Recently I’ve been reminded again and again that when I find something good I should share it. Usually it is something good that someone has shared with me, after all. So here is something to share with those of you who are wondering what I’m on about when I talk about using social media properly.
I was looking out a link to David Meerman Scott’s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. I’m suggesting it as a good book for a sales and marketing director for a construction products company I met last week. But whilst I was finding the link, I came across a video of a keynote David had given to a B2B audience back in 2009. David also talks about the fear of publishing things online. The best tweet of his I have seen yet is the one that illustrates this post. Don’t worry about sharing your best info online. 1) Your competition already knows what you’re doing 2) People like leaders not followers. David’s keynote is punctuated by brilliant (and funny) examples of B2B companies who have succeeded in using the techniques he suppies. You’ll like the last one best.
So watch the video, which I have embedded below, and if you like these ideas you can read his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and read his blog. David Meerman Scott keynote at BMA 2009 national conference from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo. The New Rules of Marketing and PR keynote presentation and Q&A session delivered by David Meerman Scott at the Business Marketing Association 2009 national “Unlearn” conference. Scott spoke June 10, 2009 at the sold-out conference held in Chicago’s Drake Hotel. Since the BMA is a business-to-business organization, Scott’s keynote is tailored to a B-to-B audience. Scott argues that when others spread your ideas and tell your stories online, buyers are eager to do business with you and all kinds of doors begin to open.
Oh, that’s a good quote of mine you used. Thanks for reminding me! I appreciate you doing this post.
Thanks for commenting David, and its a great quote!
The tweet about sharing your info is so appropriate for the construction industry. Whilst there are some pioneers, the general gist is ‘there are no architects on twitter talking about products they want to specify’ and ‘if I give my downloads away for free then what do I get?’
Over the next twelve months or so, things will start moving, I just have a feeling…
Su – excellent advice. the new marketing model is engage, influence, and share, not control, contain, and black box what you do. We try to attract people to us, and build a network. The more you share, cultivate your persona, and find people that identify with those values and sense of purpose, the more you gain, because no one is exactly like you. get it out there! as you said: you are what you publish. amen to that! cindy @urbanverse
Su — in our online world, you have to give to get. So you are indeed correct on strategy. My guess is that the most giving architect will get the most followers and then the best search engine placement. And that firm’s business will grow quickly. I’ve seen it in hundreds of other industries. Believe me, architects are NOT different.
Su, thanks for the excellent post. You are absolutely right … the points he David makes in this presentation are absolutely relevant today.
Great post and a way of thinking. Thanks once again!
Thanks Matt.
I think your conversation today with Dan about CPD events and how architects don’t like to talk to each other was very telling.
I often find this with larger practices (up to 10 staff) who have this mistaken idea that they are in direct competition with each other, when actually they are all very different.
If we expressed and emphasised what makes each of our practices special then we can each benefit.
Equally if we concentrate on differentiating ourselves from each other we are more likely to get the right leads (and less likely to waste the time of the wrong ones).