Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

I first heard about this book "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to tell your story in a noisy social world" by Gary Varnerchuk while working with some business coaches helping a new entrepreneur build her brand on social media. I knew I didn't know much about about social media. This book is proof I really didn't know anything.

After reading it, I thought this is the social media bible! But with a print date of 2013 and the forever changing algorithms (and new platforms), it's more like Genesis. I recommend this book to every business owner because you HAVE to be on social media. The author discusses every major platform that exists today with the exception of the ones that recently took off (he briefly mentioned Vine (RIP) and Snapchat). He explains the purpose of these platforms along with the core of what the users want from said platform. For instance, we don't really go to Twitter for photos. We go to Instagram. Or Instagram is usually amateur photos where Pinterest has a more professional gallery. He also shows examples of what to do and what not to do.

The most important thing I got from this book was not to constantly market yourself on social media. Customers don't wanna be sold to all the time. It's like the annoying sample people at the kiosks in the middle of the mall. Keep your customer engaged by showing them you "get" them. Educate them or make them laugh. Don't divert from your brand but find a way to integrate all these things into your account. Here are some accounts that do this very well: @netlfix, @starbucks, and @mtv.