Most books I have read on Social Media have been a waste of time. This one isnn’t.
In part, that’s because it is a series of chapters in five sections, written by 15 well qualified co-authors from around the world, with eight case studies to finish. There’s nothing unusual about this approach in a business book, but in one about social media, it’s the first time I’ve come across it, and it’s welcome.
As you’d expect, not all the chapters are equally useful, but then, it depends on who you are and why you are reading the book. I read the chapters in order, but you can jump in and out depending on your interest, and by the end of it I had a piece of A4 paper filled with page references and useful advice that I could then use for future meetings on not just social media, but our websites and marketing.
The first section – Foundation – makes the point that if a company is going to have social media, it needs to invest in more than just the technology. It’s also not a good idea to leave the interaction with potentially your best customers to the office intern or, worse, the CEO.
Section II of the book is Strategy Development where the most impressive chapter for me here was by Ged Carroll, based in Hong Kong and Director Digital Strategies at Ruder Finn. Titled “Intent is the new Demographic” it is only 11 pages long – which meant it was quick to read a further two times once I had read it the first time.
As with each chapter, there’s an “Overview” at the start and a “Roundup” at the end, with simple points, in this case questions you should discuss with your colleagues such as “What actions would you like your users or customers to take as a result of your campaign?” As Carroll makes clear, interaction on the destination site is key, and he suggests different ways of intercepting the customer.
Section III is Strategy Delivery – David Marrinan-Hayes of Archant makes good points here with “The Profit Manifesto – Ten rules to ensure positive ROI on your social media activity.”, as does Max Tatton-Brown of PR firm EML Wildfire on prioritizing, managing and taking control of your brand advocates online.
Finally the case studies, everyone from Evans Cycles to Dell and Kodak are worth reading. And for further discussion, there’s even a linkedin group you can continue the discussion. It isn’t quite the MBA that the title promises, but it’s certainly a Diploma.
Tom Otley Most books I have read on Social Media have been a waste of time. This one isnn’t.
In part, that’s because it is a series of chapters in five sections, written by 15 well qualified co-authors from around the world, with eight case studies to finish. There’s nothing unusual about this approach in a business book, but in one about social media, it’s the first time I’ve come across it, and it’s welcome.
As you’d expect, not all the chapters are equally useful, but then, it depends on who you are and why you are reading the book. I read the chapters in order, but you can jump in and out depending on your interest, and by the end of it I had a piece of A4 paper filled with page references and useful advice that I could then use for future meetings on not just social media, but our websites and marketing.
The first section – Foundation – makes the point that if a company is going to have social media, it needs to invest in more than just the technology. It’s also not a good idea to leave the interaction with potentially your best customers to the office intern or, worse, the CEO.
Section II of the book is Strategy Development where the most impressive chapter for me here was by Ged Carroll, based in Hong Kong and Director Digital Strategies at Ruder Finn. Titled “Intent is the new Demographic” it is only 11 pages long – which meant it was quick to read a further two times once I had read it the first time.
As with each chapter, there’s an “Overview” at the start and a “Roundup” at the end, with simple points, in this case questions you should discuss with your colleagues such as “What actions would you like your users or customers to take as a result of your campaign?” As Carroll makes clear, interaction on the destination site is key, and he suggests different ways of intercepting the customer.
Section III is Strategy Delivery – David Marrinan-Hayes of Archant makes good points here with “The Profit Manifesto – Ten rules to ensure positive ROI on your social media activity.”, as does Max Tatton-Brown of PR firm EML Wildfire on prioritizing, managing and taking control of your brand advocates online.
Finally the case studies, everyone from Evans Cycles to Dell and Kodak are worth reading. And for further discussion, there’s even a linkedin group you can continue the discussion. It isn’t quite the MBA that the title promises, but it’s certainly a Diploma.
Tom Otley 
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