Shama Hyder - Momentum: How to Propel Your Marketing and Transform Your Brand in the Digital Age

praise for momentum

Digital, mobile, these arent things, theyre lifestyles. Businesses now compete in an era of digital Darwinism. We know how evolution works. You thrive or you dont. Shama will help you understand not only whats different, but what to do about it, and how to get better results.

Brian Solis, Brian Solis, leading digital analyst, futurist, author of X: The Experience When Business Meets Design

Momentum provides important insights concerning the seismic shift that has permanently transformed marketing and branding. Shama understands the complexities of consumer behavior in our new, social media-driven, global economy, and offers concrete principles that will drive success for any business or organization. With Momentum, any business leader can learn to artfully transition a traditional marketing strategy into an agile, integrated and customer-focused operation that draws in and engages consumers.

Gloria Larson, President at Bentley University

In a market where disruption is the norm, even the smartest leaders are unsure how to adjust their marketing plan to meet tomorrows demands. Momentum shows you how to create a sustainable plan that allows you to attract more customers and profits, no matter what may come your way.

Charlene Li, author of The Engaged Leader and Open Leadership, coauthor of Groundswell, and principal analyst at Altimeter, a Prophet Company

Without Momentum, building a business is one big uphill climb with it, its one sweet ride!

John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine

Todays marketers and business leaders need to learn how to get in sync with their customers and anticipate their constantly shifting needs. Thats a challenging task, but reading Momentum will speed you through the learning curve.

Tom Davis, CMO of Forbes Media

In the fast-moving world of digital strategy, Shama Hyder stands out as a true expert. In Momentum, she shares smart, actionable, hype-free strategies to help your brand break through. If you want to harness the true power of marketing in the digital age for your business, read this book.

Dorie Clark, author of Stand Out and Reinventing You and adjunct professor at Duke Universitys Fuqua School of Business

Want to build a likeable brand that attracts customers and stands out? If so, you need Momentum. Actionable and easy to digest, this book helps you unlock the code for marketing success in the Digital Age.

Dave Kerpen, New York Times bestselling author of Likeable Social Media

Timely and on target, Momentum shows you precisely how to use todays modern marketing to outflank your competition. Great examples throughout and highly recommended!

Jay Baer, president of Convince & Convert and New York Times bestselling author of Youtility

Momentum offers a blueprint for transformation that can help any marketer flourish in the digital world. This is the best marketing book Ive read in years.

Charles Marsh, Oscar Stauffer Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas

momentum

Copyright 2016 by Shama Hyder

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.

PO Box 572028

Dallas, TX 75357-2028

www.benbellabooks.com

Send feedback to

Printed in the United States / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 with First E-Book Edition: May 2016.
978-1-942952-25-1 (hardcover)
978-1-942952-26-8 (electronic)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request. LCCN: 2015043230

Distributed by Perseus Distribution
www.perseusdistribution.com

To place orders through Perseus Distribution:

Tel: (800) 343-4499 Fax: (800) 351-5073

E-mail:

Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available. Please contact Aida Herrera at aida@benbellabooks.com.

To the entire team at Zen Media,
for their passion and hard work

To our clients, who make it all possible
with their belief in us and support

And to you, dear reader, for your precious time
and attention

chapter

The New Ecosystem:
Building Momentum

M OMENTUM.

Its the thrill of a roller coaster gaining speed.

Its an unstoppable train barreling down the tracks.

And its what every marketer wants in a campaign.

Whether its a video going viral or a blog post going from one share to thousands in just a few days, when a marketing initiative has real momentum, it is nothing short of pure magic.

And just like magic, it seems impossible to re-create, impossible to develop using a strategic, systematic approach.

But Im here to let you in on the magicians secret: You can achieve that momentum yourself by following five simple principlesprinciples that will allow you to consistently deliver great results with your marketing.

Today, the digital landscape is constantly changing, and news travels at the speed of a tweet. But there is a way to cut through the noise and build that momentum for your own campaigns.

Want to know the secret?

First, let me ask you this.

What does digital marketing mean to you?

Posting on Facebook and Twitter a few times a week? Emailing a list of subscribers? Cranking out blog posts every few days? Tweaking your website to make it mobile responsive? Trying out the latest new social media platforms to find the trendiest ways of connecting with your audience?

Has digital marketing just added more items to your to-do list?

It doesnt have to be this way. Effective digital marketing isnt about embracing every new tool available to todays marketer its about turning your entire approach to marketing on its head.

The Future Has Arrived

Imagine youre going for a jog. Youve got your trusty fitness band on, to help you keep track of all the miles youre running and all the calories youre burning. Maybe itll automatically post your route to Facebook in case your friends want to join you. Or maybe you can even tap it to your friends bands to compare data and start a little friendly competition.

Now imagine that youre almost at the end of your jogging route, when suddenly, your fitness band shows you an offer for a free sports drink at a store nearby. All you have to do to redeem it is tap the link on your band at checkout. Youre hot, tired, and thirsty, and the drink is right there. Its a no-brainer, right?