And actually the right hook was delivered by Seth Godin.  Having read Thank You Economy and Crush It I knew I would enjoy Gary’s latest but for some reason I kept delaying.  See I am attempting to consume all I can on-line but like a few other authors who bring great value to me it was time for me to do a little something in return.  Actually three copies were bought; 1 for me, 1 for Holly and 1 for a new potential partner.  With my copy read and highlighted it will now go to a potential new hire so I can speed up there learning curve.  So the review;

Genuine is an asset especially when you are simply a genuine person as opposed to trying.  This book is overflowing with actual examples of how things work and can work better.  It is  much more of a playbook or written plan for what to do then what to avoid.  Fortunately there are actual examples, this is ridiculous by the way.  Never seen a book that actual shows examples of right and wrong.  Oddly, even when being negative he always gives the answer on how to fix it.  PLEASE this is not just some “idiots guide to …” this is a book for the brand new all the way to the established people in business to use for improving the bottom line.  This may be a social media playbook for many but the reality is it is a guide to doing business (period). Well worth the investment, only my mother has a better ROI.

I give away most of the books I read so below are the lines/paragraphs I highlighted:

XX; The incredible brand awareness and bottom-line profits achievable through social media marketing require hustle, heart, sincerity, constant engagement, long term commitment and most of all artful strategic storytelling.

9.  …a big announcement praising themselves, as though being last in line is something to be proud of:…..It’s embarrassing.  It pisses me off. (It also makes me perversely happy because their cluelessness has a definite upside for my clients, my friends , and for me.

10 Ignoring platforms that have gained a critical mass is a great way to look slow and out-of-touch.  Do not cling to nostalgia.  Do not put your principles above the reality of the market.  Do not be a snob.

12.  Native Story- telling doesn’t require you to alter your identity to suit a given platform: your identity remains the same no matter what.  I’ll behave one way when I’m giving a presentation to a client in Washington, D.C., another way while I’m standing on the train platform waiting to head home, and yet another way when I’m watching football with my friends that night.  But I’m always the same guy.

13. Once start-ups grow enough to join the ranks of corporate america, they often become overly cautious and start sticking to the safest, narrowest lane they can find.

16. Content for the sake of content is pointless

27 Jab at people, all the time, every day.  Talk about what they are talking about.

27. Social marketing is now a 24-7 job

35 The point is to give and give and give, for no other reason than to entertain your customers and make them feel like you get them

39 From now on, the difference between your content and your ads on facebook will be…nothing

40 Create content that no one cares about and Facebook will make it as difficult as possible for you put more of it out on its site.

80 Cone palace logo in the bottom of the picture or at the top left.  Have I beaten that horse to death yet?  INCLUDE YOUR LOGO IN YOUR PICTURE

82. Questions to ask when creating facebook micro-content

85 Twitter primarily rewards people who listen and give, not those who ask and take

85 Twitter is the cocktail party of the Internet- a place where listening well has tremendous benefits

86 Make a statement, stake out a position, establish a voice- this is how you successfully jab your twitter followers

116 Does the voice sound authentic

124 * High quality content; There’s a reason why real estate agents and chefs don’t photograph their own properties or food-no one would want it

152 It’s all of those things, but to get the most out of it, brands should approach it as a brandable, unique, micro-content exhibition space and sparring ring

152 It represents the perfect opportunity for brands to experiment with new creative storytelling forms,

154 Tumblr has always been more of a publishing platform than a consumption platform, but people do consume there just at an incredibly rapid rate.

178 Effort is the great equalizier

178 What matters is the effort you put into your work.  And never has effort counted more than it does tody

178 Budgets should have no effect on the amount of effort, heart, and sincerity that can go into your conversations with your customers

179 The real connection, and the loyalty, happens when they believe that you care about them both as a customer and as an individual.

179 Bigger businesses will be able to jump in on more conversations than others, but volume alone won’t raise a brands engagement levels- the quality of the conversation will

180 Effort.  It matters more than most people want to admit.

185 – about social media, about business, and about how they really are now one and the same