6 Books All Social Media Marketers Should Start With

[tweetmeme source=”MarkBrimm”] If you already know everything there is to know about social media, then please move along.

…Still here? Great! Me, too!

While I don’t claim to be a foremost authority on social media (or much of anything else, I’ve decided in later life), I’ve learned a  thing or two while learning that fact: pay attention, watch, read, learn. This small list is not a “new books” list by any means, it’s a “you should have already probably read these” list for people newer to social media or who, like me, may not feel comfortable in casting aside the classic standards of the social media resource genre just because their time is valuable. Some of these authors do not entirely agree, which sis actually valuable in that you get some not-quite in-sinc takes on some social networking issues.

If you’re anything like me, you consider a good read on worthwhile subject matter from a durable voice a worthwhile use of your time. And for the record, these links on the titles below are referral links. If you click them and buy the books, I’ll get a tiny little commission to legitimate investing more time in this blog while I pursue less profitable posts, and which I think is pretty fair, and not only gets a great author a new sale and reader, but provides the visitor with a valuable new proven resource to study and refer to (hard copy, no less, which can be great for impromptu inspired notes as we all love to make). That said, hope you find this little list useful. And now (in case you’re still reading this blur at the top of the screen) the drumroll please…

1. Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

The low down :

Twitter and Facebook are shaped as much by a noteworthy book as they are by its readers, admirers and practitioners of any insights they hold. And this one has lots of insight, as well as kudos from the social media community. Brogan and New Labs Marketing continue to be a driving force in demonstrating community and the principle of “trust” for social media marketing and networking. There is a good reason this book is first. Where it may not be a how-to in some respects, it is an absolute eye-opener about what the authors and a few others have long ago realized about the importance and nature of trust and transparency in social networking and social media marketing. For this reason, I would seriously recommend starting here, only because it’s the most insightful reading of key issues in social media and social networking at large.

2. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin

Here’s why :

Seth Godin is a prolific writer of books on what could be called “social media theory” and while I don’t own (and haven’t read) most of his other books, this one inspired the world to get on social networks and use them for things they really care about. If you want to understand the “twibes” phenomenon, or the possibilities of social media, you should start here.

3. Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business by Erik Qualman

Why I picked this:

As some have pointed out, the book is short of documentation, and long on examples (remember “Dancing Matt” on YouTube?), but it is intended to show corporate decision-makers why social media is important to their brands today, and that it does brilliantly. While not a handbook on “how-to” for what it sets out to do, it certainly succeeds. It is a starter course, along with the previous two books on our list here, on why your company should consider going social with a brand.

4. Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs (The New Rules of Social Media) By Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah, and David Meerman Scott

My reasons:

Low-budget marketing forces one to become smarter than the big guys. This is the unlikely advantage of having little or no venture capital in the hands of a survivor. Inbound Marketing shows how to apply the older branding principles of Al Ries and company to new levels in the age of social networking where PR can be a matter of viral phenomenon hits and misses.

5. Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion By Gary Vaynerchuk

A powerful book:

Gary Vaynerchuk is a marketing coach on steroids, with energy and drive that most us will never quite have. That’s his drive, to find a better way, to see deep into what the problem is quickly and put a solution into the fray. As Gary cogently explains, advertising dollars are what’s ultimately at stake for a blogger with a keen eye or a topic expert with a visionary outlook. And best of all, Gary practically tells you how to do it by giving you sample strategies that can inspire you to find your own model. Not to be missed.

6. Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide

By John Jantsch

A book full of tested insights:

John Jantsch has been doing and thinking about guerrilla marketing for a long time now. He’s all about low-budget marketing tactics that actually are proven and work. So this book is somewhat of a toolbox of such tried and true strategies for those who may have missed the dialogue in recent years. Consider Jantsch the knowledgeable uncle in marketing you could have seriously learned a thing or two from when you first started out. If you’re like many of us, you find that he has a few tricks up his sleeve that are always well-worth the purchase price. Also, it’s a great way to see how guerrilla marketing has evolved before and since this book, and a great way to see the value in defiant marketing voices who speak their mind (agreeing with them is not really the point, right?). After all, this is how social media was basically born, out of the grit of tenacious guerrilla marketers fighting expensive tanks with grenades and banana peels–and actually winning market share. [tweetmeme source=”MarkBrimm”]