Friends with Benefits
A Social Media Marketing Handbook
by Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo

November 2009, 312 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-59327-199-2
Contents | Reviews | Updates

"If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful."
—Lee LeFever, Common Craft (Read More)

The rules of marketing have changed. Savvy marketing professionals know that they must engage with individuals directly on the Web, and smart businesses know that customers can become friends—with benefits. Friends With Benefits shows you how to get into the online marketing game. A guide filled with tips, tricks, and real-world case studies, Friends With Benefits shows how you can increase your company's online visibility and Web traffic and win over online influencers.

Friends With Benefits explains how to:

  • Connect with potential customers and join their conversations
  • Tweak your website to support your social media marketing campaigns
  • Promote your products or brand and manage the toughest negative online feedback
  • Track marketing campaigns, monitor discussions, and measure success

With viral videos racking up millions of views and Twitter mavens influencing thousands of their friends, social media marketing is an essential new tool for every marketer's toolbox. The expert authors of Friend With Benefits guide you through the social media landscape, where authenticity and connections are more important than the size of your marketing budget, and real results can be just a few clicks away.

About the Author

Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo have run social media marketing campaigns for national retailers like Best Buy, Future Shop, and Brother International. They've been quoted as experts on social media on the CBC and BBC, and in Wired magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and dozens of other magazines, TV, and radio programs. Founders of Northern Voice, Canada's social media conference, they regularly speak around North America on social media, marketing, and emerging technology. Darren has 10,000 daily readers at DarrenBarefoot.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Shel Israel
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A Window into the World of Social Media Marketing
Chapter 1: What is Social Media?
Chapter 2: Get Social Media Ready
Chapter 3: Flagging a Ride: Finding the Right Bloggers and Communities
Chapter 4: Netiquette: Miss Manners for the Web
Chapter 5: Stick Out Your Thumb: Devising Your Pitch
Chapter 6: Measuring Success: How to Monitor the Web
Chapter 7: Is Social Media Marketing Risky Business?
Chapter 8: Damage Control in the Digital Age
Chapter 9: Does MySpace Still Matter?
Chapter 10: Understanding Facebook
Chapter 11: Video Marketing with YouTube and Other Video Sharing Sites
Chapter 12: The Twitter Revolution
Chapter 13: The Power of Crowds: Understanding and Participating in Online Communities
Afterword
Recommended Reading
Index

View the detailed Table of Contents (PDF).

View the Index (PDF).

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Reviews

"If you're ready to get off the sidelines and get serious about social media marketing, you must read this book first. Friends with Benefits is tactical, practical and above all, useful."
—Lee LeFever, Common Craft (Read More)

"The best book on social media marketing that I've read to date."
—Monique Trottier, So Misguided (Read More)

"Perfect for seasoned veterans and social media newbies."
—Boxcar Marketing (Read More)

"For experienced marketers looking to keep up on their own industries as well as learn the intricate details of social media, I recommend adding this book to your reading list."
—Eric Tsai, Designdamage.com (Read More)

"If you are interested in the role that social media can play in the workplace – for projects or otherwise – then this is a helpful and practical text that will set you off on the right foot."
—A Girl's Guide to Project Management (Read More)

"It provides a great primer into this new and growing culture and community."
—SitePoint (Read More)

“Overall, Friends with Benefits is a pretty complete book on the subject, and I found that despite my years of immersion in the Web, blogging and social networking, I picked up quite a few new pointers.”
—Blogcritics.org (Read More)

"If you are wanting help navigating the waters of social media marketing, Friends With Benefits is a great resource and handbook to help you along."
—Net Marketing Book Reviews (Read More)

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