"Brand Against The Machine"--An Interview with the author John Morgan

Last year, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing someone that I respect a great deal in the social media marketing community.  I had a problem last year, and that problem was that I didn't have a voice over the internet. People weren't listening to my fitness updates or me in general.

I couldn't motivate and inspire others the way I saw on other fitness blogs and social media webpages.  That is until I read Mr. Morgan's book.  John Morgan literally changed my marketing plan on the internet, gave me a voice by utilizing his social media skills and tools to create an interactive page with supporters and contributors.


I am forever in debt.  Here is our interview and here are some social media tips:

First and foremost let me say what an honor it is to interview you and let me also tell you my back story of your book.  In 2009-2010... I was "that guy" on Facebook.  The guy who posts 10x a day about his boot camp business.  The guy who hits people on their facebook wall, (and in the face lol) with information thinking he is making a stamp or imprint in a new market when he is really making his friends in real life not want to be his friends online.  

I WAS..."the machine"....I was every bit of it and more. Your book helped me understand the difference between marketing with an underground irrigation system, versus marketing with a fire hose aimed at unsuspecting facebookers noses. 

So let me just dust off my knees from bowing real quick and ask you some questions. 

• Q: Just for anyone who may not know how much their business needs you, tell us what kind of products you offer and what you are known for? 

A: I help businesses market and position their brand as the go-to resource in their industry. I do that through my blog, my book Brand Against The Machine, and more in-depth in my coaching program and one-on-one consulting. I'm known for never pulling a punch and telling businesses what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.

• Q: So you wrote a book that pretty much changed my life and made me stop being "that guy" on Facebook. I have read your entire book cover to cover, but could you tell us a specific tip or snippet of the book that you think is the most important? 

A: The harsh reality of marketing and business is that your visibility is more important than your ability. You can have the greatest product or service in the world, but if no one knows you exist you'll go broke. The other side of that is when you have some visibility your ability must be good enough to win people over. But you can't win anyone over if they don't know about you.

• Q: One of the most important take-a-ways for me was not to link your Twitter and Facebook together.  With the prevalence of things like "HootSuite" and other social media apps that allow you to link up like many people are doing, why is this point so important? How come so many people are on HootSuite and report success with the same updates on all social media outlets? 

A: There are many reasons to link platforms in that way, but one of them is simply that the language doesn't cross-over. A hashtag on twitter makes sense, but when it shows up on Facebook it looks silly. You can't assume everyone on Facebook is familiar with twitter lingo. Also, as tools make it easy to just blast a message across each channel we tend to get lazy on engagement. Engagement is the key to social media success...if you're going to be on a channel then be present there.

• Q: How many books have you written and what is your favorite? 

A: Brand Against The Machine is my first book. For years I put off writing one until I could write a book jammed-packed with actionable strategies that are proven to work. I feel I've done that. I'll be writing more books in the future, and already have the concept for my next book worked out. That being said, Brand Against The Machine has only been out a few months, so I'll be working on getting it in people's hands for awhile before I think about the next book.

• Q: You mention several social media and SEO or Marketing Gurus.  I don't want to put you on the spot.  OK I'm putting you on the spot.  Whose book influenced you the most? 

A: Seth Godin is my favorite author. I'm fan of all of his books. Some other books that have influenced me the most are a bit older. Michael Gerber's The E-Myth changed my life. Also, Napoleon Hill's Think & Grow Rich should be required reading for all entrepreneurs. And while these books are newer, I'm a big fan of ReWork by Jason Fried and Unmarketing by Scott Stratten.

• Q: What is the quickest way for a business owner to completely de-rail their social media presence online? Can you give us an example? 

A: Voicing your political opinion is the fastest way to alienate 1/2 of your audience. Everything we do is branding. This means each status update we post is either hurting us or helping us. Your brand is on display 24/7. If your brand is known for being straight-laced then tweeting about getting wasted probably isn't a good thing. 

• Q: Lastly, [this is more of a greedy question for me, based on my previous story....but I'm sure other people will benefit.]  How can you get people to stop looking at you as "The Machine" or "That guy or girl" on Facebook or Twitter assaulting their timeline with updates when you have been exactly that to them for so long that they have hidden your updates? Is the damage already done? Or can you win them back?  

A: You can certainly win them back, but you'll have to be patient with it. You start by being pro-active in engaging with them. Don't wait for them to engage with you, go out and start commenting on their posts and updates. As the relationship builds they'll start paying attention again. When that happens remember to be a resource to them and not just a service provider. Educate and help people first. The sales WILL follow.

John Morgan is known as the Chuck Norris of branding and is the author of the best selling book Brand Against The Machine, which is one of Amazon's top rated marketing books. He is an in-demand public speaker and he is the go-to consult for some of the world's largest brands. You can follow John at his blog at http://johnmichaelmorgan.com 

John Morgan is known as the Chuck Norris of branding and is the author of Brand Against The Machine. With his popular blog (www.JohnMichaelMorgan.com) and being an in-demand public speaker and consultant, he is a globally recognized authority on branding and digital marketing.