Bookmercial Marketing: Why Books Replace Brochures In The Credibility Age

I sent for this book out of curiosity because my marketing efforts were not generating the results I had hoped for. Reading it in just two nights I constantly felt tutored by a master strategist who consistently identified the marketing efforts I had been making for my company and then succinctly pointed out why they simply were inadequate in clear, concise terms that, after reading his explanations, seemed to me to be common sense, and I wondered why I had not realized it before. I passed the book to my partner, a life-long sales and marketing professional who was equally impressed and underlined numerous passages, added confirming notes in the margins and exclamation points following certain passages. This is a book that educates and enlightens and instantly causes you to realize that the author is an enormously talented and gifted expert in the field of marketing. Every business executive or owner should have a copy of this book in their personal library and a few extras to give to subordinates and friends.

This book was just OK. Its overall message that writing a book is a wonderful self-promotion tool for the consultant, coach, trainer, professional speaker, or other similarly situated small business owner is right on point. However, many of the reasons supporting this point of view are misplaced and even illogical at times. Accordingly, I cannot give this book anything higher than a 3-star rating.It is short (159 pages) with lots of white pages, large margins, and spread line spacing instead of close. The chapters were often short, and the ones that were long didn't need to be (the text was repetitive and wordy). The Table of Contents reads as follows:I. Traditional marketing is broken [1&2]II. Authority is marketing [3-6]III. The bookmercial as a marketing tool [7-11]IV. How to produce a bookmercial 12-16]V. Resources [17]0. Preface1. The world of marketing has changed permanently2. Traditional marketing doesn't work in the new world3. The 5 secrets to marketing in the new world4. Authority-based marketing5. The 7 ways to become an authority figure6. The #1 authority-building tool7. The bookmercial8. How to generate publicity9. How to obtain public speaking opportunities10. How to generate leads11. How to close more sales quickly12. A bookmercial isn't written, it's engineered13. How to choreograph bookmercial content14. Writing a bookmercial15. Printing & distributing your bookmercial16. How to get started17. Author contact informationThe author is correct when he says that marketing tools and techniques that emphasize unsubstantiated claims and mere professional credentials don't work today to generate sales. But he is unclear when he says this in the book. He uses an example of a medical doctor to make his point. But in doing so he showed he does not understand what he is talking about. The question was not why he or his wife listened to the doctor. The real question was why he or his wife considered paying the doctor for a consultation in the first place.In Chapter 2 the author asserts that traditional marketing doesn't work in the New World. While this is true for marketing techniques like TV ads, newspaper ads, and telesales, it is not true for so many other traditional marketing techniques like public relations, publicity stunts, public speaking, seminars, workshops, pricing, and freebies. Furthermore, writing articles for newspapers might be out, but writing articles for Web sites and one's own Web site is definitely important in the New World. And if you consider writing to include not only books (& ebooks), but also blogs and Web site content, then the traditional marketing tool of authorship is important in the New World, too.How do fast food restaurants market themselves in Shopping Malls? They give free product away to let consumers judge for themselves if the shop has something they want or need. Writing a book is that free or nominally priced sample the consultant provides consumers so they can judge for themselves if they want to listen OR HIRE the consultant. Of course, the consultant needs a killer Web site, a few blogs, some articles posted online, hopefully a number of ebooks, seminars, and workshops, too.Today the consultant should think in terms of creating an online platform that will build that consultant an image of credibility, trust, and expert status. To do this the consultant should not rely on credentials to sway consumers their way. They need to give or present numerous "samples" of things that people can evaluate as being good, bad, useful, or crap. Keep in mind that it is VERY important that these samples do not come across as crap - like the instant book does in many ways. As a result I would never hire this book's author because I didn't like the book.But if you create a good book, a good Web site, write good articles & ebooks, create great blog posts, and do public speaking, seminars, and workshops, then you will be recognized as a highly credible, trustworthy individual expert in his or her field and worthy of being hired. 3 stars!