7 Books to Help You Use Social Media to Promote Your Blog or Business

No one is ignoring social media as a marketing platform. Old-school marketing tactics are alive and well, but they include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and more. The key to reaching your audience — whether for your blog or your business — is meeting them where they are. And they’re online. Whether you’re a pro at marketing or just getting started, everyone can find something useful in the list below.

1. Facebook All-In-One For Dummies

by Melanie Nelson and Daniel Herndon

All-In-One books have multiple books in one. Faceboook All-In-One For Dummies encompasses way more than just getting started with Facebook. It has several books about marketing — both general advice for getting started with any marketing and marketing specifically on Facebook. Want to try it before you buy it? No problem, you can download two free chapters: Building Your Facebook Fan Page Community and Identifying Your Target Audience for Successful Marketing.

2. Pinterest Marketing For Dummies

by Kelby Carr

Who doesn’t love a little Pinterest? It’s one of the fastest growing platforms and it’s no wonder. It’s easy to use, visually appealing, and it drives great traffic. Want to use it even better? Pick up this book. Kelby was an early adopter and knows what she’s talking about.

3. Social Media Marketing All-In-One For Dummies

by Jan Zimmerman and Deb Ng

“This bestselling guide to social media marketing has been completely updated to cover the newest vehicles, including Groupon and Rue La La, location-based services like Foursquare, and new social networking sites like Google+ and Pinterest. Checklists, case studies, and examples will help you decide the best places to spend your marketing dollars, and you’ll learn about valuable social media tools and analytics methods that can help you assess the success of your efforts.”

4. Social Media Engagement For Dummies

by Aliza Sherman and Danielle Smith

To build your community, it’s imperative to understand how to engage with your particular audience. I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of advice about the best times for posting, the best types of posts, etc. The problem is that the information you’re seeing isn’t one size fits all. Aliza and Danielle can help you pinpoint the things that are important to your audience. Want to try it before you buy it? Download a free chapter: Explaining theWhy, Who, and How of Social Media Engagement.

5. Klout For Dummies

by Andrea Updyke

If you’re not familiar with Klout, it’s a platform that measures your online influence. This book explains how Klout works and how to create and maximize your Klout profile and connect it to various social networks so Klout can start analyzing your data — and help you expand your influence.

6. Facebook and Twitter for Seniors For Dummies

by Marsha Collier

I have a wide range of people in the BB101 community. If you’re over 55 and wondering how to maximize Facebook and Twitter but aren’t sure about the platforms and how to use them effectively, this book can help you. Marsha provides information covering everything including “establishing an Internet connection to rediscovering old friends, sharing messages and photos, and keeping in touch instantly with Twitter. . .”

7. Raising Digital Families For Dummies

by Amy Lupold Bair

This isn’t a marketing book, but I’m including it here because your family is being marketed to online. Some of that marketing may be inappropriate for your children, tweens, and teens. Raising Digital Families For Dummies helps you manage what they do and don’t see and helps you keep them safer online.

It’s true. The links in this  post are affiliates. If you buy something, I thank you. I can assure you that I’m making tens of cents — but each penny adds up! Thanks!

You’ll notice that all of my recommendations are from the For Dummies Series. I am a freelance editor and writer for Wiley’s For Dummies books. Wiley doesn’t pay me or ask me to promote their books. In fact, they have no idea that I even do it. I just have an affinity for the books because of their no-nonsense, easy-to-understand content. I also know several of their authors personally and have helped edit or contributed a chapter or two to a few books. I can vouch for their usefulness.