Often we are told that we live in changed times, no longer are the big corporations the gatekeepers of our success. Everyone has a voice now, from the mommy bloggers to the tech hippies. It used to be that in order to get press for the release of a product, you had to reach out the the top journalist in your niche and cajole them into writing a review of your product.
When it comes to social media marketing the everyday woman/man is now the gatekeeper. They stand guard between your brand and the best interest of their family and friends. In order to get the digital word of mouth needed to make the product launch a success, it is now necessary to reach out to smaller less established bloggers who wield considerable influence among their readers.
This is the approach that Guy Kawasaki took in the marketing of his new book "Enchantment". Instead of relying solely on the pending support of the big name journos, he seeded his new book in the hands of some 1,400 bloggers as a gesture of goodwill.
The end result is a social media success story. Some sixteen days after Enchantment hit store shelves there are already over 220 reviews of the book online. By seeding the book among niche bloggers he managed to reach highly targeted individuals that trusted the source of the review.
What do you think, is the strategy of planting many seeds a sound social media marketing plan?