It’s not a surprise that social media books are prolific! With many being published faster than new Ashton Kutcher Twitter followers, there has been no definitive Top Ten list published to date. With over 17 million unique Twitter visitors and 100 million registered Facebook users (as of this moment in time), I have selected what I think should make a Top Ten list. And perhaps one day when the NY Times Book Review decides to designate their own list, they will agree with my selections. A Readers’ Poll is available for you to vote for your favorite at the end of the blog…
1- Barack Obama’s Social Media Lessons for Business -by David Bullock & Brent Leary
This lesson plan outlines the multichannel marketing sequence used by the Obama campaign to win the 2008 Presidential Election. Video, audio, microblogging, traditional blogging and user generated content are a few of the business applications examined in this guidebook. This case study is the definitive reference for the use of social media as it applies to effective business promotion for political campaigns, company strategy and organizational management.
2- Strategies and Tools for Corporate Blogging -by John Cass
If advertising and public relations were the best ways to connect with a company’s audience through traditional media, and blogs are the best way to connect with millions of customers through the medium of online consumer generated media, then how can companies best use blogs to connect with their audience through the medium of consumer-generated media? The answer is through blogger relations, the process of interacting with bloggers and blog readers to get a company’s message to a targeted audience. This book targets business people, marketing professionals, public relations firms, search engine optimization and online marketing agency staff.
3- International Communications Strategy -by Silvia Cambie & Yang-May Ooi
The strategies defined here are about the cross-cultural challenges currently facing PR practitioners. Providing information on alternative communication approaches as well as cross-cultural case-studies, International Communications Strategy will give readers points of reference and ideas to use when they are asked to provide strategic communication guidance to senior management or clients.
4- Facebook Marketing: Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business -by Steve Holzne
Profit from Facebook! In Facebook Marketing, best-selling author Steven Holzner reveals new social marketing techniques that do work, and shows you exactly how to make the most of them. Using actual case studies, Holzner introduces powerful new techniques from today’s smartest Facebook marketers…and helps you avoid pitfalls that could have cost you money and credibility
5- Content Nation: Surviving and Thriving as Social Media Technology Changes Our Lives and Our Future -by John Blossom
Find out how social media communications is changing the content provider industry in Content Nation. Developed through a collaborative wiki, this book is a collection of information from social media experts and serves as an example of how social media impacts the way we provide and receive content. You will learn how social media changes the way businesses market products and services, influences how people interact with the government, and dictates how we communicate with one another on a personal level.
6- Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social Media to Maximize Value and Build Their Brand -by Shel Holtz & John C. Havens
While exposing the risks inherent in maintaining a nontransparent relationship with customers, Tactical Transparency provides a methodology that will help your organization create its unique plan to bring greater authenticity to your company and your brands. Drawn largely from interviews with leaders within companies that have achieved measurable success in this space, authors Shel Holtz and John C. Havens provide step-by-step details on how executives and professional communicators can create a transparent strategy that will keep their organization competitive in the twenty-first century.
7- Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success -by Dan Schawbel
According to the Miami Herald, Schawbel presents a very detailed and comprehensive guide to employing a full arsenal of mostly online tools – including social networking – to develop a public persona that will enable you to be the go-to person for your area of expertise. In addition, he provides a very thoughtful set of self-assessments and bullet points for evaluating and acting upon the appropriate combination of tactics to ensure that top of mind attention is paid.
8- The Social Media Bible – by Lon Safko & David K. Brake
Realizing that social media is dramatically impacting businesses, customers, and everyone connected to them, the authors of The Social Media Bible have consulted with leading social media experts from companies and consulting firms, as well as New York Times bestselling authors nationwide, to assemble a content-rich social media bible that will help businesses increase revenues, improve profitability, and ensure relevance and competitiveness. The book outlines just what social media is, and how to harness its power to achieve a measurable competitive advantage in rapidly changing markets.
9- Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time -by Joel Comm, Anthony Robbins & Ken Bruce
In Twitter Power, Internet marketing and Web innovation expert Joel Comm shows businesses and marketers how to integrate Twitter into their existing marketing strategies to build a loyal following among Twitter members, expand awareness for their product or service, and even handle negative publicity due to angry or disappointed consumers. The book also presents case studies of companies on the forefront of the Twitter movement, to help reader’s develop their own social networking strategies. Twitter Power is the result of extensive testing and participation in the social networking community and is a must-have for any business that wants to keep up with the social media movement.
10- Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online -by Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek
The power of social media lies with the people who use tools like Twitter.com. Here you will find some of the best practices, resources and strategies to guide your success on Twitter at an accelerated pace. The book helps you avoid trial and error from the experts and early adopters who have learned from their mistakes. This book was designed for the small business owner to the CEO of a large corporations; from the work at home moms to the politicians in Washington, DC…who are all fast becoming part of the Twitterati who are making a difference.
All these books make good summer reading, and most are down-loadable to your Kindle. Take a copy to the beach or pool and soak in the rays while you educate yourself. For those who don’t know where to start, I would select one of two that best suits your social media objectives. Some will assist more with networking techniques, while others will improve your marketing and branding strategies. And for those that are still stumped, try seeking out the authors on Twitter and/or Facebook, and follow or befriend them so you can make a connection with them more personal. After all, we’re talking about the advantages of social networking here. What better way to start socializing then to get to know one or more of these authors on a one-to-one basis!
Happy summer reading, and I would really appreciate your comments and feedback regarding my top ten selections. Also let me and the other readers know if I missed an important book in my research.
Listed below is a Poll I would like you to take to select your top social media book. Final votes will be tallied June 30, 2009, to determine the readers’ choice. So you will have plenty of time to read the entire list. That is if you get started right now…
