Book review: Insightful Knowledge: An Enlightened View of Social Media Strategy & Marketing By Stephen Monaco
ÂWhen it comes to creating a social media marketing strategy companies must get their head around a simple concept. The objective is not to excel at social media per se. The objective is to effectively utilize social media to help your business excel. Stephen Monaco, Insightful Knowledge
Let me start this book review by stating that this is not a how-to book.
Insightful knowledge offers a foundation for anyone who aspires to be a Âchampion for integrating social media with their marketing mix.
Valuable lessons, statistics, and examples abound in this high level look at social media strategy. Stephen MonacoÂs roots in traditional marketing run deep, as he was one of the early pioneers in the tech industry.
The first third of the book is groundwork, carefully laying out how we arrived at this crazy point in time where the power has shifted from the big brands to the consumers. ItÂs necessary to absorb this history if you want any chance of leveraging the forces at work.
Who should read this book? IÂd recommend it for anyone who needs to convince colleagues that social media will support their business strategy, for anyone who wants a coherent explanation of why social media is not a fad but a major shift, or for those who have just started putting together a social media strategy for their organization.
My only criticism is that the “voice” of the book is pretty dry and statistical, but it’s exactly the type of unemotional, hard-core information that will appeal if you’re trying to convince the C-suite to do something, so perhaps that’s a necessary evil.
Key Lessons for Aspiring Social Media Champions
- Obsess about your customers needs, and shift your thinking from sales to marketing
- Look for ways that social media can enhance all areas of your business, not just marketing
- Be methodical about creating a social media strategy, but leave room for tactical adjustments
- Put listening at the top of your list, and use what you learn to serve customers better
- Pay attention to which tactics are resulting in conversions, however you define conversion
- DonÂt be afraid to experiment, iterate on your plan continually
- DonÂt ever lose sight of your business goals, and make sure your social media efforts always tie back to your Key Performance Indicators.
If youÂre looking for a compelling case for including social media in your business strategy, pick up this insightful book and start taking notes.
Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of the book for review purposes, however, this did not in any way impact the content of my review, which represents my own honest opinion.
