FREE DOWNLOAD: Balter's buzz book

Whether you realize it or not, you're here to download a free copy of The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II by BzzAgent Founder & CEO Dave Balter.  And whether you realize it or not, you want to.  I'm one of just 20 big mouth bloggers through whom the e-book is available and, while you certainly could download the book from any one of us, I know you love me best.  Click here and within minutes you'll be paging through Dave's brand spankin' new e-book.

If you're more of a printed word kinda person and would rather order the limited edition paperback, you can do that by following this link instead.

And if you're a blogger or Twitterer, or love to share links on DIGG or StumbleUpon -- this is the link you'll want to use to help me spread the word.

Download or buy the book, and enjoy -- but don't think you'll escape without having to suffer through a proper blog post right here.  Read on...

So Balter is onto something interesting with this experiment in book publishing and distribution, methinks.  Having chosen to self-publish The Word of Mouth Manual, Volume II, Balter then decided to practice what he preaches and put the book in the hands of some influential big mouthed bloggers, point his network of BzzAgent word-of-mouth evangelists to our blogs for their very own fee copies, and see how fast and far word spreads -- as measured by e-book downloads.

But here's the thing -- Dave's book (and business) isn't really about tapping into the power of so-called influentials or sparking the fast burn and just-as-fast fizzle of so-called 'viral' marketing.  If anything, it's about the opposite -- the power of encouraging (and incentivizing) people of all stripes to become passionate users and advocates of a given product; so much so that they want to tell their friends about it.  Just like I'm telling you about Dave's book.

Let me put it another way.  I get lots of blogger outreach emails.  I've been sent dozens of free books, unsolicited, presumably because the publishers figured I might blog about them.  Dave did something a bit different -- he solicited me to participate in an experiment, he put the product in my hands (multiple copies actually - tune back in to find out how you can win your own copy of the limited edition printed version), he engaged me in a back-and-forth email dialogue to make sure I had everything I needed and, at the end of the day, made me an active and willing participant.  In turn, hopefully I'll make you a willing co-participant too.

But OK, enough shilling.  Is the book any good?  I read it over the weekend -- actually, I read it in about an hour; it's a small book and a quick read.  And it's definitely full of smart insights and practical tips from one of the premier purveyors of 'organized word of mouth.'  That one phrase (organized word of mouth) lies at the heart of this book, because while Balter clearly recognizes that some brands can and do capture lightning in a bottle, he argues (and I'd agree) that most of us aren't so lucky -- and can benefit from a bit of help in stimulating consumer-to-consumer conversations.  He aims to show you how...

Here are some of the points Dave addresses, often through compelling real world case studies:

• The difference between plain old product sampling and the use of product to incentivize word of mouth.  Hint: it's not the thing as much as it is the talk about the thing.
• Why organized word of mouth isn't sleazy or underhanded -- and how you keep from attracting losers and liars who just want to get a bunch of free stuff.
• The difference between viral and word of mouth, and why the latter is more likely to produce predictable lasting impact for marketers (but also why marketers often get lured into trying the former.)
• Some of the hallmarks of successful word of mouth programs, and how you can set the stage for WOM success.

Sound good and useful?  Then download and read your FREE copy of The World of Mouth Manual, Volume II.

As an added bonus, you'll understand why I'm holding a banana, opened from the bottom rather than the top, in the photo that illustrates this post.  However, only I know why I'm wearing a mock-vintage Whitesnake t-shirt, despite the fact that I've never particularly liked Whitesnake. Now maybe that's something worth talking about...