Book Review & Giveaway: UnMarketing by Scott Stratten

Rarely do I read a book and highlight the footnotes. Yes, UnMarketing was that good.

Scott Stratten, better known as @UnMarketing on Twitter, has written a book about Marketing that didn't seem like it was about Marketing at all. I read it. I loved it. You will too.

You see, this isn't a book about Marketing in the traditional sense, where you're given all the tricks you need to boost sales, lower customer churn, drive website traffic, and automate half your marketing tasks, all in only four hours a week. On the contrary, Scott vehemently argues against all things automated and describes how his "overnight success" actually took him years of building strong relationships based on trust.  Success in business isn't for the weary, folks.

UnMarketing is not a short book by any means (just under 250 pages) but reads very quickly as Scott separates the book into 55 chapters - perfect for his "quickly consume and move on" audience so inclined to think in 140 character increments.  His book is filled with knowledge that seems "common sense", but if everyone were doing it, he'd be out of a job - yet he just recently gave the keynote address at BlogWorld Expo 2010.  You do the math.

This book is NOT more of the "same old Social Media Guru stuff we hear all the time - engagement, transparency, content, yada yada yada."  While Scott's book obviously addresses those things, it goes far beyond that.  It attacks traditional marketing and supports it with real life examples, including real world experiements conducted by Scott himself.  It addresses Social Media with a Customer Service lens, much different than most books that view it as a traffic-driver.  He's not about monetizing eyeballs - he's about creating real relationships and letting those monetize themselves.  He's about marketing your business at every touch point, not when you want to set up a campaign.

Many times I found myself highlighting sentence after sentence, nodding my head and occasionally exclaiming "Yes! Exactly!" Unmarketing hit a nerve with me - a good nerve.  I've always conducted my business focusing more on caring, respect, and building trust rather than bottom line.  I used to work for a company where the Telemarketing team sat right next to me, cold calling...all day.  Not only was it depressing to listen to, it went against everything I believed in. I knew there was a better way - and UnMarketing addresses exactly that.

I've met Scott twice, once at the Audience Conference in NY and another time at his own book tour stop in CT. Both times were a pleasure to say the least, and that's EXACTLY why I'm recommending his book.  No, not simply because I met him - because when I met him he was friendly, approachable, and made me want to buy everything he had to offer.  That's what he teaches you in this book - how to focus on the right things in your business. 

Scott says, "People do business with people they know, trust, and like."  Well I have done business with Scott because I know him, trust him, and like him.  I bought his book pre-order, and when he asked for help from his followers to raise money for a cause near to his heart, I didn't hesitate.  That was BEFORE I ever met him in person.

Isn't that proof enough that the UnMarketing approach works?  You can pick up the book here (not an affiliate link).  It definitely gets two thumbs up from me.

Want to win a FREE copy of UnMarketing? Simply leave a comment explaining how you're marketing (or planning on marketing) your company differently to offer value to your customers and build real relationships.  I'll pick a winner before the end of the month.

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Comments

[Olivia F.]

I've been working with a nonprofit hunger relief organization as a social media volunteer for the past year, and recently started working on some freelance marketing projects as well.

My desire has always been to help people and connect them with resources, and I really enjoy getting to know people on a personal level and being able to count my clients as friends.

My first client was someone I'd worked with as a volunteer at the nonprofit mentioned above, and the second is someone who was a guest speaker in one of my college classes. In both cases, I focused on being helpful and providing free information (e.g. 20-50 marketing ideas) before I knew either was definitely going to work with me on a more long-term basis.

In terms of marketing, I'm hopeful that I will continue to gain word-of-mouth referrals, develop the reputation of consistently going above and beyond what is requested or required, and always being willing to learn new things.

Thanks for offering the giveaway! If I win, I'll definitely share the book with others in my area.

[Ingrid Ward]

I saw Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) speak at the AMA Triangle Chapter Luncheon September 16, 2010. Scott had been invited to Raleigh NC to promote his book “UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging” (http://www.un-marketing.com/blog/services/unbooktour-dates/).

I had never heard of Scott before but I learned about him through a NC State Social Media and Marketing class I am taking. The advertisement for his visit looked interesting and highlighted information on engaging people that seemed applicable even if I wasn’t selling a product. Being new to this platform called “social media,” I signed up to see what it was all about and to better understand how to communicate with an audience in this type of platform.

The presentation, to be honest, was one of the best I had ever seen. Scott was not only engaging, he was funny, and his slides simplistic but powerful. There were plenty 'a ha’ moments too – examples relevant to any social scene, not just interactions online.

So impressed was I with Scott’s ideas, theories and overall presentation, I signed up for twitter to tell him that he ROCKED Raleigh. I’ve been an avid twitter fan since then and have begun to try to pay more attention to the little subtleties of interacting online, experimenting with different approaches and styles. Slowly, I think I am learning and engaging more positively because of the concepts that Scott introduced me to.

My only regret from seeing Scott live and following him on twitter? I haven’t bought the book!

Ingrid

[Leanne Crowley]

Hi Jon,

I was put on to unmarketing by one of my profs at Royal Roads University. She raved and enthusiastically summed up her impressions in a powerful 45 minute lecture. I have the feeling that session did not adequately express her excitement for Scott Stratten's ideas. It certainly only whet my appetite.

I went back to my little dorm room on campus and stumbled upon @unmarketing on that crazy little thing called the twitter. This is how all the important things happen: one minute you're oblivious, the next thing you know your life is transformed. I watched the 53 minute keynote speech Stratten recently gave in Victoria and immediately recruited all my cohort to check this guy out. I was moved profoundly. The most exciting part of watching this presentation was hearing the door of opportunity creak open.

I am doing a master's degree in Professional Communication. As I am gradually being introduced to what I am passionate about and what I will leave on my academic plate, I am ravenously engulfing and being engulfed by (how does this happen?) the potential of new media resources.

I am not interested in PR or marketing. In fact, after taking a course this residency, I have learned I am allergic to them. And that's okay. I am very interested in change management, communications consulting, and conflict management. What grabs me so emphatically about unmarketing is the potential of social media to market myself. Unmarketing is marketing for people like me who hate marketing but love connecting with people who don't live next door to me, people who can teach me to be better at what I do, and people who can learn from me all in the same forum.

There is potential to go on and on and rave and endorse. And I want to. The excitement in me that is busy putting my personal and career pieces together is singing more loudly than I have heard it sing in years. What a great feeling.

I'm going to be honest about the book-winning thing; I am going to buy the book anyway--before the end of the month. If you gave it to me, I would give it to someone else. I just wanted to let my inner architect/sculptor/librarian/solid-gold-dancer tra-laa a little about a new resource that is a piece of a transformational and enlightening time in my life.

Thanks for the opportunity to sing a little.

Kind regards,

Leanne.
@twainlover

[Jonathan Thomas]

Congrats Olivia! You're the winner. I'll be contacting you via email.