I’ve always been a believer that for one to command respect, one has to experience “life in the trenches”. Great generals are the ones who know what it takes to fight battles in the trenches.
Written by Guy Kawasaki – the legendary former chief evangelist for Apple and one of the pioneers of business blogging. Tweeting, Facebooking and Tumbling—and Peg Fitzpatrick—a social media strategist and director of digital media for Kreussler Inc. — The Art of Social Media is a 123-step guide book full of tactics and power tips to help you build your social media foundation, amass digital assets, go to market, optimize your profile, attract more followers, and effectively integrate social media and blogging.
Both authors live and breathe social media and they know their stuff. They are in the trenches of social media and this sets the tempo of what to expect from the book. The no-frills, no-fuss tactics shared are not big moving strategies in social media often marketed by other authors. It’s about “how to’s”.
From the many links, it’s clear the book is designed for digital reading. So if one wants to deep-dive into the various topics, the electronic digital version is a must. However, the printed format has enough learning suggest to get you going.
Among the many learning tips, “How To Perfect Your Posts” contains the most depth. They state that it’s a must to have visuals in your social media posts—literally every single post—and should contain “eye candy” in the form of picture, graphic or video. It amplifies the point that visuals in social media are a powerful ingredient that must be given due diligence.
Along the way, you’ll also discover new words. In Tip 35, you are told, “Be a Mensch”. Like me, you’ll probably wonder, what is a “Mensch”? (Perhaps I should be spending more time in the trenches). A Mensch is a kind and honorable person who does the right thing the right way. And in the context of internet entitlement syndrome, if you share the joy of helping others, that goodness will eventually flow on the karmic board. “Give to others without an agenda”, the tip declares.
Both Guy and Peg also argue against abdicating your social media to an agency (Tip 111) and delegating the job to an intern (Tip 112). Their message is clear — for one to become a rock star in social media, one must be willing to take that dive in the trenches.
The preface of the book describes Guy and Peg as the social media equivalent of Jack Bauer and Chlore O’Brian of the 24 fame.
So, if you’re ready to elevate your game and can take kick-ass advise with no regard to policies, procedures and protocol from a Jack Bauer of social media and be fascinated by how his trusted Chloe directs where you should go and what to do, this book is for you.
This article was first published on adobo Magazine Issue 56.
Ed Mapa is Chief Executive Officer, TBWA\Digital Arts Network Manila
