The Facebook Marketing Book written by Dan and Alison Zarrella is effectively a field-guide for marketers who want to tap into Facebook. Admittedly, it’s not for experts, but is an ideal book for people who understand that they need to do more on Facebook and need some direction. I even learned a few things from reading it, so don’t knock it just yet.
First, I wanted to comment about the author – Dan Zarrella. He works for Hubspot and is prominent about disclosing his analytical social media insights, psychographics and shares his conclusions with the world. Be it about blogging, content, webinars, Facebook, Twitter, video, etc., he knows his stuff and comes with a wealth of expertise that he shares throughout the book.
Second, the format of the book is easy to scan and read. Unlike other social media themed books that tend to focus too much on the tactics, or too much on the strategy, The Facebook Marketing Book blends both needs and packages it nicely for readers.
Throughout the book, there are plenty of supporting illustrations and cases that answer the age-old need of, “give me an example.” Like I mentioned earlier, it’s a great field guide so one can refer to it again and again when planning their next marketing campaign. While even some of the book’s images could be dated, the practices and functions of Facebook aren’t.
The book explains in depth the fine differences between Pages, Apps and Groups and creative ways on how to use them to drive business results. I appreciated some of the suggested Facebook Apps to not only boost activity for a brand, but to actually move social activity forward. That’s the point and am glad they hit on that frequently.
The only critical feedback I have is the lack of showing the application of Facebook in a more mature social media strategy. It’s not a major flaw, after all, it’s aptly named “The Facebook Marketing Book” for a reason; but this would result in the book having a meaningful purpose.
Who this book is for:
- Marketing Managers
- Communications/PR Professionals
- Virtual Assistants/Consultants
- Entrepreneurs/Business Owners
- People looking to understand Facebook for business.
Who this book is not for:
- Social Media Strategists/Specialists
- Leaders of tech-savvy organizations
- Front-line Personnel
- People who have nothing to market or sell or just want to make money.
I received an complimentary copy from the publisher, O’Reilly, and was happy to share my thoughts on The Facebook Marketing Book. If you think your book is good and somehow relates to technology or social media, shoot me an email and I’ll check it out.
