Paul Chaney is an author close to my heart. He was my blogging mentor before I ever met him. In 2006, Paul co-authored Realty Blogging: Build Your Brand and Out-Smart Your Competition with Richard Nact. This book truly launched my foray into blogging and social media. At the time I was a tech savvy real estate agent in Marin County, California. Even though I came from a high tech background I was feeling behind the curve of the blogging trend that was starting in real estate. Realty Blogging helped me understand the process so that I could develop a plan and implement a blog for my practice.
Hundreds of blog posts later, I had the pleasure of meeting Paul and working with him when he joined the Advisory Board of the Social Media Marketing Institute. It is a tremendous pleasure and wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Paul. His knowledge and expertise was invaluable during the development of our course.
Today is the official launch of Paul’s latest book, The Digital Handshake- Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media. I have just read this book and I expected great things from Paul because of my past experiences with him. He doesn’t disappoint.
Most Social Media Marketing books that I read are designed for high level executives and marketing departments. The Digital Handshake is designed for small businesses who need to figure out how to use social media quickly, inexpensively and efficiently.
It does an excellent job of explaining what social media is, how consumer’s behavior is impacting marketing and then providing specific strategies to companies and individuals on how to use social media tools to enhance their relationships with their customers and grow their business.
Paul says, “social media is not a channel, a campaign, or a one-night stand. It is about building relationships, participating in conversations, and being part of a tribe….It’s recognizing that the consumer has a face and a name and should be treated as a partner in co-creation.”
The book covers all of the specific tools such as Blogging, Social Networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as tools like Video, Podcasting and Photo Sharing. More importantly, he explains in detail how conversations take place online and how to use these tools to develop a social media strategy.
I applaud Paul for writing another great book that I know will be the catalyst for small businesses to participate in the conversations that are already taking place. With Paul’s newest book as their road map, small businesses can achieve their business goals by implementing a practical plan to connect on a deeper level with consumers. I would recommend this book as a foundation for anyone considering stepping into social media for their small business.
