Getting Digital Marketing Right: A Simplified Process For Business Growth, Goal Attainment, and Powerful Marketing

If you're a start up business then you need to pay close attention to the strategies that the author so generously provides in this book. Even if you have a well established business with an online presence, this book will equip you with some golden nuggets of information. This is well written and broken down into easy bite size chapters. An excellent read.

Excellent Book. Pick Up some "golden nuggets" that I can use in my practice as a Marketing Consultant.

As someone who works in advertising and marketing, I was interested to see if David's book could shine any new light on a topic that is quite widely discussed online. The book includes some interesting insights and a lot less 'waffle' than others covering similar topics. The social media and copywriting sections will prove useful for both complete beginners and industry professionals. There is a slight lack of discussion around the daily/weekly/monthly practical application of Digital Marketing strategies, but given that the book is focused on strategy, I wouldn't have expected this to be covered in any great detail anyway. A straight-talking, inspirational read for anyone interested in strategic Digital Marketing.

Very basic and repetitive throughout the book. Two thirds of the book are spent introducing the other third.

What a horrible investment. This Book is full of generic lessons. Seriously you can find better content for free on the blogs about digital marketing.

As a digital marketer and owner of an agency, I enjoy when books step back from specific tactics and focus on the core marketing principles. Tactics change all the time, but good marketing strategy doesn't. This book does a fantastic job of teaching the business owner to really look at what their business needs, how a digital strategy will help them accomplish this goal, and gives them the proper formula for creating their funnel. All too often owners decide they 'want a site' before they think about why they need it and what it will accomplish for them as an investment (not an expense). If you do the activities outlined in this book (not just read it through) and write down a clearly defined strategy, you will be in great shape. There are worksheets on the site that you can use to fill in as you go. The book doesn't teach you how to build a site, so unless you have an IT staff, you will need to work with outside companies. The difference is now you will have a document you can bring to a digital agency to build the site or run the campaign based on your specific funnel. You will become a dream client for an agency when you bring this level of thought to the project. The project will absolutely run smoother, get off the ground faster, be more in line with your goals, and will likely cost less since it will be done correctly. If you run or work for a digital agency, the book is also helpful for you as a reminder of the specific process that should be followed when creating a digital presence. We often have clients come to us with requests, but if we take the time to apply this level of thinking, the project will be much better because of it.

Bradley explains a process from A to Z in how to develop your digital marketing. He emphasizes the strategic process, rather than simply trying different tactics randomly to see what might work. It's tremendously helpful to do the right online marketing for your business specifically. What I really liked about this book is that the explanations for the various topics were concise, yet thorough. It left me knowing exactly what to do, and how I should proceed with my marketing efforts.

Getting Digital Marketing Right – A simplified process for business growth, goal attainment and powerful marketing – is a very attractive book title. People interested in marketing are used to consult Philip Kotler’s books, e.g. marketing management by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, 14e Global Edition, published in 2012. In such a text book about marketing you will be surprised to find no reference in the index about digital marketing or electronic marketing. Therefore it makes sense to buy and read a book with that attractive title. The strong part of the book consists of technical terms – especially those on pages 15/16 – allowing the reader to produce his/her own document with these terms and the pages where the author is using them, rank them alphabetically to create your own index and then add explanations which you have to research via the internet. With this approach you get an overview of important technologies and tools to design and implement digital marketing; with the book alone, I guess, you are lost. I confirm the author’s statement on page 181: “Congratulations! You built a strategy from the ground up, implemented it, and now the results are rolling in. You’re far ahead of 99% of others out there!” I assume that in this statement the readers of this book are included. In other words, I think only 1% of the readers at best are able to accomplish what the author is promising. With this book only you will not get very far, because the whole approach is to automate a sales funnel “on a greenfield” without starting methodically top-down. He does not care about different approaches depending on product and service portfolio – commodities, mass customization, one-of-a-kind -, market and customer segmentation, type of business – B2B, B2C, C2C -, Unique Customer Value Proposition, strategy, structure, marketing and sales system, existing IT infrastructure and interfacing requirements etc. In other words, there is no framework in which digital marketing is a part of the whole. His approach is the electronic automation of selling something to an “Ideal Customer” without any segmentation and differentiation. He ignores hybrid marketing and sales concepts which determine your digital marketing design and activities. . My assumption: the author wrote and published this book as a lead-magnet and a Call-to-Action in the sense that he tries to motivate the reader to engage him as a consultant. It is up to the reader to decide if he should become the preferred partner. Below you find some original quotes from this book with my comments marked MC: I’ve used this framework outside of digital marketing as well. … The framework helped me to discover what fueled me, and what limited me. Page 14. There’s a concept in Buddhism called “Beginner’s Mind” (or Shoshin). P.19. It’s up to you to be self-aware and diligent about how you manage yourself in personal and professional situations. P.40. I wrote this book to help people develop strategies, but over time I came to realize that it was more than that. This is an exercise to help ourselves grow as marketers, professionals, and individuals. P.187. MC: the author tries to extend his concept into the self-help area which is an irritating digression from the subject. Enough talking … Let’s get to work! P.17. Enough talk, let’s get down to business! P.25. Before we begin, I want you to know something. P.32. I can’t wait for us to get started! I hope you’re excited also. … And with that, let’s begin. P.33. Enough with the pleasantries – let’s get into it. P.34. It’s time to start developing your strategy! P.84. The Big Moment: Starting your campaign … Yes, I’m serious. We are getting started. Enough information gathering and decision making. Time to take action. Let’s put all our energy and effort into use and get this campaign started! P.168. MC: as a reader you ask yourself when he gets to the point. To paraphrase Bruce Lee, “absorb what is useful; discard what is not.” P.16. MC – the whole sentence is the following: “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” You will need to add a lot to get digital marketing right. By the end of this book, you are going to be able to form digital marketing strategies, teach them to others, reach your goals, and ultimately make your dreams a reality. P.16. I want you to end up with a strategy that you implement that blows you away. P.24. This is the kind of thing I wish I had when I was starting out. P.33. You are going to be better than ever now. P.191. MC: I think he is overdoing and exaggerating. … this book keeps things simple … It really isn’t about digital marketing; it’s about building a strategy. I promise, you can and will be able to do that. P.19. … And again, it isn’t about digital marketing really. It’s about strategy, which can benefit just about everyone. P.20. As you’ll see, this book isn’t about digital marketing tools and tactics. P.29. … we aren’t talking digital marketing. We’re talking strategy and sales funnels. MC: compare this with the title of the book. How does 80/20 apply to us? P.41. MC: I recommend the excellent book “The 80/20 Principle” by Robert Koch. No CRM yet? It’s almost surely beneficial. Use CRM but need to upgrade your opportunities for growth? Marketing automation software might be perfect for you. How about the e-mail marketing services you use or need? P.44. CRM Integration. As a final note, make sure that you integrate your CRM (customer relationship management) system with your online activities. That means when someone fills out a form or joins your email list, you want them included on your CRM as well. P.160. For example, perhaps your digital funnel could use technological assistance from a CRM system or marketing automation. Does anyone on your team know how to implement and manage these systems, or do they need some time to learn? Or, will outside assistance and training be worthwhile? P.166. MC: with these messages scattered across the book instead of being covered very early in the planning phase of a digital marketing project he is slowly disclosing what he is trying to accomplish. Before we begin, here are the six stages of your funnel mapped out: 1. Generate Demand, 2. Capture Quality Leads, 3. Nurture Leads, 4. Convert Leads into Customers, 5. Close, Deliver, & Satisfy, 6. Referrals and Follow Up. P.55. MC: this is a usual sales funnel. If a company has its own sales funnel design and system, it is necessary to start from the company’s sales funnel and sales management system. On the following pages 55 to 83 the author explains how to automate the six stages using IT tools. If you want to understand the techno-babble you have to research the terms yourself. The author should have invested some time to explain the technical terms to marketing and sales people. Marketing Message … Coming up with a good marketing message is a tiring process. It comes as a result of a lot of time, brainstorming, and creative juices. P.93. MC: what a revelation. If you don’t have Google Analytics set up yet, just have your web developer head over to … [name of the website.] P.95. Invest in an SEO specialist that understands you want to stay entirely white-hat. P.134. You see, there’s a lot to these projects. That’s why it’s tough to put the execution of your ideas on just one or two individuals. Consider outside help, or training to help your team be ready to get the work done the right way. P.166. Analytics … You’ll want the more advanced insights, so consider hiring help. You’ll want to outsource the work to an expert. P.169. MC: slowly, the author is disclosing the complexity of such a project and what resources are needed. In the Glossary you find Black Hat SEO and Grey Hat SEO. White Hat is delegated to your imagination. He does not explain systematically the experts to be combined in a team to implement digital or electronic marketing. Your vision. P.107. Your Goals. P.111. Facebook … Business Type: B2C products and services. P.141. MC: now he starts with a fraction of what should be covered at the beginning of his book. The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. Michael Porter. P.117. MC: I think, he did not read Michael Porter. The reader should do so. Beware of Vanity Metrics. P.119. MC: this is a very good and important advice. Here are the digital sales funnel stages again. P. 126. MC: he covers the sales funnel stages on page 53 and 89 as well. Thus, his book is pretty redundant, fragmented and somehow confusing, especially because there is no index helping the reader to quickly reference back to earlier pages. Retargeting/Remarketing: P.133. MC: this is one of many technical terms which the reader has to research via the internet to get a sufficient understanding. So get to work, please. And if at any time you feel stuck, reach out to me. … I’d love to be helpful to you. P.192. Please do make up on the offer to be helpful. P.193. MC: If you did not understand so far what the author wants from you, here it is. It is fair, to sell one's know how and services, however, to attract customers the book should be much better to create confidence. AIDA = Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. P.202. MC: AIDA should be at the beginning not at the end. Did you know we have three brains? It’s true. P.203. We need to focus on reaching that old brain. That’s where the decision to buy is made. P.204. … I recommend reading the book Neuromarketing by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin. MC: Bradley tries to come across as a Neuromarketing expert. I don’t buy these current neuromarketing theories when we do not really know how the brain really functions. I suggest reading the 1 star comments on this recommended book before buying it, and to read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. If you want to know what we know and do not know today about the brain I suggest reading Eric Kandel's books, Noble Prize Winner 2000 in Physiology. Summary: this book is very helpful to get a glimpse of the complex set of technical tools to design and implement digital marketing. However, the book alone is insufficient. Should you expect some testimonials of satisfied reference customers you won’t find them in this book.

Great book that goes very deep into the process for creating a profitable business. At 221 pages in length a lot of topics are covered, without any fluff, including action steps and surveys. There's also a website with extra content and some bonus material on copywriting and neuroscience.