I read a LOT of business books because I love to read about the changing world of marketing and what others think about social media, the web and empowered consumers.When I received a copy of Liana "Li" Evans new book "Social Media Marketing" I wasn't expecting too much but when I opened it to a chapter called "Interns make coffee not social media strategy" I said "finally someone who gets it!"
There are a lot of people out there who talk about social media but don't really understand the "why"behind the rise of social media. This book will not only explain that readers it will take them by the hand and put them in a new mindset of social media marketing.
Social media is NOT a tactic, it's not just developing a Facebook page, it's a way of thinking about consumers, customer and most of all marketing. Ms. Evans starts out with the basics of social media and then takes the reader on journey to understand what social media is all about. She talks about giving up control and transparency and then continues to discuss how social media is integrated into the whole marketing plan.
In the chapter on "Interns make coffee not social media strategy" Ms Evans says:
- Interns don't really know your brand
- Interns don't know your ethics of brand philosophies
- The have no real vested interest in your brand
- They might know Facebook but do they really understand and know marketing ?
- Can they relate to your target market ?
This is a great list of why companies should not be using interns to develop and execute social media strategy and she then quantifies this list with "would you let an intern plan a major PR event ?"
The book is an excellent read for those who know social media and those who are still trying to figure out what social media is all about and how it fits into their marketing strategy. I highly recommend it.