What one book would you suggest to someone just getting started in the world of social marketing?

In most cases, at least 99 out of 100 new visitors bail out, or in some manner or other, don’t do what the website owner wants them to. Here’s a book to read, alongside the others, that deals with the other half of the equation: Steve Krug’s, “Don’t Make Me Think”. It should meet both your standards: Not complex and includes the ah-ha moment.

 

Likeable Social Media by Dave Gerpen

One book? So many books and so little time… At least that’s how I feel. Here’s a few I’d recommend, mostly social and B2B slanted:

The B2B Social Media Book: Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More
by Kipp Bodnar, Jeffrey L. Cohen

Social Marketing to the Business Customer: Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships
by Paul Gillin, Eric Schwartzman

The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social
by Jay Baer

Understand content strategy basics – Go to www.braintraffic.com – Buy the book and follow the blog. Smart.

Go to www.chrisbrogan.com and sign-up for his weekly email – he’ll teach you the human side of social media plus.

Open a Twitter account with a dashboard – consider Hootsuite or another. Do what everyone does – you need to learn the operations/organizational elements.

Follow a variety of interests on Twitter – the best place to learn and test your human relationship/connection skills. In the end – you could write a book on how-it’s-done:))

Remember — the basis of social media starts with people, insights and plain old marketing. The bells and whistles (places) are new — the endgame is the same. Make people happy with your product/services. Marketing is not dead.

Research, study – every major venue – Digg, Pinterest, etc — Know what they are about. Conceptually. Know that you will never be technically brilliant across the board – but learn how to find those who are. Know how to search and network. It’s called ‘social’ for a reason.

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