Personality Not Included is a new marketing book for entrepreneurs, marketers and all businesses about the importance of personality and a guide on how to use it.
Personality Not Included - The Official Book Website
Sep 05

This is part of the PNI Q&A series where I share responses to common questions about the book.

I would sum up the difference between my book and others in two words: entertaining and useful. As I wrote the book, I focused on living up to these two themes. I wanted to write a book that was actually fun to read (I know, it’s an odd way to describe a marketing book, but stay with me). To do that, I have more than a hundred stories in the book, from how a small restaurant in DC with just 8 seats creates one of the most unique dining experiences in the world to the story of LiveVault made the intensely technical subject of data storage approachable, fun and viral. The useful part comes from the structure of the book which has two main parts. The first part is the theory of personality in business and has six chapters with lots of stories that you could probably finish in a few hours on a quick plane flight. Along with all the stories are links to guides, tools, checklists and other resources in the second part of the book. That part is all about action and helping you to put the theory of the book to work for your business. This isn’t meant to be just a big “theory” book, it’s all about applying the lessons to your business.

Aug 31

I’m happy to announce that Personality Not Included was chosen as a book of the month by Soundview Executive Book Summaries. In case you aren’t familiar with them, they are a group that review thousands of business books a year and select two each month to summarize in both audio and downloadable PDF format for subscribers. It is a huge honor to be chosen and I’m thrilled to be among titles like Influencer, Meatball Sundae, and The New Age of Innovation. Check out their site to see how you can get a download and summary of the book - or if you already have a copy, be sure to read page 185 where I take my own shot at summarizing the whole first section of the book in just 60 words. The most profound ideas shouldn’t take long to explain. Hopefully I manage to live up to that truth.

Aug 12

When I was traveling in Beijing I had the thrill of finding the book in one of two big English language bookstores in the city. The Wangfujing Bookstore had three copies of PNI (pictured in the photos below). The other bookstore didn’t have it, because they were sold out! Also in the gallery below are some shots from a few media interviews I did with press in the Ogilvy Beijing office:

Aug 04

One of the frustrating things about writing a book is that the “metrics” you get back from the publishing industry are less than complete. As an internet marketer, I’m used to getting a certain level of detail with reporting and when you write and publish a book you need to quickly get used to the fact that you will never have those kinds of metrics. Still, over the past few months since my book came out, I’ve developed my own sense for reading between the lines to pay attention to metrics that really matter. Here are just a few that I’ve uncovered that I use to better understand how my marketing efforts for the book are doing:

  1. Quality and quantity of speaking invitations - Since the book came out, the fastest return (almost overnight) was the types of speaking invitations I have been getting. Instead of leading panels, I have consistent offers to do keynotes, Instead of me proactively reaching out to groups for speaking invitations, they are now emailing me. I attribute this to two things - the first is the fact that I have a book, and the second is positive word of mouth from my previous speaking gigs. Lots of these invites are coming from people who have heard me speak at another event. So if you have spread the word or recommended me for a speaking gig - thanks!

Read the rest of this entry »

Jul 10

Imb_pni_bizbox
Today at 3pm I am taking part in a very interesting experiment of a live Q&A session as part of a new site that was recently launched as a partnership between Slate.com, McGraw-Hill and American Express. The feature, called "BizBox" is a one hour hosted online discussion about a book where anyone can log in from Slate and ask a question to the author. This is meant to be a real time stream of questions and discussion (I’ll be online live answering questions), moderated by the editorial team at Slate and funded by Amex Open and McGraw-Hill. The commitment to an author is minimal … just be online for an hour to answer questions directly (basically a late lunch hour if you’re on the east coast).  As a secondary experiment, I’ll also be live twittering during the event to get even more discussion going (my ID is @rohitbhargava).

Here’s the link: http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/05/bizbooks_5.htm

I am excited about the upcoming discussion, but even more so in how this partnership is arranged and the marketing lesson it offers. McGraw-Hill (my publisher) has authors and content. Slate.com has the audience of small business owners, and Amex Open wants to reach this audience. Together they have put together this BizBox series to offer a way for Slate to a richer content experience beyond their own editorial, and made it worth the time investment from an author because they are doing heavy promotion, and also because the time requirement is minimal (ie - no travel). As a result, today’s hosted discussion will likely be a four-way win … for me, McGraw-Hill, Amex and Slate.com. Anytime you can put together a marketing campaign like that, it’s worth paying attention to.*

* And yes, I’d say so even if I wasn’t today’s guest!

Jun 29

One of the most surprising things about Personality Not Included for me has been just how popular the book has been when I introduce it or talk about it with small businesses. There are a few easy reasons I think why this probably is:

1. PNI is very case study heavy, so small businesses will likely find at least one example that relates to their business.
2. PNI is easy to read, particularly for people who may not consider themselves marketers, but need to promote their businesses nonetheless.
3. Small business owners connect with the idea of personality because often the vision, emotion or growth behind their companies has been the result of personal vision and personality on their parts.

As a result, I love doing events, seminars and podcasts devoted to small businesses. I have another one coming up tomorrow evening hosted by my good friend Shashi Bellamkonda and his company, Network Solutions. Frank Gruber from Somewhat Frank (and a super engaging guy) will be interviewing me and we’ll be leading a discussion with more than 100 small business owners about the importance of personality. Like our previous event we did at Busboys & Poets downtown, this event was sold out within a matter of days of it opening up and should be a great event. For those who can’t make it or missed signing up before it was sold out, check out Frank’s site for some audio and video from the event.

Jun 18

I’ve received lots of reviews of Personality Not Included from bloggers, marketers, businesspeople and journalists. There is one, however, that I think offers a great complete picture of the book for those who haven’t read it and says just about everything in one review. Thanks to Julie from PeopleMaps for the great review!

An innovative book in so many ways - the structure; the layout; the design; the marketing — all uber innovative. But what really counts is the content - and Rohit just nails it.

Rohit Bhargava is right up there with the likes of Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki. Why? Because he tells it like it is. There’s no jargonistic BS in this book. Just plenty of (super cool) examples and global ones at that - Rohit shows a refreshing awareness that we don’t all live in the USA!

The whole of Part Two is devoted to what to do with the revelations laid out in Part One. Yes - read this book and Rohit will tell you what to do for your business (though, to be honest I already had a page full of notes about things to do/improvements to make/nuggets to share from each of the chapters in part one as they unfolded - that’s how enlightening it is).

This book isn’t just for marketers. It isn’t just for trendy start-ups. It is for any business - from solopreneurs through to blue chip. It is also relevant to anyone in any position in the work place - anyone who wants to make a difference that is.

If you love Seth Godin, or Guy Kawasaki then you’ll love Rohit Bhargava. If you’ve no idea who any of these people are, but are looking for a refreshing and up-to-the-minute business read, then you could do no better. You won’t be able to resist taking action during and after this one.

Jun 14

Welcome to all of you BzzAgents who are making it to this site as a result of Frogpond campaign that I recently launched this week. I’ve been reading furiously trying to keep up with the nearly 2500 reviews and comments that you have left about this site and the book and contrary to what you might think, I don’t have a team of people to help read all of them so I’ve been going through all of them myself! From what I have learned so far, there are basically three categories of comments:

  1. Not interesting - for BzzAgents who are just not into business and don’t know anyone who runs a business or works in business … the book didn’t have much to offer.
  2. Like the book, but the website was confusing - many people read and enjoyed the excerpt (though many people wished for more content from the book to consume). Others thought it could be interesting, but were confused or turned off by the website.
  3. Loved it and bought it - this was my favourite category (obviously!) of people who loved what they read on this site or through the excerpts and said they would go ahead and buy the book.

I haven’t done a full analysis, but these categories seemed about equal in their spread (33% each). As I spent some time this weekend thinking about what to do to incorporate this feedback, I decided to focus on two things. The first was to correct some BzzAgents who thought the campaign was run by a big organization (it wasn’t … it’s just me). The second was to offer the second group from the list above more information to hopefully address their concerns and help them figure out if the book may actually be useful for them or someone else they know.

To that end, I redesigned the main section of the homepage to use a better description of what the book is all about. In addition, I’m releasing another book excerpt of material, available at www.personalitynotincluded.com/pnibonusexcerpt.pdf. This excerpt is the first several pages of Chapter 6 and should give even more of an idea of what the book is about. Happy reading and if you’re a BzzAgent and made it here, let me know if any of this helps!

Jun 09

This weekend I put the finishing touches on the long awaited Reader’s Community for Personality Not Included and just put it live last night. The area has links to the official Facebook Reader’s Group, information for International readers, and a list of stores where you should be able to get a signed copy of PNI. Future features in the area will include the ability to buy PNI anonymously for someone, and even more extended international content. Check out the section at www.personalitynotincluded.com/readers-community and let me know what you think.

Jun 05

I first met Roxanne Darling at a great show for video bloggers called Vloggercon more than two years ago, and since then I’ve been following the rise in popularity of her video blog, BeachWalks with Rox. The show, shot daily from the beach at her home in Hawaii is the perfect reminder to stressed out east coast workers that they need to take a moment to slow down a bit and Rox is the perfect person to deliver that message in her natural and authentic style. So check out her review, and subscribe to her show to get some great ideas and thoughts delivered via video blog from a very unexpected place.


Beach Walk 648 - Personality Preferred

Jun 03

Tomorrow evening at Busboys and Poets in downtown Washington DC, there is an event that I’m particularly excited about for two reasons. First, because it’s a very unique format and will be highly entertaining, and secondly because it’s one of my first appearances talking about the book that will be focused on small businesses. The event is a live edition of Jonny Goldstein’s highly popular Jonny’s Par-tay podcast. For those who haven’t heard Jonny, he’s got a style that is extremely engaging and unique - probably the reason why his podcast is one of the most popular in the DC area. For those of you with longer memories, you’ll also remember that Jonny won the prize for Best Interview as part of my Virtual Interview Contest - so he’s clearly got personality as well and our conversation should raise some great topics. Even if you can’t make it to the live session in DC (it’s currently sold out), you can tune into the show live tomorrow evening (June 4, 2008) online from 7pm EST to 7:40 EST.

During our session, we’ll chat about the necessity for personality, how it works and answer lots of questions from entrepreneurs and small business people about the power of personality. Attendees will also have the chance to get their own signed copies of the book. Also, a special thanks to Network Solutions for sponsoring the event. Shashi Bellamkonda (the “Social Media Swami” at Network Solutions) has been a great champion of the book and has taken on the role of “accidental spokesperson” at his company to help them connect with more small businesses in a really innovative way by participating in social media and hosting events like this one. Thanks to his strong marketing efforts, the session sold out within a couple of days of announcing it. Given the popularity of this event, we’re already thinking of doing another one in DC in the coming months and perhaps expanding the event format to a few other cities as well.

Link Love and Thanks to Sponsors:

Network Solutions
DC Media Makers
Busboys and Poets
Jess3

Jun 01

One of my favourite topics is looking forward and trying to predict what’s next. Tomorrow I’ll be leading a great panel devoted to exactly that topic in New York at the IAB Social Media & User Generated Content event. Here’s a description of the session and the other participants:

The Future Is Now - What’s Here, What’s Next and What’s In the Way?

Advertisers and marketers are continually on the hunt for creative opportunities to be “in” the social space. The landscape is constantly evolving but there are some pioneers of the platform who “got there first” and did it right. This panel teaches future-thinking advertisers how to be on the outer edge of the social space by encouraging new ways of thinking as well as sharing emerging techniques & technologies which address the paramount issues of privacy, monetization, scale and brand control.

Moderator: Rohit Bhargava, SVP, Digital Strategy & Marketing, Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence
Aaron Lilly, Senior Marketing Manager, Microsoft
Geoff Reiss, CEO, Associated Content
Ian Schafer, CEO, Deep Focus
Chad Stoller, Executive Director, Emerging Platforms, Organic

May 29

Below is the update I sent to the Facebook Official Reader’s Group for PNI. If you have not yet become a member, I suggest you join as that group is where you can get exclusive first access to bonus content, invitations to events, and participate in a conversation about the book:

Hi everyone,

It’s time for another update on Personality Not Included! I hope you have all had a chance to pick up the book, and if you haven’t, there a few good reasons in this update to buy it now. Starting on next Monday, I am launching a BIG promotion for the book which includes a featured discussion on Slate.com, a new campaign with BzzAgent, and front table placement at ALL Barnes & Noble locations across the US for two weeks.

Everyone who buys a copy in the next two weeks (or has already bought a copy) will get a sneak preview copy of a bonus PDF to be released next week (just send me your order number). I’ll send it to those who send me their order details first, then release it to the entire Facebook group 24 hours later, and then publicly launch it on my blog two days later. Here’s the detailed update:

- PNI continues to sell well and has excellent distribution and placement. It is now making it outside the US (people have seen it in Hong Kong and the UK). If you see the book in a store, I would LOVE if you could take a photo and either tag it “pnisighting” on Flickr, or send me the photo and I can do it. I’ll be creating a gallery on Flickr soon.
- If you have the book and liked it, please POST A REVIEW! I created a promotion with a great incentive for you to post a review on Amazon.com. Read more at www.personalitynotincluded.com/backcover
- The Reviews & Buzz section of the website has been completely redone, including new sections for podcasts and video interviews: www.personalitynotincluded.com/reviews
- I am speaking at the IAB event in NY on Social Media next week (6/2), a Networking Event for Entrepreneurs in the DC area on 6/4, and doing a featured keynote presentation at the Speaker’s Dinner the night before BlogPotomac in DC. In the next two months I will be in SF, NY, Detroit, and Chicago.
- I participated in my first international event, speaking at mesh in Toronto last week and met a lot of wonderful Canadians (I’m partial to Canadians since I married one!). The book has had excellent media in Canada, being featured in the National Post and several other publications and should be in most local stores by now.
- I just launched the bonus content promised on the last page of the book, so for those of you made it that far, go to the URL mentioned on that page and you can download your very own printable diploma and be an “M.P.”
- A really exciting piece of bonus content I have been talking about for a long time is finally near completion and will come out next week. I’ll be using the same list of folks who let me know they have purchased the book to release this to, so be sure to let me know when you do get the book.

That’s it. Once again, thanks so much for being a part of this group. As I have said before, my intention with these updates is to share the latest about the book and to have a conversation with all of you about everything happening around the book. I promise not to spam you or send updates any more frequently than once every two weeks … and to continually offer you first access to bonus content and exclusive events.

Look for another update in Mid-June and please email me at rohitaustralia@gmail.com if you have any thoughts or suggestions about the book!

May 27

Paul Dunay, a fellow marketing blogger and creator of the Buzz Marketing For Technology Podcast just published an interview we did together a few weeks ago. His show is one of the best for BtoB technology marketers looking for a great professional interview series - I highly recommend subscribing to get all of Paul’s updates.

Below is the transcript and notes from our show:

May 22

I’ll be speaking on a very interesting panel as part of mesh08 in Toronto today. The event is one of the largest interactive marketing events in Canada and has a wonderful gathering of smart folks, including many that I have not yet met (making this an event that stands out from many others here in the US that attract the same speakers and attendees to every conference). Here’s a description of our panel:

Building a Brand on the Web
As the reach and efficiency of traditional media for marketing purposes continues to decline, companies and marketers alike are questioning how they can build a brand identity without any of the usual tools. What strategies make sense for brands when they move online, and how should they be structured to take advantage of the medium? What are some of the pitfalls of trying to use social media to do so? Join a discussion about these and other issues with Rohit Bhargava, author of the new book “Personality Not Included”, Maggie Fox of The Social Media Group and Michael Garrity of CommunityLend, with Mark Evans, moderator.

Afterwards that evening, social media monitoring firm Radian6 is hosting a get together where I will be giving away several free copies of PNI at The Pogues Irish Pub in downtown Toronto. Here are the details in case you happen to be in Toronto and can join us.

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