Brief Synopsis: As stated perfectly in the title, this book was a guide. A self-help reference book akin to the “…for dummies” book series. It was written by 5 different authors with different skillsets to provide the sharpest definition of what “ultimate social media marketing” means to want-to-be social media practioners. It is worth noting the book was published in 2021 but pooled 2019 statistical data points to describe metrics in the book. While effectively unusable, it at least provides an understanding of the scope and scale of social medias influence and past performance metrics. The book used a professional tone when discussing strategy as to not subject readers to anecdotal rhetoric or overgeneralize experience as evidence. To build relevance and reader trust, the authors were very detail oriented about industry information that couldn’t be learned from just user experience alone. To expand on this realization even further, the authors complied a comprehensive list of free and paid resources to utilize for an individuals company or brand. This includes graphic design, blogging, analytic management, and image sourcing. It also includes an appendix, index, and glossary to provide technical definitions and explanations to further solidify key terms.
Key takeaways: By design, social media is only as relevant as its ability to grow and innovate so it is likely all statistical performance markers in the book are less than the current reality in 2022. Despite this skepticism to regard all information as outdated, the authors drilled home the difficulty of persuading users to engage with your company the same way users engages with their inner circle. In other terms, brands are a disruptive obstacle that can tarnish user experience and slow direct relationship networking. The biggest take home value from the first half of the book described social media as “Build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.” Social media needs constant procurement and a willingness to react quickly to trends and consumer insights as users shift from taking the role as both the product and service to companies.
Another substantial key takeaway is leveraging the power of paid advertising to boost engagement and spend a small yet trackable amount to increase ROAS. This section become more difficult to understand as the information becomes more prolix and granular about which medium of advertising (display, video, etc.) should be used based on marketing objectives. Marketing objectives become difficult because different platforms have different privacy settings that protect and shield different amounts of trackable data. For instance, pairing Google search and display ads with Youtube advertising maximizes exposure and finds “closest moment to purchase” moment from users because both platforms share data. Facebook no longer tracks data but instead “re-markets” content to users as to not bring about more discussion about unethical privacy practices. It reminded me how advertising is only as strong as people are willing to accept it on their digital landscape. Advertisers must be sensitive to changing consumer psychology and rationale.
Personal Opinion: Overall this book was an informative read that covered the breadth of the entire social and digital media industry and functionality. Its appeal was mainly for amateurs or interns who never ran a social media campaign but have the desire. I regard this book as an office cabinet book; its something that is always in reach but only needed for clarification or a quick reminder. I do wish this book would become a volume series that would republish each year with current data points and policy updates because this book unfortunately does not have longevity. It will quickly be outdated if it isn't already. I also wish it touched on emerging technology like AR and VR and how this web 3.0 landscape intersects with advertising and paid promotion, but I digress. In conclusion, I don't regret purchasing this book because it provided very helpful information to build and manage a social media campaign but it was at times boring and uninteresting.