The inbound marketing process outlined in this book is absolutely nothing new to me as I do teach it daily to small to medium businesses across the US and beyond.  As the book specifically tells us, “it’s not what you say – it’s what other say about you.”  The whole process is about being “remarkable” so others will remark about you.  As I’ve said before, the trick to getting traction and recognition on the web is to build it and they will come.

The inbound marketing process is broken up into three fundamental parts in the book: get found, convert, and analyze & repeat.  It really can be that simple to leverage the web.  A lot of time is spent on the conversion process, which is something so many websites simply do not spend enough time.  If you are a business website then you need to have lots of compelling calls to action, not just a “contact us” or, in the case of a college, an “apply” form.    There are also important sections convincing that the rules of the game have changed and how you can better measure and analyze not only your website but your competition.  Finally, and most interesting, is a whole chapter on finding and hiring the right sort of employees who are native digital citizens and simply feel comfortable on the web.

Deep down I resonate with everything this book is about.  After all, I “drink the kool-aid” so I am very biased.  Although I’ve been preaching here on this blog about seo, web analytics, social media and more, there are still many people who prefer a written text to sit down and consume.  This is that introduction that puts the whole process together.  This is the book for CEOs to understand what the web really means for their business.

Much like the web classic book “Don’t Make Me Think” this book is one to keep on your bookshelf as a rit of passage saying that you “get it.”  At just over two hundred large print pages with many great pictures and quite a few comics,  it can be consumed in one long plane flight or a few short sittings.

Related posts:

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2. Book Review: Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
3. Inbound School Marketing – Presentation from SIMTech 2009

[UPDATE: 09.09.24 11:28AM] Thanks to Andrew in the comments for pointing out something I missed: If you would like to read this book, Lessig has made it available, for free, under a Creative Commons license for anyone to download at the book’s web site.

Lessig is, to put it lightly, a talented academic and lawyer.  If you’ve never heard of him, I can’t recommend enough that you go listen his TED lecture on user generated content.  Oh, he’s also on the board of directors for a little system called Creative Commons, you might have heard of it.  He picks up his legal understanding of copyright law and swings it around deftly like Babe Ruth and his famous hickory.  He even shows substantial humility by writing of his own big failure on the topic before the Supreme Court.  The best part is that he’s not writing from the perspective of a politico pushing an agenda, he’s writing as a lawyer and academic evaluating the law and the damage it has on a society.

As educational professionals, we tend to ride very close to the edge when it comes to the development of web and creative content, especially in terms of fair use, and the issue is increasingly confused by professors who come to us asking us to do things with content or post things they have done with content that is in a substantially gray area of the law.  Education leans heavily on the idea of fair use, but increasingly the freedom of that idea is being challenged and eroded at every opportunity by those with the power and money to do so.  Thus, the problem isn’t that there is a gray area, it’s that the gray area itself is increasingly a realm of lawyers, where you either have to hire one to assure your rights, or one to defend them.  In either case you end up with costs and work that often times outweigh the value of the content being created.

But, I don’t want to spiral into my personal opinion on the matter.  Obviously, I agree with Lessig at pretty much every turn.  But, the man is smart and precise.  The book dives into the history of copyright law and it’s evolution into the monster that is now fighting a messy battle with internet technologies on our doorsteps.  All of this is done with the lay person in mind, and even without an understanding of the law, anyone could pick this book up and understand the threat being posed to our creative culture.  Indeed, by the end, you’re likely to find yourself sitting in your chair thinking, “How can Congress be so dumb?”  Well, as it turns out, it’s quite easy, and he explains why.  By the end, you don’t feel even remotely like you were just lectured ad nauseam by a lawyer.  He lays out scenarios, explains how common and primary law has handled it in the past, and why the drastic change in honoring that past is costing us a great deal in the long run.

This is not a book about education or law, this is a book designed to educate.  Because of our proximity to such issues, I think it is critical that we all educate ourselves on the changes that are taking place, and the impact it is going to have on us as we move forward and try to support schools, professors, and students in their pursuit of an open learning environment.  I’m not sure that there is any place better to start that education than with Free Culture.  Despite being five years old now (a long time when dealing with anything related to technology), the book is still extremely pertinent to our world today, and indeed, there are a number of times that I caught myself thinking about some of the newer instances of intellectual property challenges taking place today in the context Lessig provides.

An absolute must read for everyone, period.

Have you read Free Culture?  Share your thoughts with everyone below.

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3. Book Review: World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott

World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories

“Okay, let’s be honest.  Marketers and executives aren’t really scared of social media and the idea of a World Wide Rave.  They are scared of the unknown.”  — David Meerman Scott

What is so interesting about this short and enjoyable read is that it’s chalked full of real individuals stories.  Everyone loves a good story and Scott drives his points home by giving you lots of examples of real people using the web in many different ways to create their own “World Wide Rave”.  To me that is the real appeal of the book.  Instead of a detailed guide, yes there are a half dozen rules laid out but that’s it, we are given lots of entertaining examples from many industries of individuals who have used the web to be successful and their takeaway tips.  Yes, there is even a great story of a University creating a World Wide Rave, a story about the University of North Dakota.  Nothing beats a good story!

I also loved how near the end of the book Scott tied Search Engine Optimization into viral marketing.  It is SO true and something I tell clients on a daily basis.  They ask how do I get links to my site and rank better in search engines… well you create unique and amazing content of course!  He hits the nail square on the head with the statement, “Performing search engine optimization on a crap-filled site just makes it slightly less crappy.”

So in closing I recommend picking up this short book and learning how to use viral marketing and providing value to your community through free content and creating your own success online.  One exceptional piece of web content that the book mentions is IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines that for anyone looking to get more into the Social Media Marketing landscape look like a must read.

Photo Credit: World Wide Rave by dh

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It’s clever to break down universities with their pertinent stats to give their page a bit of context — the size of their internal community, where they physically reside in the country, who their primary competitors may be, etc.

Pet peeve throughout the book: URLs that end in .com/.edu, etc. should not have a trailing slash at the end.
Wrong: www.doteduguru.com/
Right: www.doteduguru.com

A wide variety of design implementations are thoroughly reviewed and explored. It gave me a great synopsis of the types of features I’d like to incorporate into our redesign, and visual ideas of how to accomplish them. I was convinced of design styles to stay away from (low contrast links with the background color behind them) and that RSS icons can and should be incorporated (along with the being able to subscribe to the feed within the browser location bar – not just the icons).

Can you get most of this info on the edustyle.net site? Mostly. But, it wouldn’t be as concise as a 95 page handy guide at your finger tips with an easy to read/reference format – especially the Positives & Recommendations section after each home page screen shot. (Ok, so the site does that too – but not all of the comments are written with such care and professionalism, and sometimes turn into a conversation/debate.)

If you’re going through an upcoming redesign/refresh, are new to higher ed, or are looking for ammunition to clean up your home page and/or add new features, buy it. Read it. It’s worth it.

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3. eduStyle Awards: Best Higher Ed Blog (People’s Choice) Goes to .eduGuru!

As I mentioned it took me six months to make it through this whole book.  The problem wasn’t the wealth of knowledge, but reading through it I constantly found myself stopping to take notes and try out things that are mentioned.  Never have I read a book quite like this that packs so much knowledge in a way that I constantly find myself learning so much and wanting to make notes every few pages.

Avinash really strives for this book to be able to stand the harsh test of web time (where a year is an eternity) and does a surprising good job of making it practical even as it’s a few years old and will continue to be relevant going forward.  The truth is this book is designed to be consumed over a long period of time as the chapters are broken down to be consumed one a month with actionable and learning assignments given throughout.   The first few chapters focus on explaining how to build a successful strategy and the fundamental things you need to know about web analytics then dig right into monthly chapters starting with “Month 1: Diving Deep into Core Web Analytics Concepts” all the way through “Month 8 and Beyond: Shattering the Myths of Web Analytics”.  This practical tomb packs so much punch into its pages that I’m sure it will stay on my desk for a long time as a great reference piece.

Be warned that “Web Analytics: An Hour a Day” is not a casual read nor is it for someone without a hunger for numbers and data.  Bottom line is that if you are truly interested in the field of Web Analytics this tomb is your Holy Grail. I’ve already written quite a few posts simply from the applied knowledge I’ve learned from this book and I think anyone that chooses to read it will no doubt come away with tons of practical nuggets themselves.

Oh and did I mention the best part is that all proceeds for this book are donated to a couple charities that Avinash has choosen!  So go get your learn on and feel good about donating to a good cause by buying this piece of work that will only make you a more intelligent and better informed individual.

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The book starts off by discussing the three different brains:

1. The old brain – Concerned with survival.  Appeal to it by indicating danger, food or sex.
2. The mid brain – Where emotions are processed.  The root of impulse buying.
3. The new brain – Where language is processed.

These distinctions are important, since the only part of the brain that we are conscious of at any given moment is the new brain.

“The estimate from neuroscientists is that our five senses are taking in 11 million pieces of information every second.  And how many of those are we processing consciously?  A mere 40!”

This means that, while we think we make decisions based on careful thought, most decisions actually come from the unconscious.  Here are some of the ways that you can subconsciously reach to your audience by appealing to the old and mid brain:

• Use the word “you” – The old brain is all about YOU and will unconsciously tell YOU that a school is better for YOU if that school’s website uses the word YOU more on its pages than its competitors.
• Use hot people – Since one of the major things our old brain is concerned with is our ability to reproduce, even subtle implications of sex can grab our attention.  Think about this when you’re selecting the photos for your website.  Which is going to help you more – a picture of the library or a picture of a hot girl walking out of the library?  Attractiveness also bleeds over into the product the person is associated with, meaning in this case that the hot girl is going to be associated with the library, which means the library is going to be more appealing to your user than if it were just a picture of the building alone.
• Use people like your audience - People are more likely to buy from people who are “like them”, so you have to make sure you know your audience and feature imagery on your site of people that look and dress like them.  You can also use this if you feature reviews or comments on your site – people need social validation, and that validation will be even stronger if it comes from “people like them”.  Have your users fill in a few optional fields when they submit their review, like what type of user they are, how frequently they use the product, their occupation and gender and display that info alongside their comments.
• Give things away for free, no strings attached – When we’re given something, we feel an emotional need to pay that gift back.  You can encourage people to purchase your product by offering free shipping on everything (ala Zappos).  What can you offer your users to make them feel indebted to your institution?
• Scarcity makes a difference – If something is limited or hard to come by, we automatically want it more.  Are you having an event on campus and want to encourage online registrations for it?  Consider putting a sentence on your website about the limited number of seats available.  Better yet, say there are only one or two slots left.  That makes it more valuable and increases the likelihood of your users registering since (as far as they are concerned), they might not be able to tomorrow.
• Limit Choices - People like to think that they want a lot of choices, but the truth is they clam up when they have too many.  Don’t overwhelm your users with options or you’ll risk driving them away from your site entirely.
• Order matters - If you want your users to visit a specific page on your site, list it first.  I can’t tell you how many admissions pages have “Meet the Staff” listed as one of the first links in their navigation – is that REALLY the more important thing you want your users clicking on? Even more important than, say, APPLY ONLINE?

The book is filled with all this and more.  It should be on every web (and marketing) person’s required reading list.

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Neuromarketing discusses the three parts of the brain and their function: 

• New Brain: Processes rational data.  This part of the brain may not be fully formed until you are 24-years-old.
• Middle Brain:  Processes emotions and gut feelings. 
• Old Brain: The real decision maker.  This is the first part of the brain to develop and makes all decisions.  It’s sole concern is the physical survival of the body.  The old brain is 45,000 times older than the written word, which means that written words don’t impact it. 

When the old brain makes decisions, it consults with the new and middle brain.  This leads to emotionally-led decisions, which are then justified rationally.

So how do you reach the old brain, since it doesn’t understand words?  The authors offer several suggestions to appeal to the old brain in terms that it recognizes:

1.  An Audience-Focused message: The old brain is not concerned with anything not related to its own well-being.  Therefore your messages must be 100% audience focused.  They don’t care about your organization.  They care how your organization can help THEM.
2. Contrast: Use contrasting examples, such as before/after, risky/safe, with/without, fast/slow, etc.
3. Tangible Input: Ideas should be simple and easy to grasp.  Make sure your audience can easily recognize and process your terms (such as dollar value).
4. Focus on the Beginning and the End: Put the most important points at the beginning of a message (this can also apply in a presentation). The once the old brain has assessed that there is no immediate danger, it will try to conserve energy by paying less attention to the middle of the message.
5. Visual Stimuli: The old brain responds to visuals before the new brain has time to process what they mean.
6. Emotion: We remember events better when we’ve experienced them with strong emotion.  If customers can’t remember your message, why would they choose your product? 

Now that we know what the old brain will pay attention to, the authors offer a four-point plain for integrating these strategies into our marketing plan:   

Diagnose the Pain:  You have to figure out what “pain” your audience is experiencing – what do they really want/need? What benefits do you have that relieve that pain?  For example, when Dominoes found out that the real reason customers weren’t utilizing delivery was that they were worried about the time it would take for the pizza to get to their house, they implemented a 30-minute guarantee.  The pain of your audience falls into three categories: financial, strategic or personal.  Marketing efforts should focus on the things that cause the MOST pain, rather than things that your audience doesn’t really care about.  Finally, your audience must acknowledge that they have a certain pain in order for your offer of relief to appeal to them. 

Differentiate Your Claims: The old brain responds to clear, solid contrast.  How are you different than your competitors?  How are you different than doing nothing?  What’s UNIQUE about what you’re selling?  Don’t just say that you’re one of many companies that offer basically the same thing.  You may have to be creative about your claim of differentiation but if you aren’t different, you’re basically selling your competitors products for them.  

Demonstrate the Gain: Now that you’ve differentiated yourself from your competitors, you have to demonstrate through a tangible message that your audience will benefit from your product. You can do this through stories, an actual demo, data that relates back to tangible value or a vision statement (though this tactic is the least affective because it requires faith.  

Deliver to the Old Brain: It’s critical to deliver this message in the way that the old brain will understand, which you can do by grabbing the user’s attention right off the bat, using big picture analogies, making sure your claims are clearly articulated and using phrases that appeal to our self-centered nature by using key words like “you”.  

Overall, this book is definitely worth the $22 I paid for it.  It’s full of practical and applicable information that can be incorporated into any marketing campaign.

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3. Book Review: Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff

The book defines Buzzmarketing as:

Buzzmarketing captures the attention of consumers and the media to the point where talking about your brand or company becomes entertaining, fascinating, and newsworthy.

Buzzmarketing presents a new methodology for companies to consider when they begin a marketing campaign.  Forget spending all your money on advertising in different media, this is what everyone else does; you have to find a unique and memorable angle that will stick in the mind of your target audience.  You need to come up with a creative idea that will create buzz around your brand.

Do you remember a few years ago when a small company named half.com was covered all throughout the news for convincing a small town to rename itself half.com for a year?  This book’s author, Mark Hughes, was one of main individuals involved in that crazy, brilliant, and extremely successful campaign.  Mark starts the book off with this unique and extremely interesting story.  From this story I was hooked as he informs readers of the six buttons of buzz and takes us through other case studies of companies unique marketing campaigns the amazing word of mouth buzz they were able to create around their brands.

The Six Buttons of Buzz

1. Push the Six Buttons
2. Capture Media
3. Advertise for Attention
4. Climb Buzz Everest
5. Discover Creativity
6. Police Your Product

You’ll have to read the book to learn what exactly how these six buttons are used to create buzz for your brand, but I promise you it won’t be a boring read.  Bottom line is creativity is timeless and knowing how to get people talking about your business is MUCH more valuable than spending lots of money to attempt to push your brand through channels that people are increasing ignoring.  This really is one of those exciting books that will stimulate you to start thinking in new and creative directions.

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Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Don’t Make Me Think is an easy read with lots of visuals and quick points that can be scanned by someone in one setting. From cover to cover the second edition just cracks two hundred pages total and is so well laid out you can quickly and easily find the relevant morsel that you desire. Krug follows his own web advice in the layout, design, and writing of this book.

The book is written in a matter of fact and understandable manner. You aren’t going to find any big hard to understand concepts or ideas that won’t become second nature. The book’s subtitle, “A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability” is an accurate sentence to describe exactly what you will find in this book. What is so amazing about web usability is that it is so vital to the success of a website. I firmly believe that usability is also at the heart of sound search engine optimization (SEO). If you design a site following sound usability standards then this is exactly how search engine bots crawl the web. Usability addresses user accessibility and standards like text browsers which is exactly what your site looks like to a bot! Besides it’s also the law for certain websites, according to section 508 of the 1988 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act.

I can’t possibly praise this book enough. If you have read this book I’m sure you agree how valuable it is and if not then it’s an absolute must that you add this to your collection and apply the teachings to your everyday web work. If there is book for web people that can stand the test of time then this is the book and the teachings will be invaluable.

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The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed

This book was absolutely fantastic and one that I would highly recommend to anyone that is either a fan of the game or loves statistics.  Because the subject of the book is baseball, the regression analysis and formulas presented seem to flow naturally.  The chapters are perfectly sized analysis in themselves that each make for an evening sit-down.

With chapters like “The Legendary Power of the On-Deck Hitter”, “The Evolution of Baseball Talent”, and “Scouts vs. Stat-Head” you know that you have something interesting in your hands.  J.C. does a masterful job of laying statistical data to support his conclusions without losing the reader.

My personal favorite chapter, “The Extinct Left-Handed Catcher,” looks at why there is no such thing as a left-handed catcher in baseball.  J.C. looks for performance reasons and ultimately concludes “the benefits of using right-handed catchers are small, maybe the costs will yield some answers.”  These costs ultimately show their solution in the very simple revelation: “The biggest reason there is no left-handed catchers is natural selection.  Catchers need good throwing arms.  If you have a kid on your baseball team who is left-handed and has a strong arm, what are you going to do with him?”  Any baseball person can easily answer this, he’s going to pitch!

The entire book was filled with revelations similar to this! Every chapter brought statistical analysis into the equation to definitively prove relationships in baseball.  Is any of this going to make me a better baseball player, coach, or fan?  Probably not, but for anyone that has a passion for the sport I’m sure they will feverously consume this book with the same passion.  It’s obvious that J.C. also shares that passion and it carries through this work.

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3. Book Review: The 12 Elements of Great Managing

12: The Elements of Great Managing is an excellent and rather easy read that presents its case in twelve very distinct chapters. Each chapter is broken down to present a different element and each presents a story of a different manager who the author has chosen to demonstrate the element. The twelve elements are as follows:

1. I know what is expected of me.
2. I have the materials and equipment to do a job right.
3. I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
4. In the last week I have received recognition or praise.
5. Someone at work seems to care about me.
6. Someone at work encourages my development.
7. My opinions seem to count.
8. I am connected with the mission of my organization.
9. My coworkers are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
11. In the last six months, someone has talked to me about my progress.
12. In the last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

As you can see each of these elements aren’t presented as things that a manager should do, but as points to make sure the manager makes clear to his or her employees. It is this difference that helps the book to make a personal connection. A manager can quickly read through a list of twelve very obvious points and think if it is things that they know about their employees or not. If not, spending the time to make the connection and engage the employee can make all the difference to them and show that you care. What is so powerful is that I think, to a lesser extent, most of these points can also be applied to consultants, project teams, and even your personal life and relationship building.

So if you are truly interesting in connecting with people better in work and even in your personal life this book is definitely a recommended read to help you “manage” and bring more meaning to these relationships.

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