25 Things You Can Learn From David Meerman Scott

David is coming to Melbourne for a one day social media masterclass. I highly recommend it and am so excited to be attending.

1. Get your ebooks professionally designed.

David has released a number of free ebooks on his site. He has put a lot of effort into them and I highly recommend them. I was fascinated with how he got his ebooks professionally designed. Not many publishers make this effort. I always appreciate it and it shows me that the creator is serious.

2. Create a pdf of a speaker profile

David provides this under the headline 'I want to speak at your event.' Not only does this makes him extremely approachable, but it also removes a barrier for those wanting him to speak. I'll be seeing him next month at the social media masterclass, and really appreciated being able to get a feel for what he offers.

3. Have your information product on its own domain.

David created a blog surrounding the release of his latest book, World Wide Rave. It enabled fans to keep track of the latest updates and real life examples. It is a fascinating promotional vehicle and one that I recommend many authors try. You can stop posting at any time.

4. Link to the individual media mentions on a separate page

David has dedicated a page on his main website to social media buzz. This serves as social proof of his expertise and makes it a lot easier for those researching him.

5. Provide weekly updates on a television channel

David had his own online TV channel where he provides regular video updates. Now, this idea may sound daunting but it really is very simple. It just involves committing yourself to providing regular video content around a certain topic. I shall be writing about this further for those looking to use this medium.

6. Remove barriers to your free content.

David wrote about this further in an interview on Personal Branding Blog

Another thing I’ve noticed is that bloggers are MUCH more likelyto blog about a free ebook or other free content than something that requires a registration.

Once people consume some valuable free content, they know what to do. You don’t have to coerce them to contact you. If they like what the see, they will reach out and WANT to do business with you and your organization.

I agree with this. I've avoided many ebooks because I don't want to give my email address. You could also remove a barrier by sharing it on downloading sites, for those who may not participate in the blogosphere.

7. Allow people to become part of the 'rave'

David expanded on this in an interview on ebooks just published.

People like to share things that they themselves had a part in. I noticed that many people like sharing photos that they are in, particularly online. So I wanted to come up with a way to share something with people related to my new book. When I worked on the cover with my designer, Doug Eymer, I knew the cover could be the trigger for something interesting.

People love being part of something. I have seen this work in so many promotions. People will send in photos of them reading a book in weird places. People will get photos of their action figures doing weird things. People love sharing content and you can utilize this to your advantage.

8. Focus on creating a content rich site

David wrote about this in an interview on Book Pleasures

In the early days of the Web, the technology was new and therefore organizations put technical people in charge—many called themselves “Webmasters” and they focused on the mechanics of the Web. Then advertising and graphic design agencies entered the picture and focused on branding elements like design, colors and logos. As the Web continues to develop, more and more people will understand the value of content. From my perspective, the best person to be in charge of a Web site is a journalist, not a technologist or designer. They already understand how to create a site that is content rich. I’ll take a content focus over great technology or stellar design any day. Of course the very best sites combine all three.

I agree with this. You can have a fast and beautiful site. But the site itself wont 'do' anything unless there is content that is equally as remarkable.

9. Leave a link to your google profile in the comment field

David recommended this for those who had no blog.

Create a public Google profile for yourself and then use that as the URL that you point people to. You can have a photo, a bio, and contact details. It’s really cool and it is free.

Once you've got a public profile, use it as your virtual calling card all over the Web. Just one example - link to it from your Amazon review page so the authors of the books you review can see who you are.

This is an awesome tip, but it doesn't have to stop at google profile. I've seen many people have success by linking to their twitter, facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

10. Don't ask for press

David expanded on this in his article When reaching out to bloggers, don't ask for them to write about you!

Here is an important point missed by virtually everyone - bloggers have other identities and can help you in other ways.

This is so true. I'm a blogger - but I have other identities. I work for Think Tank Media. I regularly attend tweetups and conferences. I guest post and connect people wherever possible.

I would recommend letting a blogger know about your product. Don't ask for press. Say you thought it may help your audience and you wanted the blogger to be aware of it. If the blogger wants to then share it, offer help that will reward both them and their readers.

11. Approach the friends of an important blogger

David discussed this further in his post titled The Inside Scoop on Blogger Relations

Most bloggers do publish an email address of some sort – if not their main one, a gmail or yahoo address. And if they don’t have any info, absolutely comment on a relevant post or two; show that you want to talk. But if they don’t engage, don’t stress too much about it. If the blogger is truly, really very important to success for you, focus on establishing relationships with some of the bloggers that he reads such as the ones on his blogroll. Over time you might find the blogger approaching you.

This is a tip that has been given multiple times. This has really worked for me, even though it was by accident. I'm now rising in my career and I've found that word of mouth is one of the best ways to improve your career. Who better than the friend of the person you want to contact?

12. Hire a journalist

David wrote about this further in post about Attention Marketers: Hire a Journalist!

A journalist skillfully creates interesting stories about how an organization solves customer problems and then delivers those stories in the form of ebooks, white papers, content rich web pages, podcasts, and video. And consumers love it. How refreshing to read, listen to, and watch these products of journalistic expertise instead of the usual product come-ons that typical corporations produce.

I was studying to be a journalist and it is definitely worth hiring those who have been well trained. They'll know how to deliver a message and will also have other contacts within the industry. I'll be seeking out interviews with journalists who are blogging on mainstream sites.

13.  The ebook should be authored by a person.

David discussed this in his post So you want to write an ebook? 30 tips for success

Don't make it by your company. You need the personal connection with readers. An ebook by "Premium Landscape Company" will not do as well as an ebook by "Mary Smith, chief landscape architect at Premium Landscape Company."

I will often ignore an ebook if it has been authored by a company. I will assume the author(s) have an agenda. The only exception is when the company already has a strong brand.

14. Make it easy for people to leave comments.

David wrote about this further in his post on blog comments.

The answer is to flip the switch in your blog software that allows comments in multiple ways. People should be able to comment with just a name.

If you are worried about inappropriate (spammy) comments, use a Captcha program on your blog like I do. This eliminates comments made by machines by requiring humans to enter a "secret word". Or you can flip on the moderation mode and approve comments one by one.

I remember once when a friend asked me to comment on her blog. It required registration but gave no information on how to do so. I emailed them to explain that this may alienate some people.

15.  Know the conference organizer's goals

David expanded on this in his post about incredibly successful public speaking.

When I speak, I work with organizers to deliver three goals in equal proportion: Education, entertainment, and motivation. Since I am a paid speaker, I must deliver on all three so the conference organizer is happy they invited me. You need to know the goals for being on the podium too. Why were you invited? How would the organizer define success?

This is a fantastic piece of advice and can also be useful to those who are simply looking to guest post. Once you know the goals, you can then target your work towards those. It makes it a lot easier for both parties.

16. Add content to your Amazon product page

David talked about this in a post targeting Authors and musicians.

Amazon now allows bloggers to link their blog posts to their product page on Amazon in a program called AmazonConnect. What a cool way to add content to your page. Potential buyers see what you are passionate about by reading a few of your posts. You can even post with a podcast or a YouTube video embedded in your post which appears on Amazon.

I didn't even know this was possible, but it is definitely something I'll be researching for my clients. Its why I love David so much - he thinks about this stuff differently to how most bloggers do.

17. Participate in the blogosphere before starting a blog

Daivd included this in his post about the top 5 corporate blogging mistakes and how to avoid them

I suggest a 3-step plan to start a blog. 1) Enthusiastic blogger wannabes should follow a bunch of blogs for a month or two. 2) Then begin commenting on blogs for another month or so to "exercise your blog voice" (using someone else's blog real estate). 3) Finally, and only if you have done steps 1 and 2, you will discover what you like to blog about and you should begin your own blog.

Interestingly, the majority of people who follow my suggested 3-step process quickly learn that blogging is not for them and never start a blog. Good information to know before you actually start a blog!

I think this is vital, for both personal and corporate bloggers. First, you get an idea of the workload. Secondly, as David said, you do need to exercise your blogging voice. It took over 100 posts for me to feel comfortably with my style.

This applies to other sites - participate before you try to use it for your own advantage. You'll soon learn the unspoken rules of that medium.

18. You are what you publish

David talked about this in how David Murray found a new job via Twitter

What comes up when you Google your name with the name of your most recent employer? Potential employers do that all the time. And you can influence what they see! Remember, on the Web you are what you publish.

I have so many friends my age who tell all on their public social media profiles. I understand the desire to share, but they don't know just how much can be find by a half decent googler.

I am now very conscious of what I say online. I try to be constructive in any criticism to show that I care about helping people.

19. Write an enticing twitter bio

David wrote about this further in his post about twitter and personal branding:

This is where you say something about yourself. You only get 160 characters. As a component of personal branding, this is a critical section. Don't leave it blank. And don't make a mini-resume from a laundry list of attributes like: "father, brother, surfer, economics major, world traveler, marketer, and rockstar wannabe." (That would be my list) I see this sort of thing all the time and it is not good for personal branding. Try to be descriptive. And try to be specific.

I'm guilty of having a boring bio - for me, it is a mini resume. At this point, I haven't focused much on my personal brand but it is very useful to be aware of this.

20. Create lots of links.

David discussed this further in his post about optimizing Social Networking sites as a tool to reach your buyers

Link to your own sites and blog, and those of others in your industry and network. Everybody loves links—it makes the Web what it is. You should certainly ink to your own stuff from social networking site (like your blog), but also link to other people’s sites and content in your own market.

You also have to remember that blogs are a social networking tool, and are one of the best ways to generate the most buzz around your links. Many of the prominent bloggers have become successful because they constantly link out.

21.Thought leadership is not advertising.

David included this as one of his Eight Quick Tips to create thoughtful Web content to reach buyers directly

Most importantly—Do not write about your company and your products. Thought leadership content is designed to solve buyer problems or answer questions and to show that you and your organization are smart and worth doing business with. This type of marketing and PR technique is not a brochure or sales pitch.

This is what I've been doing on this site and even in the prelaunch stage, it has been quite successful. I've seen this work for so many other bloggers and it is a tip that is often underestimate.

22. Offer a limited time freebie.

This is something that many authors have been experimenting with lately. David did it and discussed it in his post about his new book World Wide Rave free on Amazon Kindle. It is no longer free, but it introduces scarcity and can generate a lot of buzz around the release. People have often kept up the audio versions for free, knowing that most people will opt for the text.

This is a topic I will be researching and covering extensively.

23. People want to do business with people.

David expanded on this in his  post with of the same title

We're human, and we crave interaction with people who know us. When you build content especially for your buyer personas, you build a relationship with people before you’ve even met them.

I was actually talking about this with one of my friends today. We understand why people blog and tweet under a company name, but that makes the conversation seem less real. We found that we prefer to do business with people and liked to know the person behind the brand.

24. Also disclose anything conflict of interest.

David discussed this in his post titled Learning from the 3M Post-It Note debacle: Social media ethics defined. I find that half the time, I don't even care about potential conflicts of interest. But I always appreciate those who care enough about their audience to disclose them.

25. Be specific when pitching a blogger

David included this in his post PR Tip:   Pitching bloggers and journalists who wear many hats

To interest me, you need to say something like: "I've read your blog and based on what you write about in WebInkNow, this is something I thought you should know about. Here's why..."

So if you're pitching a blogger, make sure that you are very clear about that fact because all bloggers wears multiple hats.

Trust me, EVERYONE cares when your specific. It shows that you cared about them and most will want to help you out. Most people will deleted generic emails and especially ones that aren't targeted to their blogs.