Most people put out a summer reading list at the beginning of the summer. I’m putting mine out at the end. (I always pride myself on being different.) Actually, the list below captures some of the best articles on social media from the summer. Each has a great perspective, information, and/or data. If you really want to learn about being successful deploying social initiatives, take time to check out each of these (or at least many of them).
• Is Your Social Media Project Failing? Maybe it’s Your Strategy (Key – must read)
• The 2010 Social Business Landscape (very nice mapping of social media evolution to maturity)
• What Does a Social Media Strategy Look Like? (so much useful info here – don’t just wing it!)
• No, You Shouldn’t Wait To Start Using Social Media For Your Business (great look at why Forrester is wrong about LBS)
• How Social Media Has Radically Altered Advertising (maybe the best article I’ve read on Mashable)
• Social Media #6 – Friends Help Friends, Keep Friends (some good info here on customer bounding)
• Why you need a social media strategy, not a Facebook strategy (amen!!!)
• Social Media is all about the LISTENING…Does YOUR Co. get it? (great info from an interview with Jeff Hayzlett)
• “the object-idea”: the future of what used to be called advertising (some real thought leadership here)
• Don’t Do Social Media (read before you jump to a conclusion)
• Six Ways Brands Should Think of Social Media as a Party (I like this approach – very rational)
• The Social Media Imperative (so spot on!)
• Six core tactics for social media managers (really like this list)
• Social Sites Get People Talking, but Marketers Must Earn Trust (need substance and credibility too, not just a loud voice)
• “Social Media Art” in the Expanded Field (unique perspective)
• Awesome group of visuals on social media by David Armano. (some of the best slide work I’ve seen)
• 4 Ways to Master Social Media Marketing (very good one!)
• Five-step social media risk management plan (been said before, but on target)
• Once More, with Feeling: Making Sense of Social Media (love most of Brian Solis pieces, including this one)
• The clash of the social media know-nothings (Got Marketing Fundamentals?)
• 27 Social Media Marketing Stats and Facts (numbers tell a story)
• How Social Media Drives New Business: Six Case Studies (nice examples of wins with social media)
• Top Execs Dish About Social Media Strategies (good perspectives)
• When the Conversation Goes on With or Without You (why it is important to be in the conversation)
• Ten Corporate Social Media Mistakes (very good list)
• Rethinking the Value of Social Media (yep! – value = relationship level)
• There’s a difference between disagreement, and being disagreeable. (some excellent stuff on personal positioning)
• 7 Responsibilities of the Enterprise Social Media ‘Center’ (helps define who should be involved in social media)
• Top ten ways social media is teaching us to be human again (title says it)
• Forgive and Remember: How a Good Boss Responds to Mistakes (important in the context of doing social initiatives)
• The Best-Ever Social Media Campaigns (“social media campaign requires creativity, a clear message and needs to make a splash at the right time”)
What do you think? Were there any particular stand outs here for you? Any others you would like to add to the list?
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