10 Books About Conversation Marketing You Must Read

This is a guest post by Tom Walker. Every Monday is guest post day on Remarkablogger. Contact me if you’d like to submit a guest post.

The explosion in use of social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube among others, along with blogging as a means of communication, has presented new and exciting challenges and opportunities for businesses. While traditional forms of advertising remain important, conversation marketing via social platforms is an increasingly important aspect of commercial strategy, no matter how large or small the operation. Through networking companies and individuals offering products and services can engage with their customers, nurturing web-based interaction and growing their profits. This post presents 10 examples of the best books on conversation marketing, written by experts in the field, required reading for anyone with an interest in contemporary commerce.

1. Conversation Marketing: Internet Marketing Strategies (by Ian Lurie)

Conversation marketing guru Ian Lurie’s book is absolutely essential reading for marketers, business leaders, or just about anyone interested in Internet marketing. The text, in fewer than 100 pages, employs common sense analogies to convey the concepts of Internet marketing strategies. Lurie writes in a friendly, easy-to-read style, and offers sound advice on the best decisions to reap maximum returns.

2. Web Marketing All-in-one Desk Reference for Dummies (by John Arnold, Ian Lurie, Marty Dickinson, Elizabeth Marsten and Michael Becker)

If you’re just starting out in web marketing and looking to build an online presence, this book is an ideal place to start. A team of expert authors draw on real-life experiences to show how to attract customers and hone business strategies. The volume is broken down into eight easy-to-digest mini-books covering all the fundamental issues: Establishing a Web Presence; Search Engine Optimization; Web Analytics; E-Mail Marketing; Blogging and Podcasting; Social Media Marketing; Online Advertising and Pay Per Click; Mobile Web Marketing.

3. Creating Marketing Conversations Between Customers and Sellers (by Alexandra MacAaron and Donna Baier-Stein)

Alexandra MacAaron and Donna Baier-Stein explore creative approaches to marketing for people at all levels of the business structure, from the executive leaders to technical operators. The book the confluence of online and offline media in the context of business strategies and product branding.

4. Social Media Marketing for Dummies (by Shiv Singh)

Shiv Singh’s Social Media Marketing for Dummies covers the principle aspects for businesses of all sizes to get the most out of contemporary social media. The author, along with professional contributors, explains how to identify the social sites best for a product, how to use blogs to reach niche audiences and evaluate campaign results.

5. Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day (by Dave Evans)

Starting with the basics, this book describes how to execute a social media marketing campaign by dedicating an hour a day. Author Dave Evans covers case studies, detailed and intuitive guides and practices, tutorials and quizzes for businesses to learn the ropes and assess the results of social marketing campaigns.

6. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (by David Meerman Scott)

Best-selling writer and marketing strategist David Meerman Scott reveals the techniques for businesses to exploit the potential of web-based communication and foster personal connections with customers and buyers.

7. Twitter Marketing: An Hour a Day (by Hollis Thomases)

In this book, author Hollis Thomases details the conventions and statistics of the Twitter demographic. Having acquainted the reader with the Twitterverse, she then explains how to use the medium for strategic marketing, true stories and clear explanations of the techniques involved. By dedicating an hour-a-day to Thomases’ instructions, businesses of any size can develop successful Twitter campaigns.

8. YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day (by Greg Jarboe)

Video marketing expert Greg Jarboe outlines the power of video as a business tool in light YouTube’s enormous success. Through step-by-step instructions, Jarboe guides readers through winning techniques on video production, uploading, keywording and all the tasks to reach the widest audience.

9. Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity (by Avinash Kaushik)

While addressing the general business challenges in relation to Internet marketing, Avinash Kaushik covers social media developments and implications in his extensive survey of web analytics.

10. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success (by Lon Safko and David K. Brake)

Finally, an essential addition to any marketing library: Lon Safko and David K. Brake’s comprehensive guide to social media for businesses. The authors describe the contemporary social media scene, present case studies and exercises, and then lay out the techniques that any business can apply to build and grow social marketing strategies.

This is a guest post by Tom Walker who blogs for a specialist in HP 34 ink cartridges as well as other supplies for the creative industry. His other posts on advertising and design can be read on their blog, the CreativeCloud.