In an attempt to give my clients a better understanding of Social Media Marketing (and how this fits into their overall marketing strategy), I’ve been looking for a good book that can help explain how to create a social media marketing strategy, how to integrate with other marketing channels, and how to measure success. I can now tell you I’ve screened over two dozen social media marketing books, and very few appear to meet my criteria. I’ve narrowed it down to two hopefuls, and two books that aren’t quite what I’m looking for but could be helpful.
First up, I’m hopeful for these books:
Social Media Marketing for Dummies
I know it’s a “Dummies” book – but they aren’t all bad. In fact, sometimes these are the best tools to introduce novices to new techniques and ideas. They’re simply written and easy to follow, and the format makes it easy to find exactly what you want or ingest bite-size chunks when you have time.
If the Table of Contents of Social Media Marketing for Dummies is any indication, I’m particularly interested in Chapter 4: Launching SIM campaigns. I’m hoping it actually contains some practical advice, and not just a bunch of platitudes and 10,000-mile view. This hope might be overly optimistic… but I’m going to buy it and see.
Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day
The other book I’m optimistic about seems to be a much more likely option. Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day appears to have some nice, focused, practical advice on developing, implementing and measuring a social media campaign. This is the updated second edition, but the first addition has a lot of positive reviews, and the Table of Contents is very promising.
I’m buying this in addition to the Dummies book, and while I intend to look at the Dummies book first, I’m more excited about what this one might contain. If I’m lucky, this will have the information and strategies I want to convey to my clients, so I can just recommend the book instead of reinventing the wheel every time I work with a new startup.
Promising General Social Media Books
What I’m currently looking for is books that will help my clients develop and execute an integrated social media strategy. But I’ve inadvertently discovered a couple of books that appear as though they might offer some good tips on developing a brand, creating good content and engaging followers and customers. I’m looking forward to checking these books out as well, although the priority isn’t as high for me. But if you’re in the market for this type of book, check out:
- Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks)
- Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (New Rules Social Media Series)
I’ll be working my way through these other books in the meantime, and hope to have a solid recommendation (or begin drafting my own social media marketing book) by the end of the week!
