Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch (Book Review of the Week-ish)

How in the world have I failed to recognize John Jantsch’s book before this? He’s one of my favorite All-Star bloggers and yet I’ve never mentioned his book before? How did that happen?

Years ago, my boss told me that good marketers spend a quarter to find customers where any idiot would spend a buck. And I learned from my dad that a little duct tape can solve almost any problem.

That’s why Duct Tape Marketing is a classic. Written for the small business owner, John Jantsch looks at all the elements of a successful small business marketing plan with the utility and low-cost approach we expect from a roll of duct tape. While the book has a strong basis in marketing theory, Jantsch writes in a way that’s so approachable, so down-to-earth, so full of common sense, it makes you wonder why more business writers don’t do the same.

For example, instead of using the textbook definition of marketing, Jantsch re-writes it as:

Marketing is getting people who have a specific need or problem to know, like, and trust you.

Then in the pages that follow, he walks you through the process of exactly how you can find the people with a specific need or problem and how to get them to know, like and trust you. And Jantsch’s commitment to the book’s subtitle, “The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide,” is evident throughout. For instance, each chapter concludes with key action steps and links to tools that a small business owner can put to use immediately. Brilliant.

While the book focuses on the needs and challenges faced by small businesses, Duct Tape Marketing is so useful, many seasoned marketers will learn from it, too. Grab a copy today. And get ready for your customers to stick around.

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