"The Internet is not so much about technology as it is about people. David Meerman Scott, in his remarkable The New Rules of Marketing and PR, goes far beyond technology and explores the ramifications of the Web as it pertains to people. He sets down a body of rules that show you how to negotiate those ramifications with maximum effectiveness. And he does it with real-life histories and an engaging style."

—Jay Conrad Levinson,"The Father of Guerrilla Marketing" and author of Guerrilla Marketingseries of books

"The New Rules of Marketing and PRteaches readers how to launch a thought leadership campaign by using the far-reaching, long-lasting tools of social media. It is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to make a name for themselves, their ideas, and their organization."

—Mark Levy,coauthor of How to Persuade People Who Don't Want to Be Persuadedand founder of Levy Innovation, a marketing strategy company

"'Revolution' may be an overused word in describing what the Internet has wrought, but revolution is exactly what David Meerman Scott embraces and propels forward in this book. He exposes the futility of the old media rules and opens to all of us an insiders' game, previously played by a few well-connected specialists. With this rulebook to the online revolution, you can learn how to win minds and markets, playing by the rules of new media."

—Don Dunnington,President of the International Association of Online Communicators (IAOC),Director of Business Communications at K-Tron International, and graduate instructor in online communication at Rowan University

"The history of marketing communications—about sixty years or so—has been about pushing messages to convince prospects to take some action we need. Now marketing communications, largely because of the overwhelming power and influence of the Web and other electronic communications, is about engaging in conversation with prospects and leading/persuading them to take action. David Meerman Scott shows how marketing is now about participation and connection, and no longer about strong-arm force."

—Roy Young,Chief Revenue Officer at MarketingProfs.com, and coauthor of Marketing Champions: Practical Strategies for Improving Marketing's Power, Influence, and Business Impact

—Jay Conrad Levinson,The Father of Guerrilla Marketing and Author, Guerrilla Marketingseries of books

"The New Rules of Marketing & PRteaches readers how to launch a thought leadership campaign by using the far-reaching, long-lasting tools of social media. It is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to make a name for themselves, their ideas, and their organization."

—Mark Levy,Co-author of How to Persuade People Who Don’t Want to be Persuadedand founder of Levy Innovation: A Marketing Strategy Firm

"The history of marketing communications - about 60 years or so - has been about pushing messages to convince prospects to take some action we need. Now marketing communications, largely because the overwhelming power and influence of the web and other electronic communications, is about engaging in conversation with prospects and leading / persuading them to take action. David Meerman Scott shows how marketing is now about participation and connection, and no longer about strong arm force."

—Roy Young,Chief Revenue Officer, MarketingProfs.com and co-author Marketing Champions: Practical Strategies for Improving Marketing’s Power, Influence and Business Impact

"a valuable source of inspiration" (Brand Strategy, November 2007)

"This book is useful if you would like to learn more about new formats such as RSS, vodcasts and viral marketing."  (Gulf Business, Vol. 12/ Issue 7)

The New Rules of Marketing and PRshows you how to leverage the potential that Web-based communication offers large and small companies, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, political organizations, consultants, even rock bands and churches. Finally, you can speak directly to customers and buyers, establishing a personal link with those who make your business work. You can reach niche buyers with targeted messages that cost a fraction of your big-budget advertising campaign. Rather than bombard them with advertising they'll likely ignore, you can focus on getting the right message to the right people at the right time.

When people visit your company's Web site, they aren't there to hear your slogan or see your logo again. They want information, interaction, and choice—and you'd be a fool not to give it to them. This one-of-a-kind guide to the future of marketing includes a step-by-step action plan for harnessing the power of the Internet, showing you how to identify audiences, create compelling messages, get those messages to the right people, and lead consumers into the buying process. Including a wealth of compelling case studies and real-world examples, this is a practical guide to the new reality of PR and marketing.

Smart marketers who want to communicate with buyers directly, raise online visibility, and increase sales will discover everything they need to put the new rules to work. This book will show you how to stay ahead of the curve—and your competitors—by using the Internet to its full PR, marketing, and customer-communications potential. If you want your business to succeed, forget tradition and adopt The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

Introduction.

The New Rules.

Trying To Write Like a Blog, But in a Book.

Showcasing Innovative Marketers.

PART I. HOW THE WEB HAS CHANGED THE RULES OF MARKETING AND PR.

Chapter 1. The Old Rules of Marketing and PR Are Ineffective in an Online World.

Advertising: A Money Pit Of Wasted Resources.

One-Way Interruption Marketing Is Yesterday’s Message.

The Old Rules Of Marketing.

Public Relations Used To Be Exclusively About The Media.

Public Relations And Third Party Ink.

Yes, The Media Are Still Important.

Press Releases And The Journalistic Black Hole.

The Old Rules Of PR.

Learn To Ignore The Old Rules.

Chapter 2. The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

The Long Tail Of Marketing.

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, Please.

Bricks-And-Mortar News.

Advice From The Company President.

The Long Tail Of PR.

The New Rules Of Marketing And PR.

The Convergence Of Marketing And Pr On The Web.

Chapter 3. Reaching Your Buyers Directly.

Let The World Know About Your Expertise.

Develop Messages Your Buyers Want To Hear.

Buyer Personas: The Basics.

Think Like A Publisher.

Tell Your Organization’s Story Directly.

Know The Goals And Let Content Drive Action.

Content And Thought Leadership.

PART II. WEB-BASED COMMUNICATIONS TO REACH BUYERS DIRECTLY.

Chapter 4. Blogs: Tapping Millions of Evangelists to Tell Your Story.

Blogs, Blogging, And Bloggers.

Understanding Blogs In The World Of The Web.

The Three Uses Of Blogs For Marketing And Pr.

Monitor Blogs—Your Organization’s Reputation Depends On It.

Comment On Blogs To Get Your Viewpoint Out There.

Do You Allow Employees To Send Email? How About Letting Them Blog?

Breaking Boundaries: Blogging At McDonald's.

The Power Of Blogs.

Get Started Today.

Chapter 5. The New Rules of News Releases.

News Releases In A Web World.

The New Rules Of News Releases.

If They Find You, They Will Come.

Driving Buyers Into The Sales Process.

Reach Your Buyers Directly.

Chapter 6. Audio Content Delivery through Podcasting.

Putting Marketing Back In Musicians’ Control.

Podcasting More Than Just Music.

Chapter 7. Forums, Wikis, and Your Targeted Audience.

Your Best Customers Participate In Online Forums—So Should You.

Your Space In The Forums.

Wikis, List Serves, And Your Audience.

Creating Your Own Wiki.

Chapter 8. Going Viral: The Web Helps Audiences Catch the Fever.

Minty-Fresh Explosive Marketing.

Monitoring The Blogosphere For Viral Eruptions.

Creating Viral Buzz For Fun And Profit.

The Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich And Jerry Garcia’s Toilet.

When You Have Explosive News, Make It Go Viral.

Chapter 9. The Content-Rich Web Site.

Political Advocacy On The Web.

Content: The Focus Of Successful Web Site.

Putting It All Together With Content.

The Great Web Site: More An Art Than A Science.

PART III. ACTION PLAN FOR HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE NEW RULES.

Chapter 10. You Are What You Publish: Building Your Marketing and PR Plan.

What Are Your Organization’s Goals?

Buyer Personas And Your Organization.

The Buyer Persona Profile.

The Importance Of Buyer Personas In Web Marketing.

In Your Buyers’ Own Words.

What Do You Want Your Buyers To Believe?

Developing Content To Reach Buyers.

Launching A Baby Dinosaur.

Stick To Your Plan.

Chapter 11. Online Thought Leadership to Brand Your Organization as a Trusted Resource.

Developing Thought Leadership Content.

Forms Of Thought Leadership Content.

How To Create Thoughtful Content.

How Much Money Does Your Buyer Make?

Chapter 12. How To Write For Your Buyers.

An Analysis Of Gobbledygook.

Poor Writing: How Did We Get Here?.

Effective Writing For Marketing And Pr.

The Power Of Writing Feedback (From Your Blog).

Chapter 13. How Web Content Influences the Buying Process.

Segmenting Your Buyers.

Elements Of A Buyer-Centric Web Site.

Using RSS To Deliver Your Web Content To Targeted Niches.

Link Content Directly Into The Sales Cycle.

A Friendly Nudge.

Close The Sale—And Continue The Conversation.

An Open Source Marketing Model.

Chapter 14. How To Use News Releases to Reach Buyers Directly.

Developing Your News Release Strategy.

Publishing News Releases Through A Distribution Service.

Reaching Even More Interested Buyers With RSS Feeds.

Simultaneously Publishing Your News Releases To Your Web Site.

The Importance Of Links In Your News Releases.

Focus On The Keywords And Phrases Your Buyers Use.

Include Appropriate Social Media Tags.

If It’s Important Enough To Tell The Media, Tell Your Clients And Prospects, Too!

Chapter 15. The Online Media Room: Your Front Door for Much More than the Media.

Your Online Media Room As (Free) Search Engine Optimization.

Best Practices For Online Media Rooms.

An Online Media Room To Reach Journalists, Customers, Bloggers, And Employees.

Really Simple Marketing: The Importance Of RSS Feeds In Your Online Media Room.

Chapter 16. The New Rules for Reaching the Media.

Non -Targeted, Broadcast Pitches Are Spam.

The New Rules Of Media Relations.

Blogs And Media Relations.

How To Pitch The Media.

Chapter 17. Blogging to Reach your Buyers.

What Should You Blog About?

Blogging Ethics And Employee Blogging Guidelines.

Blogging Basics: What You Need To Know To Get Started.

Pimp Your Blog.

Building An Audience For Your New Blog.

Tag, And Your Buyer Is It.

Blogging Outside Of North America.

What Are You Waiting For?

Chapter 18. Podcasting and Video Made, Well, as Easy as Possible.

Podcasting 101.

My Audio Is Your Podcast.

Video And Your Buyers.

Knifing The Competition… And It’s All Caught On Video.

Chapter 19. Social Networking Sites and Marketing.

Check Me Out On Myspace.

Do You Squidoo?

Optimizing Social Networking Pages.

Second Life: Marketing In A Virtual World.

Chapter 20. Search Engine Marketing.

Search Engine Optimization.

The Long Tail Of Search.

Carve Out Your Own Search Engine Real Estate.

Web Landing Pages To Drive Action.

Search Engine Marketing In A Fragmented Business.

Chapter 21. Make It Happen.

Great For Any Organization.

Now It’s Your Turn.

Acknowledgements.

Index.

About the author.