Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web is a book by digital analyst Brian Solis. In "Engage!", Solis provides an in-depth analysis of social media as a tool used in businesses. He focuses on how to leverage it to be successful in the world of business. In other words, Solis brings forth the tips that people can use to best market their products or services. Actor Ashton Kutcher wrote the foreword.
Synopsis.
"Engage!" teaches readers how to launch effective social media campaigns and addresses the challenges businesses face in understanding and integrating social computing technologies into their existing systems. It offers strategies for utilizing social media to build communities, shape brand personas, monetize media, and listen to audiences.
The first half of "Engage!" introduces social media entities such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, with chapters labeled "The New Media University: Social Media" 101, 201, 202, etc., all the way until "MBA Program—Second Year." Solis uses this university metaphor to help anyone at any place in their career start where they need to and go back and study the basics as necessary.
The second half of "Engage!" explores how to start social media programs, how to sell the program once started, and how to measure return on investment (ROI). Solis also explores the murky separation of personal and professional interactions in social media. He argues that social media channels are being used to broadcast in a one-to-many format not unlike traditional format before it. He believes that the formula for social media is instead one-to-one-to many, which will yield many to many.
Worksheets to assist planning and brand management are included.
In all, "Engage!" is separated into six parts:
Reception.
Apple Fellow Guy Kawasaki, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and author Andrew Keen blurbed the book. Newmark said, ""Engage!" gets you up to date regarding current trends and technology, and shows you how to build a serious social media strategy."
"Engage!" is regarded as "the industry reference guide for building and measuring success in the social web." A review in "EContent" emphasizes that "with "Engage" as your guide, you can effectively compete in this new era of digital Darwinism." Another review in the "Journal of Advertising Research" notes that "Engage!" builds on existing practical guides but delves deeper into developing social media strategies, including rules of engagement, social customer relationship management, the distinctions between paid and earned media and the return on investment for social media, a critical concern for the industry. The review contends that the analysis, frameworks, and tips provided make "Engage!" a must-read for both novice and experienced professionals, as the book covers a comprehensive range of topics, offering charts, models and step-by-step processes based on his extensive marketing experience. The review concludes that if teaching social media to MBA students, "Engage!" would be the ideal text. A review in the "International Journal of Advertising" appreciates the book’s blend of personal experience and practical examples although it critiques some uninformative headings and reliance on superficial sources. The review acknowledges Solis' significant contributions to integrating various theories, though suggests further exploration of their implications. A review in "Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries" commends the book's organization and clarity in describing key players in the new media landscape, recommending it for upper-division and graduate marketing students, faculty, and practitioners.
"Engage!" was a Top 10 Business Bestseller at "Business Standard" and an 800CEORead Business Book Bestseller at "Inc."
References.
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