As more organizations face the reality that social media is integral in building successful relationships with their audiences/customers, the challenge at hand is how to achieve meaningful relationships.
Amber MacArthur – host of CP24’s popular show, WebNation – has written Power Friending (Portfolio Publishing) to maximize the efficiency of building networks using social media.
MacArthur is no laggard when it comes to social media. She has over 40,000 followers on Twitter, is an award-winning podcaster, and almost 8,000 Facebook fans. Her expertise has influenced high-profile individuals such as: Tony Robbins – motivational speaker, Steve Chen – co-founder of You-Tube, and Kevin Rose – founder of Digg.
What MacArthur has done very well is compile very relevant real-life situations and concise models. This allows late-adopters of social media a great resource to adopt social media best practices, and for organizations already using social media, a great reference to maintain social media relevance.
MacArthur has amassed noteworthy examples of organizations that have used social media to their advantage – especially by detailing the outcomes of how organizations have corrected problems using social media and organizations that have failed by misusing it.
Metrics have become vital to measure the success of any strategies, and MacArthur details the Return on Execution (ROE) – well worth taking a detailed look at.
Her in-depth look at all-aspects of social media – the visual, written, and emotional cues, is to the point and all tie in with her ABC’s of social media – authenticity, bravery and consistency.
It is also worth mentioning that her “recipes” to adopt social media are cleanly outlined and encourage responsible social media maintenance.
While much of the content and examples can be found online, and certain chapters might be supplementary for current social media users – like the guides to Facebook, Twitter etc., what makes this book invaluable to any (to be) users of social media is just how much MacArthur clearly understands the importance relationship marketing is for any successful social media strategy.
MacArthur ably qualms any fears organizations might have of losing control of their messages through social media, and this book reassures individuals unsure of how to maximize their potential through social media.
Power Friending (Portfolio), 245 pp, hardcover, is available in all-major bookstores ($24.95 US/$31.00 CAN)
- Michael Chu
