BOOK REVIEW: THE NOW REVOLUTION BY JAY BAER AND AMBER NASLUND

First, since I am sure there are going to be a slew of reviews for this book from the 75 individuals who were given the book in exchange for a review, let me say I am not one of those people.

Yes, I submitted my name in the hopes of becoming one of the “chosen” few. But in all fairness, I had already pre-ordered my book from Amazon so I wasn’t TOO disappointed.

I read and reviewed this book based on two factors: the usefulness of the content and how easily I could implement some of the tips, tactics and strategies that were provided.

For those who don’t know me, I am not a social media “guru”. I don’t market myself for speaking engagements. I don’t have a book (e-book or otherwise) to promote. And, I don’t offer services to individuals and/or companies.

I own and run a foodservice beverage manufacturing company. We make and sell iced tea concentrates (and some other flavors) to the hotel, restaurant and healthcare community. I’m over 40 (which makes me a digital immigrant) but I firmly believe in social media marketing as a tool in an overall marketing strategy. I encourage my employees to utilize social media during work hours even though as a B2B Foodservice company we haven’t quite figured out the best way to incorporate social media into our strategy. But, we keep trying.

The NOW Revolution is a book I will recommend as a “reference” book to my peers. First, this book is an easy read. By that I mean the language reads like an everyday conversation. Jay and Amber wrote this to make the reader feel like an equal. They didn’t “dumb” down their delivery, nor did they make the reader (me) feel inferior just because I still have to ask questions on how to set up my Google reader dashboard.

Although there is some good information in the beginning of the book, my interest didn’t really get captured until they started their discussion on setting up and administering a social media policy. My company is a small company. We have 11 employees, and although I encourage everyone to participate in social media, we really only have two or three people (including myself) actively participating. So far, because of our numbers, we have not had to worry about a “formal” social media policy. But, as we continue to add additional employees, a formal policy (including crisis management) is something we have started discussing. The NOW Revolution provides great content and resources for us to start our development process.

Another instantly implementable strategy I learned from the book is how to set up listening stations. Right now, we do the basics. We have Google “alerts” and RSS feeds on key words. But, as Jay and Amber point out, there are some missed opportunities and delays if you ONLY use those tools. Thankfully, the authors provide a detailed blueprint on setting up a listening dashboard.

Another item I found incredibly interesting was the internal social media channels. Here is probably where I show my immigrance (immigrant/ignorance: if nobody’s created this word yet, I claim it as mine). I was aware of the instant messaging ability of Skype, AOL chat, even Facebook chat but I didn’t know we could set up internal social media platforms. I can totally see the benefits once an organization reaches a certain size. Our organization doesn’t warrant it at this point, but it is definitely something I will remember as our company grows.

There’s good information on metrics and ROI. They’ve included one of my all-time favorite social media stories – Taylor Guitars. And they offer up lots of tools to use, both free and paid content.

The NOW Revolution is a good purchase and should be in your library. It is not the “holy grail” book of social media for small businesses, but I don’t think that is what the authors were trying to accomplish. Personally, I will use this book as a reference to go back and review new strategies to implement as my organization grows.

If I had one complaint, it would have to be the book jacket. The design used on the jacket immediately brought to mind a religious book. I was sent to a catholic school from kindergarten thru 6^th grade, so I have read my share of religious books. Maybe that predisposed me to my association, I don’t know.

But don’t let the cover fool you. Jay and Amber have done a good job of presenting lots of useful information in a way that is easy to understand and implement. If you run a business that uses or plans on using social media as part of your overall strategy, you should read this book.

If the authors read this review, and I am 99% sure Amber will, please let me know how I can get you guys to send me an autographed copy to add to my personal library.

Again, no bonus questions on book reviews. I PROMISE the Arnold question is coming up next entry, so come back.