If you visit the Amazon page for The New Influencers, you’ll probably find that the Amazon recommendation engine pairs the book with the latest from David Meerman Scott: The New Rules of Marketing and PR. I’ve just finished David’s book (his third) and highly recommend it.

David’s premise is that marketing and PR have been forever changed by the Internet and that marketers who continue to mine traditional channels of influence are missing the boat. He argues persuasively that the new opportunity is to speak directly to customers – without going through intermediaries – and to engage them in mutually satisfying conversations that lead to long-term relationships.

This is the same basic premise of my book, only I focused exclusively on social media tools. David takes more of a macro approach, incorporating press releases, websites and fundamentals of good marketing. The last third of the book is full of useful how-to information, ranging from basics of tagging and podcasting to some excellent advice on how to write for your customers.

The new world of marketing is scary to a lot of people, but that’s because change is scary. In The New Rules, David Meerman Scott outlines an exciting and opportunity-filled landscape that should energize every marketer. You need to read this book.