A Distinctive Web Personality Results In More Customers, Says Online Thought Leadership Expert

As visitors interact with the content on Web sites and blogs, they should develop a clear picture of the organization behind the site according to online thought leadership strategist and viral marketing expert David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly.

Lexington, MA (PRWEB) May 23, 2007 -- Most marketers fail to understand the importance of creating a distinct, consistent, and memorable Web personality, which can often be attributed to the tone or voice of its content. Online thought leadership (http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/) strategist and viral marketing expert David Meerman Scott says that a strong focus on personality and character pays off.

"As visitors come to rely on the content found on a site or blog, they will develop an intellectual, emotional, and personal relationship with the organization," Scott says. "A Web site or blog can evoke a familiar and trusted voice, just like that of a friend on the other end of the telephone. This way, users will know from experience who's speaking and welcome the interaction. A site or blog must accomplish this through its tone and style. Just like the welcome and familiar phone call, well-executed Web content will be perceived as a trusted friend and resource."

Scott, the author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly, (http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books.htm) says marketers should consider what tone to adopt. Is it young and playful or solid and conservative?

Scott's new book includes dozens of case studies of organizations using online thought leadership strategies including content rich Web sites, blogs, podcasts, and online media. He profiles companies large and small as well as nonprofits, rock bands, churches, political organizations and independent professionals.

"For some organizations, a site or blog might be specifically conceived to have a playful and humorous tone intended to build an amicable relationship with visitors," says Scott. "Web site visitors aren't nameless faceless numbers; they're people like you and me. Most people like a bit of humor here and there and many sites make use of the lighter side of content as an important personality component."

He says defining and maintaining personality, voice, and tone is just as important for established companies with offline brands as it is for online-only upstarts. "However, the existence of an offline business means there's less room for creating something new online, though it may also provide an established personality that can be used as a starting point," he says.

Scott's book "The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing & online media to reach your buyers directly" features a foreword by Robert Scoble, Vice President Media Development at PodTech.net, co-author of Naked Conversations, and one of the world's most popular bloggers at Scobleizer.com and is available wherever business books are sold. ISBN: 0-470-11345-6

David Meerman Scott is an online thought leadership strategist and viral marketing expert. The programs he has developed have won numerous awards and are responsible for selling over one billion dollars in products and services worldwide. Scott has been named to MarketingSherpa's Viral Marketing Hall of Fame two years in a row. He is also an instructor for Pragmatic Marketing and he has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries on four continents. Check out Scott's ideas on his popular marketing blog (http://www.webinknow.com/).

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