2010 – a Year in Books
As we come to the end of another year I, like many people, have started reflecting on the past Year.
As a prolific reader, I thought I’d share with you the books that I’ve been impressed with and influenced by this year.
Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck
If you need to share your messages to anyone and want them to be remembered then you need to read this book. With the backup of solid research, the authors break down what makes an idea or message sticky. There are essentially six principles to Success.
S Simple – make your ideas as simple and succinct as they need to be and no simpler. I particularly like the idea of ‘commander’s intent’
U Unexpected- ideas are memorable when they are different, unusual and, if possible, contain an element of surprise or danger!
C Concrete - give numbers for example a meaning that is easy to understand and relevant to the audience.
C Credible- use authority from experts, or from something people ‘know’ to be true.
E Emotional - make people care by using the power of association and appeals to self-interest or identity.
S Stories- stories can act as a source of motivation or inspiration, either way stories are memorable.
How to Write Sales Letters That Sell by Drayton Bird
I saw Drayton speak earlier in the year at a NABO event held by Jonathan Jay. He is an entertaining speaker who not surprisingly writes extremely well. Although this is now considered a bit of a classic the ideas and examples given in this book are very relevant to all of our communication including sales letters!
Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me: What Online Social Networking Means for You and Your Business
Penny Power founded the online business network Ecademy in 1998 – 5 years before Facebook was launched.
In this fascinating book, Penny really clarified for me what social media is and why you must use it for your business. Tools are barely mentioned as she delves in to the philosophy behind social media and the different styles of online networking.
If you still ‘don’t get’ Twitter and Facebook I highly recommend taking a look at this book.