eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and optimising your digital marketing (Emarketing Essentials) [Paperback]

e-Marketing eXcellence, third addition, covers the entire scope of e-Marketing:
Objectives - Do you want to sell? build a brand? talk to and or serve customers?
e-Models - e-commerce, communications, online revenue, web2.0.
e-Customers - Who are they? why do they/don't they buy online? how do they buy? how do you build relationships with them? how do they communicate with each other?
Tools - Not just the internet! iDTV, Digital Radio, Mobile etc.
Site design - Establishing the purpose of the site, best practice design, navigation, structure and copywriting.
Traffic building - SEM, display advertising, e-mail, viral, PR.
CRM - Developing lasting relationships with your customers - database marketing, profiling and personalisation.
e-Business - From value chains to value networks; an analysis what's involved in setting up and managing an e-Business.

The main body text is well written, and the depth of coverage for each topic is just right for a book this size.

Throughout the book you'll find the following boxes:
e-Marketing Excellence - Real world case studies of how large corporations have used the topic being discussed in that part of the book.
Practical/Best Practice e-Marketing tip - Specifics on how you can use the topic being discussed in your own e-marketing campaigns.
e-Marketing Insight - Views from corporations, technology providers (e.g. Google), e-Marketing experts to get you thinking in multiple directions.
The book is also littered throughout with high quality charts, graphics and screenshots of actual websites, all in colour, to give you actual examples of how these techniques are being used.

This third edition of the book has extensive coverage on the latest trends in e-Marketing - viral marketing, web2.0 approaches such as social networking and online PR.

One of the highlights of this book, for me, is thorough coverage of the SOSTAC® approach to e-Marketing planning. Created by Paul Smith (who is a co-author of this book), the model provides a structured framework for building your e-Marketing plans. The model can be applied to projects from small to massive. The book concentrates on how to apply the SOSTAC® model specifically to e-Marketing. Essential reading for anyone involved in writing e-Marketing plans.

This book has broadened my knowledge of e-Marketing in a way that I would not have been able to do so without it. I found myself constantly thinking in new directions when reading it. I now have an appreciation of many more aspects of what's involved when planning for, implementing, and testing e-Marketing campaigns, and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone involved in all aspects (strategizing, managing, implementing) of e-Marketing. The book also serves as an excellent resource for the e-Marketing student.

Increasing your understanding of digital marketing can be quite an intimidating exercise. There are a mass of books on the subject each professing to have the best route to developing your skills. In my opinion eMarketing Excellence is probably the most accessible and comprehensive of the books around.

It is pretty clear from the opening chapters that the authors have been able to draw on their experience both as practitioners and as trainers. The sections are discretely and logically titled and subtitled. Each chapter has very clear boxed sections providing insights and real-world examples -importantly drawn from both B2C and B2B environments - and the chapters close with useful summaries.

The book's target market is probably new marketers or those already in marketing but looking to add digital to their skill set, but It's examples and breadth make it just as interesting to those already familiar with the digital arena. Particularly useful in this regard are the chapters that include aspects of planning, strategy and measurement.

This isn't a sit down and read on one session book, but more like the manual you leave on your desk or have close to hand so you can dip in and out.

I was introduced to eMarketing Excellence when I was taking the Chartered Institute of Marketing's eMarketing award. It is an essential reference book for anyone wanting to know more about eMarketing.

Chaffey and Smith move beyond the 4Ps, 7Ps or 8Ps into `remix' and gets the reader to review how these work in an online setting. Full of marketing models (and matrices), it is clearly presented and easy to follow. Case studies and real world examples clarify specific topics.

Since reading the first edition of the book I bought this edition too. On a practical note we use the 5S tool to review websites as it gives an objective benchmark from which to start.

The book contains practical tips, links to other websites and I recommend this book highly - I've sent the link to many colleagues as a worthy read.