Marketing to the Social Web : How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business

Praise for Marketing to the Social Web "Weber understands that the world is going digital and that competitive advantage will accrue to those who understand the transformation. CEOs should heed this transformation and learn from Weber's insights how to navigate this new landscape to fully maximize their business opportunities." -Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group "Consumers are using technology to grab power from companies, the media, and the government. Marketing to the Social Web succinctly outlines how institutions can survive and win in this chaotic new world, and lays out the revised rules of engagement-ignore them at your peril." -George F. Colony, CEO, Forrester Research, Inc. "Larry has brought pragmatic and useful recommendations to help brand builders manage the complexity of social interaction in a digital age. I was pleased to read a book that actually suggests how to do something with social networks, instead of just ponder them." -David Kenny, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Digitas Inc. "Where's the allure of social 2.0? Brands can talk . . . customers talk louder! Digital influence has arrived." -Jeff Taylor, CEO, Eons and Founder of Monster.com "Larry Weber provides a simple and effective roadmap of the new customer information highway. Marketing to the Social Web is a valuable tool that will give everyone the confidence and know-how to compete in this fast-growing marketplace of ideas." -Steve Harris, Vice President, Global Communications, General Motors Corporation "As all lines and boundaries are washed away by the Web, Weber describes how to become part of the sea versus the sand." -Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, One Laptop per Child An updated and expanded Second Edition of the popular guide to social media for the business community Marketers must look to the Web for new ways of finding customers and communicating with them, rather than at them. From Facebook and YouTube to blogs and Twitter-ing, social media on the Internet is the most promising new way to reach customers. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition helps marketers and their companies understand how to engage customers, build customer communities, and maximize profits in a time of marketing confusion. Author and social media guru Larry Weber describes newly available tools and platforms, and shows you how to apply them to see immediate results and growth. Rather than broadcast messages to audiences, savvy marketers should encourage participation in social networks to which people want to belong, where dialogue with customers, and between customers, can flourish. in Networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and even Flickr are the perfect forums for this dialog; this book shows you how to tap into this new media. In addition to the tools and tactics that made Marketing to the Social Web a critical hit among marketers, this second edition includes three entirely new chapters that cover recent changes in the field. These new chapters describe how Facebook will monetize its business and one day surpass Google; how companies can measure the influence and effectiveness of their social media campaigns; and how marketing to mobile social media will grow into an effective practice in the near future. Marketing must reach out into new forms, media, and models. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition presents an exceptional opportunity to use these new tools and models to reach new markets, even in today's fragmented media environment. Larry Weber has spent the last three decades building global communications companies, including Weber Shandwick Worldwide and the W2 Group. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange, the nation's largest interactive advocate association.

Praise for Marketing to the Social Web "Weber understands that the world is going digital and that competitive advantage will accrue to those who understand the transformation. CEOs should heed this transformation and learn from Weber's insights how to navigate this new landscape to fully maximize their business opportunities."
-Mark Fuller, Chairman, Monitor Group "Consumers are using technology to grab power from companies, the media, and the government. Marketing to the Social Web succinctly outlines how institutions can survive and win in this chaotic new world, and lays out the revised rules of engagement-ignore them at your peril."
-George F. Colony, CEO, Forrester Research, Inc. "Larry has brought pragmatic and useful recommendations to help brand builders manage the complexity of social interaction in a digital age. I was pleased to read a book that actually suggests how to do something with social networks, instead of just ponder them."
-David Kenny, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Digitas Inc. "Where's the allure of social 2.0? Brands can talk... customers talk louder! Digital influence has arrived."
-Jeff Taylor, CEO, Eons and Founder of Monster.com "Larry Weber provides a simple and effective roadmap of the new customer information highway. Marketing to the Social Web is a valuable tool that will give everyone the confidence and know-how to compete in this fast-growing marketplace of ideas."
-Steve Harris, Vice President, Global Communications, General Motors Corporation "As all lines and boundaries are washed away by the Web, Weber describes how to become part of the sea versus the sand."
-Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, One Laptop per Child

The web is not a channel (and you're an aggregator, not a broadcaster) Community and content : the marketer's new job (or how to cut your marketing budget and reach more people) Making the transition to the social web (first change your mindset) How to let customers say what they really think (and keep your job) Step one : observe and create a customer map (otherwise you can't get there from here) Step two: recruit community members (with a new toolbox and your own marketing skills) Step three : evaluate online conduit strategies (and don't forget search) Step four : engage communities in conversation (to generate word of mouse) Step five : measure the community's involvement (who, what, where, when, why, and how) Step six : promote your community to the world (get 'em talking and clicking) Step seven : improve the community's benefits (don't just set it and forget it) The reputation aggregator strategy (we're number one!) The blog strategy (everybody's talking at me) The e-community strategy (go to their party or throw your own) The social networks strategy (connecting with a click) Living and working in web 4.0 (it's right around the corner). "Marketing to the Social Web helps marketers and their companies understand how to engage customers, build customer communities, and maximize profits in a time of marketing confusion. Author and social media guru Larry Weber describes newly available tools and platforms, and shows readers how to apply them to see immediate results and growth."--Jacket