I remember sitting down in 2014, and writing the first edition of my book; Think #Digital First, hoping that it would be a success. I could never have imagined that I would be writing this, talking about writing a second edition.

On the 12th September, I held the official launch event for the second edition of Think #Digital First at Waterstones in Piccadilly, London. It all started with bubbles and nibbles till 6.45pm when I share “who” I wrote the book for, taking everyone on a personal journey that changed my life forever.

After a quick break I spent 30 minutes talking about how I had come up with the idea of the book, why i decided to write the book and my business model behind the book. I then finished with “whom” the book is for, and what they can expect to take-away from reading the 2nd edition compared the the 1st. 

The second edition of Think #Digital First was more than just a book to me. It allowed me to share the journey my wife and I had gone through over the last 2 and a half years, and how I I’m focused on a “lifestyle” and not a work-life balance, and reached huge milestones in both my personal life, and professional life.

It has also allowed me to talk about 3 years of research to design a new online methodology and update everything that has changed in past 3 years.

The night in question was everything I had hoped for. Being able to hold my book launch at the one and only Waterstones in their flagship store was something I will remember forever. The launch was filled with a great mixture of family, friends and audience members and previous clients that were all there to celebrate such an important moment with me, including my wife and my daughter; Dixie.

 

Before I share some information about the second edition of Think #Digital First, along with how you can purchase your copy there are a few people I would like to thank.

To my family; mum, Paris Starr, Barry and Carole; thank you for being there and helping on the evening, and always supporting me. To some of my closest friends; Karl and Patrice a special mention to Torben who flew all the way from Copenhagen to come to the launch… And to everyone from the evening that made it so special for me… thank you.

 

And finally, to my wife; Zoe. Thank you for being my rock and giving me the greatest gift in life; my beautiful baby girl Dixie.

About Think #Digital First Second Edition

The second edition of Think #Digital First is an updated, and revised version of the original “Marketing Book Of The Year Finalist”; Think #Digital First.

Information I had previously shared around the social networks had changed. I knew that because the online world had evolved, that I also wanted to completely re-write the book, and bring it as up-to-date as possible.

Think #Digital First Second Edition is a workbook designed for creative entrepreneurs, business owners and sales and marketing managers that shares with them the importance of having the right mindset to focus on technology, sales and marketing.

I have analysed exactly what my audience wants from me, and I have taken what was a readable book, and turned it into a workbook. The way you learn has evolved, and I knew that I needed to do something different and unique. The second edition of Think #Digital First is a unique combination of how-to’s and real-time worksheet implementation.

Chapter Breakdown

Step 1: Being The Most Successful You

As I’ve matured, my priorities have shifted. In my 20s I was passionate about life, and work; making mistakes along the way. In my 30s I tried to settle down, keeping my work and home life very separate. Now I’m in my 40s. I have the same passion for my work, but am married, with a beautiful baby girl, and merging work and family to give me the” lifestyle” I want.

The second edition chapter one is all about understanding what makes a successful entrepreneur, and the importance of doing what you love. I share with you how doing what I love has bettered me as a business owner, and we give you an in-book worksheet so you can become the most successful you.

Step 2 – Your Framework For Success

What is the end goal for your business? Where do you and your business want to be in three years? Perhaps more importantly right now; where do you see your role in your business in the next 12 months? I asked myself that exact question when I wrote the first edition of this book, and everything I visualised and put on my vision board has come true, and actually turned out better than I could have imagined.

The revised second chapter focuses on building a business plan, defining your business and truly understanding what your target audience wants from you as a business. Chapter two is a workbook that will help you define your marketing plan, brand style guide, strengths and weaknesses as a business owner and the type of entrepreneur you are.

Step 3 – Protecting Your Time To Focus On Sales

One thing I’ve learnt in last three years since first writing this book, and using this chapter as a mantra for everything I do on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, is the impact it’s had on my life.

Making the decision to have a ‘lifestyle’ where my work and family are one and not a work/life balance, has meant that I’ve not only had to value my time (not to every 30 minutes but every 10 minutes) but also my organisation (me and my team) as well as my personal commitments. Something I’ve taken away from this is the knowledge of how my energy shifts throughout the day.The way I was working three years ago is very different to today.

This chapter will share with you exactly how to manage your time effectively, so that you can focus on sales.

Step 4 – Building Your Business For Fast Growth

When I first looked at writing a second edition, I knew that this chapter would need the most work.

One thing which I say to every business owner that is sat in front of me as a client, or as an audience member at one of my talks is social media will not fix a broken business. If you don’t have the framework in place, to allow social media to become a piece to your business puzzle, it won’t make the perfect picture.

Whilst the focus of this chapter is still the same, the content is completely different. Inside of this chapter, I will share with you the latest features inside of the main social networks and how you can use Google and SEO to your advantage. In this chapter, I also go into great detail about the importance of digital marketing and how you can use email marketing, blogging, content marketing to promote your business online.

You will be excited to know that if you have a copy of the first edition, you will find that this chapter has been updated, and has doubled in size!

Step 5 – Technology For Business Success

Since launching my online training platform; ThinkDigitalFirst.com, I’ve been testing out a number of new tools which have helped me and my team not only to work collaboratively, but to stay focused on the tasks at hand. The tools that I mention in this book are here to help you  grow a business, whether that’s locally, nationally or internationally. Some of the tools mentioned in the original copy of Think #Digital First are no longer around, or have been outperformed by alternative tools taking the market by storm.

Step 6 – Your Strategy And Implementation Plan

This chapter, for me, is about bringing everything together to convert visitors into prospects and prospects into happy customers who become 24/7 brand advocates.

The first edition of Think #Digital First sold thousands of copies and because of this success, I decided, as the author, to reach out to the readers to ask for their feedback.

I did this to help me design a strategy based on where “you” are in your business right now, and how social media and digital marketing can truly work for you.

So based on the feedback I received, I’ve decided to break this chapter into three Sections; preparation, getting started and growth.

Step 7 – Improving Your Customer Loyalty

Throughout this chapter, I talk about the best ways to increase customer retention, and why I feel that building your personal brand is an important part of building a successful business.

Over the last three years my personal focus has been on building my personal brand. When I wrote the final chapter of this book for the first edition, I focused on the importance of technology and using this to achieve your customer retention outcome. Now, rewriting this book and especially this chapter, I reached out to my peers and customers within the industry and got feedback from them on the one thing that made them keep on wanting to work with me.

Unanimously, they said it’s because of how I’ve grown my personal brand online, and how I utilise customer loyalty and brand advocates who will happily go and talk about my business to their community.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the second edition of Think #Digital First, you can do so here.

 

I would love to hear your feedback on the book, and I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I have enjoyed writing it!