Jay Baer’s new book, Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype, comes out this week. As one of the marketers who received an advance copy, I want to share some highlights with you, especially because they make so much sense.
Many marketers have been advising clients and blog readers to make their businesses amazing. “The reality is,” says Baer, “your business probably isn’t amazing, and you probably won’t have the opportunity or time to make it so.”
His advice is to create marketing that people genuinely want and “focus on solving problems, answering questions, and creating long-lasting customer relationships by doing so.”
When your company is useful, he says, committed to informing customers rather than promoting to them, they will reward you with trust and loyalty. This approach encompasses the content marketing philosophy. Providing valuable information that people want, helps them make better decisions and helps them do better at what they do (B2B) or improve their lives (B2C). The key to success here is to truly understand your customers’ needs “on the way to creating Youtility.”
Baer divides the book into three parts: “Turning Marketing Upside Down,” “The Three Facets of Youtility,” and “Six Blueprints to Create Youtility.” He uses several company case studies to make his points including Angie’s List, Clorox, McDonald’s Canada, and Scott’s Miracle-Gro. The strategies and tactics he describes serve as good examples for companies of any size.
He also delves into the most important and most often overlooked audience: your employees. “In a world where personal relationships and social connectivity are the coin of the realm, your employees are your single greatest marketing engine.”
The book is an easy read with good concepts and ideas. Baer even includes an easy reference guide at the back with key points from each chapter.
I suppose if I had to give you a one-sentence summary, it would be one of Baer’s key points: “If you sell something, you make a customer today. If you help someone, you may create a customer for life.”
So true. Order your copy now and after reading the book, come back here and share your thoughts. (affiliate links)
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This article was originally published by Elaine Fogel
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