Beating the system with word of mouth

This is from Eric Peterson's blog about Jeff & Bryan Eisenberg's new book "Call To Action"

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Eric Peterson | May 27, 2005, 11:13 AM

So much talk lately about social networks and viral marketing, the "new marketing strategy" that will save dying brands and propel new technologies into our homes and lives, but more often than not these strategies are devoid of a plan for monetization or even a way to measure success. How do you measure the net effect of "word of mouth?"

I'll tell you one way, use it to sneak onto the Wall Street Journal (requires subscription) and USA Today bestseller's lists for books, just like my friends Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg did. Rumor has it they'll be listed on the New York Times list as well.

Their new book, Call to Action, is distributed entirely without nationwide bookstore support. Over 90% of the sales have been done online. Through a combination of low pricing and aggressive viral marketing, Bryan and Jeffery have essentially beaten the system at its own game. By working directly with bloggers, pundits and well-known members of the online marketing field, the Eisenbergs were able to spread the word like wildfire. Without spending a dime on anything except a few PRWeb press releases, Bryan and Jeffrey truly leveraged the power of the viral Internet to do something tangible and measurable. Imagine how proud Brian's soon-to-be-born son or daughter will be knowing that his dad is a bestselling author!

"We are so grateful that so many of our friends and colleagues helped us share our message accomplish our goal," said Bryan Eisenberg when we talked this morning. "We weren't really trying to 'beat' the traditional publishing system per se; we wanted to highlight the fact that the rules for marketing are changing every day. Tradional publishers wouldn't have allowed us to publish this book this way, so many of them are out of touch with the new marketing rules where the audience pulls instead of being pushed. Hopefully this will be a wakeup call for book publishers."

The book is great and the marketing strategy even better. I only hope that my upcoming O'Reilly book will sell half-as-well and generate a tenth of the buzz that Call to Action is seeing now.

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