Leading business book author David Meerman Scott hit Australian shores last week for a whirlwind tour which included a guest spot at Social Media Club Sydney and a Social Media Masterclass in Melbourne.
I attended the masterclass event. WOW! You've got to hand it to anyone who can hold an audience for some 6+ hours as David did, plus socialise with participants for some time after that.
The session pretty much covered the expanse of content from David's two best-selling books - World Wide Rave and The New Rules of Marketing and PR. It was a highly practical session jam-packed with scores of examples and, although I've read a lot of David's work, it was great to immerse in and focus on social media from a PR and marketing perspective for such an intense period of time.
I think the secret to truly understanding social media is being able to 'join the dots'.
Social media is such a disparate beast, full of shiny new tools and tactics that people tend to get hung up on. To be able to see the bigger picture - both from a technological and societal point of view - and then integrate into an existing communications program is when a brand will truly experience the power and simplicity of what social media has to offer.
David dropped plenty of gems during the masterclass, but two points stand out for me:
In order for a brand to gain attention, it can either:
- BUY IT - i.e. traditional advertising
- BEG FOR IT - i.e. media relations and editorial publicity
- BUG PEOPLE FOR IT - i.e. direct methods such as call centre activity.
Or, he says...
"You can earn attention by publishing your way in."
ON THE WEB, YOU ARE WHAT YOU PUBLISH. Make your brand stand out by producing remarkable content so that people come looking for you!
David's trip has been well covered by blogs locally. Here are some links I highly recommend you check out if you want to get a better handle on David and the new rules of marketing and PR:
The Week That Was With David Meerman Scott (by Jennifer Frahm, who organised the tour)
Dear Rupert, I Think I Want to Break Up (excellent piece by Karalee Evans)
The Power of Twitter: How a Tweet Led to a Week in Australia (David Meerman Scott's take)
Also worth checking out is the Twitter back channel populated by prolific tweeps @Karalee_ and @IdeasCulture - some great nuggets of information plus links etc (under the #SMOMMC hashtag).
* PHOTO: a panel was formed to round off the David Meerman Scott Masterclass; from left, David Meerman Scott, Kate Kendall (MarketingMag.com.au), James Duthie (Next Digital), the PR Warrior (parkyoung) and moderator, Gerry McCusker (engageORM).
* PHOTO: the audience listens intently to David Meerman Scott.