NEW Best Practices and Techniques for Growing Your Business with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn! Completely Updated! Five new chapters: planning/metrics, customer service, and much more New and revamped case studies New guest contributions from world-class experts, such as Charlene Li New, instantly actionable “To Do” lists after every chapter New Facebook discussion threads and much more! Whatever your business or organizational goals, this book will help you use social networking to achieve them. Renowned social networking innovator Clara Shih brings together powerful new insights, best practices, and easy-to-use “To Do” lists packed with proven solutions from real-world case studies. Writing for entrepreneurs and business professionals across marketing, sales, service, product development, and recruiting, Shih demonstrates how to move from tactical, reactive use of social networks toward strategic, proactive approaches—and how to accurately measure success. This edition adds extensive new coverage, including hands-on techniques for hypertargeting, engaging customers through Twitter and LinkedIn, leveraging changing social norms, and much more. You’ll also find more than three dozen guest contributions from world-class experts such as author Don Tapscott and Harvard Business School professor Mikolaj Piskorski, as well as a brand-new chapter on customer service and support, today’s fastest-growing area of business social networking. Shih has even added new chapters focused on advice for small businesses, healthcare and education organizations, nonprofits, and political campaigns—making this the one indispensable social networking guide for every organization!
Social media can be one of the most versatile tools in an entrepreneur's toolbox, but are you using it to its full potential? With the help of celebrity agent, businessman, international best-selling author, speaker, and social media marketing expert Tony Giordano, you can use multiple social media websites to research new clients, prospect, build relationships, generate leads, and create brand awareness. Giordano shares tips and techniques for website SEO, Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, WhatsApp, WeChat, Snapchat, and much more. In The Social Agent 2.O Update, Giordano teaches you how to capitalize on the amazing potential of social media, generate a powerful online presence, make a stellar first impression, maintain relationships over the Internet, create your digital identity, use search engine optimization effectively, promote your brand, and target the right demographics for your business. The advent of the digital age has changed the way people build their businesses and their brands. Giordano inspires you to stop using old and tired methods, such as the traditional cold call, and start making the most influential social media websites in the world work for you. You can pull your business into the future from a simple mobile device. All you need is vision, determination, and some savvy business advice.
Aaron Greenspan was just like any other recent Harvard graduate until the day he read that his invention, a web site called The Facebook, was worth billions of dollars¿and someone else was taking the credit. Trying to find the rationale behind an unbelievable tale of ingenuity, triumph and betrayal, Greenspan sat down to write his story, and emerged with a tale that follows a boy and his autistic brother from public school to the hyper-competitive college admissions process to the gates of Harvard Yard and beyond. A true story that sheds light on the American educational system, the immense challenges of coping with autism, and of course, the astronomical growth of The Facebook, Authoritas is an engrossing account of life that any student, parent, teacher or entrepreneur will relate to.
"The Chronicles of Era is a fantasy graphic novel about a youth named Seth, whose life is turned upside down when the Illiam Imperium-an empire descended from a lost, god-like civilization-comes to assimilate his people. First sold into slavery and then rescued to serve a religious order, Seth's only companions are Sidrich and Caitleth-a fellow Joshian orphan, and a runaway from the core cities of the Imperium. The three youths must tread a precarious line between being assimilated or being engulfed in an escalating war."--
The era of social technologies provides seemingly endless opportunity, both for individuals and organizations. But it’s also the subject of seemingly endless hype. Yes, social tools allow us to do things entirely differently—but how do you really capitalize on that? In 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era, the newest in Harvard Business Review’s line of digital books (HBR Singles), social strategist and insightful blogger Nilofer Merchant argues that “social” is much more than “media.” Smart companies are letting social become the backbone of their business models, increasing their speed and flexibility by pursuing openness and fluidity. These organizations don’t operate like the powerful “800-pound gorillas” of yesteryear—but instead act more like a herd of 800 gazelles, moving together across a savannah, outrunning the competition. This ebook offers new rules for creating value, leading, and innovating in our rapidly changing world. These social era rules are both provocative and grounded in reality—they cover thorny challenges like forsaking hierarchy and control for collaboration; getting the most out of all talent; allowing your customers to become co-creators in your organization; inspiring employees through purpose in a world where money alone no longer wields that power; and soliciting community investment in an idea so that it can take hold and grow. The strategies of the Industrial Era—or even the Information Age—will not be enough for the Social Era. Read 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era to get ready to meet the challenges of this new age and thrive. HBR Singles provide brief yet potent business ideas, in digital form, for today's thinking professional. Editorial Reviews Named a “Best Business Book of 2012” by Fast Company “Ms. Merchant's new work provides a provocative vision of the future of both what organizations and what work might look like, yet grounded in real businesses today…this will inspire ideas and thought about what running a business really means.” — Forbes.com “Every CEO, CMO, and decision maker needs to read this. Nilofer has taken a high-level concept and made it abundantly clear how to implement this big idea.” — Tara Hunt, cofounder and CEO, Buyosphere; author, The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business “A rare combination: strategic, well researched, and actionable. Nilofer Merchant helps executives see what’s at stake in the connection economy.” — Seth Godin, author, Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync? “Traditional strategy is dead. But do not fear—Nilofer Merchant shows how your organization can thrive with the new rules of the Social Era. Buy yourself a copy—and one for every member of your board.” — Charlene Li, founder, Altimeter Group; author, Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead; and coauthor, Groundswell “Social media is not about hooking up online. It’s becoming a new means of production and engagement. Nilofer lays out her enormously helpful ‘11 Rules’ to embrace the Social Era.” — Don Tapscott, coauthor, Macrowikinomics: Rebooting Business and the World “Pay attention to Nilofer Merchant. Or risk obsolescence.” — Dave Gray, Senior Vice President, Dachis Group “Nilofer Merchant nails it in this important and timely book. It’s an insightful road map. through the new world of business that embraces openness, stability, sustainable advantages, profitability, and the new value chain. It’s all here for you to devour. I hope you’re hungry.” — Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image; author, Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone “Nilofer Merchant offers not just a name—the Social Era—to these confusing and turbulent times, but thoughtful and straightforward advice about how both institutions and people can thrive, not just be the last one standing. Required reading for today’s leaders—and tomorrow’s.” — Barry Z. Posner, Accolti Professor of Leadership, Santa Clara University; coauthor, The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations “With tools, metrics, and markets pulsing with change, Nilofer’s 11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era is a vital compass to staying relevant and profitable. Embrace them.” — Lisa Gansky, entrepreneur; author, The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing “Nilofer Merchant deftly dissects the industrial traditions that are failing us. Not content to simply describe the state of affairs, she also offers comprehensive, prescient guidelines for taking the future into our own hands. This book opened me up to a whole new way of thinking about business, influence, and power.” — Deanna Zandt, media technologist; author, Share This!: How You Will Change the World with Social Networking “11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era completely, convincingly, and lucidly redefines what it’s going to take for companies to be successful going forward. Powerfully provocative and highly practical. Bravo, Nilofer!” — Tony Schwartz, President and CEO, The Energy Project; coauthor, The Power of Full Engagement and The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working
“People in all demographics and regions of the world are more connected than ever before to the products, issues, places, and individuals in their lives. This book recognizes that we’ve come to a place where people can represent their real identity--both personal and professional--and use the social filters on the Web to connect with the world around them.” --Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook “...A must-read for CEOs and other executives who want to understand Facebook and more importantly take the right actions to stay relevant and stay competitive.” --David Mather, President, Hoovers, Inc. The ‘90s were about the World Wide Web of information and the power of linking web pages. Today it’s about the World Wide Web of people and the power of the social graph. Online social networks are fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and interact. They offer businesses immense opportunities to transform customer relationships for profit: opportunities that touch virtually every business function, from sales and marketing to recruiting, collaboration to executive decision-making, product development to innovation. In The Facebook Era, Clara Shih systematically outlines the business promise of social networking and shows how to transform that promise into reality. Shih is singularly qualified to write this book: One of the world’s top business social networking thought leaders and practitioners, she created the first business application on Facebook and leads salesforce.com’s partnership with Facebook. Through case studies, examples, and a practical how-to guide, Shih helps individuals, companies, and organizations understand and take advantage of social networks to transform customer relationships for sales and marketing. Shih systematically identifies your best opportunities to use social networks to source new business opportunities, target marketing messages, find the best employees, and engage customers as true partners throughout the innovation cycle. Finally, she presents a detailed action plan for positioning your company to win in today’s radically new era: The Facebook Era. Join the conversation--www.thefacebookera.com. Fan the book--www.facebook.com/thefacebookera. Right this minute, more than 1.5 million people are on Facebook. They’re interacting with friends--and talking about your brands. They’re learning about your business--and providing valuable information you can use to market and sell. In the Facebook Era, you’re closer to your customers than ever before. Read this book, and then go get them! Clara Shih offers best practices for overcoming obstacles to success, ranging from privacy and security issues to brand misrepresentation, and previews social networking trends that are just beginning to emerge--helping you get ahead of the curve and ahead of the competition, too. Includes a practical 60-day action plan for positioning your company to win in the Facebook Era For companies of all sizes, in all industries--and business functions ranging from marketing to operations By Clara Shih, creator of Faceconnector, the first business application on Facebook Learn how to... Understand how social networking transforms our personal and professional relationships Why social networking will have business impact comparable to the Internet Use online social networks to hypertarget your customers Hone in on precise audience segments and then tailor custom campaigns with powerful personal and social relevance Define and implement your optimal social networking brand strategy Ask the right questions, set the right goals and priorities, and execute on it Implement effective governance and compliance Understand and mitigate the risks of social networking/Web 2.0 initiatives
""The definitive guide to building powerful brands in today's social era-written by a true industry expert." " Nader Tavassoli, Professor of Marketing, London Business School and non-executive chairman of The Brand Inside "The "new marketing manifesto of today's social era. A book that doesn't paper over the cracks of your marketing strategy (by rushing to social media platforms), but tackles the root issue and challenges and guides you to become what you need to "be" to succeed in this era: social. Within a single decade, the media landscape has fundamentally changed, and with it the way people interact with each other and with brands. Social media has emerged from its infancy-but businesses are still struggling to adapt. The Social Brand will unlock your brand to be successful in the social era. It shows how large or small companies, nonprofits, and other organizations should stop asking themselves the wrong questions, like: "Should I be on Twitter, Vine, or Snapchat?" "How do I need to talk to people on Facebook and Instagram?" It demonstrates that it's not (just) about shifting budget to these new platforms or creating a "social media strategy"-it's about creating a Social Brand. ""In order to be social, you have to give people something they truly value. If you do, they will want to seek it out and share it with others."" This way social media isn't just another media channel to drive your message home in; it's an environment in which you can engage in a social relationship. To demonstrate how this works, the book introduces the concept of the Brand Bank Account. This new marketing framework identifies a simple four-step plan that will enable brands to become social at the very core of their business. It identifies what are brand deposits and what are withdrawals, and shows that the more deposits you make-the more you give to your customer-the more loyal he or she will be. The book challenges old "taking" forms of marketing and beliefs; it demonstrates why we should no longer use "positioning statements" and words like "consumer" or "target audience." The book explains why most traditional advertising ends up being a withdrawal from your brand's bank balance, and it's chockablock with inspiring giving forms of marketing. The book inspires and guides you to resolve the two areas business struggle with most: social media and corporate social responsibility. Through extensive research of more than 250,000 people on products and brands, the book reveals a way to increase your brand's likeability by 20% when you define a clear and credible brand mission and keep it close to your product. ""If you work in marketing and still use words like "consumer, target, " and "audience, "then you need to hurry up and buy this book. It might just save your job." "Paul Kemp-Robertson, Co-founder, Contagious
"[W]ill command the rapt attention of casual fans and scholars alike." Booklist, Starred Review From Prince's superstardom to studio seclusion, this second book in the award-winning Prince Studio Sessions series spotlights how Prince, the biggest rock star on the planet at the time, risked everything to create some of the most introspective music of his four-decade career. Duane Tudahl takes us on an emotional and intimate journey of love, loss, rivalry, and renewal revealed through unprecedented access to dozens of musicians, singers, studio engineers, and others who worked with him and knew him best—with never-before-published memories from the Revolution, the Time, the Family, and Apollonia 6. Also included is a heartfelt foreword by musical legend Elton John about his time and friendship with Prince.
