The most POPULAR marketing books find clever ways to point out the problems of traditional marketing. The most HELPFUL marketing books, explore ways to solve these problems.
Unmarketing, by Scott Stratten, is a popular book. It’s an enjoyable and inspiring read on the failure of traditional marketing strategies, tactics, and mindsets. In the tome, Stratten advocates for the universal truths we too-often overlook in business: treating customers as human beings, improving customer service, telling the truth and interacting with prospects instead of selling to them.
“You need to know where you stand in the eyes of your customer,” Stratten said. “You need to know if your customers are happy, and if they aren’t you need to know why and how you can change it…Are they happy, are they estatic, or are they just there holding on until something better comes along?” Stratten said social media is an effective tool for creating and restoring meaningful social relationships with customers and prospects. However, he cautions against the halfhearted approach that most companies take.
When it comes to social media, Stratten said companies commit six deadly sins: greed, gluttony, sloth, envy, wrath, and lust. He has a gift for pointing out shortcomings that makes Unmarketing a quick and enjoyable read. Stratten’s an equally-enjoyable speaker. I had the opportunity to listen to him speak at BlogWorld 2010. That’s why I picked up a copy of Unmarketing — I wanted another dose of Stratten’s ‘be awesome’ prescription.
Unmarketing is a ‘romance novel for social media marketers’. It’s a feel-good, common sense book that confirms that social media marketers are on the right track, despite obstacles and resistence. It will take more time. It will take more resources. Social media efforts will make a huge positive impact in the end.
There will be a happy ending.
Credits: Unicorn image by Rob Cottingham. At Blogworld 2010, during his keynote address, Stratten declared “Everytime you ask what to ROI of social media is, a kitten dies…and a Unicorn.”
Speaking of Unicorns…
Enjoy this tale of Charlie the Unicorn and his reluctant quest to reach Candy Mountain.
About Troy Janisch
Pingback: Tweets that mention The fun of 'un': A pick-me-up book for social media marketers | Social Meteor -- Topsy.com