It has been a LONG time since I got really excited about a social media book. I have been teaching and researching in this area for the last several years, and one of the things that I have struggled with has been to find the right book to use for my social media classes. Some are dedicated too much to theory and others are not relevant anymore since it takes so long to publish nowadays.
However, I read a book that got me excited about not only the possibilities for how I could use this in research, but also in the classroom as well. I bought “Your brand” by Michael Brito right before I went to the EUPRERA Congress in Barcelona this past week – and I finished the book on the flight over. Yes, that is correct. I have not done this since the last Harry Potter book came out a few years ago – which says something to me right there! Once I finished the book, I immediately knew that I have found my official book for my #Freberg14 class in the Spring.
Why do I think “Your Brand” is a must-have? Here are the six reasons why you need (yes, I said need) to buy this book for your class (or professional activities) in social media:
- Current case studies: Michael does a great job in sharing case studies that have worked or not worked in the realm of social media business strategy. These are good to share with students so they can see what other brands have done and what has worked, and what has not worked.
- Great visual graphics to illustrate key concepts in social business: I am a visual person myself, and so are most of my students, and it was great to see the visual elements of the book illustrating the key concepts in the book. Whether it was discussing what is a social media command center or what is the overall framework of the social media business strategy model. These were good to connect the reader back to the concepts at hand – and many times we see just text in social media books, so this was a nice change to see and witness.
- Human voice integrated with key social business concepts: A lot of times you see an author a little bit when you are reading their book, but Michael was able to present his own point of view as well as share some of his personal stories into each chapter as well. It was great to see how he has made some of these social media discoveries interacting with his family and daughters in the mix. So, in this case, not only are you hearing the professional voice and expertise on the subject, but you are also getting to know Michael as a person.
- New tools and vendors: Great feature after each of the chapters – Michael discusses relevant tools and vendors that would be good to explore that are relevant to each of the topics covered in the book. Whether it is social media analytics or content management, there is one highlighted for each of these.
- Great insights and strategies to share with students: Students today are pressured to know all about social media, but they sometimes don’t get the application of how to use these. However, this book accomplishes this very well – students will learn more about the strategy of social media instead of looking at what is Facebook, Twitter, etc in class. If students apply what Michael has discussed in this book towards their internships and jobs, they will be successful.
- Bridging the foundation of theory/research and application: This one was a big one for me – and I think Michael accomplished this very well in his book. What I do think is interesting is that compared to some other social media authors, Michael also teaches as well along with working as a practitioner, so he understands this bridge and has been able to apply this to this book. This was probably one of the main reasons why I really enjoyed reading this book because of the fact that you don’t see this often in some of the other social media books.
Overall, I think “Your Brand” must be a required book for social media classes at universities. Thanks to Michael for taking the time to share his expertise, insights, and perspectives on social media business strategy in this book. Really enjoyed reading it and congratulations on creating a wonderful product for students, professors, and practitioners all to enjoy and apply in their professions.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments