A few months ago, I saw a tweet from Lorri Wyndham that was a link to an interview with Scott Stratten by David Siteman Garland of The Rise to the Top fame. I watched the video, which was great fun (they’re both so full of energy) and left a comment on David’s blog about how good it was and how impressed I was that he’s using Skype to develop live interviews.
And so began a fun relationship with the St. Louis man (which, BTW, is where Mr. D is from so we had a good chuckle over the common St. Louis question, “Where did you go to school?”).
Well, his book, “Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business
If you’ve ever watched The Rise to the Top or been on air with David, you’ll understand what I mean when I say he writes like he talks. You can feel the energy and passion jumping from the pages as he talks about the David vs. Goliath philosophy of using the web (and, specifically, video) to compete with big brands. He uses phrases such as “jerk face,” “monkey house” (in place of the word “blog”), “drink a bitter glass of Haterade,” and “a cross between Mini-Me and Uncle Fester,” which all make for fun, fun reading.
But (and I don’t want to hurt your feelings, DSG, because I like you a whole bunch), if you’ve been involved in marketing via the intertubes for some time, you won’t learn anything new by reading this book. Yes, you’ll get a good chuckle. It’s a great example of how someone’s passion bounces up at you from the pages (just like Gary Vaynerchuck did in his book “Crush It”). You’ll absolutely feel energized (and maybe a little ADD) from reading it. But you won’t learn anything new.
BUT! A big, big but (not to be confused with a big butt – that makes me want to sing Sir Mixalot)….
If you’re a PR or marketing professional who doesn’t quite understand how to use the web in your job, if you’re an entrepreneur who doesn’t know how to market yourself, if you’ve been charged with adding video to your marketing program and don’t know how to get started, or if you’re a business leader charged with being the face of the company, this book is for you.
It’s a quick read because it’s so full of energy and funny quips. You’ll recognize some big players, as well as some of your friends. But most of all, you’ll be completely motivated to go out and conquer your marketing world one tweet, blog post, video, podcast, or interview at a time.
So follow David on Twitter, check out The Rise to the Top, watch the interview he did with me a couple of months ago, and, most of all, buy his book if you fit what I’ve described above. Help him stay in the top five marketing books on Amazon!