Recommended Marketing Reads for Monday, 8-24

I have to say that there are some really great reads out there this week. I’ve been pushed, prodded, and cajoled into thinking about brands, social media, hiring, content, and fear. It’s shaping up to be a fabulous week. As always, if you see a great marketing article, please let me know in the comments.

Create Vocal Brand Advocates
In this article, Susan Gunelius talks about the seven steps of advertising success. Sometimes you don’t get an immediate sale from your advertising and marketing, but you can create awareness and build your brand.

Fear
David Meerman Scott talks about fear of marketing on the web. Some companies are so afraid of negative feedback that they forget it’s an opportunity. A company I previously worked for wanted to control what was said about them. So they had no blogs, no social media presence, and no easy way to communicate what they were doing to help customers. It’s too bad, because that was exactly what I wanted to do – increase awareness of what we were doing by being active in social media. Unfortunately, their radio silence was doing them much more harm.

Make Your Customer the Hero
Remember that customers don’t want to hear about you. They want to hear about how you can help them, what you are doing for them. Michael Martine tells you how to focus on your customers in your company blog.

Book Review: ‘Free’ by Chris Anderson
The word “free” can strike fear into marketers. If you offer your product for free, how do you make money? Bob Gilbreath actually feels that marketers are the ones that will get the most out of this book. His review was convincing enough that I think I’ll go and take a look at it.

How to Find the Web Designer That Will Bring Your Brand to Life
Admittedly, Jamie does jump up and down and tell you to hire her company. But that’s not the entire focus of this post. She gives you good information about how you can hire a good web designer, not just the cheapest one. Having a good site that’s easy to navigate and professional-looking should be at the top of your list. It is, isn’t it?

Customer Content vs. Marketing Content
Ardath makes some good points here, telling you how your content should differ between customers and prospects. They are not looking for the same information, so why do you only offer the same exact content?

It’s Not the Size That Matters, It’s How You Use It
Here Rebecca talks about hiring social media consultants. Those with bigger follower numbers aren’t always better. That shouldn’t be your only criterion for a social media marketer. Ask for a portfolio, case studies, or examples.

Idealist vs. Pragmatic Marketers
Idealists can be seen as too pollyanna-ish, while pragmatists can sound a bit too negative. Yet both are essential to create a balanced marketing plan.

And just in case you missed them, here are some Bizzia reads that can help you on your way to marketing success:

Companies Block Social Media Sites
It’s All About Respect
How to use Surveys for Marketing
Cultivating Your Personal Brand
Branding with Promotional Items

image: sxc.hu