I visited a client last week who had six copies of David Meerman Scott‘s The New Rules of Marketing & PR on his desk. He has made it required reading for his staff so of course, I ordered two copies on Amazon, one for me and one for my staff (okay, so I’m cheap!). When the books arrived, I added it to my growing stack of B2B books I “planned” to read. The truth is that I loath biz books especially ones on marketing. Of the 100 or more I felt compelled to buy, I’ve started half and finished two. Frankly, I get more out of historical fiction and it doesn’t put me to sleep as fast (currently reading The Physician, an epic circa 1000 AD.)
But then I got sick and used some of my down time to start Scott’s New Rules. Before I knew it, I was half way through and determined to finish it. While much of it was familiar (after all, we do a lot with social media at Renegade) the book was crammed with fresh case histories and useful links. It was also an ode to the concept of Marketing as Service. Whether reaching out to the press or Twittering, creating podcasts or blog posts, Scott prescribes creating “thoughtful content.” Says Scott:
Do not write about your company and your products. Thought leadership content is designed to solve buyer problems or answer questions and to show that you and your organization are smart and worth doing business with.
Or in other words, create something of value by providing genuine utility instead of mere messaging. Scott’s book aggregates a number of cost-effective ways to deliver Marketing as Service with enthusiastic zeal encouraging marketers “to jump in and see what you can do.” Here. Here.