Book Title: The Social Media Marketing Book

AUTHOR: DAN ZARRELLA
PUBLISHER: KOGAN PAGE, LONDON
NO OF PAGES: 240
REVIEWER: NZE EUNICE

Social media marketing is the process that uses social networks, blogs, online communities, or other online collaborative sources for sales, marketing, customer service, or public relations.
In The Social Media Marketing Book, Dan Zarrella, a social media and viral marketing scientist, offers a guide through the maze of social platforms and tools to help in making better informed decisions on the appropriate use of each tool. The book has 11 chapters. For the purpose of this review, the chapters will examined one after the other.
Chapter one introduces the topic. It looks at what social media marketing is, especially when compared to traditional marketing. The author gives insights into how big and medium sized corporations as well as individuals can effectively use social media.
In chapter two, Zarrella explains how blogging can be used as a hub for social marketing efforts. He presents examples of the different types of content that would be appropriate for different blogs, offering recommendations for blog posts, content strategies and audience building.
He looks at micro blogging – a form of blogging that restricts the length of posts. Twitter is probably the most famous for this and limits entries to 140 characters per post. The chapter also looks at the history of micro blogging, protocol, Twitter, and how Twitter can be used to promote businesses.
In chapter 4, the author teaches that social networking is the place to connect with friends, colleagues, and clients. Each site, such as Face book, LinkedIn, and MySpace, presents its own possibilities and challenges. To maximize the benefits of each site, it is advisable to explore the various options that each offers as well as whom they are best fitted for.
Chapter five discusses media sharing sites such as Flickr, YouTube, and Slide Share. It says YouTube can be used for entertainment, training, and education. Flicker can be used for posting company images while Slide Share is suitable for uploading and sharing presentations.
Social news and bookmarking sites are ones that allow users submit and vote on content from the web. Bookmarking sites are similar to social news sites but they focus on content that users may want to revisit. These include sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Delicious.
Chapter six explains the kinds of content that are most suitable for each site and how to effectively apply them.
Chapter seven discusses the importance of ratings and reviews as recent studies show that 70% of all people trust consumer options posted online more than other sources. Sites such as Yelp, CitySearch, Judy’s Book, and Super pages are examined here.
Chapter eight submits that forums are one of the oldest forms of social media in that they are essentially modern versions of the community bulletin board. The user makes a post and others respond to them. Unlike other forms of social media, there are thousands of popular forums on the web. The chapter further highlights how to locate the ones that are appropriate for different business types.
Chapter nine claims that virtual worlds “exist around the Web, but the primary one that can be used by businesses is second life. This can be a little more intimidating since more technical prowess is needed to create your world, but this chapter will help you determine if this is the right step for you.”
The tenth chapter contains strategies, tactics, and practices that are essential for successful social marketing. It emphasizes the critical role of listening in social marketing. Users have to learn the rules and observe how others use the media. They also need to monitor, research, and build strategy for the Web.
In the last chapter, the author states that measurement is the key to effective ROI within the social media world. It also teaches how to determine the effectiveness and success of marketing efforts.
Generally, the language of writing is simple and contents are presented in a straightforward manner, enhancing comprehension. In addition, the author treats each subject in overview, rather than extensive prolonged discourse. This further helps re-call. The last two chapters then sum up the entire work.
Keep in mind that The Social Media Marketing Book is really an introductory guide to social media and how best to use this tool for business marketing. The advice is really based on workable solutions that can be put into practice by almost anyone. It will be invaluable to beginners who need a concise but authoritative guide to marketing on social media.