Product Description

A fascinating, research–based look at the impact of social media on businesses and consumers around the world, and what′s in store for the future

Social Media. You′ve heard the term, even if you don′t use the tools. But just how big has social media become? Social media has officially surpassed pornography as the top activity on the Internet. People would rather give up their e–mail than their social network. It is so powerful that it is causing a macro shift in the way we live and conduct business.

Brands can now be strengthened or destroyed by the use of social media. Online networking sites are being used as giant, free focus groups. Advertising is less effective at influencing consumers than the opinions of their peers. If you aren′t using social media in your business strategy, you are already behind your competition.

• Explores how the concept of "Socialnomics" is changing the way businesses produce, market, and sell, eliminating inefficient marketing and middlemen, and making products easier and cheaper for consumers to obtain
• Learn how successful businesses are connecting with consumers like never before via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites
• A must–read for anyone wanting to learn about, and harness the power of social media, rather than be squashed by it
• Author Erik Qualman is a former online marketer for several Top 100 brands and the current Global Vice President of Online Marketing for the world′s largest private education firm

Socialnomics is essential book for anyone who wants to understand the implications of social media, and how businesses can tap the power of social media to increase their sales, cut their marketing costs, and reach consumers directly.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8186 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From the Inside Flap

Social Media.

Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are fundamentally changing the way businesses and consumers behave, connecting hundreds of millions of people to each other via instant communication. This is a massive socio–economic shift that is fundamentally changing the way consumers and companies communicate and interact with each other.

Welcome to the world of Socialnomics—where consumers and the societies they create online have a profound influence on our economy and the businesses that operate within it. Online word of mouth and the powerful influence of peer groups have already made many traditional marketing strategies obsolete. Today′s best businesses and marketers are learning to profitably navigate this new landscape.

Brands can now be strengthened or destroyed by the use of social media. Advertising is less effective at influencing consumers than are the opinions of their peers, making direct–to–consumer marketing messages less valuable each day. But savvy companies are using online networking sites as massive focus groups and as an efficient means of communication with consumers. If social media isn′t a part of your business strategy, you′ve already fallen behind the curve—and your competition.

In Socialnomics, Erik Qualman offers a fascinating look at the impact of social media on business to reveal what the future holds and how businesses can best take advantage of it. He explores how social media is changing the way businesses produce, market, and sell products; how it eliminates inefficient marketing tactics and middlemen; and how businesses are connecting directly with their customers through popular social media platforms.

Social media will continue to change the way businesses market products and how consumers and businesses interact with each other. If you′re a marketer or business owner, the big question is whether you′ll keep up with those changes. Socialnomics is an essential resource for anyone who wants to understand the implications of social media, and how to tap its power to increase sales, cut marketing costs, and communicate directly with consumers.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Socialnomics

"People with a passion for something can be infectious.It′s obvious that Erik Qualman′s passion is social media."
—Dan Heath, New York Times bestselling author of Made to Stick

"Qualman makes a powerful case that social media has forever changed theway we live and do business. Socialnomics helps make sense of it all."
—Dr. Stuart Levy, Professor, George Washington University

"In Socialnomics, Qualman brilliantly prescribes that the key to social mediasuccess is doing rather than deliberating. This is a must–read for anyone trying to leverage the social graph rather than be squashed by it."
—Steve Kaufer, CEO, TripAdvisor

"Social media isn′t just for the next generation—it′s for everygeneration. Whether you′re an entrepreneur, a media professional,a college student, or a mom, social media will shape your future.Don′t be overwhelmed by it; read Qualman′s book instead."
—Jane Wooldridge, award–winning journalist,The Miami Herald

"The social media revolution has raised new and important questions and isnow interwoven into our lives. Whether you are an executive, a parent, or abasketball coach, Qualman′s Socialnomics is a great guide for these issues."
—Tom Izzo, Head Basketball Coach, Michigan State University

"Social media is one of the most popular activities online today, offeringopportunities for both businesses and individuals to connect with a new audience. Qualman′s book, Socialnomics, helps readers understand this behavior."
—Chris Maher, President, Hitwise

"Marketing is experiencing a profound paradigm shift. In the old paradigm,marketers controlled the conversation with consumers through commissionable media—television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. In the new paradigm, marketers risk being marginalized in the electronic dialogue now taking place in real time. Erik Qualman′s Socialnomics offers valuable insights that will aid marketers in regaining some control in the perplexing world of modern communication."
—Dr. Eli Cox, Marketing Department Chair, McCombs School of Business

"Erik Qualman has a very bright future."
—Angelo Pizzo, award–winning writer and producer of Hoosiers and Rudy

About the Author

Erik Qualman is Global Vice President of Online Marketing for EF Education, the world′s largest private educator. Over his fifteen–year career, Qualman has also helped grow the online marketing and e–business functions of Cadillac, AT&T, Yahoo, EarthLink, and Travelzoo. He is a columnist for the Web site Search Engine Watch and SES Magazine. He has been featured on various national radio, television, and Internet outlets.

Customer Reviews

It's time for a paradigm shift
Socialnomics will give you a perspective on life and business that is vital. It's time to do a paradigm shift if you already haven't done that.

This book makes me believe that we are all heading for a better world consisting of high quality services and products and more power to the people.

There will be no more room for halfhearted services and products. Businesses has no other choice than to minimize their detrimental impacts because all activities will be open to view by people utilizing the social media revolution.

social mediocracy
Advertising of that book was pretty good and convincing:it made me buy it. After I've read all comments on the author's blog for that famous already video () I got really excited and now I am a bit disappointed.

Erik starts off saying that writing about such dynamic subject requires facts being commented rather then stated and listed and then he would fill up pages with stats, numbers and would repeat the same obviousness: how great social media environment is for business, supporting it with quite predictable scenarios. Not mentioning that the amount of information about Obama's campaign is making this book twice as thick as it actually is necessary. This book may be useful for those who need to impress others in boardroom with meaningless numbers and rather obvious facts to push their ideas, not mentioning that Obama is a key to open many doors in conversation. For those that know what facebook or twitter are and for passive/occassional social media users, such as myself, this books is a page-skipper rather then page-turner. As a repository of, for that moment of time, actual statistics and facts, this books makes a good encyclopedia-like supplement. It is easier and faster to get the same info from the web though. If I'd ever wanted to go back to those facts I'd rather use good-old google. Hence this book seems to be written out of necessity: it is a hot topic, so let's make some money. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you have no idea what social media is and you'd want to make business and look into numbers that after a while would seem irrelevant anyway. It is difficult to compare it to such masterpieces as "We think" We-Think: Mass innovation, not mass production simply because this book is trying to write about something in such an obvious way that it is rather uninspiring. While Leadbeater shakes the world with comments and just few good examples. Qualman simply overdoses facts, examples, stats and lacks what he promises at the beginning: inspiring comments and interpretations. Doing so he seems to make a huge claim that he knows best of how it is and how to succeed on that field. Reading this book I had a feeling of being in a classroom with an old school teacher who would throw dry facts in a sermon style at me.

I haven't found there much that I wouldn't know or that would inspire and teach me, maybe because I am web savvy and I look for information myself. This book is good for those who are, well actually were, lazy and now need a bit of catch up.

The world at your fingertips
A provocative and cutting edge testament to the power of social media, and the way it transforms comunications as well as those of us doing the comunicating. The book is a rich source of information and inspiration on how indivuduals or small companies or large corporations can use the various social mediums to reach a mass audience for our message, service or product. The amount of power which is litteraly at our fingertips has tremendous implications for human progress. Simply a must read