David Meerman Scott on the New Rules of Marketing & PR

David Meerman Scott’s getting a lot of attention these days, and for good reason. His book The New Rules of Marketing & PR delivers a pragmatic approach to new media that the marketplace desperately needs. Even better, his book represents the collective wisdom of more than 163 bloggers in the marketplace. On the eve of New Rules’ release, David took the time to answer some of our questions about the book. The best answer by far (though they are all good) is the last one, where he says PR agencies will resist new media, that they’ll tell you press releases still work. Amen, David. Enjoy the interview, and be sure to get your copy of this must-read book.

BB: Many of the early discussions about your new book revolves around the impact social media has made on marketing, and the great merits of your how-to approach. In your mind, whats the takeaway thesis of the book?

DMS: In The New Rules of Marketing & PR I want to make it easy for anyone to learn online thought leadership and viral marketing strategies and to create Web content that people want to consume. It is not just social media (blogs, podcasts, video and the like) but all forms of online content including web sites and online news releases.

These are the new rules Ive used to create marketing programs that have sold over a billion dollars of products and services.

I’ll show people how I developed strategies that for just a few hundred bucks earned me spots in the MarketingSherpa Viral Marketing Hall of Fame twice: In 2006 and again in 2007. http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.html?id=29947

This isn’t the same old marketing and PR you’ve tried before:

• You don’t obsess about being on message.
• You don’t break the bank with expensive advertising.
• You don’t beg mainstream media to write about you.

Instead, you tell your story directly to an interested market!

BB: Wikinomics talks about how social media enables peering to create great new content, products and services. How did peering contribute to The New Rules of Marketing & PR?

DMS: As I was writing the book, many people helped me. I recognized those people in the book acknowledgements and also in this blog post.
Over 100 people have written about the book to date because they were a part of creating it. Some in big ways (I interviewed them and told their stories in the book) and some in smaller ways (perhaps I read their blog, or they commented on mine).

BB: How will The New Rules of Marketing & PR help marketing pros trying to figure out social media?

DMS: I remove the mystery. Anyone can learn this stuff because it isnt hard. It does take time though. Many professionals like to be part of an exclusive club and not share their knowledge. I also use over 50 case examples from big and small companies, nonprofits, independent consultants, churches, politicians, and rock bands. The New Rules are for everyone.

BB: How will it help those of us already in it?

DMS: Everyone who has read the book has picked up something they didn’t know. Many of my early readers are authors of books on social media. People like Paul Gillin The New Influences and Ted Demopoulos, author of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting. Sure, experts like that know a great deal, but nobody knows it all. Thats why I needed to learn from the 163 people listed in my acknowledgements and why people can learn from me and my new book.

BB: Many companies create a social media strategy, but few integrate it into their larger marketing effort. How does new media impact the rest of marketing?

DMS: Its all about reaching your buyers. If your buyers are into social media, you need to be.

BB: Is the era of mass communications really dead?

DMS: Of course not. Crest Toothpaste and Pampers will always be sold via mass media. But for anything else that is a definable niche, the old rules dont work as well as the new ones to reach a small audience.

Example, my book. One year ago when I was working with my literary agent to market the book proposal to publishers, I chose the name of the book The New Rules of Marketing & PR because there were zero hits on Google for that exact phrase. I wanted a book title I could own online. (That’s also why I use my middle name professionally).

How remarkable is it that with essentially no money, I generated 22,700 (and counting) hits on Google for that phrase. Just by blogging, writing by-lines, participating on podcasts and issuing news releases, I generated twenty thousand individual mentions of my book BEFORE it was even released.

What would that have cost using traditional techniques? A million dollars? More?

BB: Your blog, Web Ink Now, is extremely popular (ToddAnd Power 150 #71, Technorati authority 263, rank 14,767). What’s the secret to your success?

DMS: I deliver valuable and free information that people want to read. And they want to link to it. Simple, really.

BB: What else would you like to say?

DMS: There are many people who resist the new ways. Many people who adhere to the old rules will fight you on this strategy. If you are a marketing professional who wants to reach your buyers directly, you will likely encounter resistance from corporate communications people.

PR folks will get resistance from their agencies. They’ll say the old rules are still in play. They’ll say you have to focus on the four Ps. They’ll say you need to talk only about your products. They’ll say that the media is the only way to tell your story and that you can only use press releases to reach journalists, not your buyers directly. They’ll say that bloggers are geeks in pajamas who don’t matter.

They are wrong.