Title: eMarketing excellence
Author: Paul Smith and Dave Chaffey
Published by: Butterworth-Heinemann
Reviewed by: Richard Marshall, business development director, Tullo Marshall Warren
I found eMarketing eXcellence to be one of the most comprehensive sources of best practice for digital marketing. Admittedly, at nearly 500 pages, it is a veritable tome, but it’s worth the perseverance to get at the in-depth insights that can be applied by readers to pretty much any organisation.
By its very nature, e-marketing is fast evolving and, dare I say, even confusing to many practitioners. Yet, it increasingly impacts all aspects of marketing from strategy and planning through to marketing communications. Happily though, this book highlights the most significant opportunities as well as some of the pitfalls based on over 20 years worth of experience from the two authors.
The book also gives good focus to b2b online applications, endorsing the estimate that b2b companies can ‘reap up to 10 times more revenue than their b2c counterparts.’
The authors, Paul Smith and Dave Chaffey, very clearly articulate the application of e-marketing at a granular level from its impact on the 4Ps through to the emergence of e-customers, e-crm, e-business and e-planning to name but a few.
Other key content illustrates how to create powerful e-marketing plans using the SOSTAC® planning system, setting multi-channel goals, maximising SEO and paid search and perhaps most important of all in the current economic climate, measuring and enhancing your e-marketing through web analytics.
I also like the fact that it’s not all theoretical, but instead is based on tangible evidence with examples drawn from a variety of both b2b and b2c clients. The book also practices what it preaches by ensuring that content is up-to-date through web links for every chapter, showing readers a further range of sources.
There’s also a very useful glossary that demystifies many of the words that have crept into the digital vocabulary that help to make sure that you know your CTR’s from your EPC’s!