It all started with a HARO request. I’d heard of David Meerman Scott, having read his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR (Amazon affiliate link). So I was quite excited to see him asking for sources on marketing in “real-time.” I’ve been doing my best to do just that since Rizzo Tees went live in October 2008.

I responded to the request, did a phone interview with David, and the rest is history. Rizzo Tees has a page in David’s new book Real-Time Marketing and PR! (Amazon affiliate link)

Big thanks to David for including me in his latest masterpiece. Make sure you read this book – you’ll take a ton away from it. I sure did.

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to stumble across David Meerman Scott‘s book “The New Rules of Marketing & PR.” I don’t even remember how I first heard of the book. I checked it out from the library and read it on vacation. I took so much from the book that, earlier this year, I ordered the second edition and read it too. I’ve learned and applied so much from this book, and its lessons are still very valid today.

However, since David first advocated for generating inbound leads by writing a blog, and using press releases to communicate directly with your audience, things have sped up even further. Now, your customers are online, talking to you and about you in real-time. If you’re not listening and interacting, the silence is deafening. Do you want consumers to define your product on Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere, or do you as a company want to play a role by interacting with them? Further, do you want that engagement to result in more sales?

Enter David’s new book Real-Time Marketing and PR (Amazon affiliate link). In it, he lays out how companies are winning by engaging their customers directly online in real-time. He talks about:

• developing a business culture that encourages speed over sloth
• reading buying signals as people interact with you online
• crowdsourcing product development
• charging more for your product by delivering it faster

I’ve been a big fan of David’s for years, and I’m proud to say that my little t-shirt company, Rizzo Tees, is actually featured in the book! Flip to page 118 and read about how I like to interact with folks on Twitter, and how I crowdsource some of my t-shirt designs (especially when I’m stumped).  Thanks to David for hearing my story and incorporating it into this amazing book.

I highly recommend that companies of all shapes and sizes grab this book and give the principles of real-time online interaction and engagement a chance. Fear not, Corporate America. We consumers have a great deal to offer you besides our money.

Get the hardcover version here (Amazon affiliate link)

Get the Kindle version here (Amazon affiliate link)

Redonkulously shameless: get that Foursquare t-shirt I’m wearing in the video here