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Marketing 2.0: My New Social Media Marketing Book 

This podcast provides an introduction and overview of my new book, Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap between Seller and Buyers through Social Media Marketing, now available on Amazon.

Background

I wrote the book between late 2008 and early/mid 2009. My motivation came primarily from my experience running my inbound marketing agency, Find and Convert. We work mostly with small and medium size businesses (SMBs). Our clients are mostly niche companies. During the course of running my agency I have met many businesses who have not yet embraced social media marketing. I realized there is a gap between the seller and the buyer in today’s digital economy. Today’s buyer doesn’t want to be engaged the same way that sellers have engaged them for many years. This book sets out to help SMB business executives think of marketing 2.0 as a mindset.

Foreword

The foreword was written by Mike Volpe, V.P. Inbound Marketing at HubSpot.  Mike mentions that he and I met online and exchanged a lot of content before we met in person. He speaks about inbound marketing as being the new way for businesses to engage buyers and convert them to customers. When he researched me, he found all of my content on the web where he could get to know me and my value proposition and to begin to build a relationship with me. By the time he shook my hand the first time we met, he felt he knew me. He says he had a connection with me. This is exactly how buyers want to feel when they do business with a company.

Testimonials

I am fortunate to go to print with two terrific testimonials on the back cover. Joe Pulizzi, CEO of Junta42 and co-author of Get Content, Get Customers and Gary Katz, CEO of Marketing Operations Partners. Both Joe and Gary are outstanding marketers who were gracious enough to provide testimonials on the back cover.

Chapter Summaries

Following are some of the chapter topics and summaries. For a complete listing of the chapters visit the book table of contents.

Buyers Want to Consume Seller’s Content

Business executives should set out to produce great content, all kinds of content and present it to buyers so they can engage with you on their terms so they can begin to build a relationship with you online.

When buyers seek out new product vendors they have these two habits (hint: the same as you):

1. They search online. They may start at a search engine, but as they click around they find content across the web in blogs, forums, videos, photos, articles, white papers, directories, webinars, slide presentations, etc. None of these aforementioned locations may necessarily be your website.

2. They ask for referrals. They are influenced by other people’s opinions even if they don’t know them.

Content Marketing & Relationship Building

Outbound marketing doesn’t work anymore…In the near future the decades-old form of interruptive marketing will become obsolete. Buyers can already filter out the seller’s outbound marketing tactics. It’s only a matter of time before outbound marketing as we know it today is totally obsolete.

Significance of 2.0

In my book I provide insight into the significance of “2.0.” I provide other examples of major leaps from 1.0 to 2.0. Some of the examples I provide include:

• World 1.0 was flat. World 2.0 obsoleted a flat world when it was discovered the world was round.
• Software 1.0 was installed from from a disc or tape.  Software 2.0 is not installed. It’s accessed from the web and paid by subscription.
• Music 1.0 was purchased physically on a vinyl or CD format. Music 2.0 is downloaded from iTunes and other music sharing sites.

Technology and Social Drivers

We didn’t get to marketing 2.0 overnight. There are many technology and social drivers that have evolved us to where we are now. People under 35 in the workforce are accustomed to using the social web. In time as the workforce ages the marketing 2.0 mindset will be commonplace. At this moment in history, there is still a transition underway.

Developing Communities and Engaging Conversations

Buyers are in control. Sellers must understand this to engage buyers successfully. Buyer perception is what counts. Buyers want to engage with sellers through authentic converstations, not sales pitches. Buyers want to engage through communities where people help each other. The role of the brand has evolved from marketer to collaborator.

Developing a Social Media Strategy

I provide SMBs guidelines to develop a social media marketing strategy. I call it “old school meets new school.” There is research required to devleop an effective SMM plan.

Think Like a Publisher: Content Marketing

A big aspect of Marketing 2.0 is the mindset of thinking like a publisher. Sellers should strive to produce relevant content for buyers so they will engage with your content.

Lifecycle of Interaction

There are four stages in the lifecycle of interacting with community on the web. Sellers must understand these stages in order to understand how to engage people based on the stage they are in.

Measuring Results

Measuring results in a marketing 2.0 strategy is not the same as in years past. First, it is possible. But, the methods and the metrics are different. Some web analytics apply. Sentiment monitoring also comes into play. Measuring qualitative and quantitative results are both important.

Risks of Social Media Marketing

There are many risks in a marketing 2.0 strategy. Though I list more than ten risks in my book, the biggest one is what I refer to as social media abstinence. Understanding the risks will minimize mistakes and minimize failures.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

There are many benefits to a marketing 2.0 strategy. This chapter outlines the many benefits and how to reap the rewards. One such benefit is the opportunity to build a strong brand even if you compete with a large conglomerate who has a huge budget. The social web levels the playing field.

Staffing Implications.

There are many staffing implications to consider in your marketing 2.0 strategy. This chapter discusses how social media marketing impacts your current staff and possibly future staff. The decisions you make to staff your marketing 2.0 strategy may be different than in years past.

Social Web Platforms

I devoted individual chapters to SEO, blogging, social networking, Twitter, podcasting, video and photos. Each of these is discussed in the context that they are enablers and tools.  None of these alone is the answer.  They enable us to create content and build relationships. Of course, SEO is not a platform. I discuss the role your content on the social web can contribute to your SEO results.

Marketing Operations:

Gary Katz, CEO of Marketing Operations Partners contributed a chapter on marketing operations. Gary explains how to make the marketing department a profit center, not a cost center.

Case Studies

My favorite section of the book is the case study section near the end of the book. I researched and wrote about real world examples of SMBs and solopreneurs who are succeeding with marketing 2.0 and their learning process. Each is learning and each is succeeding. I think you’ll find the diversity of industries and approaches very interesting and inspiring.

It’s About Content and Relationships

In the final chapter, I reiterate a key point I stressed throughout the book. The new mindset of marketing 2.0 is to engage buyers through great content and to build relationships with them. This mindset is a process. The old style of marketing is on its way out. Marketing on the social web can be integrated with offline marketing using the same principles of content and relationship building.

Resources

I put together a list of good books, blogs and podcasts on social media marketing. You’ll find plenty of great resources to further your education and insights into marketing 2.0.

Bernie Borges Live at Your Events

I enjoy speaking on Internet marketing topics at industry conferences and private events. Anyone interested in bringing me in to speak can contact me.

Special Offer

At the end of the podcast,  I offer a free copy of my book. But, you must listen to the podcast to learn how you can get a free copy. No gimmicks. No form to fill out. My offer is a free copy of my book. Listen to the podcast to learn how to get it. Click to play above, or visit iTunes and search for it by my name or by “inbound marketing,” or “social media marketing.”

I sincerely hope my book is a valuable resource to you. I look forward to getting your comments through my blog or the various ways you can contact me:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/berniebay
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/bernieborges
Facebook: http://profile.to/bernieborges
Facebook Fan Page: http://companies.to/findandconvert/

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