Review by YuriBCN for The Social Media Marketing Book
Rating:
I have been moving around social media for some time, though I am by no means a pro, either in marketing or Internet tech.

I appreciate this will be useful for anyone who has not even come into contact with social media networks, but anyone who has dabbled even slightly will find this *extremely* basic. I just cannot understand how anyone can even suggest it might be useful for a pro, never mind recommend it! If you are seriously looking to develop a social media strategy, it means you have a basic appreciation of what it’s about, and that’s how far this book goes, no further. In any case, don’t do serious social media strategy based simply on the know-how in this book!

Review by David J. Perdue for The Social Media Marketing Book
Rating:
In the increasingly complex world of social media, how do you begin to successfully engage in social media marketing for your business? Dan Zarrella has responded to that question with “The Social Media Marketing Book.” It’s a quick read. But the small book is packed with useful information for those itching to jump into the social media marketing fray.

The book’s organization is quite user-friendly and begins with a brief introduction to social media. The bulk of the book then focuses on presenting a concise history, definition, and description of the various types of social media: blogging, Twitter/microblogging, social networking, media sharing, social news and bookmarking, ratings and reviews, forums, and virtual worlds. I found each section both helpful and interesting, especially appreciating the author’s conciseness.

The final two chapters–one on strategy, another on measurement–are some of the most important. As I went through the strategy chapter, I was highlighting different bits of advice and enjoyed his discussion of “call to action” (CTA) in which you, the marketer, try to engage visitors on your website. The measurement chapter stresses the importance of goals and describes several tools you can use to measure return on investment and engagement as a result of your social media marketing efforts.

Overall, I found Zarrella’s guide a helpful resource on understanding and applying social media for business. Note that the book is an introductory guide, so don’t expect to find profound social media strategies if you’re already an experienced social media marketer. Nevertheless, I appreciated the nuggets of wisdom throughout this survey of social media marketing.