Ok, so forgive me, this post will read a bit like a sales pitch. But, I’ve been asked this question a lot lately – so I thought I’d pen a reasonably complete answer. If you don’t work in marketing. And/or, you’re not interested in what marketing professionals might get from this book… please stop reading. I won’t mind. Promise.
Watertight Marketing has been selected as this month’s Book of the Month by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Which means it’s a recommended read for their membership of marketing professionals.
But, they do marketing for a living… so, what’s in it for them? I wrote this book for entrepreneurial business owners. People without a marketing background. If you’re working as a marketing consultant, or client-side marketing professional, what will you get from it?
Here are 9 things that seasoned professional marketers have told me they got from reading Watertight Marketing:
1. A powerful language to talk to non-marketers
If there’s one thing that really holds marketers back from being taken seriously by their colleagues; it’s not being understood. It’s ironic, being as we’re professional communicators, but marketing people often use far too much jargon and forget that their colleagues aren’t steeped in marketing theory. This book is marketing, written in plain English. So, if you have ever wondered how to express a bit of key marketing theory without your MD’s eyes glazing over… this book might just do the trick.
Watertight Marketing highlights the need to forget jargon. Marketing professionals should embrace the process as the perfect way to explain concepts to clients.”
Luan Wise, Marketing Consultant
2. A structure to run through your activity
It’s very, very, easy to get so busy ‘doing’ marketing that there’s often little time put aside to structure to your activity. This is particularly true in a fast-moving entrepreneurial business. The Watertight Marketing Framework, and the exercises in the companion workbooks, get you to a snapshot plan that you can get onto one side of A4. This will make sure that all of your activity comes together to support sales results.
An excellent book that explains marketing in a ‘what you need to’ way, and it really makes you think about how your customers make their buying decisions and how you can get your marketing messages right for each stage. Perfect to use as a structure for a client engagement. Plus, with all the additional resources you can access a lot of well thought out support. Definitely a book that will make things happen.”
Ben Wheeler, Marketing Consultant
3. Clarity on prioritising key marketing improvements
Even the best marketing operations can see a major uplift with a few small tweaks. Using the Thirteen Touchpoint Leaks, and the Traffic Light Report exercise as a guide – you can quickly work out where to focus some energy, and in what order. In fact, using the process in the book, you can turn 2% improvement into 127% return.
4. Powerful visuals to use with your team and Board
People in marketing leadership positions are often words people. They’re good at writing and talking, if a little verbose (<~ see what I did there 😉 ). If you’re able to complement those brilliant words with powerful visuals you’ll get even more people on-board with your plans. Watertight Marketing has a cartoon or diagram about every three pages. They’re the kind of images and diagrams that translate brilliantly to a whiteboard. That’s how I use them! And, I’m delighted to hear that it’s how professional readers of the book are using them too. .
These days everyone wants information that’s fast to digest and easy to implement. Watertight Marketing does both – simple and clear logic with practical exercises to really get hold of your marketing. You can literally see yourself reaching inside that bucket for results.”
Cheryl Crichton, Marketing Consultant
5. Clear argument and language to defend your marketing budget
The budgeting chapter is probably my favourite. Now, when did you last hear a marketer say that?! Seriously, I love budgeting. The budgeting chapter gives you a six step guide to producing a visual snapshot of how and where marketing money is being spent. Used wisely it can turn a budgeting meeting completely on its head. So, if you are asking for more money, or defending the marketing budget you have… use it. It works!
6. Clear and practical guidance on marketing measurement
Ah, the perennial. Marketing measurement. Deep joy… your MD has just asked you when that awareness campaign will turn into revenue. In the chapter on Mindful Marketing Measurement, I go through three guiding principles to setting up an approach to measurement that means you can make sound decisions.
7. Compelling ways to get your business to look to the long term
This is why I wrote it! I want to cure small businesses of their ‘quick-win addiction’ and convert them instead to practices that will build them a sustainable and growing business.
As many marketing consultants will no doubt echo, I usually start an engagement when a business looks to marketing because they think they need to generate more leads. After a looking beneath the surface, it usually becomes crystal clear that this sort of quick-win approach isn’t sustainable. If you’ve ever needed to convert an MD or sales director from a hard-sell mindset to a long-term marketing-oriented approach… read this book, Or, even better… get them to read it.
“Watertight Marketing distils marketing theory into simple truths set against a clear, powerful framework. It’s a perfect gift for our clients – many of whom don’t come from a marketing background and need to understand how to get long-term sales results. 100% jargon free, Bryony’s book will stand the test of time.”
Sonja Jefferson, Content Marketing Strategist, Valuable Content
8. Worked examples to act as inspiration
Without being inside a business, it’s hard to get a handle on the end-to-end set up. Case studies in books, awards and conferences are rarely more than edited snapshots. Hands-up, Watertight Marketing has these case studies too. But, to give a comprehensive view, from a business perspective, I made up a fictional company.
This gave me the freedom to go into a level of strategic detail a real business would never expose. I use this to bring every idea in the book to life with a fully worked example. There’s even a full set of brand guidelines, a full marketing budget, and more. Marketing professionals as are finding this really helpful as inspiration and templates for their own approach.
9. Brilliant interview material for that promotion!
If you’re looking to make the move from marketing manager to marketing director, moving agency to client-side or taking the leap from corporate to small business… I know you’ll find this book enormously helpful as interview preparation. Mainly because it will help you to stop sounding like a marketing person (sorry, but we have a bad reputation) and start sounding like a well-rounded business person.
So, that’s what I think you’re getting from it. But, I’m not you… so, I could be wrong.
Are you a marketing professional who’s read the book? What did you get from it?
© Bryony Thomas – The Watertight Marketer.
Bryony Thomas
Author & Founder, Watertight Marketing
Bryony Thomas is the creator of the multi-award winning Watertight Marketing methodology, captured in her best-selling book of the same name. She is one of the UK's foremost marketing thinkers, featured by the likes of Forbes, The Guardian, Business Insider and many more, and in-demand speaker for business conferences, in-house sales days and high-level Board strategy days.
