I just finished Unmarketing by Scott Stratten.  It’s a collection of 56 rich microchapters with actionable teaching points and lessons on how to use social media to engage with your market in an authentic and personal way.  It is well-suited for the novice figuring out social media but contains enough advanced material to satisfy the more seasoned user.

Unmarketing.  Where’s he going with the title?  Unmarketing refers to the act of conversation and engagement that contrasts with the traditional methods of marketing such as cold calls and interruption marketing.  It’s the Uncola of marketing.

So what’s doctor doing reading a book on social media marketing?  Actually there’s a lot to learn here.  If every physician read and applied a piece of Unmarketing I think we’d begin to see health care change occurring from the bottom up.  Marketing according to Scott Stratten “happens every time you engage (or not) with your past, present or potential customers” Or in our case, our patients.  Good stuff, a lot of which can and should be applied to what we do with patients.

Here are a handful of Unmarketing points that caught my eye:

• Build a small stage.  When choosing your platform, pick one place where you want to people to find you.  Play your best show there as long as it takes to build a solid following.
• If you are your authentic self you have no competition.  Being authentic means that you focus on what you uniquely bring to the table.  That’s what separates you from others in your industry.
• Consistency breeds familiarity, which creates relationships.
• There is no such think as automated engagement.  The use of a third party program to tweet for you is like sending a mannequin to a networking event in you place with a post-it note attached.
• There’s a difference between your goals and your results.  Your goal always needs to be engagement; business will result.
• If you don’t have great content it doesn’t matter how you deliver it. No matter how many new ways exist today to deliver content, it’s the content itself that matters most.
• If you are saying you have no time to listen and talk with people in your marketplace, then you are saying you have no time for your customers.

(This last one should resonate with health care providers who often claim that they don’t have the time or energy for social interaction with patients.)

I could fill my server with key points but you get the picture.

And here’s something:  Scott talks the talk…or tweets the tweet.  When I was in line at Borders buying Unmarketing I snapped a picture of the cover and shared on Twitter what I’d be reading over Thanksgiving.  Within a minute or so he replied back.

If you want more, grab a copy.  Stratten’s voice is genuine and easy-to-read.  The book flies.  I highly recommend Unmarketing.  Especially for doctors.