How To Use Social Media To Your Advantage

How To Use Social Media To Your Advantage

Title: Likeable Social Media: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on Facebook (and other social networks)

Author: Dave Kerpen

Length: 249 pages

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Price: $15 USD used on Amazon, $30 USD in stores            

(Photo source: www.webgnomes.org)

Social Media Gurus Needed

By: Hayley St. John

Today has been the worst day. Nothing has gone right and now you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on your way home from work. What do you do? Get on social media and rant. Everyone in this generation does it, no matter his or her age. At first, we worried this social media craze was a bad thing. But companies have since discovered it can be used for many advantages. In this book, author Dave Kerpen takes readers through a number of tips and strategies that companies can use to take the shifting world of marketing and communicating to benefit both brands and consumers.

Dave Kerpen is the CEO of Likeable Local, a social media software startup for small businesses, and chairman of Likeable Media, a social media firm that was named one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States in 2011 and 2012.

The theme of the book is how to take the social media craze and use it as a tool for companies. It contains good tips for companies and brands wanting to expand their reach and listen to consumers. It is important for anyone interested in social media or marketing to read because the world of marketing has completely changed due to social media, and this book talks about how to take this change and use it positively. Readers will realize that too much social media use can be bad negative, but there are certain things you can do to ensure your company is “libeable.”

The author covers the topic very well. He talks about several different forms of social media, some I didn’t even know existed, and the pros and cons as well as how to use them. Kerpen also gives real life anecdotes from companies and social media sites to back up the points he makes. This book is great for anyone learning how to use social media to promote their company. It also gives great tips on how to take both positive and negative public feedback from consumers and use it to the company’s advantage.

One example that Kerpen writes about is Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s took consumer critiques and used them to create a whole new brand. Check out the video discussed in the book here called “Domino’s Pizza Turnaround.”

I highly recommend that anyone, no matter what age, with any interest in current social media or marketing should read this book. It has interesting anecdotes and statistics, as well as great tips on how to use social media to your advantage. The book offers insights both as a company/brand, and also as a consumer. It was interesting and easy to read.

After reading the book, I was interested in seeing how Kerpen himself uses social media to boost his company. Needless to say, he takes his own advice. Likeable Media has over 31 thousand likes on Facebook, nearly 30 thousand followers on Twitter and a Klout score (influence) of 72. Their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages provide excellent examples of how to carry out the tips in this book.