Social media changes fast. Remember MySpace from the social media Stone Age? Once you mastered the ins and outs of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, then Instagram and Snapchat come along. To stay grounded amidst the constant change, I like to take refuge in some classic social media books.

Sure, you could head over to Google and spend hours searching for the latest advice on social media marketing. Or you could go ‘old school‘ and read some social media books from the top social media experts.

Add these books to your reading list for a ‘do-it-yourself’ education in social media marketing.

Top Social Media Books: Start with the Basics

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

By Robert Cialdini

Why is Influence one of the most recommended books by digital marketing experts like Copyblogger’s Brian Clark and others?

Before the birth of Facebook or even MySpace, Robert Cialdini wrote about the effect the opinions of our friends and peers have on our actions and decisions. That’s because it’s a key factor of human nature. We want to know what our friends do, think and say. Influence will help you understand the reasons why social media works.

Content is Still King

Social media starts with great content. In order to stand out from the millions, maybe billions of cat videos and other social media updates online you need to have interesting content to grab your reader’s attention.

Epic Content Marketing

By Joe Pulizzi

Storytelling is the most important tool in your content marketing arsenal. Joe Pulizzi (Content Marketing Institute) gives you the run down on the process of creating an effective and engaging content marketing strategy.

The Art of Social Media

By Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick

We know Guy Kawasaki from his days as the chief evangelist of Apple. Now he has joined Peg Fitzpatrick at Canva, the online design service. This book will help you to create a marketing strategy that attracts followers with social media and blogging. And it also highlights the capabilities of Canva, which helps non-artists create graphics for social posts.

It’s About Marketing

Purple Cow

By Seth Godin

Seth is the godfather of online marketing. As the author of Permission Marketing, The Dip, and All Marketers are Storytellers, he has been a thought leader and changed the way people think about marketing and social media. By using the examples of companies like Apple, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme, Purple Cow emphasizes the importance of being remarkable.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World

By Gary Vaynerchuk

Before Gary Vaynerchuk was a New York Times best-selling author (Crush It) he made a name for himself in the social media world by promoting his family’s wine business with his fast-talking and in-your-face style videos.

In his third book, Gary V shows you how to adapt your current content marketing strategy using mobile and social media platforms, like Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.

No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing

By Jason Falls and Erik Deckers

As one of the founders of Social Media Explorer, Jason Falls knows the ins and outs of social media. Along with Erik Decker he serves up a practical guide for both the beginner and the more advanced marketer. You’ll learn that social media is not just for posting pictures of your lunch, but how it can work for your business.

Practice Makes Perfect

Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business

by Jason McDonald, Ph.D.

This is currently one of the best-selling social media marketing books on Amazon.com. In this book, Jason puts his skills to take advantage of free marketing opportunities on various social media platforms as well as posting strategies and free social media marketing tools. A great read for practical and effective marketers of big and small businesses!

But Wait, There’s More!

Finally, these three social media books represent some of my personal favorites.

• UnMarketing by Scott Stratton
• Social Media Explained by Mark W. Schaefer
• And I’ve got to pay tribute to Your LinkedIn Professional Network by Lissa Duty and John J. Nosal, the drivers behind Rocks Digital

Go ‘Old School’ with New Media: 10 Favorite #SocialMedia Books by @ClarabelaMedia #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

What are your favorite social media marketing books?

The post Top 10 Must Read Social Media Books appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Have you noticed the buzz about influencer marketing? Influencer marketing uses online influencers to create word of mouth to promote a brand or product.

First, let’s discuss reasons for the rise in influencer marketing. Then I’ll address micro influencers specifically.

• Increase in the use of Adblock software, making online ads less effective
• 70% or more people of check social media before making a buying decision
• 84% of consumers trust the recommendations of friends more than traditional advertising

“A recent survey published on Marketing Dive showed that engagement levels on Instagram decreased significantly as audience size increased – dropping from roughly 8 percent for influencers with 1,000 followers to 4 percent for those with 10,000 followers. For mega-influencers, those with more than 1 million followers, engagement drops even further to 1.66 percent.” — Big Brands and Small Bloggers: The Rise of Micro-Influencers

With influencer marketing, one size does not fit all.

Typically, influencers are grouped according to follower count.

• Celebrities – 1 million+ followers or subscribers
• Macro Influencers – 500,000 to 1 million followers or subscribers
• Middle Influencers – 100,000 to 500,000 followers or subscribers
• Micro Influencers – 1000 to 100,000 followers or subscribers

Celebrities, major brands, Internet gurus and the Kardashians may have millions of followers, but how much do they actually interact and engage with their followers?

Which group is the most effective? Would you believe it is the micro influencer? Who they are? Where to find them and what do they want? More importantly, how can they help you with your marketing efforts?

What is a Micro Influencer?

Imagine your best super fans with an army of loyal followers at their fingertips. That’s a micro influencer. They are the blogger or tweeter or podcaster who spends hours online talking about their love of  a specific topic/niche. It could be anything from their favorite soft drink to a brand of luxury watch. You’ll also find them on celebrity and tv/movie fandoms, as well as on lifestyle, fashion, food and cooking blogs and on YouTube channels.

Because they are passionate and dedicated to their favorite topic, micro influencers are always on social media talking to their small, but extremely loyal followers. How would you like to have them spreading the word about your brand?

Engagement, Social, Proof and the All Important ROI

With micro influencers, less can often mean more. In comparison to better-known social media celebrities, they get much higher engagement rates. They also produce 11 times the ROI of all other types of digital strategies.

What makes micro influencer marketing so effective? They have interesting and authentic conversations with their followers and are sincere in their devotion. Their targeted and active followers, along with their independence and authenticity, make micro influencers a powerful resource for marketers.

How to Work With Micro Influencers

Micro influencers are genuine in their passion for their chosen topic. They will happily join in a Q&A or live tweeting session. They are the first ones to enter a contest or vote in a survey.

How can you reach out to these smaller thought leaders in your market? Everyone loves swag. Use your stash of promotional T-shirts, water bottles, and other goodies to as prizes in a contest or give-away. You’ll not only gain loyal followers, but you’ll also make loyal fans of the winners. You can be sure that they will tell all their friends and followers about their prize and how much they love your product or brand. Use a specific hashtag during live tweeting events or on Instagram to do simple giveaways to fans.

The thing they most want is access. Reach out to bloggers and podcaster fans who may be more than happy to help you promote your product or brand.

Here are a few tips that will a make micro influencers your new best friend:

• Send them a special invitation to join your Twitter chats.
• Provide press releases, copyright free photos, and other media for use on their websites
• Give them special access to insider and behind the scenes information to share with their followers

Bloggers, podcasters and others can be compensated for giving an honest review of a book/product on their site. (Be sure to stipulate that FTC regulations are followed.)

Spread your marketing dollars across a wide range of online sources and reach a more engaged audience.

Instead of spending your entire budget on traditional marketing or on one of the major celebrity influencers, why not give micro influencers a try?

Micro influencers have the best #socialmedia engagement, says @clarabelamedia on #RocksDigital
Click To Tweet

Does your business or brand have passionate, micro influencers?

The post What are Micro Influencers and How to Use Them to Reach Your Audience appeared first on Rocks Digital.

All great chefs know that even in the simplest dishes, the key to creating a great dish is to use the best possible ingredients. What do you need to create great content marketing in your business? The most important ingredient is the copywriter!

Not everyone on your staff has the ability or the time to create the amount of website content you need. Needless to say, you will need someone to write regular blog posts, white papers, landing pages, video scripts and other types of web content. You need to find a freelance copywriter or perhaps even a team of copywriters.

Characteristics of A Good Content Marketing Copywriter

When you start the search for a copywriter, first determine which set of skills is relevant to your project. Are you creating content for a PPC campaign? Then you should look for an SEO copywriter.

Do you need someone with specific knowledge of your industry? Since many B2B copywriters specialize in specific niches, you can look for writers who have experience in financial, health and other industries.

Review their writing samples and portfolio to be sure they can write in a style and tone that is right for your business.

This is a brief checklist of things to look for in a good copywriter:

• A journalism degree is not necessary, but the writer should have a strong grasp of English grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Are they familiar with the AP Style Guide?
• Can they write a proper headline? As advertising legend David Oglivy says: “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
• Does the writer have a strong writing voice? Can they create interest?
• Are they knowledgeable in the latest SEO best practices? Can they use your keywords to create interesting, easy to read content?

Writing skills and how to use the Oxford comma are not enough.

A good copywriter also proves their true worth when they can assist you with content strategy.

1. Do you need a landing page or a series of blog posts?
2. Would a white paper or special report be more effective?

A Copywriter/Content Strategist can become an important part of your team by helping you determine the right type of content that will help you achieve your goals.

Where to Find Good A Content Marketing Copywriter

• Professional Networking Groups and Creative Agencies
• Copyblogger’s Certified Content Marketer: A list of copywriters who have completed Copyblogger Media’s Authority copywriting course.
• Creatives in DFW is a comprehensive directory of local creative talent, including copywriters, website designers and more.
• Use LinkedIn to search for content marketing copywriters by the skills need for your project.

Do not expect to find good quality writers for $5.00 per blog post on bidding sites like Elance or Fivver. With good writers, like anything else, “you get what you pay for”.

Whether you decide to hire an in-house copywriter or bring in a freelance writer to help out with a project, remember: finding a good copywriter is the key ingredient to your content marketing success.

How to Find A #ContentMarketing Copywriter by @ClarabelaMedia #RocksDigital #Writing
Click To Tweet

How are you generating content to market your products / services? Are you the great chef and the business owner?

The post The Key Ingredient To Marketing Success: How to Find A Content Marketing Copywriter appeared first on Rocks Digital.

No conference is complete without an informative question and answer session with a panel of experts.

The Rocks Digital Marketing Q & A Panel

Justin Liles – SVP of Local Search

Since 2014 Justin has helped over 300,000 local businesses globally get better visibility in the major search engines.

Beth Kahlich – SEO Educator

With over 25 years experience in marketing and technology, Beth teaches businesses owners and marketing professionals how to best leverage the latest techniques in SEO and digital marketing.

John Nosal – Digital Marketing Manager

As an Internet Geek, John recognized early on the need of small to medium sized businesses in Website Design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Internet Marketing.

Lissa Duty, as Moderator – Brand Development Manager

Lissa is a speaker, social media coach, trainer and author as well as a co-founder of Rocks Digital.

How would you increase your connections on LinkedIn?

Justin: Check out the people who are actually looking at your LinkedIn profile. If it makes sense, connect with them.

Beth: Try to connect with people in a complimentary industry. Start a conversation with them.

John: Start by connecting with people you meet face to face. At networking events and at conferences like Rocks Digital. Look for the influencers and connect with them.

With the recent partnership between Google and Twitter, how will this affect content marketing and search engine marketing?

Justin: You will need to closely align your content with the keywords you want to be found for.

What do you love most about what you do?

Justin: When a business I have worked with is pleased with the results we achieved, it makes me happy when they express that to my team.

Beth: I really love talking with people about SEO and helping them to improve their business. I love it when I can see that light bulb moment, when I know – OK they got it!

John: The internet is so cool! I love getting paid to play on the internet all day. Being on the cutting edge of this stuff is like riding a wave of technology.

What would you tell a client who asked what is the purpose of being on social media?

Beth: Even if you don’t want to be on social media right now; if nothing else, you should at least claim your profile names. Your customer’s are searching for you on these platforms and you should be there.

John: Social media allows you to be proactive with customer service and reputation management.

How can you help clients who can’t tell you tell you’re their USP or don’t have a USP?

Justin: You have to start with what expectations they have for their business.

Beth: Start small. Drill down to the core of their business and remember you can’t be all things to all people.

John: Brain storm on who they are and what they do best.

After you have all of your social media profiles, what do you do to get to the next level?

Justin: The next level is conversion. The goal is to drive people to your website to increase conversions.

#RocksDigital Marketing Panel w/ @GetPlacedLocal @BethKahlich @JNosal @LissaDuty #SMDay
Click To Tweet

Did you attend #RocksDigital 2015? What was your favorite moments? Share below.

The post Digital Marketing Q & A Panel at #RocksDigital 2015 appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Jerod Morris opened his presentation a Rocks Digital 2015 with the bold statement – Content is not King. This statement is especially bold coming from the VP of Marketing at Rainmaker.FM which is a part of Copyblogger Media because Copyblogger is all about content.

Who is the Real King – Content

There are many types of kings. From the King of Pop, to Burger King and the King of Queens. But only kings like King Henry VIII of England or King Louis XIV of France have any real authority and power to drive true results.

How can you gain authority with your audience? With content.

Content is Connection

Content that is useful is when it is used as a tool to connect with your audience. It helps you build authority and trust.

The 3 Elements of Connection

Authority: Know what is relevant to your audience

• Know yourself
• Know your audience
• Find the unique intersection (connection)

Usefulness: Why are people coming to you?

• Educate
• Entertain
• Inspire

Trust

• Show up
• Be reliable
• Show up and be reliable over time

For each piece of content you create, ask yourself “How will this lead to more connection with the people I want to reach?”

• Is it authentic?
• Is it useful
• Will it build trust?

Creating a meaningful connection doesn’t happen by accident. It takes time and hard work.

How do you create meaningful connections through your content? Share with us below!

The post Jerod Morris on Content at #RocksDigital Conference appeared first on Rocks Digital.

Candy Barone was up first with a lively presentation that asked the question: “Are you being clear about your message?” Like most business owners you are looking for customers; however, before you start looking for customers, you need to ask yourself some important questions.

Questions to Ask About Your Business

• What exactly is your core message?
• What are you (and your business) trying to say?
• Who are you trying to effect?

If you start your business without being clear on the answers to these questions, you can become easy distracted.

What will happen if you grow before you truly understand the purpose you and your business serve? Without knowing the WHY, you can become distracted by every new social media site and every shiny new digital marketing gadget that comes along.

The world (especially the internet) is full of bright and shiny objects that can pull your attention in multiple directions.

Should You Have:

• a blog?
• a podcast?
• an email newsletter?

Should You Be On:

• Twitter?
• Facebook?
• Pinterest?
• Instagram?

The answers to these questions become clear once you are clear and focused about the core desires and objectives you want to build from. You have to be clear about the “WHAT” before you can be clear about the “WHY”.

You cannot be all things to all people and everyone is not your customer.

Has asking questions helped your business? Tell us your story!

How to ROCK Business with @candy_barone by @ClarabelaMedia #RocksDigital #SMDay
Click To Tweet

The post Candy Barone – How to Rock Business for Explosive Growth appeared first on Rocks Digital.