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ISBN : 978-0-8144-3256-3 (eBook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goldman, Jeremy.
Going social : excite customers, generate buzz, and energize your brand with the power of social media / Jeremy Goldman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN -13: 978-0-8144-3255-6
ISBN -10: 0-8144-3255-7
1. Internet marketing. 2. Social media. 3. Social marketing. 4. Online social networks. 5. Customer relations. I. Title.
HF5415.1265.G644 2013
658.8'72dc23
2012019622
2013 Jeremy Goldman.
All rights reserved.
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Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS
Social Marketing: Even More Important Than You Think
Devising Your Strategy and Getting Started
Engagement 101: Determine Your Voice and Personality
How to Develop Content That Promotes Engagement
Become Truly Customer-Centricand Reap the Advantages
How to Avoid Pitfalls, Deal with Crises, and Keep Your Brands Reputation Intact
How to Staff Your Social Team and Organize for More Effective Engagement
Tools for Producing More Relevant, Targeted Engagement
How to Identify Influencers, Work with VIPs, and Grow Word of Mouth Substantially
How to Build Strong Relationships with Bloggers and Work with Online Personalities
Increase Engagement by Turning Your Employees into Marketers
How to Engage with ROI in Mind
Going Social in Real Life
Final Word
This book wouldnt be in front of you right now if not for a number of great people:
The good folks at my startup, iluminage, who have supported me during this entire processespecially my terrific friend Nia Montelibano (@ninamontelibano), who has been a phenomenal help and source of great advice.
Lara Eurdolian (@PrettyConnected), who came up with the initial book concept with me, and is one of the more supportive people Ive ever met.
Paula Gantz of the Paula Gantz Publishing Consultancy, for her sage advice from decades in the publishing world.
My amazing Consulting Editor Alison Butterfass (@onetoughcookie), who (along with Ilana Garon) helped me whip my manuscript into shape pre-acquisition.
The A+ team of interns and associates that have helped me develop a platform, including (but not limited to!) Casey Yee (@beauty101blog), Tayler Bartman (@taylietot), Nina Bahadur (@nbahadur), and Stephanie Leon (@nbahadur).
Melanie Notkin (@SavvyAuntie), who (in addition to serving as a case study in going social) served as the tipping point in convincing me to find a publisher I admired.
The talented people at AMACOM , including superstar editor Ellen Kadin, Andy Ambraziejus, Michael Sivilli, Barry Richardson, Kama Timbrell, Jenny Wesselmann Schwartz, William Helms, and many others.
My incredibly helpful familySam, Susan, Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Schil.
My beautiful wife Victoria (@VSGoldman), who is so much more than anyone could ever reasonably ask for in a spouse.
Thank you all, and thanks to everyone else who helped in bringing this book to life. I greatly appreciate you all.
Why read this book? After all, to be completely candid, a number of books touch on the same subjects I talk about here. My editors probably dont want me to admit that, but its true. Sorry, Ellen and Michael!
Unlike many books covering social media engagement, however, this one is written by someone who has spent the better part of the last decade on what I call the social marketing front lines. Many social media books are written by theorists who are much more professorial than I am. Some authors in this field come from gigantic consulting firms. Others come from an agency background, where they serve as social media evangelists, while a junior employees typically handling the engagement.
My experience is different: Ive been the one doing the direct social media engagement with my brands audiences, and Ive been doing it for some time. During that time, Ive also managed my brands e-commerce presence and often the customer service and online PR functions as well. Because of that, I have a pretty good understanding of how these functions work, and I can share with you actual lessons learned on the social marketing front lines. Tapping into my diverse set of experiences, I can look at these functions holistically, as opposed to viewing them as siloed parts of a business.
Another thing: A good number of consultants use their books to increase their business leads, so the books serve as customer acquisition tools. Im not that interested in speaking engagements or drumming up consulting gigs. I want to spend most of my time building a new brand Im helping to foundiluminage, launching in 2013and spending my few remaining hours with my wife and six pets (yes, really). My only motive for writing this book is to help you succeed in building your businesses by going social.
Before continuing, let me say that my comments about consultants and theorists dont mean I wish to denigrate those thought leaders in any way. Far from it. I have learned a great deal from authors like David Meerman Scott, Brian Solis, C. C. Chapman, Mari Smith, Olivier Blanchard, Jay Baer, and many others. Im truly in awe of some of these folks, and I dont want to come across as disparaging. I do, however, want to explain why my points of view on some topics are different from others.