I am often asked why I decided to start a company exclusively devoted to marketing automation. This is my marketing automation love story.

In 2007 I worked at one of the fastest growing companies in the country. In two short years the company had grown from zero dollars to over $12MM in sales. The marketing department had spent the last two years building websites, corporate collateral and email campaigns designed to generate awareness and ultimately leads for our 100 person sales force. It was a daunting task. Each sales professional had their own list of contacts, and of course wanted all marketing materials customized with their own contact information. Our three person team was struggling to manage the task. After trying a number of solutions ranging from Outlook merge functions to Constant Contact and even native Salesforce email capabilities, we began searching for a solution that could help us address our need for scale and personalization.

In 2007 marketing automation was still a fledgling industry utilized primarily by enterprise level technology companies and those in the serious know. Lucky for us, my boss kept his ear to the ground. Over a course of about six weeks, we demoed several solutions. My team found themselves in disbelief at the capabilities and features demonstrated by the various software vendors. Our initial goal of handling multiple contact lists and personalizing emails was far exceeded. We were quickly introduced to new ideas like capturing prospect’s activity histories, executing lead scoring models and drip campaigns and synching data between a marketing system and a CRM like Salesforce.

The team eventually decided on Marketo due to our heavily customized instance of Salesforce. We were able to sync the leads and contacts of nearly 100 sales professionals into the system (tens of thousands of contacts), allowing our department to deliver emails on behalf of our sales professionals (complete with custom contact information, logos etc.) Our first surprise was being able to immediately able to deliver warm lead alerts directly to contact owners. Our sales professionals were overjoyed with their newfound insight into the digital behavior of their prospects.

By September 2009 our now four person marketing department was successfully supporting 200 sales professionals. Each month we executed campaigns with embedded lead scoring that triggered warm lead alerts immediately when a prospect exhibited an action that had previously shown a correlation to a sale. There were many stories of sales professionals receiving an alert, calling a prospect and gingerly asking if they needed assistance and quickly closing a sale. As a department, we were able to better justify our efforts by directly correlating our email campaigns to revenue to our executive team.

My own marketing mindset had completely changed. I no longer thought of marketing as a “make it pretty” function, but rather as a revenue center. I now understood that marketers could execute campaigns that drove a predictable amount of qualified leads and revenue. Marketing automation allowed us to reduce the length of our sales cycle and increase the amount of qualified leads we were able to hand off to sales–truly legitimizing our efforts.

The tangible difference that marketing automation software made in my marketing theory, practices and ultimately career, left me with a desire to tell others about the impact it makes on sales, marketing and the bottom line.

Courtney was a marketing executive who was fed up with the “make it pretty” reputation of most marketing departments. After successfully integrating marketing automation software into the lead generation strategy of one of the fastest growing companies in America, she founded LeedSeed, a marketing automation firm made up of marketing strategists, technical experts, and an agency-level creative services team experienced in generating revenue through the use of marketing automation, demand and lead generation techniques. LeedSeed is the marketing automation firm of choice for innovative companies across the globe. Courtney speaks and blogs frequently on using marketing automation to help customers develop revenue funnels and marketing campaigns that drive predictable, repeatable revenue.

By Dr. Liz Alexander

What do you make of this?

A LinkedIn group member recently posted a comment saying that she’d been severely reprimanded by a friend for writing a three-star Amazon book review. This friend wasn’t the author but an “internet marketer” who felt it was unwise to award this book anything less than five stars. Her rationale being that since the reviewer was soon to publish a book in the same genre she might tick off potential marketing allies.

My heart sank. What are we coming to when marketing trumps honest critique? But that’s exactly what appears to be happening in my industry: book publishing. It’s all too common these days, especially among first-time authors whose platforms consist of Facebook friends, Twitter followers, and perhaps an extensive email list, to spam everyone with requests for glowing reviews. Regardless of whether their work deserves the accolade or not.

This isn’t just happening online. I recently received a self-published book whose first six pages were crammed full of testimonials – almost 30 of them. Sadly, it wasn’t a page-turner, unlike Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind, which manages with just eight inside examples of praise, or the award-winning Blue Ocean Strategy, which has 11 internationally diverse review excerpts on its back cover.

A quick look at the spread of customer ratings for many books bought online through Amazon and the like should give the statistically literate pause for thought. With an unbiased sample you would expect a normal distribution – a few one stars, slightly more five stars if the book is particularly good, but in the main the bulk of reviews should fall within the three to four star range. How are we to identify truly exceptional books when so many mediocre ones boast 100% five-star reviews?

And what are we to think of the “Amazon exclusive” (and glowing) review of Seth Godin’s Linchpin by cult cartoonist Hugh MacLeod? As one reader/reviewer points out, MacLeod’s perspective can hardly be considered objective since he’s the book’s illustrator. A fact that MacLeod, Godin, and Amazon did not see fit to make known.

When I first started writing books 25 years ago, testimonials were pretty much only written by professional reviewers. Those featured in prestigious newspapers and magazines, such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, and Business Week, usually ended up excerpted on the back covers.

Even then, however, “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” behavior was common, with the same author names (Brian Tracy; Mark Victor Hansen; etc.) appearing again and again on back covers. Did these busy, famous people really read that many books?

Maybe – maybe not.

Some authors, according to one industry insider, consider writing back-cover testimonials to be free advertising – a way to keep their names (and books, which are invariably mentioned too) in the public eye.

Many will agree because their publisher’s PR not only asked them to, they also offered to write the blurb. Rather like a former boss or client agreeing to write a testimonial as long as they don’t have to go to the trouble of actually doing anything.

Mostly, the thinking goes, if you want someone to be kind about your book it helps to say something nice about theirs. Because testimonials help sell books, especially if readers see the names of people they know and like – and trust.

And therein lies the issue. As Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer surveys show, trust in our institutions – media, government, business — has been going down the toilet for some time now. In 2005 Edelman reported that trust had shifted from authorities to peers.  A year later a more credible spokesperson was “someone just like me.”

In Groundswell, (praised by 11 “real readers”), authors Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff report the top three “trust sources of information about products or services” are 1) Recommendations from family and friends; 2) Emails from people you know; and 3) Ratings or reviews by consumers.

If we’re giving five stars to a product or service simply because a good friend asks us to, how long before we can no longer trust today’s consumer reviews?

And, yes, I’ve succumbed to such behavior and written five-star reviews of books (well, two in total) that I thought average at best because the authors requested them. I’ve just gone into Amazon and deleted them; would you be willing to do the same?

Interestingly enough, Edelman’s 2011 Trust Barometer reports that “people like us” have less credibility now than was the case a couple of years ago. Seems we’re beginning to put greater faith in experts again, maybe because at least we can largely trust their objectivity.

Wielding the power to share our views with the world should come bundled with a certain amount of responsibility. Fearing to publish an authentic critique because it might affect your own, future book promotion is, as I told the lady on LinkedIn, a particularly cynical way of doing marketing. Which doesn’t help any of us in the long run.

When every book on Amazon boasts five stars and every self-published work contains multiple pages of praise from friends of the author, I guess we’re back to trusting people who have no vested interest in the outcome. Or our own judgment. Which, come to think of it, beats the duplicity of testimonial sluts hands down.

About the author

Dr. Liz Alexander is the author of 12 nonfiction books, 9 published by big names like Random House, HarperCollins, and Hodder & Slaughton. Her books have sold almost 500,000 copies globally, and some still earn her royalties 10 years after initial publication. Dr. Liz establishes executives and others as thought leaders in their industry. Her secret weapon? Empowering them to write books that showcase their intellectual capital. Discover more at: http://drlizalexander.com/

Content marketing has become the new social media. Overused and devoid of meaning.

But don’t go dusting off your old telemarketing or TV advertising playbooks just yet. Despite the fact that ‘content’ has been overplayed like a top 40 song, content is more important now then ever.

It’s not a question of ‘if’ you’ll ever implement a content-oriented approach into your marketing strategy. It’s a question of ‘when’ and ‘how committed’ are you to making content as ingrained into your company’s marketing fabric as cotton, wool and nylon.

Why content is so powerful

As Simon Salt said, it’s a myth that consumers have recently become savvy. They’ve always been savvy, but they didn’t always have the almost infinite variety of choices they have now.

But give consumers something they really want to know and learn about, something that excites them and speaks directly to their secret problems, needs and desires, and they can become yours.

Sonia Simone calls this “cookie content.”

Cookie Content, according to Simone, makes life better for readers, can be used right away, and tastes good.

It leverages powerful psychological persuasion techniques, such as reciprocity and authority, enabling you to make your consumers become willing participants in a conversation with you, and eventually customers.

What I advocate is a total content approach.

The 10 steps to the Total Content Approach

The total content approach consists of ten steps.

1. Content for one person

Produce all your marketing content: blog posts, articles, web copy, white papers, videos, as if you’re writing to one person. Brian Clark, Sonia Simone, Sean D’Souza, all accomplished content marketers, talk about that one person you should write for. How do you do this? First, choose an ideal target market. Then select one person who is representative of that market. Create a detailed profile of her, and write to her personally as if you’re writing to an old friend.

2. Content that speaks to their unique worldview

What is your one person’s worldview? What are the collection of beliefs that color the way she looks at the world? As Seth Godin said in his book “All Marketers are Liars,” it’s almost impossible to change somebody’s worldview. You can’t convert a vegan into an Atkins dieter, and you can’t convince a Yankees fan to become a Braves fan. So don’t. Instead, embrace and honor their world.

3. Content that expresses your unique approach

What is your passion, your purpose, your personality and your position? John Jantsch talks about the new 4ps of marketing as the modern way of expressing your uniqueness. It’s harder to convince your customers that your manufactured difference is authentic, so don’t even try. Embrace the authentic you, and your content will stand out and make your ideal customer crave more.

4. Content that attracts prospects

We’ve just covered marketing strategy. Now we’re getting into marketing tactics. The foundation to your ‘awareness’ marketing tactics should be content that attracts. When we think about our one person we’ve profiled, their problems, challenges, and goals, and their unique worldview, what content can we give them that they really want to read (or see or hear)? What will make their day when they find you? Produce articles, blog content, reports, eBooks, videos and podcasts that express a set of beliefs, or provides advice, tips, tutorials, resources, and how-tos that fulfill your prospects’ deepest desires.

5. Content that turns strangers into friends, and friends into buyers

Once they find you and feast on your attraction content, what can you provide them that will get them to know, like and trust you?

As Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, said:

6. Content-oriented SEO

Google’s recent Panda and Caffeine updates have made fresh, relevant content even more important than before. This was a direct blow to content farms, with their crappy content on topics the writers hardly know anything about. Now its time for you to step up to the plate and create timely, high quality content.

7. Content-oriented social media

For all the talk of social media allowing you to build relationships online via ‘one-to-one engagement,’ the best approach for an effective social media marketing strategy is the content-oriented approach. As Brian Massey said, a content-oriented social media strategy allows you to educate people before they buy, and allows for much better measurement. Sharing links to content on social media is much easier to measure than ‘one-to-one’ marketing.

8. Content-oriented advertising

Most savvy marketers agree that direct response advertising is more effective and measurable than image advertising. But most direct response advertising asks prospects to “call for a free quote,” “download a free trial,” or “contact us for a complimentary consultation.” What if instead you provided a free report, or a video, or any other type of free content? Robert Rose cites two examples of clients who increased the quality of the leads they converted by offering content as the call-to-action for their PPC campaigns, instead of traditional offers.

9. Content that deepens the customer relationship

Don’t forget about content marketing after you’ve made the sale. Keep in contact with your customers by sharing valuable tips, tutorials or how-tos on how to use your product, or different ways they can take advantage of your service. Send an email newsletter, or maybe even a print newsletter. Keep your name in front of them so they can become repeat customers, and start to refer you to their friends.

10. Content to reach internationals markets

The Internet makes it possible to reach a global audience, and content is the way to create that soft landing before you commit resources to opening international offices. I obtained half a dozen international clients by taking a pure content marketing approach: I wrote a blog in Spanish, and published a 44-page eBook in Spanish. As a result I have a never-ending supply of leads who want more of what I have to offer. These are companies from Argentina, Costa Rica and Mexico. What international markets would you like to penetrate?

Conclusion

Embrace content marketing. Dedicate yourself to it wholeheartedly. Fall into it, with the confidence you have when falling backwards off a table into the arms of your friends who are waiting to support you and let you know they’re there for you.

Are you ready to embrace a Total Content Approach? When will you adopt the Total Content Approach? Will you adopt it now, when you can still get an edge over your competitors and dominate your niche? Or will you wait until you’re the only one left in your industry who hasn’t done it yet?

Hopefully it’s the former.

Original article published here.

About the author: Fernando Labastida, the current blog editor for the Austin AMA, has been involved in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. He has carried a bag as an account executive for start-up and established software companies, and he has led marketing efforts in the U.S. and Latin America. He specializes in content marketing and copywriting, is a marketing evangelist for the firm Leading Results.

Keynote presenters, “The Perfect Life Guy”, Tim Levy and best-selling author, Sarah Bird will stir your creativity with clarity. Need inspiration right now? Meet Tim Levy and catch his contagious energy as he introduces his Get Smart presentation in this short video.

Plus, attend two creative breakout sessions to get your juices flowing!

This half-day program will take place Oct. 21, 2011 at the Hilton Austin downtown from 8 am to 1 pm.

For more information and details, visit www.getsmartaustin.com. Early registration is extended online now through Oct. 9. Reserve your seat today and save $10!

Why not take the whole team? Make Get Smart 2011 your business’ professional development event of the year. Take your whole communications team to learn how to enliven their collaboration and spark the creativity of the group! Save $10 per person when you send four or more from the same business to Get Smart.

1. Describe what your job duties are at your current position?

I am part of a team that helps San Antonio businesses appear correctly on Google Maps, and help them claim their places listing. After they have claimed their listing, I show them how to use the Custom Analytics Dashboard to grow their business. I also teach workshops for Google called “Texas Get Your Business Online.” These workshops attract business owners and marketing managers who want to learn (1) how to create a website;  and (2) how Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Google Apps, and Google Places work. I am a professional networker and I am a resource to teach others about Google and their services .

2. What is your professional background?

I graduated in May 2011 from Texas State University in San Marcos with a BBA in Marketing.  During my senior year, I enrolled in an online Masters Certificate Program in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco.  I learned the history and current environment of pay per click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO, mobile marketing, email marketing and social media marketing).  I was President of the collegiate chapter of AMA at Texas State during my senior year and won International Student Marketer of the Year. My work experience includes: SEO Intern, Leverage Marketing, Austin, Tx; Sales Trainer, Brinker International, Addison, TX; Sales/Marketing  Intern, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL; Telesales, Bank of America, Dallas, TX; and Social Media Analyst, Austin AMA.

3. How did you decide to pursue a career in marketing?

Originally, I pursued a career in radiology at Brookhaven Community College in Dallas. But marketing is in my blood as my dad is in real estate sales on a national level. Through Brookhaven, I did an internship in sales and marketing at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. That’s when I decided to pursue a marketing career. The internship lasted 8 weeks, with a different guest executive each week discussing his experience with his part of the company (for instance, Disney cruises, Disney Channel, Disney hotels).  The internship also included working in Downtown Disney where I worked in retail, as a food server and then with convention goers.

4. What was the most impactful marketing campaign you’ve ever been involved with and why?

During my junior year at Texas State, I was VP, Consulting of my collegiate chapter of AMA and I was tasked with creating an integrated marketing campaign for the Environmental Service Committee, a university committee that was created to promote energy conservation on campus. This was the first time I was able to map out a large project (500 hours and 7 teammates.) We did social media marketing, print marketing, direct marketing, viral videos and guerilla marketing. In the end, we were able to make a difference. One of the ways we measured this was how many student energy conservation proposals were received. Based on our work, the committee saw a 300% increase.

5. If you could have any job in the world, what would that be?

I would love to be an international disc jockey.  But seriously, what I am really striving to do at the moment is continue building my company. Eventually,  I want to be a CEO who manages a few e-commerce companies.

6. What is your favorite part of being an AMA member?

I love meeting people. Networking is a fancy way to say “making friends.” I love making friends, learning from them, and helping them. The people at the AMA love marketing and it is awesome to meet people who love what I love.

7. What is your #1 pet peeve in a job environment?

Lack of or no communication. I have found that it is very important to communicate with others often and be able to be found and responsive when needed.

8. What do you think is the next big change that will occur in the Marketing profession?

Analytics will be the next big change. Marketers love numbers (or they should) because numbers are evidence. When you apply numbers to a profession such as marketing, it changes to more of a hard science rather than a soft science. Also, analytics provides feedback. The feedback loop is changing to be much faster and smaller. The more feedback you have, the better you can create a value proposition. This translates into both online and offline sales.

Is this the guy that sold you your social media course?

You’re about to launch your much anticipated social media marketing program. You’re happy because you spent $499 on that killer Social Media Marketing course from that famous guru with the hip horn-rimmed glasses, ripped jeans and spiky hair.

You have a Facebook fan page with the beautiful welcome graphic, a Twitter account, and a Google + account. Your LinkedIn Profile is 100% complete, with at least 10 recommendations from past clients and employers.

You even have those funky social media share buttons on your website.

You are a social media marketing machine ready to rock the world one Tweet, share, and + 1 at a time.

So what next? What exactly did that guru tell you?

Well, since social media is completely free, and lets you reach anybody in the world, you start sharing your specials, deals, offers, product launches and customer service policies. You can share all of this at no cost! Fantastic!

Then what? Oh yeah, you’ve heard you have to be “authentic”, so you start sharing the authentic “you.”  You post every five minutes about whatever comes into your head…what you ate, what videos you like, that last meeting you had with your client. Anything and everything so potential customers can know the real you, because authentic communications is what it’s all about, right?

Oh, and you also heard content curation is cool, so you start sharing all the articles you find that you agree with, or that generate controversy, funny articles, serious articles.

And since you’ve heard that giving back to the community is the way to go, you promote tons of charities, especially the ones about the poor penguins of the Sahara, or the long-suffering grasshoppers of Matabeleland.

Your follows, likes, fans and + 1s go through the roof!

But sales are still flat. No new customers from social media.

What’s happening here?

Your Social Media Program Needs A Strategy

One thing that super-smart social media guru who sold you the course neglected to mention to you is the need for a strategy.

Well you’re in luck, because I’m here to tell you what that strategy is.

Ready?

It comes in three parts:

1. Narrow your focus to an ideal customer segment
2. Create a remarkable difference and
3. Tell a story your prospects want to hear

That’s it!

Your Ideal Customer

There’s an old saying: if you don’t set a goal, you’re like a boat adrift on the ocean with nowhere to go.

In social media marketing, if you don’t have an ideal target market, you’re not really talking to anybody.

The biggest mistake novice social media marketers make is they don’t have their audience in mind. They talk to an anonymous crowd.

And when you talk to an anonymous crowd nobody listens.

Instead you should focus on an ideal target customer segment. This is the niche, tribe or community that is a perfect fit for your products or services. How do you find this perfect target market?

Look at your current or past customers. Who are your best customers?  What traits do they have in common? What do they like best about you? Create a target profile based on commonalities between your best customers.

If you’re a startup, what group of consumers has needs that aren’t being met yet?

For example, years ago coffee drinkers had 7-11 and the diner on the corner, and most would never pay more than 75 cents for a cup of coffee.

But there was a group of coffee drinkers who valued gourmet coffee and would be willing to pay $3.00 for it. This group was neglected and ignored by every place that sold coffee.

Then Starbucks stepped in to fill that void.

To stand out in social media, you need to focus on your ideal customer, or an ignored segment of the market that would appreciate your offering, because this group of consumers are especially receptive to you, your products and your message.

Your Remarkable Difference

What’s going to ensure that your ideal target market will actually pay attention to you? We’re on information overload. Everything looks like white noise.

As Seth Godin said in his book “All Marketers are Liars,” people only notice change, they notice something that’s different or out of place.

Having a remarkable difference helps your ideal customers notice you. It provides that change in their environment that makes them do a double-take.

What’s different about your content, your messaging, the way you interact with people? What’s your unique hook, your angle, your world view?

And will this uniqueness resonate with your ideal target customer?

Create a Story People Want To Hear

Now that you have a remarkable difference and an ideal target market, you’ve got to tell a story that ties it all together.

Most novice social media marketers want to talk facts and figures. They believe that logic will convince their customers to buy from them. Logic actually creates resistance, because they feel like they’re being sold to – and nobody likes that feeling.

Stories, when told with your ideal customers’ point of view in mind, can help you form an emotional bond with your potential customers.

You can do it with written content, online videos, webinars, seminars, infographics, eBooks, or educational email series.

Create content that educates, informs, inspires, motivates. But most of all, tell a story that resonates with your target market.

Then share this content on social media.

Copyblogger.com is a perfect example of this. When Brian Clark launched Copyblogger, there were already many websites that taught people how to blog, or how to write sales copy.

But Copyblogger.com presents that information in a fresh, irreverent style. They tell a story that appeals to their target market: “smart people,” marketers who look like artsy-fartsy granola types, but want to make money online instead of being poor.

And they want to make money without the cheesiness of the old-school direct marketers, with their yellow highlighters and bright red circles.

Their unique story and educational content has gotten them almost 90,000 followers on Twitter, and almost 150,000 subscribers to their email list.

Go forth and conquer

Having a remarkable difference, ideal target customers, and a story to tell are the fundamentals of a successful social media strategy. There are other important elements to consider, such as building your email list vs. having all your eggs in the social media basket, and building and managing the whole sales process from beginning to end.

But that’s material for another couple of posts. So stay tuned…

About the author: Fernando Labastida, the current blog editor for the Austin AMA, has been involved in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. He has carried a bag as an account executive for start-up and established software companies, and he has led marketing efforts in the U.S. and Latin America. He specializes in content marketing and copywriting, is a marketing evangelist for the firm Leading Results.

Bubbles stink.

Don’t get me wrong. The dishsoap kind – the ones kids run after and dogs try to chomp down – those are amusing.

The ones I’m referring to are those metaphorical bubbles that act as silos and separate us from the larger perspective. These are the same bubbles that have us convinced that if our comparative infographic on e-discovery solutions and functionality (for example) isn’t complete within 25 minutes the world (our world) will come down in a crashing, squealing, lava-bloody implosion.  Innocent people will die. Children will weep. Puppies will whine and hide under the bed (which will cause more children to weep.)

Bubbles can make us lose perspective and isolate us. So, let’s pop some.

This year, Austin AMA has created a board position that focuses exclusively on community outreach. (Yeah, that’s me and I’m excited as heck. And honored.) Austin AMA has always been focused on helping marketing professionals lead, connect and grow. Now we would like to expand this sphere so that we are also connecting with and supporting our community beyond marketing professionals.

And I need your help to do this, please. This program can’t exist in a bubble and we need your input to make this program successful.

Please complete this survey, which will help the board identify which nonprofit organizations you would like us to support this year.

Here’s a rundown of the chapter’s plans for community outreach this term:

• Austin AMA will host two drives to benefit charitable organizations – one in the fall and one in the spring. These drives will consist of donations that are not money, but rather goods. Our first scheduled drive will occur in December, with another drive scheduled for the spring time. At our last luncheon on Sept. 15, we held an impromptu drive for victims of the recent wildfires. All donations (see below for a picture of the wonderful donations from luncheon attendees) were given to the American Red Cross of Central Texas. So, taking this into consideration, I guess we’ll be hosting a total of 2.5 drives this year!
• The Austin AMA community outreach committee will plan one volunteer opportunity for a local nonprofit organization. Anyone interested in participating will be invited to join us. This will most likely be realized in the form of on-site volunteering – be it sorting donations, building a house or any other sort of supportive opportunity. This will shake out in the spring.

So, help us identify worthy organizations by suggesting some now. We only ask that the nonprofits you recommend are:

• Based in or servicing Central Texas
• Are classified as 501 (c)(3)
• Have been in existence for five or more years

This is just our first year and we’re very cognizant of building a strong foundation for more robust community affair programs in the future. If you have any suggestions, or would like to volunteer for the community outreach committee, email me at melanie.brenneman@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance for your responses and your support of Austin AMA’s community outreach program.

Melanie Brenneman, senior account manager for Edge Legal Marketing,  focuses on creating and measuring results for public relations, marketing, social media, employee and crisis communications.  She was public relations manager for Fortune 500 software provider Open Text, was communications manager for legal technology provider DataCert, and started off life handling editing and sales duties for an international wire distribution service, where she advised on roughly 1,000 press releases each year for public and private corporations.  Melanie is a former board member of the Houston Chapters of the American Marketing Association and the Public Relations Society of America.  You can reach her via Twitter or LinkedIn.

However, as Anne Handley and C.C. Chapman said in their book Content Rules: marketers have “usurped the term for their own use” (p. 172).

And thank God they did.

Ebooks have become the new version of the White Paper. As Jonathan Kranz said in his book The eBook eBook: “A successful ebook is more collegial, reader-friendly and visually interesting than the traditional white paper.”

I think ebooks are frankly more exciting than white papers. David Meerman Scott was one of the first marketers to popularize the ebook for marketing purposes with the release of the free ebook version of The New Rules of PR in January of 2006 (a prelude to his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR).

In an interview with White Paper Source, he said that he made a strategic decision not to “gate” the ebook. In other words, he did not require people to give up their name, email address and other demographic information before downloading the ebook.

“I wasn’t trying to collect names; the goal was to spread my ideas.” (David Meerman Scott on eBooks and White Papers, http://www.whitepapersource.com/marketing/david-m-scott-interview/).

Since then hundreds of marketers and high tech companies have used eBooks as channels for their thought leadership content.

Characteristics of ebooks:

• They are usually in landscape format as opposed to portrait format.
• They are usually graphics heavy, with an emphasis on colorful graphics to illustrate a point or to break up the monotony of text heavy documents.
• They are typically broken up into bit-sized chunks of information, such as one concept per page, as if you were writing bullet points instead of paragraphs or chapters.
• Magazine-style presentation, with lots call-outs, quote boxes, and sidebars.
• Writing style is very conversational, very web 2.0, and sometimes reads like an extended blog post.
• Most of them are available without requiring registration first, although many still require registration.

Examples of cool ebooks:

• Marketo’s Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing.
• Curata’s Content Curation
• AG Saleswork’s Gear Up for Success

Ebooks plus Microsites

If you thought ebooks were exciting, Brian Clark from Copyblogger created a new type of ebook: the ebook plus microsite.

Clark made his Authority Rules free report as an ungated PDF and microsite. You could download the PDF on to your computer and print it out to read at the time of your choosing, or you could read it on the web.

For the microsite, Clark assigned each chapter it’s own web page, allowing each page to be indexed by Google and increasing the possibility that each discrete topic could be individually found by people interested in that topic.

Clark called this approach the “authority website.” Clark said:

“Think about it: you build authority websites by creating exceptional content that gets you noticed, promotes social media sharing, and attracts links that builds your authority with Google.” (Clark, Aug. 2009,The Strategy Behind the Authority Rules Website,  http://www.copyblogger.com/authority-rules-report/).

Following closely on his heals, and inspired by Clark, Joe Pulizzi of Junta 42 and the Content Marketing Institute released the Content Marketing Playbook, again, available as a downloadable PDF and a microsite with a different web page per chapter.

Characteristics of ebooks plus microsites:

• Available as PDF for download and microsite
• Enables easy sharing via social media channels
• Increases the quantity of valuable content that Google can index, increasing the chances that your content will be found by prospective customers who are searching for answers to the questions you can provide them.
• Similar to ebooks, written in a more conversational, blog-like style.

I wrote en eBook (in Spanish) that I gated, requiring people to sign up for my newsletter before downloading. So far I’ve had almost 1,000 downloads and generated dozens of leads, including people who have reached out to me via email asking about my services.

What do you think of eBooks? Tell us about your experience marketing with an ebook, or about your plans to use an ebook for marketing purposes, in the comments section below.

About the author: Fernando Labastida, the current blog editor for the Austin AMA, has been involved in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. He has carried a bag as an account executive for start-up and established software companies, and he has led marketing efforts in the U.S. and Latin America. He specializes in content marketing and copywriting, is a marketing evangelist for the firm Leading Results.