Customer Reviews

Self-Promotion Online

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you are a serious web designer and looking for serious 'wired' advice, stay away from this joke. But if all you're interested in is brochure-graphics and annual-reports design, this book is a good example to study. It's no bigger than a brochure, 128 sides in all, of which a whopping 32 sides are devoted to announcing the beginning of chapters. I'm serious! 16 whole double sides have been devoted to the words 'Chapter 1', 'Chapter 2' and so on. And the few pages that remain for content dish out such archaic advice as joining email exchange programs and having digital signatures in your emails. Just another book cashing in (or at least trying to) on the fact that there are still enough people out there in awe of the web.

"Self-Promotion Online" delivers exactly what the title promises; a full marketing plan for self-promotion via the Internet. The first section starts with a chapter on creating an effective website although you might want to get her other book "Designing Websites" for much more thorough coverage of this area. The rest of the first section covers using the web as an online portfolio and using the website as a showcase for your business.

She does a very commendable job of covering the bane of every Internet user - using e-mail to market without engaging in spam. She also covers items like using strategic linking and doing marketing research online and finishes the book with three different strategies and to-do lists.

Almost every page has full color illustrations and examples to clearly illustrate the concepts presented in the text. The book covers all the most important points of using the Internet to promote your business/self and is a recommended purchase.

Man was I fooled. All of the great reviews that people have given this book made me think that it was the answer to all my dreams. Now it just holds cups on my coffee table. It is a pretty book. The design is overused, but other than that it is really nice looking. However, I didn't buy it for the pictures, I bought it for the content.

I spent an hour out of my day to listen to someone say the same thing over and over. And what ever happened to being unique? She tears down the artistic (which just happens to be the target market for the book) and tries to replace it with the simplistic. I can see this for a writer or something along those lines, but not a graphic/web designer. How are you going to fully promote your artistic ability without being artistic? Her marketing strategies aren't creative; they are boring and safe. In my opinion, the best way to get noticed is to think outside of the box; this book chains you inside the box. It's time for people to stop being safe and take a few risks; it's time to be unique. Besides, it is hard to get noticed when you look like everyone else in the crowd.

With that said I will leave the decision up to the reader. I felt that I wasted my money, and learned nothing; but you may feel different. But don't come crying to me when you feel cheated.

This book is great for those beginning to learn how to promote themselves and their services. It didn't have any information that I didn't already know about, but if you really look at the examples you can get some good ideas. This book is very basic and to the point. You might want to flip through the actual book before deciding if it's really for you.

Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book. I devoured it this past weekend. It is full of great content and fabulous design. You really did a great job! Of course it is very timely for me since I just launched my Web site last fall. I plan to use many of your marketing strategies, specifically the links exchange and E-mail promotion ideas. There are books for artists as entrepreneurs and books for marketing, but this book has it all under one cover. Bravo!

Careful use of the new technology is an important part of all good marketing plans, and this books shows how to do it. Self-promotion, using every media outlet available is critical to success. And don't be afraid of the of using "self" and "promotion" in the same breath! If we want people to value our skills, we must first show that we value ourselves -- by making sure our accomplishments are visible to targeted audiences. If we want people to buy our services, they have to know who we are, what we have accomplished and why they should do business with us! The first step is to develop a "personal publicity plan," a step-by-step process that will help even the most timid become comfortable with the concept of self-promotion.

Keeping it short, I believe the information in this book is invaluable. I think anyone in business for themselves should take a look at what Benum has to say about Self Promotion. I've been a web professional for many years now, and a decent amount of what I read, I had already known about. However, there is a bountiful amount of ideas and information within the pages of this book that really opened my eyes to better promotion. You owe it to yourself to check it out. No matter how good you are at marketing yourself, you can be better. This book shows you how.

Right now, there is a window of opportunity for freelance graphic designers and art directors in which those who use the Web to market their services and service clients can gain a sustantial competitive edge over competitors who are not proficient in Web methods. Ilise's book tells you precisely how to use the Internet to get more leads, close more sales, get more clients to hire you, and make your existing clients more satisfied and more loyal. If you don't read this book you are leaving money on the table.

I enjoyed the read, excellent info & great illustrations. I checked out several web sites recommended that were very user friendly. Also, I use this book in my business plan workshop when discussing marketing - the attendees love the great marketing tips.

Clear and to-the-point visual beauty of a book especially for those of us who have a domain name that has been sitting unused for 2 years! Well-organized, even for right-brain folks, it explains WHY you need to use the web as a promotion tool, in addition to all the other self-promotion activities, and HOW to create a streamlined presentation. If you need the nitties and gritties of HTML, go elsewhere; this book is about the big picture, to get you going in the right direction.