This book provides a very good overview of social marketing. I use this as a text book in a graduate course that I teach and find it useful in giving students a clear idea of how social marketing relates to the broader topic of nonprofit marketing, without requring them to wade through all of the additional information that a more general marketing textbook would offer. Author Alan Andreason is a leading thinker on the topic of social marketing and has organized this relatively short book in a straightforward manner that makes it easy to separate the preparatory work from the actual execution of social marketing plans.

The one complaint I have about this book, and the reason that I have not awarded it five stars, is that the examples used are less than exciting and I find that I need to supplement this book with additional titles so that my students get the bigger picture of how social marketing principles play out in various cultures around the world, not just in the United States. For those who are looking to expand their understand of social marketing in the developing world and in emerging economies, see also Marketing the Public Sector by Seymour Fine. Sadly, this great book is a bit dated, as it was published in 1992, but balanced with this Andreason book (or a comparable book by Philip Kotler) you will be able to give yourself a solid grasp of the topic.

If you are perplexed by the light speed evolution of marketing on the Web, this book is for you. The author is has been deeply involved in the Web since the beginning of time, on both the technical and business fronts. Thus,Weber paints a very clear picture of how social media evolved, what it looks like, how businesses should use it, and where it is going. The book provides a lot of detail and advice to help marketing professionals understand things like-

The differences between traditional and new media.
How to engage customers in real conversations.
How to target customers in the social Web.
How to implement social marketing strategies.
What mistakes to avoid in social marketing (based on case study examples.)
How to vibrant customer communities.
Blogging.

Weber’s practical advice for marketers is spot on, but what really struck me is the conceptual framework he provides. He sees the social Web as an integrated whole, which is very important. You can’t understand how to effectively use the pieces of the social Web – blogs, microsites, social network sites, etc. – until you see how all the pieces fit together.

Weber’s model of the marketing department of the future is fascinating. For starters, he envisions the CMO having a director of paid media and a director of unpaid media. This in itself is a great concept that will help companies prevent the stovepiping of individual social Web initiatives and ensure new media and old media programs are likewise integrated. Right now, old reporting structures are making it difficult for companies tap into the power of new marketing tools at their fingertips.

I am a big fan of marketing linkage to business strategy reinforced in the book and believe that making marketing data actionable through dynamic processes to continuously improve the business is imperative.

I love the storytelling style, practical case studies and proven lessons from the leading edge in marketing. Thanks for the valuable info.

P.S. All 4 of my cats are on Catster !!

In Marketing to the Social Web, Larry Weber provides an effective framework to further the understanding of the customer engagement process on the social web. This book will help many companies better appreciate that the command and control mode of communication has been rendered obsolete by social networks and that customers are more and more dictating the terms or engagement in terms of time, place and frequency. However, I would have liked a deeper look at how one converts social conversations and relationships in leads and revenue!