KIRKUS REVIEW
Australian marketing executives Agius and Clancey advise would-be entrepreneurs on how to build a powerful brand in this debut guide.
The authors went into business together in 2008, hoping to make enough money online that they could continue living leisurely lives in Thailand. It didn’t quite work out that way; the pair were soon forced to move back to Australia, but they soon started a successful search-engine-optimization–based marketing firm called Louder.Online. Within a year, they write, they had clients around the globe, and in this book, they seek to share their subsequent experience with those who might follow in their footsteps. “A powerful brand is one part technical savvy and one part social smarts,” explain the authors in their introduction. “We teamed up on this book to bring you both sides of the equation—Aaron with his technical and practical know-how and Gián with her marketing experience and passion for the behavioral and social sciences.” They explain how to build a reputation for credibility, increase online traffic, engage with specific audiences, and get those audiences to purchase products—and keep purchasing them. Each chapter focuses on one topic; for example, in a chapter on audience engagement, the authors explain how it operates on both a psychological level and a practical one, using hypothetical examples as well as anecdotes from their own experience. Overall, the authors’ prose is succinct and patiently instructive: “Marketers often think they need to become master instructors for their video content to work. The truth is, all you have to do is be authentic. Document your life. Share what you’re up to in short, simple segments.” The well-organized book reads quickly, making for a useful primer on building a customer base in the modern marketplace.
A comprehensive, pleasantly composed marketing resource.