs. It is written in a conversational tone and has a nice balance between background\educational information and practical implementation tips. Most small business owners don’t have the time to read a book from cover to cover, so they will be pleased that it is easy to jump around in the book and find the information that you need.
I highly recommend this book to small business owners who are looking for affordable ways to communicate with their customers. If you would like to learn more about David’s ideas before buying his book, check out his blog about public relations and marketing strategies.
