Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy, Social World, Gary Vaynerchuk, HarperCollins, 2013

It is getting increasingly hard for companies, big and small, to tell their story in this noisy, chaotic, social media world. This book attempts to make that task a little easier.

Most companies are on social media because it is "expected," or because their competitors are already here. But they have little, or no, idea as to how to do it the right way. Perhaps the biggest rule is to Create Interesting Content. Give people a reason to visit you on Facebook or Twitter more than once. Post something funny, or something that makes the reader think. Later, you can ask for their money ("Buy Our Stuff"). It should be obvious that the link included with the request for your customer's money should go right to your website's ordering page, not the main page. Make it as easy as possible for people to buy your stuff.

What works on Facebook will not work on Twitter or Instagram, nor should it. You need to get creative and tailor your posts to each site. The author spends much of the book looking at actual marketing campaigns, from big and small companies, on various social media sites. He explains exactly how Company A got it right, Company B got it half-right, and Company C really shouldn't have bothered.

The days of a company choosing a motto or a face of the company, and using it everywhere for several months, are also gone. Don't be afraid to change your marketing often, even every day. If your Twitter or Pinterest approach is not working (there are ways to gather, and analyze, such information), dump it, now. It is not going to suddenly get better.

The author makes it easy in showing, instead of telling, how to do social media marketing. Even those companies who have yet to "get it," will be able to understand. This book is recommended for companies of all sizes; if your company is not already active on social media, why not?