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Social Media Commerce For Dummies {Review}

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9781118297933 cover.indd

I’m taking part in a program featuring the “For Dummies” books and my first book was entitled “Social Media Commerce For Dummies”. In the year that I have been blogging, I have developed a passion for learning about everything social media, so this was a logical next step.

About The Book

Social media commerce is a booming industry. By using social networks in the context of e-commerce transactions, brands large and small are making their products more available and more convenient for customers. This one-of-a-kind guide introduces you to social media commerce and explains how you can use social media to provide better customer service, collect payments online, and build your customer base. Online marketing expert Marsha Collier helps you determine where you have the best opportunity to reach your market, which sites you should integrate with, and much more.

I’ve always been a big fan of the “For Dummies” series, even though they call me a Dummy with each new book I read. Admittedly, I didn’t get through this entire book yet because, well, I just don’t read all that fast and I haven’t received my “Conquering ADD for Dummies” book yet. What I have read, however, is more than enough to make me want to get through to the end of it.

My favourite part of the book so far has been the “Casting and Catching Customers” chapter. It’s not easy to stand out in a crowded social media scene and this chapter teaches you not only how to find people in your demographic but also how to get them coming back for more. It also helps with tips on building your Facebook page, which we all know can be a challenge these days.

With things such as blogging, podcasts, video and social media advice included, this Social Media Commerce book has been an excellent tool for me to use in looking at the next step in my online development. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to monetize their web space or for businesses looking to take the next step.

For more information on the book and where to get a copy, you can visit the “Social Media Commerce For Dummies” Info page. You can also catch up with the “For Dummies” franchise on Facebook and Twitter.

This is the part where you’d expect me to throw out some cheesy one liner like, “You’d be a dummy not to buy this book!” or “What are you waiting for, Dummy? Go get it!” Don’t worry; I won’t do that to you…

Cheers!

Here’s A Double Shot Of Business Awesome!

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I’ve always appreciated excellent service and ethical, client centered business practices. That said, it wasn’t until I went to one of the presentations for Scott Stratten’s, “Book of Business Awesome”, that I truly understood the value of sharing some of the everyday, cool things that some businesses do for us, as consumers. I want to share one of those stories today.

While wasting my life away doing blog research on Facebook recently, I noticed a status update from my friends at Mabel’s Labels. It was a letter from one of their customers, that read as follows:

“Dear Mabel, Last week my car got broken into. Sadly our GPS and my son’s hockey bag were taken. I was sad to tell my son about it. It takes a lot of time effort and money to gather all the items for hockey equipment. My husband and my son decided to go to a second hand store called Play it Again Sports to find some new equipment. When my son tried on a neck guard, what does he see: Yes! his name on it with your label. He points this out to the store owner and tells him the story of the loss. They were able to find all his equipment and they returned it without charge. To top it all off, the store owner caught the thief on his video camera, gave us a copy and we were able to give it to the police.”

Pretty awesome, right? I realize that by returning the boy’s equipment, “free of charge”, the owner did the right thing and probably what was expected of him, but this is where I get to add an extra dash of awesome to the story. You see, I help run a charity called, The Gil Read Memorial Foundation, named after my father. Our goal is to provide monetary assistance to children who can’t afford to compete in sports. This includes equipment, registration and other costs associated with playing a sport.

When I approached Play It Again Sports about becoming our official supplier of sports equipment for the charity, not only did they agree immediately but they also offered a generous discount to all the families we sent in. I can’t say enough good things about this company and the people they have working there. On top of all of that, their Regional Manager, Rob Lavoie, was an integral member of our Movember team that helped raise over $12,400 this past month.

Keep up the excellent work, guys! You make our community a better place to live and I appreciate it! I’d also like to thank the awesome people at Mabel’s Labels for sharing this story. It’s nice to read about the positive, inspirational stuff every now and then. Plus, you know, your labels are awesome and clearly help catch criminals!

Cheers!