Social media is recognized as one of the most powerful game-changer when it comes to branding and marketing for businesses. Social media marketing presents a plethora of opportunities to effectively connect with audiences, and offers practical ways to optimize branding, lead generation, conversions, sales, and much more. Here is a list of ten social media marketing books that you need to read in 2020 to use social media to its maximum potential.
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As marketers, we could all use some wisdom from the forerunners of social media marketing. Books written by experienced marketers are an ideal source of ground-breaking social media marketing strategies that have proven to be successful in the past and current markets. Let’s look at a list of ten social media marketing books to read in 2020 to strengthen your digital marketing strategy.
10 Best Social Media Marketing Books to Read in 2020
Books provide knowledge and guidelines from leaders who share valuable insights from their own experience in your industry. In this list, we share a summary of social media marketing books and their key takeaways to help you optimize your social media marketing strategies in 2020 and beyond.
1. Crushing It: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence — And How You Can Too by Gary Vaynerchuk
If you have been following Gary Vaynerchuk’s career, you must be aware of the story of how he grew his $3 million business to $60 million by launching a wine TV series on YouTube. With the massive success of his business using social media channels, Gary went on to start a social-media-focused digital agency.
Gary has 7.4 million followers on Instagram, 2.1 million followers on Twitter, and 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube. Now a serial entrepreneur, speaker, and author, Gary launched the book, Crushing It!, in which he shares his experiences of using social media to its full potential.
The subtitle, How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—And How You Can Too, gives us a sneak peek into the content of this book. In the book, Gary suggests that the secret to success needs a solid understanding of social media, along with a willingness to do what it takes to use social media networks the best way possible.
Key takeaways from the book include:
Use the tips and tricks shared by this social media guru to amplify your social media marketing efforts in 2020.
2. YouTube Growth Hacking by Jeff Abston
Video still persists to be the king of content, which makes YouTube a critical channel for social media marketing. The platform has over 2 billion active users per month, and this number continues to grow every day. With such massive outreach, YouTube marketing remains a priority for marketers wanting to promote their products and services.
Jeff Abston’s ‘YouTube Growth Hacking’ is a step-by-step guideline to YouTube marketing for beginners as well as intermediate users of this video channel. It helps readers get started on their YouTube marketing journey and shares tips on how to optimize existing channels to win more subscribers and generate more leads.
Key takeaways from this book include:
3. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
Ann Handley is a renowned marketing professional, speaker, and a Wall Street Journal best-selling author. Handley has a large following of marketers for her insights on content marketing strategies, which is the premise for her book.
‘Everybody writes’ emphasizes the importance of writing for social media marketing. The book offers a clear step-by-step guide on how to write content for online marketing assets that include social media. Social media is the voice of your brand that reaches your customers, which is why you need to develop and hone the content in a way that attracts and connects with your audience. This book helps you learn exactly how to do that.
Key takeaways from this book include:
Use the tips from Handley in this book to optimize your social media content in 2020.
4. Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction by Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson is a successful journalist and author, well known for his book ‘Hit Makers’. He has a massive fan following on twitter, and he is also the host of the podcasts, Crazy Genius. In this book, Derek shares some fascinating facts and theories about content that goes viral on social media.
Derek suggests that every piece of viral content has a unique, secret history that is unknown to the audience. In this book, he investigates the hidden psychology of why we like what we like and shares insights on how the economics of cultural markets invisibly shapes our lives. He goes on to talk about the influence of viral content on the general audience and how marketers can leverage this tool.
Key takeaways from this book include:
5. The Choice Factory: 25 Behavioural Biases That Influence What We Buy by Richard Shotton
Richard Shotton is a behavioral science expert who explores how behavioral science can be applied to marketing to influence decision making. Social media is a powerful marketing tool that helps marketers get inside the day-to-day lives of customers. It is a platform where brands can influence buying behavior with powerful content and advertising.
‘The Choice Factory’ teaches you the art and science of behavioral analysis and its marketing potential. You will also understand why people make certain decisions and how you can influence them. It focuses on applying behavioral economics in social media marketing strategies.
Key takeaways from the book include:
6. One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days by Brendan Kane
Brendan Kane is a growth hacker, strategist, and keynote speaker with one million followers on Instagram. He is also a growth consultant for Fortune 500 companies, celebrities, and brands. In his book, ‘One Million Followers’, he shares tips and tricks on how he built a massive social following in just 30 days!
In the book, Kane shares insights on how to make a significant impact in the digital world and stand out in the crowd. He shares tips on how to gain an authentic, dedicated, and diverse online following from scratch. The book also features in-depth interviews with influencers, marketers, and celebrities such as Ray Chan, Julius Dein, and Chris Barton.
Key takeaways from the book include:
7. Networking in the 21st Century… on LinkedIn: Creating Online Relationships and Opportunities by David J.P. Fisher
David J.P. Fisher is a sales speaker, author, and coach who helps brands leverage digital influence and create human connections. His best-selling book, ‘Networking in the 21st century…on LinkedIn’, is the second updated edition for 2019 that shares tips to build more effective offline relationships in a world of online connectivity.
The book goes beyond the social media hype and talks about creating value and opportunities for your business using LinkedIn. Fisher goes on to say that “your ability to connect with others is the key to finding the resources you need to achieve success“.
Key takeaways from the book include:
8. Instagram Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Following Fast, Driving Massive Traffic & Generating Predictable Profits by Jeremy McGilvrey
Jeremy McGilvrey is an award-winning marketing consultant with a huge following on YouTube. In this book, he shares real-life hacks to build a large community on Instagram and converting these followers into dollars. As the name suggests, it shares secret tips to grow your following in a brief period, drive traffic to your website, and generate profits – all using Instagram.
The growth of Instagram as a social media channel has been dramatic over the last few years. The platform has more than a billion users who log into it daily. The community is actively engaged with modern and robust features such as newsfeed, stories, discover, IGTV, and ads. It is an ideal platform for marketers and brands to connect with their customers and generate leads as well as conversions.
This book by Jeremy McGilvery helps you learn and leverage Instagram marketing for your business.
Key takeaways from the book include:
Learn More: How to Ace Your Social Media Marketing Strategy on a Budget
9.The Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business by Jason McDonald
Jason McDonald is a social media expert who also has experience in search engine optimization (SEO) and Google AdWords. In this book, he shares a step-by-step guideline on how to use social media marketing for business.
The basis of the book is an analogy that social media is a party, and the readers are the party throwers. It goes on to explain that just as a party needs invitations, food, and entertainment, you as a brand need a content strategy, a promotional strategy, and a clear understanding of social media marketing. It is an ideal choice for social media marketing beginners wanting to start their social media journey.
Key takeaways from the book include:
10.Building a Story Brand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
Donald Miller is an American author, public speaker, and business owner. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller, ‘Building a Story Board’. The book reflects on how brands need to storify their messaging to help their customers connect with them.
Social media is the voice of businesses, and storytelling is the essence of social media. Hence, mastering the key to telling unique and engaging stories is critical for a successful social media strategy. In this book, Donald shares insights on how marketers can improve how they connect with customers and grow their businesses using storytelling on social media.
Key takeaways from this book include:
Parting Thoughts
Social media marketing is constantly evolving with new channels, features, and strategies emerging every day. For a digital marketer to be successful, it is essential to get the basics right and create a strong presence on all the platforms that your audience and industry are active on. Make sure to use the tips and tricks shared by these social media gurus in their books to optimize your social media marketing strategy for 2020.
All the best!
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