Olivier BlanchardSocial Media ROI: Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in Your Organization (Que Biz-Tech)

Olivier Blanchard takes the case for social media from the emotional to the logical and practical; this is a management book that just happens to focus on social media as a tool for achieving your business goals.Don't let the title fool you. While there's some smart discussion of how to measure social media, which metrics matter and what you must know before you start in order to know you're succeeding, this is not just a book on measurement. Instead, Blanchard paints a framework for social business, not just identifying and measuring ROI. "Social Media ROI" runs the entire gamut of what your business needs to consider in its social program -- from the guidelines and principles that will steer your efforts, to brand management in digital spaces, to crisis management, to how social will impact your customer service. And yes, this includes measurement and the ever-elusive ROI conversation. It may not be a perfect science yet, but Blanchard is light years ahead of others in the space -- because he not only recognizes the realities of business and the need for some sort of measurement and ROI, but offers genuine insight and counsel on how to achieve them. Blanchard doesn't give you all the answers, but he's taken a more comprehensive approach to social media as a business tool than most -- and in doing so, he'll get you thinking about what you need to do or how you can go even further.It's fashionable in some social media circles to dismiss the ROI question altogether, as if the ROI is so self-evident that even your mother gets it. But most of our mothers weren't staring down business leaders demanding to know what social media is really doing for their business, how to implement it smartly and for greatest impact, or how we know it's working. There's a difference between social networking and social business; if you're in the former group, this may not be the book for you, because this book isn't for the faint of mind or those who believe social media's value ends with a conversation.. But if you're in the latter group, this book is a must-read. I don't write many reviews on Amazon or anywhere else; I only endorse the books I truly find useful and that I believe in. "Social Media ROI" is one I'll be referring back to often, and you will too.

I have never met Olivier, but I have had an online relationship with him for over 3 years and I can tell you he knows what he is talking about. He is firm in his stand, and he always takes the time to explain why he takes the stand he does, he is a man on a mission.Now, for some reason the world has missed a simple observation, Social Media (conversations)is not new, its just gone digital. What has been overlooked, is how to accurately translate these conversations into revenue, how these conversations become conversions, how they actually bring about a result worth measuring. No Olivier is not the only one to see that conversations can have a Return On Investment (ROI), he is however, the only one to date that can articulate it with clarity and passion. And now with this book, he is working with you side-by-side.What caught my eye upon cracking the cover, is how Olivier walks you from beginning to end, from what a Social Media Program IS, what you need to think about, to what it should look like,and what you should get from such a program. It's the first Social Media University TextBook in my humble opinion.Right from the beginning you'll read how to create a social company, all the way to Analysis and reporting of your social media program.This book is easy to read and yet it is serious heavy lifting at times, but if you take the time and follow Olivier's thinking, the confusion simply goes away. If you do the work, you will have a solid foundation of how to not only leverage Social Media networks, you'll know how to participate in them, how to plug Social Media into your business, how to listen, how to monitor. and as he says, " Listening Before Talking". You learn more from this book than sitting at your computer trying to figure it out. Olivier is your Social Media ROI Mentor, all for the price of a book.One of my favorite chapters is, The Eleven Key Best Practices for Social Media Program Management.I highly recommend reading this book many times not just once,it is packed with so much, one reading would merely set you up to fail. You have in your hands a text book if you study it, you will increase your odds of success in all social networks. A MUST have on your book shelf. This book will protect you from those who consider themselves Social Media GURU's, the so called Social Media Expert.This book will play a huge role in my work, how I see the future of business, how this fits an open and free business model, and how an ROI can be achieved. I look forward to implementing many of the steps in this book, and you will too, it's the best investment you'll make for the future of your business.Make Social Media work for you, buy this book and you will be working along side Olivier, you'll be working with the best. be sure to follow him on Twitter: [...]Owen Greaves[...]

I am kind of a book snob. When it comes it reading "business" books I expect a lot of dramatic stories which are loosely related to the topic and a few insightful nuggets of information. Let's be honest, most books for the business audience could barely fill out a good blog post."Social Media ROI" scores high on providing good actionable content and information for anyone who is trying to build a social media program. It is a one stop shop. You get information on how to evaluate your organization's current social media abilities. You learn how to sell this program to others in your company. You'll even learn about the metrics you should follow and how to create a good reporting system.The reason I am withholding a star is that I wanted to hear a deeper discussion around the concrete ROI that Social Media can provide for business. I mean any business. If you are in retail, manufacturing, CPG, or sister verticals the discussion around ROI will be helpful. If you are not in these verticals it will be less applicable. And if you are in B2B like I am it probably wont scratch your itch.That being said, I enjoyed reading this book. There are obviously years of experience behind the information that is shared. And let's be honest you can't cover everything in one book. I would love to see follow up materials perhaps in blog format that attempt to tackle the question around Social Media ROI in a B2B context.