A good friend recently asked me about Social Media Skill Building and Social Marketing training so I decided to compile a list of books, people, and blogs that I’ve found to be an invaluable educational resource.
Purists will be quick to point out that there is no such thing as Social Marketing, just marketing applied to new ways well this list isn’t intended to replace University degrees in marketing and communications but if you learn from the best, adapt, fail fast, and learn you will grow. Stay true and tell the truth… and you will succeed.
Everything I know about Social Marketing: Be kind, Be Helpful, Be Useful.
Or as my friend @BryanJones put it…

The Resources I Trust

Here are a few books, blogs and people that will take you beyond the hype. If you are looking for a foundational understanding of how we arrived here and how you can use connecting points and influence to ethically and authentically further your goals… this where I started.
Books
Social Media theory and marketing books are being printed on a daily basis. Some are certainly good but many are attempting to educated on topics that have already been masterly covered. These books are not simply practical guides. They are the theory and history of the rise of social networking and then based on that framework build conclusions and applications. Start with the Why then move to How.
Social Marketers
This is by no means a comprehensive list. I’m sure I’ve omitted some that just don’t come to mind at the moment. The people listed below are practitioners, authors, and bloggers. Follow them, Subscribe to their blogs, buy their books. IMHO they know where of they speak.
- @JasonFalls / Socialmediaexplorer.com
- @BrianSolis / Briansolis.com
- @jowyang / Web-strategist.com/blog
- @missrogue / tarahunt.com
- @markwschaefer / businessesgrow.com/blog
Sites
- Hubspot has a wealth of free information and tools. I found their eBooks to be very educational and shortcut intros to areas I was unfamiliar with. You’d be wise to avail yourself of these resources.
- OpenForum – An AmEx site that is geared toward empowering Small Business. You’ll find articles on managing and sales but they also have a healthy backlog of social marketing information. It’s quick reading and very focused content. I highly recommend this blog if you operate in the SMB arena.
Your Turn
As I said this list isn’t comprehensive and I’d appreciate your input. What sites, blogs, or people do you learn from? Share them in the comments.
While the tech world was busy watching the latest “find your friends” app I’ve actually found 2 startups looking to solve some real world issues. Namely contacts.





