Do It Wrong Quickly

While searching ebay for a dead detective writer who is the subject of a blog I’m creating, I  discovered Mike Moran, author of  Do It Wrong Quickly.  It’s a gem about today’s marketing. 

I bought the book, browsed some chapters, then started in for a serious read.  Mike is an IBM Distinguished Engineer who has more than 20 years experience in search and related Web technologies.

The book contains  a  ton of new information.  The writing is breezy in the style of the Dummies books (you know, with a lot of asides or humorous remarks in parentheses that sometimes work and sometimes don’t), but I like that. It keeps the reading light. 

Do It Wrong Quickly was just published so it will take awhile for the word to get around but this just may be the marketing book of 2008.  It’s almost a Bible of “ digital strategies and tactics” (from The Forward).

His core message is that traditional media is still important but it’s rapidly taking a back seat to Internet marketing, and marketing on the Internet morphs almost on a daily basis.  Therefore, we don’t have time to hash things  out in meetings over a period of weeks or months.  We have to act now.  Since change is constant, we must try new things, experiment,  discard what doesn’t work and try more new things. 

Then he proceeds to detail how to go about this.  Mike understands three really important things:

1.        Since a lot of Web marketing is free, our most precious commodity is our time.

2.       Some people are resistant to change.  He goes into detail about how to help people (including ourselves) accept change.

3.       Marketing is now a conversation and our audience members vote with mice.

Maybe more later as I move through the book.  But don’t wait for me.  Check it out.