By now you may have heard that I’ve written a book called “Optimize“. After months of writing and editing, it’s now the real deal and online orders just started shipping a few days ago. I haven’t done a formal post talking about the book and so here are a few highlights.
Essentially, Optimize it’s a more holistic view of content and social media optimization than what you’ll often hear at events, read in other books and online. So many optimization efforts are focused on chasing exploits and loopholes only to be shut down by search engine quality efforts. Why not focus on quality in the first place?
Optimization using keywords and links is making room for a new set of signals and tactics resulting in the need for a more customer centric approach. Many online marketers “get” the value of SEO, social media and even content independently, but working them together in a way that makes sense is often a challenge.
“Optimize” is organized in 3 phases (here’s a preview) and starts by answering why it makes sense to integrate search, social and content as well as practical examples for B2B, B2C, small business, a Fortune 50 and use case examples within organizations for marketing, public relations, customer service and recruiting. There’s guidance on conducting audits for SEO, Content and Social Media for benchmarking and ongoing performance.
The second phase is by far the largest part of the book covering tactics and implementation ranging from customer segmentation and persona development to search and social keyword research, developing a content plan, on-page web page and social media optimization, social network development, promotion for links and measurement.
The third phase provides examples of bringing it all together and assessment for training and processes to scale an “Optimized State of Mind” to the rest of the organization.
Optimize is designed to be useful as a end to end guide for anyone that creates digital content in an organization that wants to extend the reach and usefulness of that content. That includes marketing, PR, customer service and other departments. The customer centric approach works as well for B2B as it does for consumer focused companies.
Optimize is also a great reference tool for experts. At the same time, Optimize can be used as a reference for those marketers and communications professionals that are experienced in a particular area and not others. They get the “why”, they need the “how”.
At the moment, there are a handful of reviews, webinars and interviews about Optimize but more are coming. So far, I’ve had several speaking events specific to Optimize in Minneapolis, New York and Chicago with another coming up this week in Leeds, UK and then Antwerp Belgium. In between I’ll be visiting a number of regional events.
I owe a ton of thanks to the TopRank Online Marketing team for chipping in and helping out in a variety of ways. We’re really building something special at our agency and the real growth is just beginning now in 2012. Thank you too, to Mike Grehan, Vice President & Global Content Director for Search Engine Watch, ClickZ and Search Engine Strategies for writing an awesome introduction.
A HUGE thanks goes to the following search, social media and content marketing smarties for giving early endorsements of Optimize (many are best selling authors):
- Chris Brogan – Human Business Works, Author, Speaker
- Ann Handley – Chief Cupcake Officer, (Oops, I mean Chief Content Officer) MarketingProfs, Author, Speaker
- John Jantsch – Duct Tape Marketing, Author, Speaker
- Melanie Mitchell – SVP Search Marketing Strategy, Digitas, Author, Speaker
- Scott Monty – Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager at Ford Motor Company, Speaker
- Brian Clark – Copyblogger Media, Recovering Attorney, Entrepreneur, Speaker
- Joe Pulizzi – Junta42, Content Marketing Institute, Author, Speaker
- Mel Carson – Digital Marketing Evangelist, Community & Social Media Manager, Speaker & Blogger at Microsoft Advertising, Speaker
- Bill Hunt – BackAzimuth, SEO God, Author, Speaker
- Jay Baer – Convince & Convert, Author, Speaker
- Michael Stelzner – Social Media Examiner, Author, Speaker
- Amy Lamparske – Director, Digital Communications at Walmart
- David Alston – CMO Radian6, Speaker
I couldn’t imagine a more impressive group of people to give their approval for a book on this topic.
So many people have reached out to me, unsolicited to offer help to promote the book through speaking, interviews and social shares. I really, really appreciate that! After sharing insights with our readers for over 8 years it’s great to see that kind of appreciation to help get the word out about Optimize.
If you’d like a practical content marketing book that does a deep dive into both why and how, especially when it comes to SEO and Social Media Marketing, then I hope you’ll check out Optimize: Amazon – Barnes & Noble.
