Customer Reviews

MicroMarketing: Get Big Results by Thinking and Acting Small

5 star:		(9)
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It's been about two years since I published a book review about online or social media marketing. Generally, while many friends have had their turn at the plate and I know their books have great helpful ideas and content, there tenants have had an element of redundancy, and I could not finish them (and I only review if I've read half of the book).

Greg Verdino`s microMARKETING offers a different experience with new, refreshing looks at online communications. In my mind, while it offers many of the tenants his contemporaries espouse, the book has new, exciting approaches and tenants. I actually found the book's style and approaches (do many small things well and Greg's view of earned media) inspiring, and caused me to rethink a couple of my own projects.

Case in point, the 7th Son case study in Chapter Eight was just fantastic. As someone who has published business book with a second in the works, but also has two novels almost contracted with publishers I could not help but absorb every detail. The case study made me resolve to re-edit one of the novels, and publish it independently (gasp) using social tools to promote.

This book is full of case studies like that, from Laura Luke and Sephora to the Dancing Man, as well as few social media mainstays that you'll be familiar with. In addition, the book offers seven principles of microMARKETING that are well explained and a series of questions in the final chapter to turn the quick read into a learning lesson for your organization.

I tend to lock onto great sound bites, and this one resonated so well with me, you can expect to see it in Welcome to the Fifth Estate (location 1172 on Kindle):

"All this creates a new marketing imperative and demands a new media model. When a company attempts to interrupt the stream, the stream is bound to shift course, or simply flow around the interruption. But if a brand can actually become part of the stream, it will be carried along in the flow itself."

I highly recommend microMARKETING not just for those looking to begin their journey, but for those of us who have seen a few rodeos in their time.

DISCLOSURE: I don't currently work with Greg but think he's a swell fellow.

Great premise, great book. This isn't just another business book. It's not about the framework that will solve all your challenges or the latest and greatest business process. It's about building your business through the very real and very human actions that make great businesses tick. It's about the humanity that drives the world that is social business.

Greg is a prolific blogger and a fantastic presenter and it shows. Easy to read, featuring refreshingly new and human case studies, this is a must read for anyone sick of the same old talking points and ready for inspiration.

DISCLOSURE: I was the indexer for this book, but this review is unsolicited by the author. I do regular write-ups/reviews of my book projects on my blog once a month.

Micromarketing is a real must-have for anyone who wants to integrate their marketing ideas into the new virtual, niche world we all live in. I'm keeping my copy to help me market some personal poetry and essay stuff I'm doing. The mass market simply doesn't exist as a usable target, which is good for us little guys. The idea is to recruit social networking folks (called "micromavens") and basically take word-of-mouth to a whole new level of impact. Viral is the operational goal for any new product or service, but you better provide value, because your ongoing relationships with your mavens and through them the rest of your prospective clientele, depend on it. But you don't need a huge advertising budget (in fact ads are a bit outre in this world) to create success. It's pretty amazing. Power to the micros! Verdino has a very straightforward and engaging style for explaining his ideas, with lots of real/virtual-world examples to illustrate. And I've already printed out the last chapter, which is a fill-in-the-blank checklist to use in developing my own micromarketing campaign.

I read my fair share of business books and often find half way through they start gathering dust and become coasters for my coffee. I am happy to report that wasn't the case with this book. Although, I'm not completely surprised. A follower of Greg Verdino's blog and Twitter stream, I enjoy his astute observations that don't fall into the usual 'follow the pack' mentality. The guy has ideas, born from actually devising strategies and tactics which he so often comments on. Well written, nicely chunked up for easy reading and pondering, and filled with smart perspectives, relevant case studies, and link resources you'll want to explore. This book is a great resource (and education) for experienced and newly anointed marketers, content and messaging folks, and truly, anyone that is on the front lines of communicating, servicing and attempting to connect with customers (I know many 'c-suiters' that I look forward to sharing the book with).

We really are watching a seismic (yes, seismic) shift from mass to micro. When mass marketers like P&G, Walmart, and Ford have begun to change their marketing strategies towards a more micro approach to engage people directly in real time, -- doing lots of small things -- I believe it's definitely time to pay attention and take note. The book is filled with insightful quotes and references to smart minds active in the space (whom you should be reading, following, observing and listening to). It's the kind of book that i found myself reading with my laptop next to me, oftening clicking to a site case study, or video stream. The story of the Ford Fiesta is one many may have heard before but it really falls in context as he explores the role and impact MICROMAVENS have on a brand and what can occur when you turn them into enthusiasts; "Giving influencers a reason to believe and a reason to behave" (...to take action and encourage communities to do the same)."

The risk and challenge with so many books on industries like digital and social media activities are that elements of it can become out of date shortly after publishing. I don't see that being the case here, and look forward to seeing Mr. Verdino foster a continued dialogue on microMarketing and current practices on his blog, the newly launched microMarketing Journal and Twitter feed.

Disclosure: I don't know Mr. Verdino, but was one of 10 Twitter followers that received a copy of the book from the author (one of the many social tactics he's been pursuing to promote the book) -- the expectation was only that I read it and honestly review it, good or bad, which I have done here.

Greg takes command of the social media space while letting many others and their amazing case studies become the hero to illustrate his point that successful results in mass marketing is quickly coming to an end. This book is for everyone including the Mom and Pop marketer who Greg helps to realize that control is in their hands to disseminate very powerful micro messages through social channels. It's also for the corner office marketer who needs to realize that the world has already changed. Read it and absorb. I found myself modifying my current social campaigns in real time to adapt these sound approaches to social media that will get you results for you and/or your client. It's incredibly well written, easy and fun to read, and in a pleasant conversational tone. Enjoy.

This book illustrates how the game has changed, from mass communication to real communication. If your a designer, writer, developer, marketing manager or have anything to do with communication, this book is a must read! With Great case studies and natural flow this book is an easy and fast read filled with links and resources that will having you going back again and again.

Not too long ago, those with the biggest advertising budget wielded the most influence and won the market. Today, the Internet, social media and mobile platforms have usurped the power of mainstream media. Those who use these vehicles most effectively have the clout. Greg Verdino lays out the best way to market in the evolving social, mobile landscape via a combination of small, targeted and interactive activities that garner notice and nurture relationships. Verdino outlines seven micromarketing principles and supports them with rich, topical case studies. His final chapter includes a questionnaire to help you apply his tactics to your business. getAbstract recommends starting your new advertising resource library with this relevant, applicable text.

If you were to buy a business book based on your ambitions, you might never get to one with the word "micro" in it because it came across as a small idea. The big idea of Greg Verdino's book, however, comes by virtue of the simple insight that big things happen when you know how to put the right small things together. Unlike many business books written by professional speakers, Greg's background comes as a VP at a large agency running strategic social media campaigns on behalf of clients ... in other words, he has street cred. And while many of the social media examples in microMARKETING might be familiar to the uber-geeky social media mavens in the audience - for most readers the examples he shares will help to cement the concept behind the book. Ultimately, you will learn how to use the elusive technique of creating "microcontent" to engage your audiences and stand out. (This review was originally published on the Influential Marketing Blog as part of the "30 Second Book Reviews" feature).

This is more of a guidebook to making sure what you do in marketing is in sync with the way things work today. Mass no longer matters, it is better to to be everything right to the right someone rather than something for everyone. EG Why are Maxwell House and Folgers coffee in such a dead growth zone compared to the specialty coffees? Many great points here but just like the movie the Jone$es, Verdino reminds you to connect with masses of communicators, not mass communications. (So if you sell to advertisers, you better be very smart) Too much to detail here, but this is a good statement of the state of the art today. Its all about being heard. Concise easy read

DISCLOSURE: I helped Greg research this book.

I've become disillusioned with social media books as of late. "Engage with your audience!" "Relationships matterz!" etc etc.

In fact, I've pretty much completely removed them from my reading rotation, opting instead for more interesting sociology and psychology books. Hell, I even find incredibly insightful thoughts from traditional marketing and advertising stuff.

Luckily for me, having the chance to work with Greg on microMARKETING, I didn't have to worry about this book being "yet another" social media book.

What makes Greg's book stand out is that rather than veer away from answering the tough question - do any of these social case studies actually show ROI - Greg attacks it head-on in nearly every case. He shows how the Best Job in the World grew visits to Queensland by 82%. He shows how Paranormal Activity out-grossed mass marketed movies like Watchmen. And he even shows how an unpublished sci-fi author found an audience 100,000 people strong, which eventually led to a publishing deal and movie option.

Greg says thinking small can get big results, and he backs it up. He doesn't deal in hyperbole, he deals in fact. For that alone, Greg Verdino's microMARKETING is already one of the better social media marketing books available.