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.

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!