Conversational Media Marketing

You think I stuffed enough keywords into that title?! 

I'm pleased to announce that Wiley Publishing has contracted with me to write a book on social media marketing, to be called The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media.

It's set for publication in September and I have three months to write it.

I won't bore you with the minutiae of how all this came about, just happy that it did. I do, however, want to address some questions.

Another book on social media marketing?!? Isn't the market glutted with them?

In case you might be asking why Wiley would want to publish yet another title about social media, I admit I asked the same thing. It's not like they haven't cornered the market already with the likes of David Meerman Scott's New Rules of Marketing and PR, Dave Evan's Social Media Marketing an Hour a Day and Joseph Jaffe's Join the Conversation, just to name a few. (Oh, let me not forget Larry Weber's Marketing to the Social Web, soon to be released in its second edition.)

Not only that, they have several new social media titles set for publication the early part of this year: Content Nation, Social Influence Marketing For Dummies and The Social Media Bible.

Of course, all of these are in different divisions and intended for different audiences, or so I suppose. Mine, btw, was originally considered for the professional and technical division, but is going in the business division. (Not sure who I have to thank for that, but a couple of people do come to mind.)

The bottom line is, while I'm aware the market is glutted, who am I to turn down such a wonderful opportunity? After all, it's not my place to determine for Wiley how many books they publish on the subject of social media...just as long as they publish mine. :-)

Why Wiley?

Considering the number of titles Wiley is producing, you might think I would have been better served to go with a publisher who doesn't have as many.

There are two reasons I chose Wiley. First, I have a long history with them dating back to 2005 having served as technical editor on a number of For Dummies books. I know several editors there and believe Wiley to be a company that has my best interests at heart.

The second reason, they are the ones who offered me a contract! I did have the book in front of some other publishers, one of whom showed great interest, but in the end, money talks.

What sets this book apart from the rest?

That was a question asked by the editor in trying to determine the positioning of the book.

At its heart, this book is "a practical application of principles." It's focus is on providing principles, explaining the tools (not everything, but the ones in most common use) along with an understanding of how to use them, accompanied by concrete examples and case studies of how they're being used in real world settings, mostly by SMBs. It culminates with a four-prong strategy for social media engagement.

It is a comprehensive treatise whose target are those just getting started in this space and those needing to learn more about social media itself and its application where business is concerned.

Practical application of principles written in language everyone can understand and that everyone can deploy. That's it in a nutshell.

Why the title The Digital Handshake?

That was probably the eighth or ninth title suggested. The original, Conversations Create Customers, was not liked by any publisher who looked at the proposal.

We went through a litany of other ideas including:

• Handyman's Guide to Social Media
• Social Media DNA: Are you changing your mindset or just changing your tactics?
• The Fifth P of Marketing: Participation
• Common Sense Social Media: What really works, why and how
• Making Sense of Social Media
• Making Dollars and Sense of Social Media

They didn't bite on any of them. Nibbled on a couple, but no bites.

Finally, a light turned on in my head and I submitted the title that was ultimately chosen, The Digital Handshake.

The title builds on the idea that relationships tend to start with a handshake and grow from there. In the virtual world, social media is a way of extending a "digital" handshake. There are certain unwritten, yet accepted rules of engagement. Don't push, pull. Use the power of attraction. Take a Dale Carnegie type approach and express interest in others first. A "seek first to understand, then be understood." That's the spin this book will have.

The editor LOVED it! (emphasis hers)

Last question, why me?

Of all the questions I asked myself about why Wiley or any other publisher would choose to take on this project, the one asked most often was "why me?"

I mean, I can think of at least a dozen or more people much more qualified to do this than I. Still, the same refrain echoes in my head, it's not for me to question, just be grateful the offer and opportunity was extended.

So, there we go. I'm going to be a hermit for the next three months and my dear wife, Amie, will be a widow. BTW, she's in complete support of this. After all, she's been through it once already with my first book, Realty Blogging. Honestly, I could not do this without her help and I'm extremely grateful to have it.

If you've yet to read Joe Pulizzi's you should because it contains some eye-opening predictions from leading marketing professionals.

While, as you might expect, there is a wide range and divergence of opinion, some themes emerge.

1. Advertising will gradually be replaced by information.
2. Content and conversational marketing strategies will converge.
3. Social media marketing will continue to gain acceptance

Let's take these one at a time.

Years ago I remember The Blog Studio's creative director doing a series on how people in different industries could use blogs. (I attempted to find the series but was unsuccessful in my attempt.)

I thought it was a good idea then, and, now, considering that Twitter is the next form of blogging, I'm starting a similar series called "If I were a _______________, I'd use Twitter to..."

However, instead of coming up with my own ideas, I'd rather crowdsource the whole thing.

My first attempt at this is, "If I were a restaurant, I'd use Twitter to..." If you'd like to answer that, please do so via Twitter. If you're not following me, I'm .

To answer the question of why I'm doing this, one word: Book.

Pretty much everything I'm doing these days social medially speaking has to do with my book on social media marketing that's coming out in the fall of 09. However, I may also print the replies to this series in an ebook along with a credit to each of the contributors (or screen shot of your tweet). So, please, do reply.

"If I were a restaurant, I'd use Twitter too..."

BrightTALK's Conversational Marketing Summit is still going on and there are very recognizable personalities in the presentation queue: Anil Dash of SixApart and Marcel LeBrun, CEO of Radian6 among them.

My presentation, Conversations Create Customers, went well I think. At least those who left ratings seemed to think so. Whoo-hoo!!

You can listen to the archived version by clicking here.

I've been given the opportunity to present at a two-day virtual summit on conversational media marketing sponsored by BrightTALK that starts today.

Here's the blurb...

The message for marketers is loud and clear: social media will change your business. Few years ago, social media was a nice addition to a marketing plan – nowadays it is an essential part of the marketing mix and it is likely to overtake traditional marketing channels very soon. According to a TWI study, conversational marketing will surpass traditional marketing by 2012.

To address the challenges and primarily the opportunities that come with conversational marketing and social media, BrightTALK is organizing an all-day online summit on conversational marketing on November 24. There is no charge for attendance.

The summit will be available live on November 24-25. This is where you can also find the most up-to-date schedule.

The following presenters will discuss the use of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, social media, search marketing, corporate blogging, reaching out youth and much more.

• Bill Hartzer, search engine marketing manager at Vizion Interactive
• Chris Kenton, CEO of SocialRep
• Dave Evans, CEO of Digital Voodoo
• Edward Weatherall, managing director at Concept Ltd
• Ian Lurie, president of Portent Interactive
• Jerry Hart, principal and vice president of sales and marketing for Power to be Found
• Jennifer Carole, director of the worldwide teen lab at Alcatel-Lucent
• Kate Brodock, principal at The Other Side Group
• Linda Pophal, owner and CEO of Strategic Communications
• Loren McDonald, vice president of industry relations at Silverpop
• Malcolm Friedberg, marketing automation expert
• Mary Lou Roberts, instructor at Harvard Extension Program; author at DIY-Marketing
• Michael Kurtzman managing director of mobile advertising at Sybase 365
• Sundeep Kapur, online marketing strategist at www.emailyogi.com and NCR Corporation
• Will Schnabel, vice president of international markets at Silverpop

My presentation take place tomorrow, November 25, from 10-11 a.m.

For those who'd like to learn more, here's a link to the press release. Visit the BrightTALK Web site to see the list of topics.

I referenced a post by Marc Meyer in my most recent one. In it, he links to Peter Kim's list of companies, most of them large, which use social media in some form.

While I respect Peter and appreciate the connection I have to him, my heart beats for how small business can utilize this medium and I'd like to share a couple of thoughts. (Keep in mind, I'm still nurturing them.)

Massive network of small towns

In the last post I said the Internet was like a massive network of "small towns" (i.e. niches). I hold that there is credulity to that notion and, thus, marketing need not be a scaling of some great monolithic wall, but a penetration of unfilled or partially-filled niches that make it up. (That's a reference to Dr. Ralph Wilson's wailing wall illustration.) The tools of social media are well-suited to this.

I enjoyed so very much having the opportunity to keynote at last week's REBarcamp Houston. I want to pass along my thanks to Michael Price, President of ML Broadcast, for putting it together. (Oh, and Mike, the receipts are coming!)

Here are some video and photos of the event for your enjoyment:

I was reviewing the notes I took during New Marketing Summit in my trusty Moleskine and decided to pass a few of the gems along to you.

What is new marketing? (Michael Lewis, President, Business Marketing Association of Boston)

• New viral, internet-based marketing
• Mix of old and new to reach more elusive, empowered customers
• More than technology
• Listening and dialog, not broadcasting - Listening is the new marketing
• Better to measure the right things than everything
• Extends beyond the marketing department
• Goals of marketing have not changed

The World Wide Rave (David Meerman Scott, author of New Rules of Marketing and PR and his new book, World Wide Rave)

• You must unlearn what have learned
• Old rules pre-web: Buy your way in with advertising; beg your way in with PR
• New rules: Publish your way in directly!
• Think like a publisher, not a marketer
• On the web, you are what you publish

(David also gave me some excellent, sagely advice on getting my book published. Thanks David!)

Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers and his brand new book Secrets of Social Media Marketing really got down to brass tacks in terms of providing more how-to information. And he made reference to how small businesses can and are using these tools.

Brian Halligan, President, Hubspot (talked about SEO as it relates to social media marketing)

• Brian was high on SEO, less so on PPC
• Think like a publisher he said. Content is vital!
• Next new hire in the marketing department should be a journalist/writer, not marketer
• Be ubiquitous (I like that word; use it alot) - Use blogs, video, podcasts, photos, PRWeb, forums, directories, etc. to spread your message