I Don’t Want to Read Another Book About Social Media

Almost every day, I see another person I respect announce their new book on social media.

There’s a long list of authors I deeply admire, including Jay Baer and Amber Naslund, Eric Schwartzman and Michael Brito. I own each of their books, and I know I’ll be first in line to buy “No Bullshit Social Media” by Jason Falls and Erik Deckers.

In general, books on social media are a good – and necessary — idea.  After all, it’s a complex subject that changes on an almost minute by minute basis. The marketing community truly needs guides to help them through the wilderness.

But can I tell you a little secret? I never want to write a book about social media. And…sometimes…I feel pretty reluctant to even read another book about social media.

Here’s the tricky part. As a leader of a digital PR agency, I am potentially a target audience for most social media books. How are those future authors going to woo me? Honestly, it’s going to take some work.

As marketers, it’s actually incredibly easy to stop connecting with your audience. You assume you know what they want, instead of asking. You audit their behavior, but don’t bother to connect it to their hopes. You create awareness, not engagement.

Put simply, you know their behavior, but you don’t know them. A simple and deadly mistake that we all make.

So what do I want to read?

Stories. I love the messy and emotional lives of characters, the siren call of an inspiring novel.  Frankly, the “English Lit” major in me wants to escape and, on some days, it’s hard to keep her caged up. I read fiction every single day. (I think my 11 year old broke my Kindle on purpose the other day. Seriously.)

So does this mean that I want to write or read about the power of stories in social media? Yes…but Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman already wrote that book.

In the meantime, what’s the last business or marketing book that moved you? Why should we read it?

To connect with Elizabeth:

Phone: 212.840.0017
Email: elizabeth@blisspr.com
Twitter: @elizabethsosnow
LinkedIn: Elizabeth Sosnow