[rating:4.0]
( Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012)
261 pgs
This is a helpful book for people trying to do their best in a complex, technology-driven world. Whether you are tech savvy and comfortable with Tweeting and posting on Facebook, or whether the thought of an Online “friend request” gives you a fright, this book can provide some helpful counsel!
Michael Hyatt has worked most of his professional career in the literary, publishing world. He was the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and is currently the chairman of its board. What has made Hyatt an authority is the way he has successfully leveraged social media to build a platform from which to share his thoughts and ideas. According to his own calculations, he presently has over 400,000 people view his blog site each month, 100,000 followers on Twitter, and over 15,000 friends on Facebook. He has also written a New York Times bestseller (This book will probably find its way there too). What makes his book so intriguing is that Michael Hyatt is an ordinary person. Of course he’s bright and entrepreneurial, but he never made a famous movie, or played professional sports, or held government office. He simply decided to purposefully build his own audience by effectively utilizing social media. His point is that we can do that too.
Why should we bother to build a following? Hyatt notes: “It’s not about ego or being the center of attention. It is about having something of value to others and finding the most powerful way of getting that message to others who can benefit from it” (xv). He suggests that just as a physical platform enabled people to be visible and heard as they spoke to an audience, so today, a platform is “built of people. Contacts. Connections. Followers” (xvi). He argues that it is not enough merely to have a good product. Many good products languish in obscurity. He argues that today, with the ubiquitous nature of media, there has never been so much competition for people’s attention, nor have people ever been as distracted. The answer is to build a loyal tribe of followers who can provide you the basis to promote your ideas and products.
Hyatt has a great chapter on “Bake in the Wow.” He says in light of the intense competition for people’s attention today, we have to develop messages and products that catch people’s attention and impress them with their quality. He notes: “The truth is, mediocrity is natural” (21). He also posits that we must ultimately be our own Chief Marketing Officer” (35). We have to take control of our image, or brand, and we must leverage the tools available to do it the most effectively.
I won’t provide a summary here of all the helpful advice Hyatt provides the reader. Hyatt earns his bread and butter by writing blogs Monday through Friday. He offers plentiful tips on how to get started blogging and how to build a following. He shares the various software and Internet programs he utilizes himself and also relates ways he has learned to make money by marketing on the Internet. He also provides counsel on how to build a Twitter following and also has comments about Facebook. Being a novice myself, I found some of the technical information beyond my experience. Nevertheless, I found much material I intend to make use of, soon. Hyatt also has insightful advice on promoting yourself as a speaker and making it as easy as possible for organizations to find you and to request you as a speaker at one of their events.
Hyatt uses a classic example from his days as a book publisher. He notes that many publishers as well as literary agents won’t even touch an author unless they already have thousands of followers in social media outlets. Some authors assume that if they just come up with a “killer idea” that they just need to write their book and then let it go viral. But that is rarely the case any more. Now, if something goes viral, it may well be because the author was well connected on the Internet.
I have experienced first hand much of what Hyatt is talking about. That is why this year I jumped in to Twitter @richardblackaby as well as Facebook drrichardblackaby. Some purists may feel like it somehow adulterates the Gospel if we make use of modern technologies to let people know we, and our message, exist. The truth is, that just as a preacher would rehearse his sermon or review it to polish it and make it more appealing, so today communicators must become well versed in social media.
This book is crammed with helpful suggestions and insights on a crucial subject for anyone who wants to spread ideas. I will strongly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about doing ministry in today’s social media driven world.
by Richard Blackaby