Review: Online Marketing Inside Out
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Sitepoint writers Brandon Eley and Shayne Tilley have written an excellent guide to internet marketing. Online Marketing Inside Out is a comprehensive guide to the basics of marketing tactics using email, Search Engine Optimization, social media, affiliate marketing, and more.
For beginning online marketers it’s an introduction to the necessary tactics to get the online exposure you’re seeking. Brandon and Shayne are experienced marketers and those with a strong marketing background will recognize their expertise in the fundamentals of marketing at work here.
As a business owner these concepts are incredibly important to at least be familiar with. Many business owners make the mistake of pawning their web marketing efforts off on their web guy. Online Marketing Inside Out helps you understand that web marketing is not an IT function, but a fundamental marketing decision. The book provides a way to get an overview and start a plan.
For experienced online marketers the book reads like a checklist of important things to remember. It’s a technical manual that covers the bare bones and allows you to be creative and fill in the rest. The only thing that I was hoping for was an entire chapter dedicated to viral marketing. The authors touch on the subject and give some general advice, but choose to approach viral marketing from the standpoint of how content can sometimes go viral.
I highly recommend Online Marketing Inside Out as a reference point for people who want to get started with their online marketing efforts and for experienced marketers who might need a solid checklist to compare their existing campaigns against.
Sparkplugging received a review copy of this resource.
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Well, if it were that predictable to create a viral video, then they should also be able to write a book about how to make a summer blockbuster film. I don’t think anyone is going to be so arrogant as to say that anyone can do it if they just do A, B and C. This is not to say that all summer blockbuster films and viral videos don’t have A, B and C, but it would be simplistic to write a checklist and assume that if they did all these things that their videos will all go viral.
You’re right Joseph. It would be simplistic. You’re also right, however, that most viral videos have an A, B, and C. I would have liked to see them spend a little more time on those.
While we’re at it, if anyone is reading this, it would be interesting to know what people think the A, B, and C of viral videos are. Let me know!
Well, I’ll give it a shot…
A: Sharing Excitement
Example: Yesterday, my wife showed me a video that a friend had posted on her Facebook and my wife was so excited about sharing it with me that she got me to actually go to her computer to see it rather than send it to me via Facebook.
B: Strikes A Chord
Example: lonelygirl15
NOTE: Production quality doesn’t have to be great for it to be viral.
C: Leverage linking, tagging, keywords, SEO and every other trick in the book such as posting/seeding, start forum topics and otherwise blab about it everywhere and get people talking about it. By the way, this includes not tipping the viewers off to the fact that it’s “for” something like an advertisement or is “meant” to go viral; that’s the kiss of death.
Of course, this doesn’t mean it will be a success because you can never guarantee a viral video, but the fact that lonelygirl15 was staged is proof that any video can go viral as long as it strikes a cord, has high sharing excitement and it gets linked everywhere by you or others.
Thank you so much for the review, and I’m glad you found the book informative.
The main reason the book only briefly mentioned viral marketing is that I think planning for a campaign to go viral is impossible. You can create quality content and share it across your entire network but there is no formula for success when it comes to viral marketing.
Even advertising agencies that focus on viral marketing tend to have more duds than successes. I more subscribe to David Meerman Scott’s philosophy which is to create quality content and build a relationship with customers and potential customers, and if/when you have content that goes viral GREAT!
If you’re interested in learning how to create quality content that has a great chance of going “viral” check out David Meerman Scott’s new book “World Wide Rave.” He gives real world examples of how real companies created quality content, and relationships, and reaped the benefits from it.
Brandon Eleys last blog post..“Online Marketing Inside Out” Available Now!
Thanks for the review Cory – as someone new to online marketing I look forward to reading and learning from it!
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Thanks for the review — I’m glad you enjoyed the read. It’s great to hear that the value you identified in the book was exactly as we intended.
You raise an interesting and fair point about the viral element of Online Marketing. Just to echo what Brandon has already mentioned, getting something to go viral is as much about luck as is about careful planning.
I would hate to think that a readers first campaign was dependent on something going viral. If it did, great, but the chances are pretty low.
Only once they have a rock solid program in place, with a bit of momentum, would it be time to start trying to develop viral campaigns.
Over my years as an online marketer, only a couple of times have I had a initiative that I would truly consider to be a viral success – with many, many attempts.
That said — if I ever do find that magic viral formula for guaranteed success with viral campaigning I’ll be sure to share it with everyone.
I’m still reluctant about viral marketing, I’ve seen many “magic formulas” out there..
Viral marketing is a dangerous thing for to start focusing on, if you haven’t done any kind of marketing before.
Still as someone new to online marketing I would like to get my hands on a copy.