Dave Kerpen's "Likeable Social Media"
“There is no way to successfully use social media as an organization if you simply silo it to marketing or advertising.”
This quote, taken from Dave Kerpen’s Likeable sums up the goal of his book quite nicely. In an age when marketing and advertising are evolving faster than most small businesses can keep up with, social media all too often gets lumped in with everything else.
But, as Kerpen shows early and often in Likeable, social media is more than just another advertising vertical. It is a standalone tool that can be incredibly powerful if used properly.
Strategy Over How-To
The vast majority of social media marketing books on store shelves today are written as how-to narratives. They are filled with strategic notes, theory and important concepts, but usually in the frame of learning how to do something on a specific site. While this is great for someone who reads the book on its publication date, it makes a book almost immediately obsolete when a company like Facebook performs an overhaul of its user interface.
Kerpen steers clear of surface level tutorials and sticks to what he knows best - strategy. Not only is Likeable loaded with real world examples of Kerpen’s clients and his own campaigns, it repeatedly hits on key themes that are important for any size business using social media. For me, the most important of these are:
A sense of wonder and creativity
Listening skills
Admitting and leveraging mistakes
Kerpen doesn’t just talk about things; he shows you how he has put this theories into practice again and again to create a sense of wonder that delights Fans and followers. He uses each of the tips he recommends in his own campaigns and shows the results so you know they are legitimate and not just empty theory. There are some very fun examples and tips in here, like how he targeted an ad to only his wife or how to Like someone on Facebook with a text message from your phone.
Better yet, the book is written from the point of view of someone who receives the things Kerpen is offering, making it much more useful for a small business owner. Each chapter ends with a series of three action steps that can be performed immediately as well.
What the book lacks in concrete tutorials, it more than makes up for with actionable strategies that can be applied to any social network. Yes, you will need to be up to date on the current workings of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, or Pinterest to use Kerpen’s strategies on those sites, but honestly, that makes this book somewhat timeless - it focuses more intently on how interaction and relationship building on a social network really work, not the cogs and wheels behind the curtain.
The Bottom Line
Dave Kerpen has created a true classic in social marketing literature. This book will be around for years because it boils down to basics exactly what you need to know to build your brand on Facebook and other social networks. Unflinchingly bold in his approach to handling negativity, and excitingly creative in his approach to brand building, Kerpen has earned his place as an innovator in social media marketing and it shows in Likeable.
Have any of you read this book? Do you know of any others that you'd like us to review? Feel free to let us know by leaving a comment below!
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