Disclaimer: The author of this book is my boss, however in our company we value transparency. This means that I am giving my actual opinions and am not just trying to suck up to my boss.
Dave Kerpen‘s book, Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (and other social networks), has just released in book stores this week. Since I work with the author, I managed to snag an advanced copy so I got to read it a little early. Even though I work with the author and have heard these stories many times, I still managed to learn something.
So many marketing and social media books try to give you advice in the form of vague statements like “have great content” or “be responsive” but the advice normally ends there. This book goes beyond the vague suggestions and cliche terms. Dave outlines exactly what counts as “great content” and exactly what steps are required for “being responsive.” Each chapter tackles a necessary component to being successful in social media marketing. The best part is that each chapter ends with action items that can put his words into a reality for your business. These action items are specific steps that you can begin immediately to put Dave’s suggestions into actions. Unlike other books, Dave spells out exactly how to put his words into action instead of just leaving it up in the air for the reader to figure out.
My favorite thing about the book is the stories. Even though there is a whole chapter dedicated to telling stories, every chapter is filled with anecdotes and stories that demonstrate what the author is talking about. Sometimes they are stories from Dave’s personal life and personal experience. Other times the stories come from case studies of many different companies and businesses using social media. These case studies aren’t just endorsements for Likeable Media. While some case studies include Likeable clients, most of the case studies come from non-clients.
My one criticism on the book is the length. Although the stories were entertaining and the action items were helpful, I think the book probably could have been shorter. It took me a good week to get through. Granted, I am not the fastest reader in the world. If the book was shortened a bit I still thing all the main points would have gotten across.
If you want to learn where to begin with using social media for your business, I would recommend this book. If you already think you know everything about social media marketing, I would still recommend this book because so many of the obvious necessities are the things we forget to do everyday. Reading this book reminded me of so many things that I forgot needed to be done every single day— the little things that fall through the cracks. Overall, education & fun to read! Very #likeable!
Would you pick up a copy of Dave Kerpen’s new book? Have you read it yet? Let me know what you think!
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