The New Rules of Marketing & PR

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
In The New Rules of Marketing & PR, author David Meerman Scott says that you can learn from many. "I am absolutely convinced that you will learn more by emulating successful ideas from outside your industry than by copying what your nearest competitor is doing."

There are new rules to marketing and PR. They are not two but interweaving into one. It's not a one way talk from the company to consumer, or interrupted marketing with ads on radio or TV to interrupt you.The new marketing is interactive, informative, educational and a choice.

Scott says that when I'm on your website I am already interested. You don't have to use the old rules to jar my interest. I want to learn more. Will you teach me and provide the content that will answer my questions.

The old rules are ineffective today.
The Old Rules:
Marketing simply meant advertising and branding. It appealed to the masses, interrupted you, was one way from the company to the consumer, about selling products only, based on limited campaigns, with creativity the leading feature. it was more important for the ad agency to win awards then add new customers. Advertising and PR were separate disciplines. None of these is true anymore.

The web has transformed the rules. PR land and marketing mainstream is now many tributaries... within a web of diverse connections. Public relations is public again and not dependent on certain select media. The masses are reachable directly, individually.

The new goal is education. Find the under-served and target them. Marketing on the web is about understanding the key phrases people use when looking for things, then deploying micro-campaigns to drive buyers to pages that seek your content.

Marketing and PR is merging today. It is about great content.
Content drives action.
Constant flow of content keeps bringing back the buyers.

So the New Rules:
Marketing is more than just advertising and PR, more than getting in mainstream media. You are what you publish, it's authentic, with participation, delivered as needed, serving the under-served, buyers see your content on the web, it's winning business, public relations is with the public, great online content, blogs, e-books, podcasts, e-news releases, and other online content directly in touch with the buyer.

On the web, there is a blur between marketing and PR.

Reaching your Buyer Directly.
News releases were once for publications that reached many. Now, they're for bloggers who know your buyers who talk to them all the time. Success today is doing a lot of small things for many. Keep driving content. Keep getting niche audiences of the many coming back for more. The appeal is not the mass market, but the interest of these niches. Provide links to their interests. Bloggers are many mini-publishers.

The new marketing/PR has clearly defined business goals that get people to vote, join. Your news release, blog, website, podcasts draws visitors into the sales consideration cycle. This funnels them to action. They know the next step, the "go" button is there and easy to push. The goal is not hidden.

Blogging: Reaching the buyers directly.
You're an evangelist.
You're telling your story.
With your own blog, you are your own publishing company, editor, writer, expert in what you know. Your observations count. You're earthy, real, authentic, break some rules, but honest with how you present yourself. Bloggers are writing new rules on how to communicate. You can select and connect with others like you and share insights, collaborate, joint venture, back and forth.

It's an immediate tool to find out what others think, or get help from others like you who do it too. Blogging is for the individual, the CEO to stay in touch with his organization, and the employee to voice concerns as he sees them so others can help out or make adjustments quickly. It is the way we will stay in touch with our markets and influencing. You build a loyal connecting family with content and communication.

News Releases... speak directly
Your news can be read by many at once who want to know. Your web has the updates, ideas, new content, advances... what your community wants to know more of. Or it is sent immediately for those wanting to stay instantly in the know. Buyer direct communication is the order of the day.
Scott also has a list of new rules for news releases for those wanting to know.
(By the way, his web has a lot of this info too... )
http://www.webinknow.com/

If they find you, they will come. The key is "keyword" skill application. Know the buyer's use of words they use when looking for something that will bring them to you.

Podcasting... delivering audio content
They can hear you... they want to hear you.
Your content, your voice, your book, your advice is important.

Wiki... let's all work together now
On line projects can be put up for many to put their parts in, in progress as each works on it simultaneously. It is great collaboration of all parts of a business, your company, or associates all over the world. You have a work in progress, a project, that needs certain eyes monitoring others so it all comes out right. The consumer can jump in and help you create the product or service in how they want it or like it.

Going Viral... the self-propelled buzz
What catches the fever?
A sort of homemade feel seems to work while slick and polished doesn't. The Internet is highly personal, and real, so being real we all know we have self-evident flaws. It's more accepting and forgiving. Good content, authentic and human heart-catching, with a small contingencies of friends or fabulous fans, can light the fire.

Content Rich is the new big Rule at the Web place.
What's most important is content... more than new technology features, design or marketing schemes. It's how the content is organized, and how it drives action from buyers. It should be multi-dimensional using podcasts, videos, interactive links of relevancy, but all rich in content. You become a publisher and think about how to put together a content rich "publication" ...a Web inter-faceted presence.

David Scott puts into perspective what it takes to make it work. His plan starts with the organizational goals, not the product as most marketers do. Your site must lead your audience to where it helps to reach your goals such as building revenue, donations, new members and the like. What's your goal?
Keep that in perspective versus the WOW of your product to start. Next create a buyer persona profile.The persona profile is a short biographical, personal description of background, daily activity, loves and joys and what they seek. The buyer's words, categories they view are top-of-the-list importance.
Note: http://www.buyerpersona.com/

So far, you go from organizational goals, to buyer persona profile then to words and phrases your buyer's speak, or use when looking for solutions. Knowing about them, helps you know what language they use when looking to solve problems or know more.

What do they believe about your organization? What message do you use to reach each of the buyer's persona... and what do they believe you will do for them.

Now start thinking like a publisher. Create content organized by your buyer's persona. Create clicks to pages that have content to help with their questions, problems that gives them help right away. Educate them on ways to solve it, and deal with it better. The more you help, the more they come back for more... especially come to you.

Your web presence is what you publish on it. People have problems to solve and questions to answer. Will the millions on the web daily find you and your answers... that you are their answer.

Leadership. You are not an advertiser but a place with leadership in providing answers to people's problems. Keep helping until they ask for more.
What does this? ...your blog, podcasts, whitepaper,e-book, e-newsletter, webinar (seminar on the web).

In this, your content will be a solution to their problems and in the process, you don't even mention your company's name.

"Thought leadership content" provides free content, without registration. Think like a publisher. Write for your audience, use grab attention titles, promote content with links, drive the viral, the buzz. Be a thought content leader... a buzz will self-ignite.

The content influence on the buyer is the drive behind it all. Your web personality image, interactive tools, etc., affect influence. Scott explains this in more detail. He continues with details on how to use news releases to reach buyers directly; building your on-line (website) press room; effectively reaching other media; blogging effectively reaching the media; blogging to transform your business; podcasting and video made as easy as possible; social networking; and search engine marketing.

In the last chapter, Make It Happen, Scott gives an example of how one organization is using content, orchestrating Internet-based marketing tools, to build and innovative community. It's a church community with a fascinating concept reaching thousands in the Washington, D.C. area.

It's a great timely book for what's coming into place. Each section is detailed on how to do it. It's a thorough one source guide. Definitely a must biz-book shelf reference guide for the new web of business.

David Scott has a lot of free info of what we just overviewed very quickly above. His web and personal site are very good to view as well.
http://www.webinknow.com/
http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/

In his book the Body of Christ, Dr. J. Robert Ashcroft outlined what is the ideal Christian community and how it functions. It has so many parallels to Scott's last example of the church community in the last chapter.

Today's world communicates in many advanced ways.
The two key words are communication and becoming one in community. Relationship is central. Relationship must have a constant flow. Our technology makes this possible and strikingly enhances this communication.

Dr. Ashcroft identified where Being One applies:
This is both a communications and relationship principle.
1. One with God... Jesus Spirit. This is first and foremost that each person cultivate this in themselves (Being One with Jesus-Spirit) or the rest won't work.
Right here it breaks down in many.

Many never really pursue a One relationship with Jesus Spirit.
(Jesus Spirit is a term I created to denote that
we have the mind of Christ
and are filled with the Holy Spirit of God...
thus God, Spirit, Jesus as One in us.)
This has to be committed to and functioning in each person for the Profound Mystery of Spirit to work. Through time in the Secret Place of the Most High, in meditation, prayer, Scripture reflection, time in connected Spiritual thought, it is cultivated.

Those who say they do (but don't) and come together with others are not necessarily in sync with everyone. They actually draw from everyone instead of contributing. It was impressed on me to come "prepared…In Spirit" so to be a contribution. When all do this the result is outstanding.

Our communication with God in Spirit should be perpetual, a prayer communication with God, in Spirit. A praying without ceasing, in Spirit.

2. One in themselves. Our central command post is our Spirit... Jesus Spirit... which guides the mind and distinctively channels our thoughts, which then the mind directs the body what to do.

This reflection, meditation in Spirit is about what we know and how we do it. Are they consistent with each other? Are we communicating well with ourselves, based on what we know? It is important that what we think and what we are is the same and the Spirit is the same with that.

When this is in alignment as One (and the body is not fighting the mind, or the mind having an argument with the Spirit), we as individuals become a Supernatural Force. The biggest war is in the mind, within ourselves...win those battles.

3. One with each other. When each is allowing Jesus Spirit to control and direct each of us, we can create strong alignment here. It is natural when we all are yielding to the same direction of the same spirit... Jesus-Spirit. This is the major area. It may have its biggest affect within a husband/wife relationship where the highest degrees of intimacy (Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically) can be formed. One of the first things God did when He created man was form them as a dual-team…husband and wife as One.

This is a constant communication in mind and heart. People need to know the development of our thought process and how we feel about it. This was God's ideal idea from the beginning. Jesus in the Bible sent His disciples out in pairs.

Businesses today are finding the power of cohesive teams in that they many times out perform a highly educated professional. We have interaction with each other, and then added power in Spirit.

4. One with all who believe. A society like this would be the most wonderful society in the world. If those who follow and believe in Jesus Spirit, that within itself can start a power-train encroaching into changing the dynamics of the world around them. When One as believers, it is promised in the Scriptures that the Presence of Jesus will manifest and all His capabilities will be overtly demonstrated. That is we will visibly see it happening in our lives in many ways.

A constant chatter among each other goes on here.

5. One in Communication. This will increase our abilities in understanding each other. Again, as we are aligned in the same Spirit, we, without effort "get it" when communicating. And in some cases, we don't need to use words.... we just seem to know. This is a subject of its own and can be very Supernatural in expression... inter-Spirit communication.

We have the capability to be in long distances from others and know what is going on with someone else.... when two parties are fine tuned in Jesus-Spirit. This can be cultivated and happen as a normal part of our lives like picking up a phone and calling someone.

In this process, we each take time to observe,
meditate on what we observe,
draw Divinely driven conclusions,
and then share the Spiritual insights we have gotten with others.
We are all teachers.
God wants to teach through all of us to teach each other.

We hear God's Voice when we listen to everyone.
This helps to complete His Total Voice to us.

Knowing that since Jesus was on earth, He came back as "Jesus Is Us" ... an important concept of what the Body of Christ is, as Paul the Apostle calls us. This again reflects the power of working in pairs. This is very powerful when like minded in Spirit. This interacting power moves mammoth barriers.

6. One in ownership. Individual possessive nature is lost when people are the same in Jesus Spirit. Everything we have is part of Us, Jesus is Us, the inter-twined body of Believers. We don't see things as our own. This goes into complete contradiction with how our society thinks and acts. "It's all mine." …as many wish it to be all theirs. But the reverse is the character of Jesus Spirit as One.

In our hearts we want all to be well, do well, and help each other out. We see ourselves as united as one. We pull together and are genuinely happier for others successes than our own. We truly love each other and want better for others than ourselves. So, we share what we have freely as we see others as a part of ourselves... connected as One in Jesus-Spirit.

With the Spirit of Christ manifesting around us through aligned Spiritual relationships, these qualities should be the norm in our lives. There still is more to this. The magnitude of Jesus Believers as One is hard to put into words properly.

"And the church is his body (of people as One), it is filled by Christ, who fills everything, everywhere with His presence." (Ephesians 1:23)

Although it must be put to work to work... even experimentally for a while to really see what starts to happen. When we do it, we will learn through it as Spirit teaches us along the way.

The journey must begin first, one step at a time,
even though imperfect as we start.

This is the only way to find out how extensive this is …and its Supernatural impact as it empowers our lives Beyond the natural.

That our communication is thorough, constant and comprehensive.
So much so that it becomes One Voice, the Voice of God among us.

This is the ultimate objective of communication.
And what Scott outlines in the new rules or marketing/PR can assist in mobilizing this power.

And then...The very Power, Presence, Peace of Jesus Himself is manifested when we function as One.