The Surfer's Guide To Marketing Press Release

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING DELIVERS HUMOROUS INSIGHTS FROM 20-YEAR INDUSTRY PRO

Breezy and Instructive, Book Offers Case Studies, Tactics and Tales

From Across the Marketing Waterfront

REDONDO BEACH – July 13 – THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING, the innovative new book by marketing pro Randy Rovegno, combines the rollicking worlds of marketing and surfing to do for brand promotion what “Freakonomics” did for economics. 

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING offers case-study interviews with innovative business leaders at ZICO Coconut Water, Body Glove and 20th Century Fox, and charismatic pro athletes such as football great Drew Brees and surfing pioneer Laird Hamilton. This entertaining book provides practical tactics for everyone from students to senior staff and is designed for use by small-business owners and corporate executive alike—even if they have never stepped foot in the ocean.

“Randy uses surfing as a great teacher and provides interesting analogies to communicate his marketing philosophies,” writes Hamilton in the book’s introductory chapter.

Rovegno is an award-winning marketing executive who has worked with internationally known brands such as ABC, AT&T, ESPN, NBC, NFL and 20^th Century Fox. THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING connects surfing anecdotes with marketing insights as naturally as a leash to a longboard.  Rovegno's humorous style and industry expertise carries the reader through dynamic principles and real-world examples in an approach that is at once educational, motivational and entertaining.

About THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING

THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING is an entertaining guide to marketing strategies in today’s fluid business landscape.  Available in paperback or electronically from retailers including Amazon and CreateSpace.com, THE SURFER’S GUIDE TO MARKETING crushes boring textbook rhetoric like a barrel at North Shore, using easy-going humor and real-world perspective to encourage fresh thinking and positive attitudes. For more information, visit these sites:  

www.facebook.com/TheSurfersGuideToMarketing

thesurfersguidetomarketing.blogspot.com

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Media contact:

Carl DiOrio

Bob Gold & Associates

310-320-2010; 

carl@bobgoldpr.com

The Surfer's Guide To Marketing Radio Interview

Hey Friends, Followers, and Fans...

Here is a recent radio interview featuring author Randy Rovegno discussing the new book, some marketing philosophies, and experience creating successful brand communication efforts.  

Please feel free to listen and post on your social media channels!

Mahalo!

The Secret To Social Marketing!

Here it is.  Are you ready?  Would you like to know the fool-proof way to drive your social media communication?  There is only one thing you need to know...

There is no single proven solution.  In a world of instant weight-loss pills and a kitty-cat video garnering three million impressions in 24-hours, we are a society that wants instant gratification and instant results.  And I hate to say it, but the way to increase your views, "Likes" and Followers is through proven tactics that have driven marketing concepts for years.

The Surfer's Guide To Marketing focuses on different tactics to increase your social media presence and productivity, though just as its easy to tell a novice surfer to "Get on your board, paddle in front of a wave, and stand up" the actual execution is a little more tricky.  But integrating some of the basic protocol and techniques can ensure that you will be on your way to greater incremental results.

In the book, I ask if it is wise to let a kid with no marketing or PR background "drive" your Twitter or Facebook simply because the tattoo covered, facial pierced entry level employee knows how to "Tweet".  Would you let that same rookie produce a full-page color ad in the NY Times?  Certainly it's an extreme example but you get the idea that classically-trained marketing does hold a place in today's rapidly changing social space.  

So if the basics for surfing involve the right board, wetsuit, wax, tide/swell, etc. then we need to ensure your social media offering provides content, consistency, and engagement.  Simply put, you need to say something interesting that users want to hear, continue to provide informative and/or entertaining content on a regular basis, and ensure that your followers or fans can have some input in the conversation.  Those three areas are the foundation for any positive campaign.  

SAY WHAT?! The Surfer's Guide To Marketing features a Case Study of two television networks facing similar situations and turning to social media to communicate with their fans and (even more importantly) their disgruntled customers.  I won't fill you in on all the details here (because why would you need to buy the book?) but I will tell you that half of the social media battle is what you say.  The messaging between the two companies was very different in nature with one being straightforward and the other trying to dance around the issues and provide "fluffy" non-relevant content.  While you would assume which one had a more successful approach based on the set-up of strategies, I can tell you that BOTH wiped out worse than a Kook at Teahupoo!

REWARD ME! Other aspects of driving engagement centers around rewarding loyal followers and user-genterated interactions.  Simply put; people like free swag so I always encourage clients to provide giveaways, rewards for input, and brand sampling across all of the platforms.   Provide incentives to stay, combined with aforementioned solid story telling, and you have a formula to increase loyalty and impressions.

More intricate interactions including sweepstakes and user-generated content are great solutions if you make it relevant, organic, and fun.  Getting users to forward to friends in a user-voting effort is a great way to ensure you increase your footprint as long as the cause is something fans can get behind.  Not every invite to get involved is successful and there are many tips and secrets we discuss in the book, but from a ten-thousand foot look, creating a fun opportunity for your Followers to become part of the story is a solid approach.

WHO CARES? And now that we have the "what", let's also ensure we target the right people.  There are three major categories of social media users: Spectators, Participants, and Creators.  If you don't believe it, ask yourself which one of these three types of user you most resemble?  Do you simply see your friends' posts or ignore when they ask you to vote/give/forward, etc?  Then you are a Spectator who is exposed to the message but not actively participates.  Or, perhaps you will vote for your friend's singing video or share their post for their cause on your own Facebook page.  That classifies you as a Participant.  Someone who will engage to some extent and put forth an effort but are not fully driven to enter the contest or promote yourself.  And of course, the last area is reserved for Creators; the person who uploads their cutest baby in the contest or drives their friends to vote or enter.  Creating a campaign that draws in all three is the secret to a successful user-generated activation.  Make it interesting for the casual observer, relevant to a friend who will support the effort, and enticing enough that people will lay it on the line to become a disciple for the contest or promotion.

LEARN MORE! For more of the social media discussion including tips, tactics, and Case Studies featuring amazing brands and their successful strategies, be sure to pick up a copy of The Surfer's Guide To Marketing.