“The New Rules of Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott

The St. Louis County Library is a great resource! I visit it at least once a week and the benefit is that I can browse the catalog online and reserve the books that I want to check out ahead of time, then when they are pulled, I receive an email notifying me to come in and pick them up. I read David Meerman Scott’s book in a previous edition in 2010 and found it to be very informative, so I was intrigued when I searched the library catalog and discovered that he had published a revised and updated Fourth Edition in 2013. So, I decided to borrow a copy and reread it. What a revelation!

Michael Port, New York Times bestselling author of Book Yourself Solid, says in the foreword, ” This is absolutely the best book on the new world of marketing and PR. David Meerman Scott is ‘The teacher’s teacher in the world of social media.’ I get all my best stuff from him. In fact, I buy each new edition because, in the ever changing world of online marketing, if you don’t stay current, you die a fast death…” I agree with this statement completely, and that is why I recommend this book during my Content Marketing classes.

The fundamental premise of thsi book is that the world of marketing and public relations is melding and the lines are blurring. Of particular interest in this edition is the Newsjacking section. Recent examples of unethical newsjacking include the American Apparel exploitation of the Hurricane Sandy tragedy as well as marketers that wanted to capitalize on Robin William’s death.

Ann Marie and I have always operated AMM Communications under the premise that almost anyone can handle their own public relations and marketing strategy, given enough time, patience, and perseverance. But, many of our clients don’t have the time to read through the enormous volume of information on marketing strategy, content marketing, and social media that is being shared each day. There are many entrepreneurs who don’t have the patience to slog through blog posts or read an entire book like the New Rules. And many people don’t have the patience to pitch stories to reporters, media contact, answer email, and comb through social media posts to place their stories. That is where AMM Communications comes in. Sometimes, it is best to outsource your marketing function or to have independent consultants assist your internal marketing teams. If you have the chance, pick up the book today!