Showing posts with label social media marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media marketing. Show all posts

Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition Review

Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition
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Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition ReviewI just attended a seminar by Mr. Schwerdtfeger and the only thing less than excellent about it was trying to pronounce his last name. I am a web business consultant and the problem is that the possibilities of social media are endless. Mr. Schwerdtfeger makes the steps that work clear and sorts out clearly what does and what does not work, and how exactly to use each form of social media. Each chapter is about 4 pages on one subject, and has a checklist of action steps at the end. This is as close to an action plan as you can find. Anyone using or needing to use social media must have this book. He doesn't say "Use Twitter," he tells you how to make it work for you. He doesn't say "Use Linkedin," but tells you what works and doesn't. BTW--he gave an excellent presentation, but you would also want the book as the details are outlined there. I have been to the workshop, reviewed the book, and read the first 8 chapters. I am definitely finishing it this weekend to develop polish up my social marketing action plan.Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed: Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility and Crush Your Competition Overview

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Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success Review

Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success
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Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success ReviewGenerally, I do not think much of books touting an "x" number of solutions, and less so those claiming access to secrets or arcane knowledge. But my quick flip to the introduction on page 4 grabbed my curiosity and I read it all. No regrets. Overall, an easy read, infused with several empirical datasets...(No surprise here, Ramsey has access to all eMarketer's stats anyways).
Quite impressed with the broad scope and the well thought-out perspective on effective digital advertising. I know from experience that articulating a "universal theory" of digital measurement is not an easy feat, even for experienced analytics professionals. But this book made a commendable attempt. With this strong opening on analytics and content established in the first couple of chapters, the book proceeded to weave the concepts into its discussion of the common channels any digital marketer strives to harness today--display, email, search, mobile, and video.
Audience new to or interested in digital analytics or digital marketing should find this book educating (and entertaining in certain respects), providing a good foundation for understanding other content they may encounter on the several good blogs and articles out there. The advanced digital analytics or strategy professional will find the book refreshing and will certainly pick up additional perspective that will serve him/her well as we all navigate this highly dynamic digital space.Digital Impact: The Two Secrets to Online Marketing Success Overview

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Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message Review

Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message
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Citizen Marketers: When People Are the Message ReviewOne of the first things that struck me when I began reading Citizen Marketers, was the ability that Ben and Jackie (calling them McConnell and Huba just doesn't fit) have to take a concept as misunderstood as Social Media, and scale it down to where it is accessible to all, and to do so without talking down to the reader. In fact, the book does such a good job of giving background on the various forms of social media, that it can double as a general primer on the subject.
But where CM shines is in explaining what exactly Citizen Marketing is, who these people are, and what motivates them. I'll be honest, going into reading this book, I was a bit worried that this would simply be a collection of case studies providing examples of citizen marketing, bookended with an introduction and conclusion chapter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, Ben and Jackie have done exhaustive research into the subject of citizen marketing, and instead of simply rehashing examples such as the CGM buzz behind Snakes on a Plane, Jarvis' Dell Hell, or the liberation of Fiona Apple (quite possibly my favorite story in the book, which I'd never heard of previously), Ben and Jackie talked to all the parties involved, and discovered what they did, why they did it, and who they did it for.
Their conclusion was that they were dealing with, concerned citizens. Citizens whose love of their favorite brand compelled them to take action on its behalf. And thanks to the rise of the internet, and more specifically social media, those concerned citizens not only have the tools necessary to produce their own brand marketing, they have the ability to reach others, and mobilize them to share their cause. One person's blog post lamenting the cancellation of a favorite TV show can blossom into a full-fledged petition drive that saves the series. A bad customer service experience at a fast food restaurant can be recorded and uploaded to YouTube within minutes. Jarvis' post about his dissatisfaction over his Dell erupted into Dell Hell, which eventually forced the Austin-based computer maker to totally re-examine their customer-service, and revamp their policy on reading and responding to bloggers(IOW, creating a policy for reading and responding to bloggers).
But in my opinion, the heart of the book lies in Ben and Jackie's breakdown of Citizen Marketers into four distinct categories, which they have dubbed 'The Four Fs', all with their own motivations for their actions:
1. Filters
The Filters collect all manner of stories, blog posts, podcasts, etc. related to a specific topic, and present them in one place. These filters serve mainly as an aggregator for content in all forms related to a particular topic, but also add their own analysis and commentary on occasion.
2. Fanatics
The Fanatics are very similar to evangelists. They love(obsess?) over their favorite brand/product/person/company, and are committed to informing others about this topic. They are in the truest sense of the term 'Customer Evangelist'. But they also have great love for the brand/company/person, and aren't afraid to criticize any action that they feel is detrimental to its progress.
3. Facilitators
Facilitators are community creators/builders. They bring like-minded individuals together around a central framework, usually an only forum or blog. Ben and Jackie liken them to 'online mayors'.
4. Firecrackers
Firecrackers are the one-hit wonders of citizen marketers. They may create a hit sensation viral video, or a blogging meme, and then never be heard from again. As with their namesake, they burn very brightly and quickly, and burn out just as rapidly.
In conclusion, buy this book. It isn't a marketing book, it's a book about your community of customers. What motivates them, and what inspires them to take action, both on behalf of, and against your brand. A customer is shaken from their apathy toward a brand, and spurned to action either in response to a brand's indifference towards them, or as a result of the brand's reaching out and offering the hand of empowerment to them. Right now your brand likely sits on one side of this fence, and gaining a better understanding of your customers and what gives them the incentive to act, will help you understand how they view you.
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The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age Review

The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age
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The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age ReviewPhilip Sheldrake's book on influence is one of the most rewarding reads I've had this year. It's not for the faint hearted and requires concentration as it is simply JAM packed full of nuggets of wisdom and insight. In fact, I think this book will become a reference book for me over the next 6 months. I love the way that Philip tries to help people in my industry align activity and tactics to real business value and insight. I think he provides a thought provoking framework to help shape how businesses are structured and how they need to change mindsets and adjust to the new world that surrounds us all. The Influence Scorecard, builds on the Balanced Scorecard and similar business performance management approaches and is certainly something I want to get my head around so I can take this back into businesses that I work for. I highly recommend this read for ANYONE in marketing, communications and PR, it's simply a must read.The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age Overview

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Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves Review

Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves
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Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves ReviewPenenberg deftly explores the viral growth of businesses through a few historical stages. Tupperware is a good early example, but the book really takes off when he delves into the dawn of the web, a period the author has a tremendous grasp on. He knows this history and the people who shaped it as well as anyone, and brings to it a shrewd analysis that carries through to the more current examples. Unlike too many other books in the category, it is extremely well-reported.
For someone who grew up alongside the Internet, reading the book gave me a richer understanding of the developments that brought us to the current stage. It's impossible not to notice that without a Web there is no Mosaic there is no Netscape there is no IE there is no Google there is no Myspace, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, there is no whatever's next. Every one of those businesses grew in a strikingly similar way. Which means that the next ones will as well; a powerful lesson for anyone working in the digital space.
Viral Loop is a rare business/tech book that looks back lucidly at the past, is astonishingly relevant to what is happening TODAY, and won't seem the least bit dated in the coming years--if anything, I bet it'll seem prescient.Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves Overview

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Beyond Viral: How to Attract Customers, Promote Your Brand, and Make Money with Online Video (New Rules Social Media Series) Review

Beyond Viral: How to Attract Customers,  Promote Your Brand, and Make Money with Online Video (New Rules Social Media Series)
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Beyond Viral: How to Attract Customers, Promote Your Brand, and Make Money with Online Video (New Rules Social Media Series) ReviewShows you the money. If you want to understand the BUSINESS of YouTube, then get this book. As the owner of an upstart, local video production firm, I found this book to be just what I needed; I could see that producing videos for SMBs wasn't going to mean early retirement. This book has helped me shape where I am headed now based on a good dose of money reality and what is working for other people.
In essence, it's video marketing boot camp with heavy emphasis on how YouTube partners are succeeding.
The book covers money, branding, tactics, strategies, and the author's own personal experiences. It's a fun read. It covers how online video is being used by amateur content producers to build a following and how established brands and their agencies are either "getting it" or blowing it.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.Beyond Viral: How to Attract Customers, Promote Your Brand, and Make Money with Online Video (New Rules Social Media Series) Overview

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The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social Review

The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social
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The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social ReviewIn case you've been living in a cave, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund have teamed up and published The NOW Revolution - 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social.
Their new book has been receiving rave reviews and I received a copy with the understanding that I would share my thoughts after reading it...
There is a high probability that this book will frustrate you.
Yes... frustrate you, but follow me here. Jay and Amber have decided to tackle the challenge businesses are facing to adjust to being social and not just doing social. For those of us in or around the "social" industry, we completely grasp this concept.
The NOW Revolution is organized into seven sections - the 7 shifts mentioned in the title. Each shift walks us through the process of becoming social, scalable and sustainable. There are action items, questions, summaries and plenty of additional documents linked via Microsoft Tag technology.
But, you're wondering why this book may frustrate you.
Most companies are not social.
Even the companies that do social.
Most companies have processes and organizational hierarchies that inhibit being social.
If you have a finger on the pulse of where you work... there is a good chance that reading an actionable guide of what you should or can do to infuse social into your business will lead you to the conclusion How the *$&^ am I going to make this happen?
Being a social company is not a fluffy thing. It isn't a trendy thing. It isn't creating cool content that is sharable. It is changing the entire culture of your organization and embracing the fact that there are TONS of things out of your control.
If this was an easy thing to do, we wouldn't need a book, guide, agency or consultant to help.
What will you get out of The NOW Revolution?
- Lots of ideas for things to do within the workplace
- A better understanding of scaling social
- What to look for and cultivate in employees to become more social
- How to handle real-time crises
- A more in-depth knowledge of what listening and monitoring really means
- Potentially frustrated, depressed or overwhelmed trying to make this happen
Again, I'd like to reinforce the fact that if this was easy... every company would be social. This book when read, understood and placed in the correct hands can be a catalyst to help you start the process of becoming social.
Who should read this?
- Ambitious, social savvy folks that don't mind overcoming adversity
- Executives who don't want to be years behind the curve (hint: you're already a few behind)
- Agencies and consultants that are tasked with improving or creating social strategies and business units
This book isn't a get rich quick scheme. It isn't a guide to monetize your blog. It isn't a direct aide to your personal brand. It isn't something one person can read and do themselves. However, this book is one that can be passed around to a few key folks and used as a guide to restructure, revamp, create or destroy business practices and processes.
The NOW Revolution is one of the better books I've seen to tackle the business and organizational challenges of social media and give you a roadmap to improve things.The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social Overview

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Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition Review

Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition
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Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition ReviewI started reading Launch and haven't put it down. Launch is a great book with tons of good info on marketing your business through content and social media. As a frequenter of the Social Media Examiner's Success Summits, it was definitely on my list of must-have books and WOW, I'm so glad I got it. There is not a single chapter that I haven't found useful information. The book covers everything from strategy to implementation and is applicable to any business. It's also an easy read with the chapters split into sections that make the concepts easily understandable and inviting. Enjoy!Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition Overview

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The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers Review

The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers
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The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers ReviewThe Social Customer is the best book I have read about executing social media in marketing. That is a strong statement, but after reading more than a dozen books on the subject, from what exists right now I would recommend you read this book. Read it for ideas and new ways of thinking about social media as it applies to marketing and customer engagement - Social CRM.Here is why.
Adam Metz provides a comprehensive, well through out, and well-presented view of as much of the totality of social media, CRM and marketing as anyone.
Metz provides a simple and descriptive way to think about social CRM. Companies need to recognize that the customer is no longer just a customer but a `social customer' with different needs, ideas and wants. Your brand, product, or service is no longer just that - rather you want it to become a social object. A social object is something that people look at, discuss, and pass from person to person, put their stamp on. These simple ideas are powerful in changing the way you think about social media, branding, marketing building and CRM.
This book is more like a downloaded website on Social Customers and Social CRM than it is a book. It has a heavy focus on implementation decisions and realities rather than trying to make an executive argument about Social CRM. This is a treatment we desperately need to create value from Social CRM.
The table of contents provides the best illustration of the coverage of this book. I found these chapters break into three distinct sections which I have described below:
These first four chapters constitute the firs part of the book that lays out the concepts and argument for Social CRM.
Chapter 1: The Brand as Social Object and the Business for Social CRM
Chapter 2: The "How" and "Where" of Engagement and the Four Social Customer Scenarios.
Chapter 3: Social Customer Relationship Management
Chapter 4: Social Customer Insights and an Introduction to the 23 Use Cases of Social CRM.
The next six chapters detail the 23 Use Cases for Social CRM follow the first part.
Chapter 5: Social Marketing
Chapter 6: Social Sales
Chapter 7: Social Support
Chapter 8: Social Innovation and Product Development
Chapter 9: Collaboration
Chapter 10: Seamless Customer Experience
The third section starts at chapter 11 and focuses on the implementation and operational aspects of Social CRM. Organizational, metrics and operational issues are the focus of these remaining chapters.
Chapter 11: Metrics and Rationale
Chapter 12: The Methodology
Chapter 13: Social CRM Strategy
Chapter 14: Misunderstandings and Failures in Social CRM
Chapter 15: The 98 Percent Customer Management Model
Chapter 16: Social Customer Analytics: How to Tell if Your Team's Doing it Right
Chapter 17: Work Flows and Escalation Paths
Chapter 18: Social Advertising, The Social/Mobile Platform, and Integration with Retail
Chapter 19: The Social Customer and the Law
Chapter 20: Consumer Trust and Ethics
Chapter 21: International Feel
Now 21 chapters in less than 260 pages means that the book is not equally deep in all areas, but each chapter provides a context and links to materials you will need to consider. This book is not a series of blog posts loosely stitched together. The chapters are small, ranging form 6 - 12 pages that provide a connected view of the issue.
Strengths
The book treats the topic of social CRM comprehensively considering it from all angles and aspects. I found the pieces on Social Customer and the Law and the 23 use cases particularly helpful.
Open, in the truest sense of open source and open innovation. Metz liberally borrows and builds on the solid word put forth by others from Greenberg's CRM at the Speed of Light, to Kim and Mauborgne's Blue Ocean Strategy. Metz does not claim to know everything and he builds onto these and other ideas and frameworks. This is in the true sense of open source as these additions advance everyone's thinking.
Flexible as Metz often raises issues through asking you consider various questions, conditions or situations rather than assuming that your company is the same as the others or that all situations require the same solution. This is critical to creating an implementable set of advice.
Challenges
The book is a little vendor centric, particularly at the beginning where it seems that the advice, ideas and recommendations are attributed to people from Social CRM technology companies. This balances itself out as the book progresses.
The book gets a bit ponderous in the middle as you go through the 23 use cases. The march through 21 chapters make some of the middle chapters blend together so its not a bad idea to put it down and come back latter. Definitely read some of the latter chapters on measurement, the law and trust.
The case studies are short, helpful but a little too superficial to give you a sense of their issues and implementation experience.
These challenges are not insurmountable. I would recommend reading the first part of the book, Chapters 1 - 4 and then take a pause. Put the book down for a few days and then read the middle section on the 23 use cases and the last section on implementation details.
Highly recommended as an actionable, practical and integrative resource for engaging the social customer and creating your own social objects. Business Unit Leaders and CEOs will learn what social media applied to marketing and CRM are really about. Marketers and Sales professionals will get new tactics and ways of thinking about social CRM. CIO's and IT professionals will better understand the context of social CRM and the convergence of technology, marketing and the social web.The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers Overview

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The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media Review

The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media
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The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media ReviewI thought I was a semi-expert on social media. That was until I picked up a copy of the New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media. This book will naturally appeal to corporate professionals and sales people who have not yet accepted what potential value Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin (to name a few) may add to their marketing arsenal. On the other hand, there are people like myself -- a Director of Marketing for a small business, a blogger since 2006 and one who's been comfortably Tweeting on behalf of nonprofits, businesses and my own personal agenda since Fall of '08. While I'm fairly comfortable (maybe too) with the branding and communication aspects of social media, reading The New Handshake is helping me to construct "a plan" to make the most of my creative messaging. The introduction alone reads like a well written tale on the history of sales. So, not only is The New Handshake a useful and educational tool for us marketeers, it's a page turner as well. I plan to buy at more copies as gifts for my fellow bloggers, social media-ites and biz buds who are always looking for new ways to advance their careers.The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media Overview

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The Social Media Management Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Get Social Media Working In Your Business Review

The Social Media Management Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Get Social Media Working In Your Business
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The Social Media Management Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Get Social Media Working In Your Business ReviewIn 18 chapters this book places the rise of social media in several contexts: generational, technological, and economic. Chapters address how adopting social media affects a company's marketing and sales, customer service and support, platforms and IT infrastructure, employee responsibilities, recruiting practices, and the duties of the chief information officer and chief marketing officer. The 21 contributing authors explain why social media policies must cross departmental boundaries and isolated practices. They discuss how marketers and business analysts need to adopt new measurement methods to account for the streams of brand-related information consumers constantly post to the web. A company can define its ROI in social media from many angles, including an consumer attitudinal perspective, a behavioral perspective, and an organizational standpoint, as well as from a transactional or conversion standpoint. The book recommends that companies adopt an emerging online communication discipline called Social Community Marketing. From this perspective, brand-building efforts evolve from a mass-marketing model (which aims to acquire as many customers as possible) to a more targeted, tailored approach that initiates and maintains genuine conversations with customers.The Social Media Management Handbook: Everything You Need To Know To Get Social Media Working In Your Business Overview

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Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships (Wiley Professional Advisory) Review

Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships (Wiley Professional Advisory)
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Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships (Wiley Professional Advisory) ReviewMichelle Golden's book, "Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms" is incredibly valuable and worthwhile, right from the start. It may be the definitive book right now to use to understand what "social media" really means and then implement and apply it to your professional firm.
The book is written in a very conversational, informative style, which will be extremely helpful to those new to "social media," as well as those already actively using Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and blogging for business purposes, who want to learn more and go to the next level.
The book is full of real examples, definitions and adaptable suggestions. It will help you to think about your "strategy" and how to implement social media into your business. The book is very well designed, so that it can either be read through, or used as a reference tool to learn more about a specific topic. Michelle clearly explains the rationale and issues regarding social media in general (which is outstanding), then provides the What, Why, and How to use each of these tools, as well as Tips for each. She has even included a very detailed footnote section, for those interested in further reading or support for her content, as well as a thorough Glossary.

This book will definitely be helpful to professional firms (both small and large, for a partner in charge or the social media "champion"), as well as anyone else who has an interest in applying social media for their business. This is an excellent book, which I highly recommend. Anyone who wants to learn more about this topic will find this a must-have book.
Disclosure: I have no relationship with the author of this book, other than being "connected" via Twitter.
Social Media Strategies for Professionals and Their Firms: The Guide to Establishing Credibility and Accelerating Relationships (Wiley Professional Advisory) Overview

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Everywhere: Comprehensive Digital Business Strategy for the Social Media Era Review

Everywhere: Comprehensive Digital Business Strategy for the Social Media Era
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Everywhere: Comprehensive Digital Business Strategy for the Social Media Era ReviewI just finished this book and it does a great job describing the dynamic now in play at every organization regarding social media. It illustrated how social media is going on a whirlwind tour throughout your organization touching areas I never expected it to touch. It's not like the early days of the internet - where you can hire a bunch of coders, stick them in a corner and have them create your website and do all things web - its much more involved and truly touches "everywhere" in your organization. Because of that you need a comprehensive strategy that will involve the whole organization and leverage the human network and human capital typically trapped in organizations of all sizes. This book does an excellent job of explaining and then illustrating with real world examples how to create a strategy that will unlock the power hidden everywhere in your organization. Excellent read - thank you Larry!Everywhere: Comprehensive Digital Business Strategy for the Social Media Era Overview

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Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships Review

Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships
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Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships ReviewIf you work in marketing for any size company there are three reasons you need to buy AND READ this book.
1) You'll gain the knowledge you need to spend your dollars wisely.
2) You'll learn the technical terms that will let you ask the right questions in the right way with the right words.
3) You'll see that you absolutely need to stop whatever you are doing immediately and get a social media strategy. The world is changing before our eyes!
Thanks Paul and Eric for your bravery and willingness to go to market with your book first. I wish I had your foresight and your courage!
Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client RelationshipsSocial Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships Overview

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Measure What Matters: Online Tools For Understanding Customers, Social Media, Engagement, and Key Relationships Review

Measure What Matters: Online Tools For Understanding Customers, Social Media, Engagement, and Key Relationships
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Measure What Matters: Online Tools For Understanding Customers, Social Media, Engagement, and Key Relationships ReviewWe keep hearing that measurement is going to be the most important skill for social media practitioners this year. The ability to match a metric to an objective that will measure a specific outcome will start to separate the social media men from the boys, as they say. If you want to get a handle on that process, this book is for you. If you just want to measure hits, likes and retweets, you just might get a paradigm shift reading the book.
Katie D. Payne's Measure What Matters is the preeminent work in this area to date. I know I'm going out on a limb saying that, because there have been some good books written on measurement. But nothing as thorough and in-depth as this, in my view. I've read them all, believe me.
Even though this book includes some heavy lifting, it's worth the time it takes to read carefully and learn. Those of us without a business or marketing degree may have to slow down in some spots, but for the most part, this book goes at a pace that most marketing and communications practitioners should easily feel comfortable with. I love the fact that the book also offers specfic advice on measuring events, relationships with local communities, higher ed, crisis, internal employee relationships, sales and partner relationships, and the list goes on. It is thorough, and it will open your eyes to the fact that there are much more effective ways of measuring than HITS (How Idiots Track Success). Must read.
Measure What Matters: Online Tools For Understanding Customers, Social Media, Engagement, and Key Relationships Overview

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Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business Review

Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business
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Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business ReviewQualman insightfully advises companies to patiently build relationships with customers through social media, rather than instantly getting a customer's name and e-mail address into its database. "Good businesses realize that it's not all about the instant win of getting someone into a database," he says. "Rather it is cultivating that relationship via social media. If it's done correctly, you will have a relationship that lasts a lifetime." Throughout the book he tries, but doesn't quite succeed, to show how to "correctly" cultivate such relationships.
Another insight: He says on page 111 that marketers will need to create content (news, entertainment, and how-to information, for example) for their websites, not just advertising messages.
Unfortunately, insights like those are few and far between.
Qualman's platitudinous premise is stated in the introduction, and again in the conclusion:
"It's all about the economy, stupid. No, it's all about a people-driven economy, stupid. If anything, I hope that you have learned this from reading this book."
(In the introduction, Qualman explained that the phrase "It's the economy, stupid" was coined in 1992 by James Carville, Bill Clinton's campaign manager. Qualman merely "adjusted" that phrase to create the book's alleged premise.)
After reading the book, I still don't have the slightest idea how the "people-driven economy" differs from "the economy." Or what the adjusted phrase means.
This book is full of superficial anecdotes and miniscule case studies, platitudes and generalizations, unsupported opinions, idle speculation, specious claims, inconsistent style, imprecise language, typos, and bad punctuation.
In some of Qualman's examples, I couldn't tell whether the facts were real or hypothetical. In many of the micro-case studies, he shows how a company accomplished a certain objective through social media, but does not establish that the objectives could not have been accomplished more cost-effectively through other marketing channels.
He describes the case of Dancing Matt--about Matt Harding, who filmed himself dancing around the world and put his videos on YouTube. The videos were hugely popular, so Stride Gum sponsored his further travels and video production. Stride exercised restraint and placed its logo discreetly at the end of the video (in the post roll). Qualman claims Stride earned "millions of dollars in brand equity," but does not support that claim with any data or sources. Is it his own guesstimate, or did the company tell him it earned "millions"? No clue.
He claims that social media activities "connect parents to their kids like never before." He offers no source, data, or study to support that statement, and he is clearly not qualified to offer that opinion.
Regarding microblogging, he says, "What once took place only periodically around the watercooler [sic] is now happening in real time." Huh? What can be more real-time than water cooler conversations?
He says (on page 52) that micro-blogging functions as a kind of log that you can look back on--at the end of a day or week or month--and review your posts and updates. "It's extremely enlightening because it shows you how you are spending what precious time you have." Ah, yes, it's not only improving the way parents relate to their kids, it's therapeutic as well.
As a downside of social media, he says, Generation Y and Z [are having] difficulty with face-to-face conversations." No support for that claim. Is that his personal observation? He's a marketer, not a sociologist.
He says that staying connected, through social media, to the people who elected Obama president will be the "key to his success as president." The key!
He says social media "allows for a government to be more in tune with the country and to truly run as a democracy by stripping away the politics and getting to the core of what matters." Uh huh.
He recites marketing platitudes that have been true for decades or centuries, but treats them as though social media makes them especially true. An example: "Companies that produce great products and services...will be winners in the socialnomic world."
Here is an example of idle speculation. Qualman uses an example involving NBC's failure to put its 2008 Olympics coverage online in certain circumstances. "Most likely, NBC and their advertisers...were judging themselves using old metrics..." Sorry, you can't prove a point with a "most likely." Qualman could have contacted NBC's marketing department and asked them why they didn't. But that would have required real journalism.
Regarding the concept of network neutrality (although he doesn't use that phrase), Qualman says that if Internet service providers start charging for usage ("per stream") rather than a fixed monthly fee, that would be "malicious."
Qualman devotes almost five pages (perhaps the longest case study in the book) to the Scrabulous case, where the Agarwalla brothers created an online game similar to Scrabble, which they called Scrabulous and which attracted 500,000 daily users at its peak. Hasbro, owner of the Scrabble brand, issued a cease-and-desist letter and pushed Scrabulous off the web. Qualman excoriates Hasbro for being heavy-handed in the case, and he quotes several other marketing professionals who likewise criticize Hasbro for being short-sighted. Yet Qualman presents not a single quote or statement from Hasbro, nor does he speculate as to why Hasbro's believed its legal action was necessary.
I could go on, but you get the point.Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business Overview

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Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More Review

Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More
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Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More ReviewThere are two types of books about Social Media Marketing. The first type is a down-and-dirty laundry list of every social media under the sun with detailed information on how to set up a page, put in a nifty background image, post a post, and every other esoterica. But very little theory. The second type is a theory book with lots of mind candy, but short on the details.
Funk's book is more the latter, a theory book. It has lots of interesting theory and tidbits, but few web links and few "how to" examples. It's a concept book, one that gets your mind thinking. It doesn't give you a plan, or a concrete laundry list of to do's. So if you buy this book, also buy a more practical book on Social Media Marketing (or take a class on SMM; I teach Social media Marketing online and in San Francisco - just Google 'Jason McDonald' to find my classes).
But, this book has one precious amazing chapter: Fails and Fiascos. It is the ONLY book I have every read on SMM, and I read a lot of them, that discusses blazing failures. I read these books on BART on my way up to my own Social Media Marketing classes in the city, and I was laughing out loud at 'Jennifer Laycock and the Pork Board,' 'T&J Towing,' and 'Monster Versus Vermonster.' Funk does an amazing job describing these 'Social Media Fails' and he gives you great feedback and food for thought on what might work, and what might blow up in your face in terms of Social Media Marketing.
Most of these books are just cheerleaders for social media. Funk actually gives you some of the down and dirty, explaining - for instance - that the vast majority of Twitter and Facebook pages for businesses just languish in cyberspace.
For that, this book is worth a buy and I will recommend it to my own students who want not to be the next 'Epic Fail' of Social Media but the next 'Epic Success.'Social Media Playbook for Business: Reaching Your Online Community with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and More Overview

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Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media Review

Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media
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Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media ReviewYou always hear about the importance of social media in business. However, many small business owners just don't think it is necessary or think it's for them. This book clears up the questions behind the importance of incorporating social media into your small business marketing and advertising efforts in a simple and fun way.
It's no secret that the one thing everyone carries around these days is a cell phone and access to information is at their fingertips. This book helps you understand how to capitalize on that and not miss out on an opportunity to communicate with your customer in a practical way.
Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media Overview

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Listen First: Turning Social Media Conversations Into Business Advantage Review

Listen First: Turning Social Media Conversations Into Business Advantage
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Listen First: Turning Social Media Conversations Into Business Advantage ReviewQuick Review:
Being a good listener, argues Stephen Rappaport, is an increasingly important skill in the age of effective Internet marketing. This playbook by the Advertising Research Foundation is a detailed (perhaps over detailed) effort to help businesses both small and large learn how to leverage social media as a platform for marketing research. Although quite difficult to read, its value lies in its difference: unlike most social media marketing books, this one is all about listening and research.
I teach Social Media Marketing both online and in San Francisco (you can click on my profile or Google Jason McDonald to find me), and this book is a one-of-a-kind new perspective on social media marketing and reputation management, that I will recommend to my students and colleagues who want to look before they leap into social media marketing!
Detailed Review:
Listen First! Social Media Marketing Research
Marketing ultimately is about selling; marketing is to selling, as strategy is to tactics. So as marketers, we are the eyes and ears of our companies - constantly scanning the environment for opportunities and threats. As Rappaport argues in this book, the new social media landscape provides unprecedented opportunities for us to 'listen in' to our customers - and thereby gain insights into both opportunities and threats.
Whereas previously marketing research was largely about surveys, focus groups, observational methods, and sales data, now we can hear customers as they complain, customers as they praise, customers as they suggest ideas to us (and to each other). Social media venues such as Twitter, Facebook, Yelp and the like are a veritable gold mine of untapped marketing intelligence.
For that brilliant insight alone - I recommend that you buy this book. Heretofore, most social media marketing books have largely been about talking and getting customers to talk about you; this book switches our focus to the logic of listening.
Defining Marketing Objectives
As marketing needs clear objectives, so too does marketing research and so too does listening in to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Rather than provide clear outlines and guides, however, this is where the book falters a bit. It has many, many case studies but all written in small fonts without clear breaks between concepts and best practices. There is a ton of information in the case studies, but it is really up to you (the reader) to tease it out. It's unfortunate that the book's editor didn't know where the BOLD key was in Microsoft word! That would have made the book a lot easier to read, and to get the correct take-aways.
I especially liked the distinctions made. For example, Rappaport distinguishes between Brand Backyards like one's own Twitter account, blog, or forum and consumer backyards such as the Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accounts of others. Too often, corporations have tried to control the social media marketing dialogue rather than embrace the necessary chaos of this new marketing world order.
The case study on Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow who provide bacon-flavored products is especially informative. Rather than getting stuck down with academic research agendas and objectives, the two basically trolled user forums and blogs to realize the obvious: everything tastes better with bacon! From this social media marketing insight a bacon powerhouse was born.
At the level of theory, Rapaport reminds us, an overly academic researcher might have objected to the lack of statistical rigor in the I-love-bacon listening strategy. But, he reminds, us the results (sales!) speak for themselves.
So first define your objectives, and then listen. Or better yet: define your marketing objectives as you listen, and don't get too hung up on social science rigor!
Reputation Management and Social Media Marketing Listening
Among the new social media marketing buzz words is reputation management. Rapaport only touches on this subject, but reminds us that listening is a critical element of an effective reputation management strategy. You have to know your reputation, after all, before you can manage it!
He concludes the book with a list of online resources, that I will peruse and investigate during my summer break. I track hundreds of free social media tools, and I am eager to investigate his picks. My hat goes off to him for having a list of resources as many otherwise great books, leave us hanging. In this age of the Internet, no book is complete without a list of links and Rapaport obliges. Thanks!
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The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age Review

The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age
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The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age ReviewThis is a fabulous book. A lot of marketing experts offer half-baked hints and tips for exploiting the potential of social networks. Rogers, however, has thought long and hard about the implications of the network for companies, and he applies his intelligent analysis to examples in various industries and in politics. His five strategies derive from this analysis. They're clearly presented and supremely actionable. Among the millions of words written about marketing in the digital age, this book stands out as really insightful and important. If you want a deep understanding of the implications of digital connections for marketing, as well as some practical tools you can implement in your own enterprise, this is the book you want. I recommend it very highly.The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age Overview

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