Marketing Gurus

This post is about sex and the city, small worlds, marketing gurus, and a new book promotion technique. Lately, I've noticed a trend of book authors referring to us prolific pontificators of marketing-speak in posts that are mostly about promoting new books. Bravo to David Meerman Scott of Web Ink Now with his brilliant book announcement that credits us contributors to the New Rules of Marketing & PR who now can't resist linking to him at every opportunity. It's nice that the PR firm and creators of HitTail, Connors Communications, are acknowledged leaders in writing the new rules.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about another book: Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

The latest book shows us that if actors can segue into politics, then they can also segue into marketing. Where better to tap a little bit of celebrity? But I didn't know this, until I got this email from a co-worker (published with permission):

What a small world. Michael Port used to be the manager at the Reebok Club and actually hired me there. When I met him he was an actor who had just been on a Sex and the City episode – the one where Mr. Big takes Carrie to the small, out of the way Chinese restaurant and she thinks it’s because he doesn’t want to be seen with her. Anyway – he then went to open the gym Clay on 14th Street (that Jackie belongs to) and now – marketing guru. Who knew!! Here’s his imdb page if you’re interested.

But even more interesting than the circumstances of this guy's marketing career is what he is saying. I'd love to pull a specific quote and show you. But his description of why HitTail is important, and "way better than anything like Overture or Wordtracker" is built up in a series of paragraphs that must be read in continuous context. As all HitTailers already know, and mainstream marketers are beginning to discover, it's not the keywords that give you bragging rights that matter. It's the conglomeration of "everything else" that counts. And lurking beneath the surface of "everything else" are tons of under utilized, most promising keywords that have the real potential of leading potential customers, clients and new audience to your site.

By the way, Michael Port's book is about sales lead generation, a topic dear to my heart, and the fire in which HitTail was actually forged. It is very possible to do exactly what Michael Port suggests--generate more sales leads than you know what do do with (or can handle). After I first used long tail keyword marketing techniques at a previous employer, I generated so many sales leads per day, that the "old school" marketing guys disbelieved that they were really potentially qualified leads, and tried to disqualify them on the grounds that they came in through the Web. They are no longer with the company.