The Only Social Media Book You NEED to Read

Recently, on a flight to Austin, I decided to start reading a Social Media book that I had bought in November. The small 150 page book has been sitting on my shelf eyeing me for months. Thank all of the gods or none gods above that told me to bring that book with me, because for the 2.5 hour flight of complete turbulence, I finished the book.

Guy Kawaski and Peg Fitzpatrick “The Art of Social Media” is the only book you need to read to learn or brush up on social media. Whether you are new to the social media game or an expert, I highly suggest you read this book.  It provides tips for all levels. I mentioned in my last post the need for theory to bring home the tactics. The Art of Social Media has provided a balance between theoretical concepts and tactics that are timeless. My biggest issue with tactics is that they change. Channels change. Consumers use of the channels change. So, if all that is taught are tactics on social media, then what happens? I truly applaud Guy and Peg for their simplicity and depth of everlasting social media content.

The information in the text is all in line with my thought process. Don’t buy followers. Actually, don’t buy anything on social media as a brand.

Tip #36: If you choose not to pay for posts (we respect you for that), you can Pin your post to the top of your page.

Guy gives the example of occasionally buying Facebook posts and ads if you must, but otherwise stay away from paid media on social media. There were maybe one or two things that I did not agree with, but for the most part it was a good confirmation and reduced my thoughts of imposter syndrome. With all that said, my dirty little secret, I did learn a thing or two reading the book. As much as I know social media, I will be the first person to say, I do not know it all. I know a lot, but not all. Enough of the rant.

Here are the:

10 tips that I learned while reading “The Art of Social Media”

1. Curate Content. For example, create an Alltop RSS feed based on your interests (Tip#15).
2. Be sly. Create good post titles that are eye catching and sexy. Guy and Peg provide a list of top 10 and top 100, for example “Quick Guide”, “What no one tells you”, “Tactics to”, “Tips for Busy” (Tip #30).
3. Be Distributed. Guy gives a number of platforms to schedule posts. The ones that I wasn’t aware of were : Do Share, Friends + Me, Post Planner (Tip #33)
4. Be Defiant. Stop optimizing on social media for search engines, instead create, curate and share great content (Tip #40).
5. Add a Click to Tweet Link. There are few sites that actually utilize this tool. Until this book, I actually thought it was some sophisticated HTML code. It isn’t. You can use embed a Click to Tweet link with tweets that are customized and drafted based on the content that you want to share (Tip #55).
6. Add Your Blog to Alltop. In order to reach a new audience, you can put your blog on Alltop. For. Free. (Tip #58)
7. Join Blogging Networks. Similar to Alltop, there are blogging networks. Join them (Tip #63).
8. Enable a Social LogIn. Genius. You can capture more information about the user (Tip #65).
9. Display Twitter Chats for Events. Use Twubs and Tchat to curate content (Tip #77).
10. Check out How Google+ Reads Your Posts. Since Google+ automatically suggests hashtags based on your content, add one or two hashtags. See what Google write for the their hashtag. If it is completely off from your post. The message is unclear (Tip #114).

These are just some of the amazing tips that Guy and Peg go through in their book the Art of Social Media. Check it out. You won’t be disappointed!