Social Media Marketing: 5 Books - 5 Blogs - 5 Experts

Photo courtesy of Death To Stock Photo.

I've been using/creating/consuming social media content for over a decade now. I remember coding my first blog in HTML back in 2005, while taking a graduate class in eCommerce at McGill University. Then came Blogger.com, podcasting, Facebook, Twitter and the rest.

I was recently asked to recommend my "top 5 books/blogs/websites for social marketing beginners", and, always willing to help out, I thought I expand on the question and list 5 of each, adding a twist to it and including 5 Experts.

Now of course, this list is far from complete, and the limit has forced me to really narrow down to the "top" sources. I'll revisit each categories in later posts and expend.

5 Books for Social Media Marketing Beginners:

1. Tribes by Seth Godin - This book is not specifically about social media, you'll learn how to differentiate yourself on social media and standing out.
2. The Now Revolution by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund - It's all about the NOW.
3. Renegades Write The Rules by Amy Jo Martin - Using social media to innovate.
4. The Social Employee by Cheryl Burgess and Mark Burgess - The title says it all.
5. The Content Formula by Michael Brenner and Liz Bedor - The ROI of Content Marketing.
   
   
6. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk - BONUS Book!

5 Blogs for Social Media Marketing Beginners:

1. Convince and Convert
2. Business 2 Community - Digital & Social
3. Buffer Blog
4. Social Media Today
5. Social Media Examiner

5 Experts on Social Media Marketing:

1. Gary Vaynerchuk
2. Jay Baer
3. Michael A. Stelzner
4. Melonie Dodaro
5. Bryan Kramer

So there's my lists of top 5 books, 5 blogs and 5 experts on social media marketing.

What do think? 

Who are your top 5? I'd love to know!

MAERSK Line Social: The most successful B2B social media campaign?

At the end of 2011, Maersk Line, the container shipping company, launched its social media campaign in an effort to get closer to its customers. The result is what is probably considered today one of the most successful B2B content marketing campaign ever launched.

Below is a series of articles, cases studies and interviews on the campaign and how it marked a major milestone in what could be achieved in the B2B space.

• Why Social Media?
• How Maersk Line Use Social Media (case study)
• B2B Case Study: Maersk Gets Social Media Right
• Maersk Line sets B2B social media example
• 7 Lessons for Effective B2B Content Marketing via the Maersk Line Case Study
• How Maersk Line Container Shipping Turned B2B Social Media on Its Head
• Being B2B social: A conversation with Maersk Line’s head of social media

And a 6-part case study from the man behind the initiative, Jonathan Wichmann (@JonathanWich):

1. Unlocking the full potential of social media: Maersk Line’s social media study (part 1)
2. Getting started with social media: Maersk Line’s social media study (part 2)
3. What is the value of social media? Maersk Line’s social media study (part 3)
4. Social customer service and the Man in the Machine: Maersk Line’s social media study (part 4)
5. Social selling and teaching where our customers learn: Maersk Line’s social media study (part 5)
6. Social collaboration and why a cultural journey is necessary: Maersk Line’s social media study (part 6)