Review: An amazing marketing "secret weapon"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 12, 2013
These days, especially for new businesses, it's not easy to rise above the sea of competitors--the more saturated the industry you're in, the more difficult it is to set your own brand name apart from a raging sea of rivals that are all working hard to do the same for their own brands. But every once in a while you stumble into a book that makes you exclaim "Eureka!" or "Why didn't I think of that?" in such a staggering way that you can only shake your head.That's why Alina Vincent's `You Stock: Increase Sales by Branding with Personalized Marketing Photography' is such an eye-opener. Just when you're running out of places to go to in order to find fresh, effective actionable marketing ideas, you see this book and clouds are parted. Basically, what Vincent is saying is that when you're trying to think up a recognizable image for your brand, you don't have to conjure out of thin air--you can use YOU. Yes, you, the unique individual, the pretty snowflake, the only one in the whole wide world who knows every shade of identity of your own business.Vincent refers to this as `You Stock'--as opposed to the stock photos used by businesses to represent their service or brand, `You Stock' uses your own face, your own photos--because after all, you can safely bet no one else is like you, right now, in the entire planet. That's the thesis--but the book goes on to provide a helpful guide on how to go about it--from a strategic marketing point of view. Sure, you can take a selfie, print it out and paste it on the box of your product--but why not take it to a higher, professional level, where your very image inspires trust--trust in your service and your brand?Vincent writes in an easy-to-understand, no-nonsense, knock-some-sense-into-you kind of writing: she's always straight to the point, no fluff, just actionable information you can benefit from right away. Everything you read in this book also comes from the burning crucible of her own experience in branding her own business with her face: the littlest iota of marketing wisdom here feels hard-won, and all the more real and priceless.Overall, `You Stock' is a great addition to your marketing arsenal, and if you haven't followed the book's advice already, then you're wasting precious time. `You Stock' can be your secret weapon--and based on my own experience, can be your own life-saver. I highly recommend this to any business owner!