Hard Core Marketing With A Value Driven Heart
935737
A terrific look at hard core marketing... I love that he addresses what he refers to as "Big Net Theory" and shines light on a huge myth that ad men have been trying to peddle off for years. He offers simple to implement strategies that anyone can do, immediately and save time, money and headache. Better yet he offers the top things you need to succeed in today's business world. Covering everything from websites, seo, email marketing, answering services, auto-responders, social media and partnerships, no stone is left un turned. I learned a lot from this book and you will too - highly recommended!
3664367
Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs is an outstanding and practical marketing strategy guide targeted to small and startup businesses.  Halligan and Shah have written this book with small and startup businesses in mind because their book shares numerous insights from their own experiences as entrepreneurs (i.e., Tips from the Trenches).

* The Value of This Book *
Inbound Marketing makes a convincing case that marketing success is not limited by the size of our respective marketing budgets.  Instead, these limits are now a function of our own creativity and investment of time.  Inbound Marketing practically explains how small or startup businesses can practically and effectively compete with larger competitors by executing:

* Social media strategy via channels such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
* A lead nurturing and conversion process
* A sales marketing funnel process to measure campaign ROI

* The 6 Practical Benefits of Studying Inbound Marketing *
1. Understanding how/why Google plays a signifcant role in your marketing success.  Here, Inbound Marketing explains in non-technical terms why inbound links (e.g., links from other websites that connect to your site or blog) play a vital role in your website's  "Google Juice" or Google Authority (e.g., the number of inbound links to your web pages and the authority of those pages linking to your site).

2. Executing practical and actionable "to-do" lists at the end of every chapter.  The suggestions are hardly rocket science but they require personal commitment, preseverance, and time.

3. Learning social media marketing tactics for use across all major social media channels.  Halligan and Shah ably provide specific examples on how to effectively deploy blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon, and YouTube.

4. Measuring the effectiveness of your social media marketing initiatives by channel.  For example, the book guides you on how to compare the effectiveness of a Twitter campaign versus a YouTube campaign.

5. Implementing a lead nurturing process in all marketing campaigns.  Why is this important?  Every prospect is at a different place in the buying cycle for your particular product or service.  Therefore, you want this prospect to have your organization at the "top-of-mind" even when they're not ready to buy from you (because one day they will be).

6. Informing marketing decisions (e.g., ROI) by creating a sales marketing funnel process.  This process will enable your organization to measure and evaluate campaign yield along with ROI.

* The 3 Audiences Who Will Benefit from Studying Inbound Marketing *
1. Amateur Bloggers.  You will learn how to build Google Authority for your blog by understanding why you don't want your blog's URL address to include the name of your blogging platform.  For example, if your blog's URL address is [...] or [...] that's not good.  Make sure to address this problem -- I did and my search engine results are all the better for it.

2. Marketing Professionals (especially CMOs).  You will make better marketing decisions by creating a sales marketing funnel so you can measure campaign effectiveness per channel using campaign yield and ROI measurement techniques.

3. CEOs.  You will learn how to monitor your competitor's activity and progress by tracking seven (7) attributes.  These attributes can be tracked using free tools on the Internet.  These attributes or tools are:

* Website Grade via [...]
* Number of [...] bookmarks
* Number of inbound links
* Number of Facebook fans
* Website traffic via [...]
* Google Buzz of your brand name relative to a competitor's brand name
2435504
I'm a business owner and I know that I rely upon a dedicated cadre of loyal customers.  I also know that I need to be constantly increasing this loyal group.  Whether you are responsible for a business unit in a large corporation or own your business, YOU need loyal customers.  Emotion Marketing is the key. You owe it to yourself, your co-workers, and, most importantly, your customers, to implement the ideas in this book. Read, reread, STUDY, this book.  Mark it, underline and highlight it. Teach it to your co-workers.  There WILL be a quiz.
4217094
As a colleague of Mike Sciortino for 20 years, I witnessed first hand an individual who was the embodiment
of a true professional and expert in marketing and relationship building.
His sterling reputation in the financial services industry speaks for itself!
Gratitude Marketing is a concise blueprint or road map on how to successfully build and maintain lasting,
long-term relationships through the use of practical, time-tested concepts that too often get overlooked in
today's world dominated by social media.
Although this book has great application in the financial services industry, Mike's invaluable strategies are
transferable to almost any marketing effort in any industry involving client interaction.
This well-conceived book is a terrific resource for any professional looking to build and maintain meaningful,
lasting relationships.
It is a book full of wisdom, common sense and insight. It is well worth reading.
2216660
I loved this book. It is a very thought provoking read. It is concise, easy to read and full of thought provoking ideas. I have rarely written so many notes and things to do. Tara-Nicholle Nelson is not only challenging you to rethink your market, but she gives you the tools to get started. It is a reference book for
Profiling your customer
Defining your value proposition
Re-setting your purpose
Defining your Core Values.
I am in the process of re-reading it, and completing every step in her process.
2860357
I read your book today and was pleasantly surprised at all of the honest, insightful, inspiring, and empowering information you are giving away to your readers a/k/a future competition. But I know you aren't worried one iota because you seem to practice what you preach.  By being a leader and not a follower, you will clearly stay ahead of your competition.

Your recognition of customer needs and wants are spot on. Take it from someone with over 30 years of Purchasing experience.  Customers want to know what makes your product different than the rest? What value your product brings to the table.  Is it a high quality, innovative product that is cost effective?  And yes, the more value it brings, the more people are apt to pay.  These are key factors that will clearly put your product ahead of the rest.

Your ability to recognize this, identify the proper marketing tools and strategies to reach and communicate this effectively will ensure your future success and that of your readers.
609203
There is nothing new about the idea that we need to value our customers. This book wouldn't have left the editors desk if that was the premise.

In this book you get the HOW to have tangible growth in your business.

The secret that's given in the book, and explained in great detail is by using their framework called the "Customer Focus Maturity Model" you discover how to apply this immediately.

I love books that you can pay 25.00 for an you can read in one sitting and have a full page game plan for something that we're probably not doing in our business.

For the business that want quick implementation this book does deliver.

For the business that wants to go even deeper you get a gift in this book. The gift is depth. You install and then if you like, you go deep on each Level by following the advanced details given.

I really appreciated the book and know how the money invested in this book will start paying for itself the minute I implement the ideas over a monday morning work session. Two other books that are a great companion to this are Delivering Happiness, and The Everything Store

Kudos to the authors!
1639855
In an era where an increasing number of businesses are creating content as a cornerstone of their marketing, the key to standing out is to drop the corporate-focused marketing pablum and instead focus on the customer's needs. Jay writes in Youtility: "Youtility is marketing so useful, people would pay for it. It's a new marketing model for the age of information overload."

I'll admit my bias here: I love the notion of content utility, or "youtility," or perhaps both. I'm also quoted in the book.

Here's my take: The marketer who really groks content marketing is relentlessly, unremittingly, unwaveringly focused on producing content that their customers will love. Jay moves the idea from theory to action with lots of great example of organizations of all sizes and stripes who are producing apps, maps, blogs, videos, and more all focused on helping, and not selling. And he spells out exactly how they are measuring success.

Which is why I am a fan of Jay's book. And now that I think of it, that's not really a bias. It's simply good business.
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Have you ever felt like you're not getting paid what you're worth? Have you ever been afraid to ask for the REAL value of your service offerings? Me too. Jaynie L. Smith walks readers through step by step helping them discover what makes their offering unique, special and valuable. The author shares the wisdom of a true marketing sage giving us permission to find our value, identify our uniqueness and sell it without compromise. Allow this book to take you to a place where selling without lowering price makes good business sense. This book taught me to broadcast my competitive advantage in a message that prospects welcome. If you want to start doing business with customers who value what you offer and increase your revenue - whether you sell a product or a service - pick up this little gem. You'll be happy that you did.
4908375
This book de-bunks the advertising rule book. It challenges marketers to go beyond just branding and awareness, and deliver meaningful results that drive shareholder value.  For every marketer or person that approves marketing budgets, this is a refreshing read because it cuts through the usual marketing jargon and clichs. The case studies are insightful as are the author's viewpoints on how marketing directors need to re-think their practices.

The O2, BA and Samsung examples provide a valuable inside perspective of their marketing strategies. One of the most remarkable brand marketing stories over the last five years was the O2 campaigns which rebuilt a tired BT Cellnet brand. Every marketing student should read this book.

Return on investment is such a hot issue in the business.  The problem is that many marketers bar some exceptional companies like P&G and Toyota, avoid the hard commercial needs of marketing. Using numerous case studies, Young provides some very practical steps that companies can employ to deliver results.

Thanks, in part, to the growth of the web and other digital channels, ROI is no longer the preserve of the direct marketing industry. Antony Young and Lucy Aitken's book shows why evaluating and proving ROI is a challenge the advertising and marketing sectors are finally ready to accept. And consequently, why businesses can use it to both demand and expect more from their marketing.
2973425
Do you talk with customers or study market trends? Then this book belongs front and center in your boardroom, your sales floor, and across your marketing organization.

Robbie says it eloquently: "Marketing is more than campaignsits about focusing on the market. This is always true, but especially in the Membership Economy, where retention matters more than acquisition." Her pragmatic insights and extensive interviews with AARP, Salesforce, NPR, and Netflix will show you the way towards more loyal customers, rapid innovation, and a clear competitive edge.

In my latest book, "The Mindful Marketer: How to Stay Present and Profitable in a Data-Driven World," (www.themindfulmarketer.com), I discovered that customer communities and peer groups are two very powerful ways to stay ahead of your competitors. Customer community can, in itself, be a key differentiator. Yet many companies ignore these avenues when they plan for growth.

Join Robbie's community and buy her book. You will never look at your business through the same lens again.

-- Lisa Nirell
Chief Energy Officer, EnergizeGrowth LLC
134344
Roy Williams has written a masterpiece. Secret Formulas dives into an examination of humanity and the struggle for advertisers to say their message with conviction, common sense mechanics and ruthless persuasion.
Helpful for any advertiser, but vital for the small business owner, his guidance will help change your unconscious programming as to what "you ought to do" into what you truly need to do. The key is understanding your own heart and speaking to the hidden wonders of your customer's hearts - Do your ads dive into the secret kingdom of your potential friends or are you just another carnival barker shining a wooden nickle?
Secret Formulas dissolves what the experts suggest you do with your invaluable ad dollars. Instead of chasing your tail with short term blowouts, Roy guides you into building your own, unique and convincingly honest campaign. Lend him your ear and he will hand over his heart. Follow his heart and he will take you to a place the experts say doesn't exist.
1178039
This book is about growing your brands to grow your top line revenues.  That sounds traditional enough.  However, rather than merely trying to get the customer's head with your brand so they pick your product off the shelf, you use modern research to know what the customer is looking for even before they know it themselves and make that for them.  Your brand becomes part marketing software, part business discipline, and incorporates "the organization, skills, knowledge, technology, and resources to operate the software effectively, efficiently, and competitively."

You track customer behavior and create profiles.  This knowledge allows you to create marketing on demand.  You create a portfolio of brands and establish marketing knowledge centers.  I think to this point the book has some valuable insights.

Where the book goes off the rails, in my view, is the advocacy of a combined marketing and IT function as a Chief Marketing Officer.  Really, do we have to have yet ANOTHER C-level executive?  I am not convinced.

They present the book's 16 chapters in three parts.  Part I makes their argument for the "New Marketing Capability".  Part II looks at some trends in current marketing, calls it the Leading Edge and makes the case for you running with it.  Part III is all about incorporating this new executive role in the management of the company and this marketing approach.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
1090876
Through my years of experience in marketing and selling, the message is clear that telling a story and making a human connection to your customer is the key to success. In his book Jeff Slater has provided solid marketing advice while sharing his life journey.
It's worth the read.
4095835
It's difficult to rank books by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose, but if I had to, I would put this one at the top of the list. Actually, I'd put this book at the top of a lot of lists.

"Killing Marketing" is an insightful, challenging, thoughtful book designed to make us really think long and hard about marketing strategy, multichannel tactics, and how it all fits into modern business strategy. If you listen to the PnR "This Old Marketing" podcast, you'll be familiar with a lot of the concepts and examples, but this book is a wonderful distillation of those real-time discussions. The book is a great companion to the podcast because they really unpack concepts around marketing revenue opportunities.

What I find most amazing is how well they've crafted these marketing concepts and action items. The book is layered to appeal to readers who are discovering Pulizzi and Rose for the first time, but also rewards those of us who have been following them for years.

"Killing Marketing" is an essential read for everyone working in marketing today.
4797187
The author begins with asking the reader to do a self examination to determine "what is happening within us". Often, this is a key

to what motivates us and the rationale behind our actions and

choices.  Next, he espouses the value of selecting win/win options or scenarios in order to gain greater consent. The author advises us to hire fewer people with greater potential and capacity for sustained work/ contribution to the enterprise. Service is espoused as an important value because it is the hallmark for attracting and retaining valued customers. Relationships are "cultivated"  over longer time periods rather than the short term.  The notion of cultivation implies a steady but certain incremental development of clients and employees which will make permanency more probable. It is important

to understand and have empathy with people in order to cultivate

relationships for the longer term. Lastly, the author asks that we "raise the bar"  of our own personal standards both

qualitatively and quantitatively. The work provides us with

the basics, as well as the fine nuances with regard to winning with people. This book is a bit more structured than the

Andrew Carnegie works; however, the themes and ultimate objectives have substantial congruency.
2849105
The concepts and methods in this book have immediate appeal and value to B2B sales reps and marketing professionals.  It is an approach to selling that represents the high degree of professionalism and the kind of buyer-seller relationship to which professional B2B sales people aspire.

B2B buyers have changed.  Buyers today want to know exactly how you can help them solve their particular challenges and the bottom-line impact you can deliver.

This book reveals how sales and marketing can help buyers abandon the status quo and take action to change and invest in your recommendations to achieve and realize more value.

It's the responsibility of the sales rep and marketing, not the customer, to create the perception of value necessary to advance the sale.  If you wait for your customer to do it  the deal likely stalls.  If you allow your competitors to drive the value conversation  they will frame the value to their advantage and your detriment.

But sales success today is not exclusively about quantification and logic.  Persuasive business cases that move others to action include a combination of logic, emotion, and credibility.  Aristotle long ago described these as Logos, Pathos and Ethos.  The timeliness genius of Aristotle combined with modern neuroscience are effective guides to persuade and move frugal B2B buyers to action.

This book provides a roadmap to effectively refine your sales approach and navigate your content marketing plans to not only survive  but thrive  in this new environment.