Social Media Marketing for Dummies by Shiv Singh

Shiv explains that “humans are motivated by others to do things because they are social beings.” He further explains that people feel that they can make better and more confident buying decisions when they take into consideration advice and experiences of others who have already made those decisions before them. Because of the level of past connection built up prior to a recommendation there is a higher level of connection and trust towards a particular message. Shiv’s main point is that marketers should market to both consumers AND to influencers. He calls this form of marketing SIM or Social Influence Marketing.

The book is a step by step hands on look at how marketers can reach these social influencers and through the use of Social Media and Social Influence Marketing. Because social media has allowed for pretty much anybody to be a content provider even a dummy like myself can have a considerable impact when it comes to affecting other people and their subsequent decisions of how they look for entertainment, utility and necessary everyday things. Singh goes over in depth various forms of Social Influence Marketing platforms and applications.

In the book Social Media Marketing for Dummies Shiv analyzes the pros and cons of Twitter, blogs, Facebook, fan pages, and YouTube. He explains how any why each platform is especially applicable for certain types of brands. He also goes over how to make Social Media Marketing a part of a marketing mix. He explains that Social Media Marketing should not be done in isolation, but should be part of a marketing mix that will provide the most buzz and brand awareness available. Focusing on the influencers is always the key objective.

The most practical application of this book is they break down of how to recognize and identify influencers, and also people that can represent a brand in the social Web. He stresses that these people must be both individuals who have their own opinion and also authentic. He provides info on how to tap into these influencers and make them the driving force behind a Social Influencer Marketing campaign through a certain Social Media platform. He stresses developing the “right voice” for a particular brand and goes over how to establish an appropriate voice. He ends the book with information on how to use metrics on these Social Media platforms to track brand saturation and interest and also the effectiveness of a Social Influencer Campaign.

Overall I feel that this book was a great piece of information on both Social Media Marketing and Social Influencer Marketing. The practical usages represented were in depth and very specific. This was perfect for a dummy like me, and I am quite glad that I stumbled across this book. It applies quite well so far with the class, and touches on many of the things that Professor Gruen has said. I would go ahead and recommend this book to anyone who is interested in finding alternative ways to market to people, and I really do think that these alternative methods of marketing are the wave of the future.