The wait is over. After what seemed like an eternity, following Olivier's tweets while he labored through the process of writing "Social Media ROI - Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in your Organization" and then patiently waited for it to be edited & finally published - it is a reality. I ordered my copy back in January and was thrilled when it shipped ahead of schedule.
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Let me start out by saying Blanchard's 1st book writing effort does not disappoint. If you follow his writings on, The BrandBuilder Blog, you would agree that Olivier is a master of debate, has a brilliant, fluid mind and is a purposeful communicator. He is also more than just an "Influencer" with an enviable Klout score. ; )
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| However, I have to admit that finding this equaled a fun day of tweets between those that respect Olivier Blanchard & his work. |
Everyone will tell you that integrating Social Media into your overall marketing initiatives is not a cookie cutter process. The architecture will be different for every business & for different sized organizations.
The 1st half of the book deals with Social Media Program Development & Integration. Olivier lays down a structured framework for your needs analysis. He explains why the pre-work of identifying "business goals" & turning them into "specific targets" is important. He then provides the questions you need to ask to determine where to start "mapping the process". It's not just about Social Media infrastructure - you need a "socialized digital communications" plan to ensure you are building your organization's efforts on solid ground.
Blanchard does not get hung up on citing specific niche tools & apps which will be here today & could very well be gone tomorrow. He gives you that homework - to research & determine which operational tools, whether off the shelf or customized are best for your specific B-B or B-C needs. He also sprinkles in analogies from his military background to illustrate his points, i.e. terms like "a force-multiplier - a tactical element that makes a given force significantly more effective than it would be without it."
Olivier did not intend for this to be a reference guide for people who profess to be "social media experts." This book should be, however, required reading for people like me, who need an accurate baseline to jump off from & build on, as well as decision makers who need to fully understand the Social Media integration efforts they are signing up to support within their organizations and how it can help prioritize, better support & optimize multiple functional area's initiatives and overarching goals.
I will do another review after I finish reading the entire book & share how Olivier handles the second half, on Social Media Program Management & Measurement. I'm really looking forward to it.
I give Blanchard 5 out of 5 stars : D
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| For more information on where you can order the book, visit: http://smroi.net/ |
This is a must read. You can't afford to it leave out of your collection, so order your copy today - in paperback or digital editions.
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| 3/29/2011 UPDATE: Yes, I now have the eBook too! |
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