Clearpoint team member Lexy Haynes reviewed Jeffrey’s
Gitomer’s book “Social Boom! How to Master Business Social Media”. Here’s what she said.
Hi friends, first, an overview: Social Boom! covers just about everything social. Ok, not everything, but the biggies: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and even tips on writing. It’s a thorough review of the social media landscape and what you should do as a business person on each of the top platforms.
I thought it was a great book, definitely worth a read. If you’re a novice in business social media it might be a bit overwhelming, but just remember, small steps are better than no steps at all.
I’d call Social Boom! fairly high level, with helpful tactics. It was full of relevant and usual
information, including both precise “how-to” as well as “why-to” information. The book has several chapters written by guest authors including some favorites of mine such as Mark Schaefer and Mitch Joel. It was refreshing to hear tips from multiple industry leaders.
Here are a few key points I found especially truthful and useful, as well as some nuggets to pique your interest:
- “Business social media requires an investment: your time.” At least an hour a day. Thank you Gitomer for being open and honest about this! It is so true.
- “…with business social media, I can personalize it, and humanize it…” Be human, and be real. This is one point we often have to remind our clients – while it is business, it’s still social media. No one is going to like your Facebook page or share your information if you’re cold, boring and fact-laden. People like people.
- “Start (or restart) your business social media outreach with purpose, plan and design. And start (or restart) it with an understanding of what you want to achieve.” I find this especially insightful. Too many people start social media without a real vision of what they want to achieve…those are the profiles with
meaningless fluff that give social media a bad name. Take Gitomer’s advice and
have a plan. - “Start with information, and then add insight.” Yes! Don’t just forward
information, provide your personal take on it and make it more useful to your
audience. Don’t just be a content aggregator, be a content creator. - A 5.5-part process for starting your own Facebook business page
- The 15 imperatives of LinkedIn
- 7 ways to add value to your Twitter conversations
- How to build an audience on YouTube
Social Boom! was full of useful quotes and lists like these. A caveat on expectations: While I was expecting a book about social media for brands, the book really focuses on tools and techniques an individual can use. I still found it useful, but more for my personal use than for managing our clients’ social media. So, keep that in mind.
Jeffrey Gitomer’s Social Boom! was a quick, fun read, and inspired me to get my butt in gear for my own business social media. While I do it every day for clients, I’d been using
social media primarily for my personal life, I believe to my detriment. I was missing out on adding my professional insight as a PR and social media manager to the world of business social media. If you have smart things to say, I recommend you jump in, share your insight and personality, and get social! See www.gitomer.com for tips and how to get Social Boom!
How about you? Do you do business social media? What social media platforms are your favorites?
This post was contributed by Alexia Haynes, Clearpoint Agency Senior Account Executive