“The next big thing is lots and lots of small things.” --Greg Verdino

I recently finished reading microMARKETING by Greg Verdino.   I read my fair share of business books (as I call them), 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 (lots), 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).

So, who is Greg Verdino:

His day job:  Vice President, Strategy & Solutions at social media agency Powered. Before, after and during he maintains a variety of social touch points including his blog  where he explores trends and ideas in social media and marketing. I’d definitely call him an authority on not just the social web, but digital marketing as a whole with a solid foundation in the traditional tenets of marketing and business.  He knows how all the pieces need to come together for that eureka moment to occur and to make it viable for business.

What does the book teach you

In the ever changing and evolving space of digital, 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 approaches to engage people directly in real time, -- doing lots of small things -- it’s definitely time to pay attention and take note of just a few of these changes:

•  Individuals as collaborators
•  Recognizing the power of the voice of consumer over that of brand
•  Tapping into the power of the few to reach the many

 And achieving valuable results by methodically building upon smaller successes.

Key starting point

‘The 7 Shifts Away From Tried but No Longer Quite So True Traditional Approaches’ --moving away from mass marketing and thriving in a microMarketing age (page 21) really resonated and nicely lays the groundwork for the case studies and statements that fill the book's pages.   I won't list them all here but this one I liked a lot:

• Mass Marketers "Plan campaigns around outdated concepts like the sales funnel, peak seasons, and prime time."
  

• microMarketers 'Make a commitment to engage people directly in real time."
  

Case Studies (lots of them)
The book is filled with insightful quotes and references to smart minds active in digital 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 to be able to immediately view the case studies. 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 chapter “from One Big Thing to the Right Small Things” (page 198) was a fascinating case study of makeup artist Lauren Luke. Being a former cosmetics industry digital marketer, it really brought to life how the seven shifts  to micromarketing success can come to life as this woman went from an at home makeup artist and vblogger in the UK to a successful, global cosmetics entrepreneur.

Final microThoughts

Ever generous about sharing (for free) knowledge and examples on social media, before the book was released, Greg created a deck for potential readers to get an idea on what the book offers (‘whet your appetite’) -- you will want to buy the book.

The risk and challenge with so many books on industries like digital marketing 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 was one of 10 Twitter followers that received a copy of microMarketing for review from the author (one of the many microMarketing 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.