Secrets of Social Media Marketing: How to Use Online Conversations and Customer Communities to Turbo-Charge Your Business! [Paperback]

Paul Gillin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2008

Secrets of Social Media Marketing is a handbook for marketers and business owners to use in deciding how to employ the new social media for online marketing. Social media has quickly moved from the periphery of marketing into the forefront, but this is a new and quickly-evolving field and there are few established formulas for success. Building on the lessons set out in Gillin’s acclaimed and oft-reviewed The New Influencers: A Marketer’s Guide to the New Social Media, this book provides practical advice on strategy, tools, and tactics. It is a hands-on manual that will educate marketers on how to extend their brands, generate leads, and engage customer communities using online tools.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Paul puts social media into plain old ordinary terms. As a consultant serving the real estate and construction industries, I highly recommend this book. It's easy to read and offers a mountain of useful information."  —John P. Kreiss, president and CEO, MorganSullivan, Inc.

"You need to begin deploying social media marketing. This is the book that will put you on the right track. There may be a better book on social media marketing. But if there is, I haven't found it."  —Newt Barrett, ContentMarketingToday.com

"Do read [this book] in the hope that you will gain an understanding of your condition, and that you may find the courage to join a local support group in your area."  —dhdeans.blogspot.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Linden Publishing (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884956858
• ISBN-13: 978-1884956850
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Gillin is a writer, speaker and online marketing consultant. For nearly 20 years he was a print journalist, but he fell in love with the Internet and made the switch to all-digital in 1999.

Today he specializes in advising businesses on how to use social media for marketing, customer service and business transformation. His 2007 book, The New Influencers, was one of the first to document changes in markets being driven by citizen publishers. He's written four more books since then, while also contributing regularly to BtoB magazine, an assortment of marketing blogs and two blogs of his own.

Based in Boston, Paul is an avid Red Sox fan and season ticket holder who enjoys travel, cooking, skiing and scuba diving. His twin toddler daughters keep him plenty busy.

His website is www.gillin.com and he blogs at www.paulgillin.com and www.newspaperdeathwatch.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Social media marketing: Why practice it? How does it work? And what options are available? November 5, 2008

By Jeff Lippincott VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I liked this book very much. I read the author's first book on this subject back in July, 2007. And now he has a second great book out on the subject. It includes the following 16 chapters:

1. Making the case
2. Making choices
3. Ear to the ground
4. Courting online influencers
5. Corporate soapboxes
6. Customer conversations
7. The social network gorillas
8. Niche innovations
9. Learning from conversations
10. Basics of social media content
11. Picking your spot
12. Telling stories with words and images
13. Engagement through interaction
14. Promote thyself
15. Measuring results
16. Celebrating change

The book was very easy to read. It is full of great content. And it is very well researched. I found each of the chapters to be packed full of cites to Web sites that are critical players in the social media marketing realm of things. And I've read quite a few books on this subject. I can tell you this book is not simple fluff or something merely written in order to capitalize on the current popularity of the subject matter.

There are real world examples cited throughout the text. And I found them to be very good additions to the points being made in the main body of the book's content. So the numerous cites to Web sites and the inclusion of real world examples makes this book a goldmine of information for anyone hungry to learn about social media marketing. I had one problem with the book - its organization. When I completed it and sat down to write this review I said to myself: "There are 16 chapters in this book. How can they be broken down into three or four "parts?" I had hoped it would be easy for me to eyeball the parts. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. Below is how I think the book probably should have been organized to be a little more easily digestible. 5 stars!

[I] WHY PRACTICE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING?
1. Making the case
14. Promote thyself
8. Niche innovations
[II] HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING WORK?
10. Basics of social media content
12. Telling stories with words and images
5. Corporate soapboxes
4. Courting online influencers
6. Customer conversations
13. Engagement through interaction
3. Ear to the ground
9. Learning from conversations
16. Celebrating change
15. Measuring results
[III] SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OPTIONS
2. Making choices
11. Picking your spot
7. The social network gorillas

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect primer for social media marketing November 26, 2008

By Brad Shorr

Format:Paperback

This is a comprehensive overview of social media marketing, with enough detail to make it useful for marketing practitioners, yet not having so much detail as to confuse or overwhelm. It's an excellent starting point for small business owners and leaders, corporate executives, traditional media marketers and advertisers, SEO and SEM service providers, and public relations specialists.

Using case studies, bios of power users, and drawing on his own experience as a tech sector journalist, Gillin makes a strong case for why - and how - social media works. He explains social networking etiquette, which tools to use and for what purpose, how to develop online relationships that support corporate objectives, how to effectively write, promote, and engage on the social Web, and significantly, how to measure results of social media activity. I found his detailed advice on podcasting, video, and image (photo) creation especially helpful, since there's comparatively little written on these topics.

If you are trying to figure out what all the fuss is about blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, this book is for you. If you're ready to launch your own social media program, this book will tell you how. Gillin gets into the nitty gritty, explaining such things as how bookmarking sites work, how to use YouTube for business, how to promote your blog, why blogs improve search engine visibility, and why talking to customers increases customer loyalty, attracts business, and accelerates new product/service development.

Like all books on social media, it's best to read this one now. A year from now, a good bit of the information is likely to be out of date, as Gillin himself points out.

In his closing chapter, Gillin points out that the social Web is not just for marketers. Employees at every level in a business will be directly engaging customers online - it's already happening. And already, customers are talking about companies on Twitter, Facebook, and the like, whether companies participate in the conversations or not. Gillin's conclusion - social media is not a fad, it's a permanent sea change in how business communication takes place. Nobody in management can afford to be in the dark about these developments, which is why I think "Secrets" is a genuinely important book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good theoretical intro to the subject. June 12, 2009

By Dr. Lance D. Chambers

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is NOT a How To book. It discusses the background of Social Media Marketing. The trends in the area, how it can be used (discussed at a non-How To Do It level), the advantages, what to look out for, etc.

It tells you what you NEED to do very well but totally avoids the How To Do It.