Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business (Hardcover)

by Larry Weber (Author)
Key Phrases: recruit community members, conduit strategies, reputation aggregators, Seven Steps, Build Your Own Customer Community, The Landscape of the Social Web (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"…outstanding book…an intelligent, accessible guide to a new world." (The Marketer; Chartered Institute of Marketing, October 2007)


Product Description
Praise for Marketing to the Social Web

"Weber understands that the world is going digital and that competitive advantage will accrue to those who understand the transformation. CEOs should heed this transformation and learn from Weber's insights how to navigate this new landscape to fully maximize their business opportunities."
-Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group

"Consumers are using technology to grab power from companies, the media, and the government. Marketing to the Social Web succinctly outlines how institutions can survive and win in this chaotic new world, and lays out the revised rules of engagement-ignore them at your peril."
-George F. Colony, CEO, Forrester Research, Inc.

"Larry has brought pragmatic and useful recommendations to help brand builders manage the complexity of social interaction in a digital age. I was pleased to read a book that actually suggests how to do something with social networks, instead of just ponder them."
-David Kenny, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Digitas Inc.

"Where's the allure of social 2.0? Brands can talk . . . customers talk louder! Digital influence has arrived."
-Jeff Taylor, CEO, Eons and Founder of Monster.com

"Larry Weber provides a simple and effective roadmap of the new customer information highway. Marketing to the Social Web is a valuable tool that will give everyone the confidence and know-how to compete in this fast-growing marketplace of ideas."
-Steve Harris, Vice President, Global Communications, General Motors Corporation

"As all lines and boundaries are washed away by the Web, Weber describes how to become part of the sea versus the sand."
-Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, One Laptop per Child

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; annotated edition edition (June 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470124172
• ISBN-13: 978-0470124178
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #129,523 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars General information for "dinosaurs" still not sold on Web 2.0..., July 13, 2008

By	C. Fallon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Executive Summary:
The book would be more appropriately entitled: "An introduction to Web 2.0" There is very little marketing advice, and the information in this book might have been cutting edge in 2002-3 but in 2008, it would only appeal to beginners, or non-tech oriented people. If you don't know what a "Blog" is, then this book is for you. If you do know what a blog is, I would go elsewhere.

Full Review:
I have read about a dozen books on marketing/advertising/community building on the web. Perhaps I didn't realize the scope of this book. First, if you are reading a review for what this book is about, you are probably more technologically advanced than anything this book has to offer...(IE: The "Social Web" as he puts it, Or Web 2.0, can affect hearts and minds. For example, you are reading this review before purchasing this book for some insight.)

To me it seemed as if the book was written for very large company's marketers who are 60+ years of age and are not familiar with the internet, or at best don't think there has been any evolution of the internet in the past 14+ years since it has gone commercial. I don't mean to be rude, but this book really seemed like something that would have had an impact and would have been interesting in about 2001. The fact that this book was written and released in the last year honestly amazed me, as I was certain that it was just re-released based on the material.

To be slightly more specific, the book concentrates heavily on not trying to hurt the ego's of marketers who have not been keeping up with the Internet by saying "Some of your old marketing knowledge is still useful." a bit too often. While true, it just seemed a bit overboard. Another quick example of the target market is that the book took about 4-5 pages in describing what a blog is. This is all well and good for an "Intro" book, but it is indicitive of the audience this book was meant for. I found this book too generic to be useful. It lacked specifics, strong case examples, adequate statistics, etc. If you are 60+ years of age and really aren't aware of what social communities are, or message boards, or online reviews of products (Oh the irony), I would recommend this book. Also, if you don't believe that having an online voice is relevant in today's global market, and are looking for a strong case to show you why it is, I would recommend this book. If you have ever participated on a message board, read a blog, posted/read an online review, etc...this book won't tell you anything that you don't already know.

However, if you are looking for effective ways to market to the "Social Web" AKA Web 2.0 by the rest of the world, go elsewhere. This book is too generic to be useful IMHO. I gave this book two stars instead of one because it was well written, and unlike EVERY other marketing book I have ever read, it didn't remind you to go to the author's website every other page (In fact, I don't even remember him naming his website in the book, which is to be applauded, as you can tell this info was legitimately designed to help the reader, not just another marketing tool by the author as many marketing books are). Also if you do want a BEGINNERS' book to what Web 2.0 is, this would be tough to beat. The author puts everything in non-techie terms, and is very thorough at explaining some of the core/basic concepts of Web 2.0.

BOTTOM LINE:
The people who could best be helped with a book like this are intelligent people who don't keep up with technology, but know the basics. I found this more as an introduction to what Web 2.0 was than a "How to" book which is what I believed the book to be about based on the title.
If you are looking for valuable "How to market to the Social Web" info, this book will GREATLY disappoint you.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Customer Engagement and the Social Web, December 5, 2007

By	Laurent Pacalin (Palo Alto, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Marketing to the Social Web, Larry Weber provides an effective framework to further the understanding of the customer engagement process on the social web. This book will help many companies better appreciate that the command and control mode of communication has been rendered obsolete by social networks and that customers are more and more dictating the terms or engagement in terms of time, place and frequency. However, I would have liked a deeper look at how one converts social conversations and relationships in leads and revenue!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of 6 stars, February 15, 2008

By	Brad Shorr "Word Sell, Inc." (Geneva, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you are perplexed by the light speed evolution of marketing on the Web, this book is for you. The author is has been deeply involved in the Web since the beginning of time, on both the technical and business fronts. Thus,Weber paints a very clear picture of how social media evolved, what it looks like, how businesses should use it, and where it is going. The book provides a lot of detail and advice to help marketing professionals understand things like-

The differences between traditional and new media.
How to engage customers in real conversations.
How to target customers in the social Web.
How to implement social marketing strategies.
What mistakes to avoid in social marketing (based on case study examples.)
How to vibrant customer communities.
Blogging.

Weber's practical advice for marketers is spot on, but what really struck me is the conceptual framework he provides. He sees the social Web as an integrated whole, which is very important. You can't understand how to effectively use the pieces of the social Web - blogs, microsites, social network sites, etc. - until you see how all the pieces fit together.

Weber's model of the marketing department of the future is fascinating. For starters, he envisions the CMO having a director of paid media and a director of unpaid media. This in itself is a great concept that will help companies prevent the stovepiping of individual social Web initiatives and ensure new media and old media programs are likewise integrated. Right now, old reporting structures are making it difficult for companies tap into the power of new marketing tools at their fingertips.