The Web Rebbe

The old proverb in advertising was "Dress British and think Yiddish!" Now, along comes a dyed-in-the-wool Chasid who is an Internet marketing guru!

Let me introduce you to a new friend of mine: Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg. We were introduced by a mutual friend--copywriter and marketing consultant Shel Horowitz.


When I spoke with Rabbi Ginzberg, I asked him how does a Rebbeshe Einekel (scion of a great Chasidic dynasty) become a marketing guru?

"We have a family tradition of giving advice!"

So here is some Rebbeshe advice, based on a talk he gave at Google Headquarters in Israel!

Six Things I Learned Speaking at Google | Marketing, Strategy, Kosher!

Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green for less green

Shel Horowitz--copywriter, ethicist and frugal fun expert--has combined all three in his new book: Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green

The book has only been out a few months, and already sold Italian, Turkish and audio rights. It has more than 50 endorsements from prominent marketers and environmentalists.

And if you grab it now, you can get it at a huge discount. Shel says (with typical candid transparency):

If you've read a different Guerrilla Marketing book, this is completely different. If you've read my 2003 book Principled Profit, there is quite a bit of overlap, but also a whole lot of new material, especially on the environmental side.

Visit http://amzn.to/bASN7D

(then register your purchase on my site to get $2600 worth of bonuses: http://bit.ly/cjQLG0

). Yes, the aliased Amazon link is an affiliate link. After all, I don't see anything more from the publisher unless the book earns out its advance, so the few cents I'll get from Amazon.

Get it now while Amazon is "giving it away."

Book Review: Marketing Maven Magnanimously Mixes Morals and Money

I first discovered Shel Horowitz with his classic Marketing Without Megabucks: How to Sell Anything on a Shoestring.

That book is no longer in print. But not to worry. He completely updated and expanded it into his newer book: Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World. It is a comprehensive from-the-trenches field manual on marketing. If you sell anything you should get this book.

Shel understands marketing and he understands writing. So it should be no surprise that he has also produced a manual for every writer who kvetches "You mean I have to market the book too, not just write it?!" For those of us blessed (or cursed) with the need to put words on paper Shel has now published a guide specifically for writers: Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers. It covers basic marketing truths and new innovations for those who understand (or need to understand) the reality that printed books don't sell themselves.

I good-naturedly sparred with Shel on IAOCblog about blogging ethics. And if there is anything that characterizes his work--in books and for clients--it is a dedicated commitment to ethics. Not all of us are blessed with this commitment. And even many of us who are could benefit from a reminder. Shel provided a gentle reminder in what he seems to consider his magnum opus. Not in size, but in significance. In Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First Shel forcefully and convincingly makes the point that you don't have to be a hustler to be a successful marketer. And he backs up his message with a guide to moral marketing.

You don't have to be religious to love Principled Profit. Give it a try. You may never go back to three-card Monte.