Marketing

The introductory chapter(s) for this book seemed to be introducing me to EXACTLY the kind of book that I was looking for. I didn't want something academic about social media. I wanted practical advice on how to build my social media following. I had high hopes for this book after the first few chapters.

Unfortunately, the book failed to introduce me to new concepts. Here's how the book goes: part 1 is a sweet introduction that will make you think you bought the right book, part 2 is a lengthy explanation of why social media is important which I already know or else I wouldn't have bought the book, the the rest of the book is a painfully complete review of each of the major social networking sites and when you should use them.

That's not what I was looking for. This would be great for an older person who doesn't use social media and doesn't understand it, but if you already know what LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites are used for.... you'll be bored to tears. Furthermore, almost all of the examples in the book are major corporations and rarely case studies from small businesses. I couldn't force myself to finish the book.

What I really wanted from this book was TIPS for using social media. For example, what kind of status update gets my followers to interact with my page best? What ideas for contests could help people to engage with me? What statistics can you show me for brands that have made changes to their social networking sites and seen positive results? Etc.

If you're searching for a good book to improve your small business, check out "The Lean Startup" "The E-Myth Revisited" and "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Those are the best business books I've read, and I've read a lot of them!