(This is the first in a series of book reviews that will be featured on the blog that I believe are relevant to our community.)
“The Digital Handshake – Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media” by Paul Chaney (www.thedigitalhandshake.com).
Recommendation: Buy this book today! I have read more books than I care to remember on social media and without a doubt this is the best of the bunch – by a large margin.
Top Ten Reasons to Read “The Digital Handshake” by Paul Chaney:
Number 10: It is well written and well organized. Sounds funny to say this, but I find so many of the books written on social media hard to read and I come away not sure who the audience is supposed to be.
Number 9: It is comprehensive – Paul covers every conceivable type of social media available today and explains where each fits (and where they don’t fit).
Number 8: It is chocked full of example and references – rather than bog the reader down in excessively long explanations, references are made to where the reader can go for further information.
Number 7: It puts social media into context. The book begins with a great overview of the 5 consumer trends that are turning the business world upside down.
Number 6: It has a point of view. In addition to covering social media in a very comprehensive way, Paul gives his opinion of the relative merits of the various alternatives in each category.
Number 5: It addresses the question of how to measure the effectiveness of your social media efforts so that you can determine if you are spending your time wisely.
Number 4: It helps you develop a plan of action before jumping in. For example, rather than just starting a blog, Paul walks you through the process of how to plan for your blog first so that your efforts will be more successful.
Number 3: It answers the question of how Facebook and Twitter (among others) are relevant to business! This was huge for me because I could never figure out how and if these were social media venue I wanted to pursue.
Number 2: It motivates you to learn! The book makes you want to try things that you have never considered before. Now, none of us can do them all at once, but the ideas will now be in the back of your mind and you will have a reference guide to refer to when ready.
Number 1: IT IS RELEVANT TO PROFESSIONALS IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY. I have finished most books on social media feeling like they were not talking to me – a small business owner in a specialized industry. I have implemented more ideas from this book in just writing this blog than in all of the previous social media books that I have read! (For example, did you know that search items like lists?)
