What is Relax! It’s Only Social Media About?
Relax! It’s Only Social Media is a response to the constant demand on business owners to get more active on social media. Some businesses make it look like a breeze with slick marketing campaigns, accounts boasting millions of followers and highly engaging content on every social media channel. This can be a little intimidating if you’re a small business owner just opening a Facebook or Twitter account. How do you know what to say and when to say it? What happens if you mess up?
As Wise points out, there aren’t really good instructions for business owners who are new to social media. There also isn’t a lot of talk about the rationale for getting involved with social media besides the “everyone else is doing it” argument. These factors (lack of directions, lack of rationale and fear of not being able to compete or of saying the wrong thing) have not been addressed in marketing books. Instead these books seem to assume that you will just “get it”.
Wise’s book seeks to quash those fears. Her book empowers readers by debunking the mystique around social media and introducing a more realistic and strategic approach. She does this by reinforcing both what social media is (the modern version of marketing tools like business cards and bulletin boards business owners have had for years) and is not (some new human invention that only Millennials and post-Millennials understand). She walks readers through the initial brainstorming and marketing strategy that should be at the heart of a social media campaign. By providing that initial brainstorming, Wise hopes to help readers gain confidence as they embrace the bold new world of social media that features the same old timeless principle of connecting with humans to do business.
Wise is an experienced marketer, trainer, speaker and consultant who has worked with several large brands including Panasonic, Hilton and University of Cambridge. She has been the recipient of many awards including a spot in LinkedIn (UK)’s “Top 5 Female Marketers” and South West’s “42 Under 42”. As her website claims, she is also a “full-time shoe lover”.
What Was Best About Relax! It’s Only Social Media?
Relax! It’s Only Social Media breaks from traditional marketing advice in a few distinctive ways that might help readers who feel intimidated by the “just put your business on every single social media channel” advice. Wise doesn’t view social media as a strategy or a perfect marketing solution. She views social media as a tool for marketers to achieve a certain purpose, nothing more. This perspective reinforces Wise’s assertion that social media isn’t scary. It’s different but no different than a fax is from a telephone.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
The book is a short read, but it covers a lot of introductory ground for social media newbies including a short historical overview (to reinforce perspective), psychology and metrics. This overview lacks discussion on other issues that might be of concern to newbie social media users including proper social media etiquette on the major platforms, copyright concerns, dealing with spam and choosing the appropriate social media channels to reach your audience. Based on that, Relax! It’s Only Social Media should be considered an introductory guide to conquering your fear and opening a social media account.
Why Read Relax! It’s Only Social Media?
Relax! It’s Only Social Media is a guide for the reluctant business owner or marketing person who feels that social media is unproven, overhyped or just too difficult to use. Unlike other marketing books, it encourages examining the rationale for using social media rather than just insisting readers climb on the band wagon. Wise guides readers through an introductory overview of social media as a marketing tool for connecting with your audience, not as an “end-all-your-marketing problems” tool but as a modern evolution of the marketing tools and principles that have always been important. In a nutshell, Relax! It’s Only Social Media rejects social media hype and puts social media strategy back into a more realistic perspective.
This article, "Relax! It’s Only Social Media: A No-Nonsense Guide to Social Networking" was first published on Small Business Trends
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