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David Meerman Scott – The New Rules of Marketing & PR | Review

Title: The New Rules of Marketing & PR

Author: David Meerman Scott

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 368

Rating: 8/10

David Meerman Scott – The New Rules of Marketing & PR

If you’re working in contemporary marketing then you need to read this book – it’s as simple as that. True, not all of it was necessarily directly related to what I do in my day job, but the concepts that are covered here are important across the board, whether you’re a marketeer or whether you’re a specialist, such as a web developer, within a marketing team. Let me tell you why.

The way that people communicate has changed, and brands are struggling to keep up. In The New Rules of Marketing & PR, Scott starts out with a basis in traditional marketing theory, and then expands upon it to cover the competitive landscape in the modern age. Essentially, this is your bible, and it’ll explain to you how all of the different channels that are now available, due to the rise of the internet, the web and social media, can be worked to their maximum potential to generate revenue and profit for your business.

Sure, it’s been a few years since the book came out, but Scott keeps it regularly updated, and so make sure you snag the latest edition. The reason that it has to be regularly updated is that it was one of the first serious books to hit the market when this new phase of marketing emerged, and Scott has continued to write on the subject at length since its publication. He’s one of the de facto thought leaders in modern marketing, which is what makes this book so remarkable.

Incidentally, if you’re wondering why he publishes with his middle name, it’s because there was an astronaut called David Scott. Being known as David Meerman Scott helps people to find him on search engines. Isn’t that an awesome way of practicing what you preach? Oh, and one other thing to note – this book is praised by Brian Halligan, co-founder of HubSpot, who also penned a book with him called Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead. I recommend that book, too – combined, they make a force to be reckoned with.

David Meerman Scott

Click here to buy The New Rules of Marketing & PR.

Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha – The Start-Up of You | Review

Title: The Start-Up of You

Author: Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 260

Rating: 8/10

Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha – The Start-Up of You

Reid Hoffman is the co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn, and so you’d expect him to deliver on his promise to teach you how to “adapt to the future, invest in yourself, and transform your career.” And he doesn’t let you down – with the shrewdness that he always shows in interviews, Hoffman has produced an impeccably written book that teaches you everything you need to know about the art and science of your personal brand.

As a venture capitalist, and having supported both PayPal and Facebook in their early years, Hoffman is a man who knows a lot about tech start-ups, and in this book he takes the start-up approach and applies it to you – it turns out that you have a lot in common with a young company, and the way in which you represent yourself should take this in to account if you want to be the best you can possibly be.

Unfortunately, as the book is co-written with Ben Casnocha, it’s almost impossible to tell how much of the book was written by Reid and how much of it was written by Ben, but it doesn’t really matter. They’ve worked together seamlessly to provide a delicious, coherent whole that no self-respecting businessman should be without. And the great thing is, the advice they give you can be applied immediately and irrespective of the industry that you work in – it’s a practical guide.