Posted on December 6, 2008 in Blog, Book Review

I've just finished reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, a book in which the author discusses how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing and online media to help your busines by reaching buyers directly.

There are a couple of different things that this book tries to do. Firstly, it introduces the 'new' web 2.0 technologies - things like blogs, podcasts, videos etc - in a way that will give a beginner an understanding of what they are and how they work. It then talks about how business can use these tools to reach buyers in a new way.

One of the most important things that Scott recognises about online media is the difference between the way the user interacts with your website and your offline forms of advertising.

If you are advertising in print media, by mail or on radio or television, your advertisement has to be attractive enough to tear the viewer away from what they were previously doing - from what they really want to be doing - and make them read your ad.

Building your reputation online has a very different focus and purpose. Your website is found by people who are looking for information about your product, service or business. They want to know more, they are already interested and it's your job to make sure they find what they are looking for and engage with your brand.

This shift in the way the viewer is interacting with your business and marketing material is the crux of The New Rules. It will help you understand the difference in the way web users work and give you advice and case studies on the best ways to build relationships with customers in this new medium and become recognised as a 'thought leader'.

The second thing Scott gives us in this book is a more nuts-and-bolts description of how to use the technologies he's recommending. Blogs, podcasts, video, viral marketing, online news releases and social networking are all discussed, with hints on how to get them up and running for your website as well as pointers on why they're good for business.

Scott definitely has the right experience with this too, with his own blog covering topics like "How do I convince my boss of the ROI of new marketing?" and "The new rules of finding a job" that show that he is himself a thought leader in the industry. The fact that he's now published three books as well as making a fine living form what he does proves that his strategies are working.

I found The New Rules of Marketing and PR an interesting and worthwhile read, and in what is always a good sign I've marked a few sections to come back to and read again later. However, the overall tone of this book shows it is aimed at people who are already working in a marketing or PR role at a larger business, one where they do things the old way and want to change to a more web-centric model.

This is obviously due to Scott's own marketing and PR background.

Overall, I think this book is perfect if you're already running a business or a marketing department and you want to get excited about making a move into using the web more. It does contain some good general advice on the technologies involved as well as the marketing theory behind using them on the internet.