Business Insider

Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising

OGILVY ON ADVERTISING
Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising
Author: David Ogilvy
ISBN-13:  9780394729039
Topic:  Advertising
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1987



Business Books

REVIEW:

The premise of Ogilvy on Advertising can be summed up with a quote from Claude Hopkins 80 years ago, "Advertising is salesmanship."

Ogilvy teaches the selling aspect of an ad.  Too often advertisers get confused, send an unclear message and confuse the buyer.

Although this book is dated, it was written before the internet, the concepts expressed are still applicable.  We advertise to sell and, Ogilvy on Advertising, delivers.  Be advised, the materials featured in the book are from the 1970s.

BUSINESS BOOKS

Friday, May 20, 2011

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

BRANDS TRADEMARKS AND GOOD WILL


Author: Arthur F. Marquette
ISBN-13: 
First Edition 
Topic:  Early American Brand Marketing
Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1967

REVIEW:


The story of the Quaker Oats company.  Easy to read recounting of how Quaker Oats came to be what it is. Marks one of the first attempts to explore and study brands and the good will associated with them. 

It is amazing how far we have come.  In 1875 a branded approach was rare except for Bon Ami or Bull Durham, now everything seems to be branded.  This book puts together how a vast network of independent mills and distributors were put together in an empire that achieved global dominance.  An excellent foundation of knowledge book if you are involved in marketing or branding.

CONTROVERSY:  The sometimes disturbing look into how brands like "Aunt Jemima" came into being.  The history is, St. Joseph Gazette editor Chris L. Rutt of St. Joseph, Missouri and his friend Charles G. Underwood bought a flour mill in 1888. Rutt and Underwood's Pearl Milling Company faced a glutted flour market, so they sold their excess flour as a ready-made pancake mix in white paper sacks with a trade name (which Arthur F. Marquette dubbed the "last ready-mix"). 
Photographs from the History of Quaker Oats

Rutt reportedly saw a minstrel show featuring the "Old Jemima" song in the fall of 1889 presented by blackface performers identified by Marquette as "Baker & Farrell". However, Doris Witt was unable to confirm Marquette's account. Witt suggests that Rutt might have witnessed a vaudeville performance byPete F. Baker, who played a character described in newspapers of that era as "Aunt Jemima". If this is correct, the original inspiration for the Aunt Jemima character was a white male in whiten face, who some have described as a German immigrant.

Marquette recounts that the actor playing Aunt Jemima wore an apron and kerchief, and Rutt appropriated this Aunt Jemima character to market the Pearl Milling Company pancake mix in late 1889 after viewing a minstrel show. However, Rutt and Underwood were unable to make the project work, so they sold their company to the R.T. Davis Milling Company in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1890.

BUY IT NOW - RARE First Edition.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Book Review: THE FINDABILITY FORMULA

The Findability Formula
THE FINDABILITY FORMULA - The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing
Author: Heather Lutze
ISBN-13:  9780470420904
Topic:  Internet Marketing
Format:  Audio CD
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:
The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing - The book is devoted to Google AdWords, but there is a chapter on SEO performance.  The material is an excellent introduction to pay-per-click advertising.  Advanced users will find the material too basic, but I approached from not really knowing that much and learned the basiscs.  The style is easy to comprehend and goes step by step.  Typical layout and good reference coming from Wiley Publishers.

INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
To be successful in business you must be able to attract the right clients and persuade them to buy. However, on the internet, people only see what the search engines direct them to and the competition for those top spots is fierce. So how do you ensure that your business is front-and-center when prospects are searching for solutions? The answer is The Findability Formula. The Findability Formula is for anyone who wants to improve results from Internet marketing. The book is specifically written for business owners who are frustrated with a website that is not showing up in search results and not generating business. The Findability Formula will help readers understand how prospects and customers search for products and services on the Internet, and will show them, step-by-step, how to optimize their findability. The book will be a non-technical guide to effectively building and implementing, from the ground up, an Internet search marketing program that gets results. The reader will learn how paid search works, and how paid and organic search can work together to create optimum web visibility and reduce paid search costs over time. The basic message of the book is that there is a formula for findability and for converting prospects to purchasers.

Readers' Benefits from The Findability Formula:
* A complete step-by-step approach to search engine marketing applicable to any product or service, The Findability Formula will include easy-to-follow instruction from chapter to chapter as well as launch checklists in the appendix.
* The most up-to-date search research and statistics available, including uncommon ways to connect with your online buyer.
* Shows the reader how to avoid common search marketing mistakes that cost big money. How to not be bullied and take control of in-house e-commerce department strategies and SEM agencies.
* A small company can compete successfully in search with larger, well-established competitors. How to work smarter to get even better search engine "findability".
* Maximizes the reader's investment. The reader won't waste money by needlessly paying for "clicks" from customers who have no intention of buying. The investment in this book will be repaid thousands of times over.
* Saves time, money and energy in creating in-house search marketing programs and properly tracking results by keyword. Negates the need to hire outside SEM agencies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heather Lutze is a nationally recognized Internet marketing speaker and consultant on search strategies. She has more than ten years of hands-on management experience in pay per click, search engine optimization, and landing page testing. She is also the founder of Lutze Consulting, a search marketing agency that helps companies improve their results and increase sales through paid search and organic search optimization.


Looking for Designer Bags?

Friday, February 25, 2011

Book Review: GET RICH WITH APPS!

Get Rich with Apps!
GET RICH WITH APPS!
Author: Jesse Feiler
ISBN-13:  9780071700290
Topic:  Business & Economics – Entrepreneur
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

BUSINESS BOOKS

Review:

This is not a get rich quick book, it takes design, testing and marketing to be successful in this new field.  It's obvious i-Phone and Facebook are new and fertile ground for apps. 

GET RICH WITH APPS! does not discuss codes, but does make a case for how important apps are and how to plan and design their creation.  The book is aimed at the developer who is a would be entrepreneur. 

The book explains how mobile and social apps are different from a larger enterprise application.  For example, Facebook is a closed system and extra steps have to be taken to integrate your app with other frame works such as i-Phone.  Also, mobile and desktop apps are used in different ways by people.

The downside of this book is that most of it is to explain to a less hip to mobile and social audience of developers, if that even exists, and if you are already serious about app development, you are probably deep into Conduit already.  Conduit.com is an additional valuable resource in creating and distributing your apps. The book could also use a stronger web support. Author Jesse Feiler has a great amount of knowledge that could be shared in the form of examples or links to the app community. 

Apps are new and there is much room for growth.  This book is great if you are beginning your path of research.  From a marketing perspective, apps are a great method for marketing, there is much to learn if you are a business person looking to use these new tools in your business and this book is a great introduction.

CONDUIT:  
Although not mentioned in this book, the Conduit community is valuable if you wish to develop apps either for your business or as your business. Conduit is the fastest-growing network of Web and mobile app publishers, with over 260,000 members and their 230 million end-users. The Conduit Network empowers publishers - from global brands to independent developers - to create, exchange and distribute apps, and to collaborate through business partnerships.

Conduit enables publishers to seamlessly encapsulate content and deploy it everywhere, from Web browsers and Community Toolbars to mobile devices across all platforms. Publishers can distribute and exchange their apps directly, or through the Conduit App Marketplace. Conduit-powered apps enhance engagement, retention and monetization beyond the boundaries of the publisher's website.


About the Author

Jesse Feiler provides consulting services to small businesses and non-profits. He is the author of a number of books on FileMaker and Mac OS X as well as on new technologies such as Mashups, Facebook, and Bento. Active in the community, he serves on the boards of HB Studio and HB Playwrights Foundation; he previously served on the board of the Mid-Hudson Library System (including three years as president), founded the Philmont Main Street Committee, and chaired the village’s Comprehensive Plan Board.


Sunday, January 2, 2011

MARKETING: Use Social Media to Build Your Opt-In List


Here are five tips for using social media to build your opt-in list:

1.      Join Targeted Groups and Post Effective Discussions. Within your social networks, choose the groups wisely in which you will participate, focusing on groups that are active and contain your target market. You should post discussions to demonstrate your professional expertise and drive people to your website, taking care to make your headlines short and interesting. Making the headline for your post a question is an effective attention-getter, or using wording containing phrases like "tips for" or "strategies for," also works very well. Be sure to post a paragraph-long teaser in the discussion body telling people what helpful information you have to share and include a link to your website where they can read it in full. Close with a question for the reader or a statement soliciting feedback. When readers comment, your post will remain at the top of the group list where more people can see it.
  
2.      Make Sure your Website is "Opt-in" Friendly. Make sure your opt-in form is prominent throughout your website, with a message telling visitors that when they sign up for your list they will receive helpful information as opposed to spam. You can also include incentives to help encourage people to opt-in. E-books work nicely.
  
3.      Invite Every One…But Don't Pester! Every time you get a friend request or a new follower, send a message introducing yourself and include an invitation (with the link to your site’s opt-in form) to sign up for the helpful information you send to your list. If the new connection does not immediately respond, don't message them again with a repeat of your invitation. If they didn't take the bait through the initial invitation, you’ll have plenty of chances to win them over as they continue to see the wealth of information you have to share.
  
4.      Be Direct…But Not Too Often. If you have a helpful and valuable incentive to offer, occasionally post updates inviting your friends and followers to go get it! Keep in mind you are treading a thin line with this type of post, so make sure they are infrequent and are mixed in with many posts that are completely non-promotional in nature. You don't want to be considered "that guy" who's just there to promote to people.
  
5.      Be Consistent in Your Social Networking! The key to making points 1 – 4 above really work for you is – stay active in your networks and groups. If you are only an occasional visitor, you might as well “stay home.” In order to reap the rewards of these strategies, post often and wisely, and pay attention to your group members.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Book Review: BRAND REWIRED

Brand Rewired


Author: Anne Chasser & Jennifer Wolfe
ISBN-13: 9780470575420
Topic:  Business & Economics - Marketing
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010


Publisher's Note:

Discover how the world's leading companies have added value to their company by rewiring the brand creation process
Brand Rewired showcases the world's leading companies in branding and how they have added value to their company by rewiring the brand creation process to intersect strategic thinking about intellectual property without stifling creativity.

           Features interviews with executives from leading worldwide companies including: Kodak, Yahoo,   Kraft, J.Walter Thompson, Kimberly Clark, Scripps Networks Interactive, the Kroger Company, GE, Procter & Gamble, LPK, Northlich and more
           Highlights how to maximize return on investment in creating a powerful brand and intellectual property portfolio that can be leveraged economically for many years to come
           Reveals how to reduce costs in the brand creation and legal process
           Illustrates how a brand strategy intersecting with an equally powerful intellectual property strategy produces a greater economic return and more rewards for the brand project leaders. 

Innovative in its approach, Brand Rewired shows you how leading companies are abandoning the old school research-and-development-driven innovation philosophy and evolving to a Brand Rewired approach of innovating at the consumer level, using multi-disciplinary teams to build a powerful brand and intellectual asset to maximize return on investment.

Review:

A striking cover got me into the mood for an analysis of marketing.  Brand Rewired does a good job of relating the importance of intellectual property, branding and creative strategy.  The interesting point made by Chasser and Wolfe was that some brands are more valuable than the actual products. 

Every nuance and aspect of the brand experience is an intellectual asset that must be protected.  Brand Rewired outlines several processes, collaborative in nature that need to be followed.  The teams that need to work together are the marketing and legal teams.  By doing so, the book puts forth, intellectual property garners protection brand value is maximized. This book provides the steps in clear terms and is relevant to what my company experienced recently.  I am confident other companies are dealing with similar issues.

The major lesson for me in this book was the advice for the marketing department to include the legal team early in strategy and planning. Also, the advice for the legal team to function as growth minded partners and not as if they are a regulatory commission with outside the company allegiance.  Intellectual property is a valuable asset to the company and should be safeguarded, recognized, understood and respected. This book is a good way to introduce a partnership between legal and marketing. 
It would make sense for law firms that present branded companies to read this book.

About the Authors
ANNE H. CHASSER was named one of the fifty most influential people in the intellectual property world by Managing Intellectual Property magazine and served as commissioner of trademarks for the United States Patent & Trademark Office and president of the International Trademark Association. As Associate Vice President for Intellectual Property at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Trademarks and Licensing at The Ohio State University, she has achieved top-level executive experience in both government and higher education administration. Chasser is widely recognized as a visionary thought leader in intellectual property.

JENNIFER C. WOLFE, Esq., APR, is the founder of Wolfe LPA, one of the fastest growing woman-owned intellectual property and corporate counsel law firms. Clients have included Kraft Foods, Scripps Networks Interactive, The Kroger Co., Luxottica Retail, and many emerging media and technology companies. One of the only attorneys also nationally accredited in public relations, Wolfe is widely known for her unique and outside-the-box thinking. She is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and has been a regular contributor to national legal and technology publications.

Chapter 1 The Billion-Dollar Question.
The Evolution of the Silo—Rewired.
What’s Ahead?
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 2 Value Is in the Eye of the Beholder.
Driving Trends in Intellectual Asset Valuation—Why it Matters to You.
When and How Intellectual Assets are Valued.
Increasing the Return on Investment of Your Next Project.
Want Your Brand Listed as a Top 100 Brand?
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 3 Designing in IP.
The Creative Process.
Product Packaging and Product Design.
Name and Logo Design.
Campaign and Connection to the Consumer.
Culture.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 4 The Influencers.
Consumer-Based Insights.
Content as Marketing.
Cost of Litigation, Risk, and Uncertainty.
The Dilution Dilemma.
Limited Budgets.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 5 The Black Box.
A Fictional Case Study—Emerson Jones.
Research and Development.
Marketing and Advertising Campaign.
Public Relations and Investor Relations.
Avoiding Costly Lawsuits.
Return on Investment.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 6 Integrating a Brand Rewired Process.
The Environment and Incentives.
The Innovation Process.
Implementation.
A Do-Over for Emerson Jones.
The Leadership.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 7 The Brand Maestro.
The Brand Maestro Job Description.
The Intellectual Asset Strategy.
How to Get Started in Your Organization.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 8 The Thought Leaders.
General Mills.
Procter & Gamble.
Kraft Foods.
Kimberly-Clark.
Kodak.
Harley-Davidson.
Yahoo!
Intel.
Scripps Networks Interactive.
Libby Persyk Kathman (LPK).
Northlich (Brand Engagement Agency).
Interbrand (Branding Consultancy).
The Entrepreneurial Journey.

Epilogue Brand Capitol and Brand Maestro.
Did You Know?

Appendix A Discussion Questions.
Appendix B About the People Interviewed in This Book.
Appendix C Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement.
Appendix D Sample Questionnaire for Planning Sessions.
Appendix E Team Meeting Agenda.
Appendix F Sample Intellectual Asset Strategy Document.
Appendix G List of Trademarks.
References.
About the Authors

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Book Review: AND THE CLIENTS WENT WILD

And the Clients went Wild
Author: Maribeth Kuzmeski
ISBN-13: 9780470601761
Topic:  Business & Economics - Marketing
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010


REVIEW:
Combine social media with traditional marketing techniques for breakthrough results!
While social media is doing much to change the marketing landscape, it doesn't mean you have to take an either/or approach between it and more traditional methods. ...And the Clients Went Wild! gives you the tools to take an eclectic approach and pick the best, most wildly successful marketing methods-traditional, online, or both-to win at a given marketing goal. And, whether by means of Facebook, Twitter, streaming video, or by old-fashioned word of mouth, public relations, or personal sales skill, the goal is to win, right?
·         Find real-life examples of success from some of today's best businesses
·         Shows how to integrate and benefit from both traditional and new marketing methods
·         Uses the proven business growth strategy Red Zone Marketing as a central concept
·         Author has proven the concepts successful in her work for numerous major clients
Don't throw out tried and true marketing techniques just for the sake of the new. Do what works!
 The style of the author tends to fall to cliché, but the book is motivating to help you improve the way you market.  The Marketing Plan template alone makes this book worth the cost of the book and the time to read it.  Also, the chapter on building a brand on a budget was also helpful. 
The advice about relying too much on social media was re-assuring.  Traditional marketing still works.
About the Authors
MARIBETH KUZMESKI and her firm, Red Zone Marketing, consult with businesses from entrepreneurial firms to Fortune 500 corporations on strategic marketing planning and business growth. She is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) and The National Speakers Association, a frequent national media contributor, an international speaker, and is the author of five books including The Connectors: How the World's Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley).

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Chapter 1 Executive Summary: The 5 Core Principles for Turning Clients and Prospects Into Raving Fans.

PART I THE PRINCIPLES.

Chapter 2 1st Principle- What Are YOU Doing that No One Else is Doing? Build Client Delight Through Your Differentiation.

Chapter 3 2nd Principle- Focus Your Marketing on Benefits, Results and a Call to Action: What’s Really In It For Them.

Chapter 4 3rd Principle- Go Viral! Create Memorable Impactful Messaging Worthy of a Pass-Along.

Chapter 5 4th Principle- Leverage Your Business Network for Incremental Growth: Find and Cultivate Centers of Influence to Move Your Message Fast.

Chapter 6 5th Principle- The Critical Importance of Execution in Your Game Plan: Good Execution is Better than Good Strategy.

PART II THE PLAYBOOK: Online and Traditional Marketing Techniques.

Chapter 7 Create a Playbook That Fits Your Business and Your Personality: Design Your Own Marketing Action Plan.

Chapter 8 Build A Brand Identity On Shoestring Budget: Spending Time Effectively Can Be Worth More Than Money.

Chapter 9 Find Your Niche: Corner the Market One Segment at a Time!

Chapter 10 Techniques for Creating a Memorable Experience: Give ‘em Something to Talk About!

Chapter 11 Your Best Prospects Come From Referrals - Scripts and Strategies for Increasing Your Introductions to Others.

Chapter 12 My Website is WORKING! Turn a Bland Site and Your Internet Presence into a Money-Maker.

Chapter 13 Social Media: Effective Strategies that DON’T Consume all of Your Time.

Chapter 14 Permission Based Marketing: Strategies for Successful Email and E-Newsletters.

Chapter 15 Traditional Marketing Still Works: TV and Cable Advertising, Newspaper, and Other Mediums that Still Cause People to Buy.

Chapter 16 Direct Mail: Simple Principles for Gaining Sales from Good Old- Fashioned Mail.

Chapter 17 Events and Seminars: Creating Buzz and Sales through Group Presentations.

Chapter 18 Media Methods To Gain Celebrity Status: Take advantage of hot topics, timely events, and unique twists to attract attention.

Chapter 19 Special Tactics for Financial Advisors: 10 Specific Strategies Working Today.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Book Review: THE NEW ELITE

Authors: Doug Harrison, Jim Taylor, Stephen Kraus
The New Elite
ISBN-13: 9780814400487
Topic:  Business & Economics, Marketing
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008

REVIEW:
This thought-provoking, stereotype-challenging business guide illuminates the values, buying habits, and lifestyle choices of the wealthiest Americans, focusing on both the top one percent and the top five percent. Combining extensive market research data with marketing expertise, the authors tell business leaders how to first deeply understand the market--in part by learning to differentiate five distinct types of wealthy Americans--and then create a more targeted marketing strategy to reach them.

This book is ok if you are trying to target the top 1000 wealthiest people in America, not very motivating. I wonder if targeting wealthy individuals by zip code would be more effective.

Most interesting is the research into what the wealthy are like compared to the beliefs of marketers. Marketers believe only about half of the very wealthy are married; the truth is that 83% are. And while fully 48% of the wealthy consider luxury items such as expensive watches and cars as a "waste of money" (page 19), marketers think only 18% of the very wealthy would agree.

Also, about 36% grew up in either poverty or lower middle class circumstances. Both the wealthy and the children of the wealthy believe strongly in hard work, in school and later. And they like to shop at places like Walmart and Target. The very wealthy named Ralph Lauren and MAC cosmetics as among their favorite brands, brands which are available in most malls.

About the Authors
The authors (all of the strategic marketing consulting and research services firm The Harrison Group) summarize their marketing research into the lifestyles of the rich and not-necessarily-famous, profiling the characteristics of America's wealthy, those individuals in the top 1 percent of the economic spectrum. They examine mind-sets and lifestyles, attitudes and values; and saving, investment, and consumption patterns and preferences.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Book Review: GET SLIGHTLY FAMOUS

GET SLIGHTLY FAMOUS
Get Slightly Famous
Author:  Steven Van Yoder
ISBN-13:
9780972002172
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Softcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007

REVIEW:
With practical marketing help for the small business owner or independent professional on every page, Get Slightly Famous shows how to build visibility and credibility by making yourself a thought leader and indispensable resource to your potential clients and customers.

This expanded new edition provides a toolbox of strategies for:

* Getting consistent media attention
* Using speaking engagements to cultivate your target market
* Becoming a center of influence within your industry
* Leveraging the Internet and Web 2.0 to its full potential
* Creating ancillary "info-products" that supplement your income and build public awareness

Slightly Famous Media Strategies that Work: 

The public values the media, and so should you. In one way or another, the media reach and influence everyone who has a direct impact on your business. When properly pursued, media strategies establish your reputation and build your brand, reaching far more prospects than you ever could in person.

* How to position your business as a media resource.
* How to identify magazines, trade publications, newspapers and broadcast media and reach your target.
* How to position yourself as the media "go-to" person for your industry.
* How to get quoted in media stories about your industry.
* How to publish articles that attract prospects.
* How to land radio and television interviews.
* How to use previous media coverage to develop marketing materials that easily replace expensive brochures, mailers, and newsletters.

About the Author
Steven Van Yoder   http://www.getslightlyfamous.com/  is a public relations consultant and freelance journalist specializing in client positioning and reputation marketing. Yoder has published hundreds of articles, given numerous media interviews, and landed hundreds of thousands of dollars in free media coverage for his clients in consumer and business publications. This talk will leave attendees with a clear understanding and action plan of how to get "slightly" famous in media that reach their target markets.  His articles (both bylines and ghosted for clients) have appeared in the Washington Post, Industry Week, Boardwatch, Home Office Computing, Financial Executive, Epicurean Magazine, ASTA Journal, Beauty

Lesson Learned

Get Slightly Famous provides hands-on, step-by-step insights for developing a comprehensive thought leadership marketing program, making company executives irresistible to the media, writing effective press releases, getting articles into print, developing an effective Internet presence, using Web 2.0 marketing tools, including blogs, podcasts and online networking, speaking strategies and tele-classes, developing strategic alliances and embracing social responsibility with cause marketing.
I found it a very good blueprint for setting up a strategy.  The book is easy to read and has many humorous examples.  Whenever Yoder makes a point, he always backs it up with an example.  However, some of the examples are for large established corporations and are not relevant for smaller companies.
If you are in the marketing department or a business owner, this is a must read.  A word of caution, some of the activity levels are unrealistic for the business owner juggling multiple priorities.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Book Review: SOCIAL NATION – How To Harness Social Media

Social Nation
SOCIAL NATION – How To Harness Social Media
Author:  Barry Libert
ISBN-13: 9780470599266
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010


Sponsor:  Andy Warhol Ten Foot Flower Melamine Plates

REVIEW:
It's time to join Social Nation and prosper! This book will show you, as an employee, customer or partner, how to use new social technologies, make yourself heard, and produce better products and services. As a leader and manager, you'll find out how to use these tools to harness social interactions to improve your business and to create your own social nation. The book provides a social assessment for leaders, managers and employees to scientifically evaluate your individual social skills and competencies. This book relies on well-known case studies about businesses that illustrate how social principles and strategies can help organizations to:
Integrate social skills into existing managerial and leadership practices
Overcome some of the common risks and objections that are often cited as obstacles to becoming a successful social enterprise
Adopt new forms of social leadership across the entire organization
Attain social intelligence by listening, understanding, and measuring outcomes of your investment in relationships with customers, employees and partners
Realize tangible economic benefits and ROI from new product and service offerings Social Nation provides readers with an opportunity to join the Social Nation community and share experiences with other leaders and social individuals.
About the Author
BARRY LIBERT is the founder and CEO of Mzinga, a company that provides social software that manages two billion conversations a month for 15,000 communities on behalf of 300 well-known companies. He has coauthored four popular business books on information and social networks.
.
Lesson Learned
The author uses real-life situations and opens our eyes to how we must take advantage of everything our new Social Nation has to offer. Libert appears to have written the book to help preserve what is good in American business, from large corporations to mom and pop stores to being a consumer of both.
 Social Nation is written for employers, employees, and customers. The book has a fast pace and is positive that the social nation can fix the things that are/were great about American capitalism.
The concept of the “suggestion box” has been lacking over the previous half century, customers and employees voices are seemingly lost on bosses and managers.  Social Nation prescribes social media as a cure to improving and streamlining the feedback process.  Those that take advantage of the feedback and improve their products, services and workplaces will be the winners.
Libert does not use scare tactics, he uses facts and case studies.  Businesses have been out of touch, caring more about assets and cash on hand, "than they did people and their relationships." Libert suggests an economy where through social media, companies would offer specials directly to the customer and not through a blaring commercial. This would all be done on an opt in basis, no push advertising. The customer receives a genuine invitation to be a part of that business.
Libert in Social Nation suggests that employees and employers can rebuild the relationship that has eroded over the past 50 years.  Social Nation illustrates that what our kids take as just part of life, business can use to listen to employees and what they have to say, the good, the bad, the great suggestion which may be a company's best selling product the next year. All of it is possible. Just as important, the employees will feel part of something, because they are part of something.