If you’re new to social networking, blogs, microblogging and you’ve never heard of “conversation marketing,” you need this book.
For businesses, successful social networking is about being fully immersed in listening to and talking to your constituents.
The New Community Rules encompasses the latest trends and tools in social networking, including Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter, as well as powerful advice on managing your brand’s reputation online.
While there is a lot to learn here, Weinberg presents her material in organized sections, rich with screen shots, examples and visual references. As she says: “… there are numerous tools that can help facilitate this kind of communication. If you’re a small-business owner, or even a member of a corporate entity, and are unfamiliar with this territory, there are many ways to dive in and become part of the conversation.”
What’s unique about The New Community Rules is Weinberg’s advice pertaining to developing a strategy before you proceed. Case studies in Chapter Four will help you understand how to participate in this worldwide global reach to customers without wasting money or making irretrievable mistakes. Weinberg identifies this area of “conversation marketing” as the biggest hurdle in effective social marketing.
Chapter Five on blogs provides some history and explains blogging platforms, etiquette, and style. The section on how to write for blogs and ideas for what to post to attract readers is invaluable. Read this and develop your content strategies before you begin to blog.
I’m a Twitter quitter, but Chapter Six lays a convincing case for using it, and using it well, to communicate your company’s message to your followers.
When you’re ready to advance, Weinberg devotes a chapter to other relevant sites to augment your marketing reach, and covers bookmarking sites. If all your followers bookmark your site in an online vehicle such as digg, delicious and stumbleupon, for example, and each one shares her information with 40 friends, who also share their information, well… it's safe to say you’ll see some increased action as a result.
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