The Digital Handshake: Seven Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business Using Social Media

by Paul Chaney

Practical applications for using social media to boost your business Even today's most successful businesses are seeing shrinking returns on their advertising and marketing dollars. The Digital Handshake explains why advertising and marketing are losing their effectiveness and how to solve the problem using social media to corral elusive consumers. It explains the best practical business applications in current use and how you can use them to ramp up your business. Using case studies gleaned from real businesses, author Paul Chaney shows you how companies both large and small that can tap social media to mitigate market changes and reap valuable business benefit in the real world. Today's technology can either undermine your marketing efforts or enhance them. The Digital Handshake helps you make sure the Internet grows your business for the long run.

Genres: Business, Social Media, Nonfiction, Internet

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[David]

Mr. Chanley is enthusiastic about his area of expertise, and the book is well suited for someone who (like me) has a superficial knowledge and wants to add depth and make connections.

The author wastes a lot of time 'selling' social media; if you have purchased the book, you presumably believe already that the subject is worth your time, so you can speedread the first 70 pages or so. After that the ratio of fact to enthusiasm improves in the reader's favor. I felt that this book would be far more valuable if edited more tightly. The author has a habit of tossing in sentences that don't benefit the reader or enhance the subject.

I believe I must speak for other business marketers in saying that Mr. Chaney's suggestions would benefit greatly from better demonstration of how to integrate the various media. Chapter 16, that should really be the payload, in which the author discusses how to use the various media to engage the marketplace, i felt was very thin. The book really needs a few sample marketing plans, showing how mixing social media with conventional marketing channels can boost sales. Possibly one for Retail, one for software/web business, one for professional service organizations and another for B2C.

The information there warrants 4 stars, there are a lot of tools, links and companies you will want to investigate if you are planning to use social media for your business. I gave it 3 stars for reasons above.

Please, Mr. Chaney, consider a volume 2 packed with detailed marketing plans laid out showing integration of Social Media for optimum effect!

[Julia Doherty]

This book has been my bible for the start up of my business. It covers all aspects of digital marketing and is just brilliant.

[Rachel Meyers]

I got halfway through and just couldn't read any more. It's pretty outdated. But, if you need a good nap - this book will do the trick 😉

[Nadine]

I always find consumer behavior interesting and like to keep up with the latest in marketing, advertising and just general consumer behavior. Of course, these days a lot of that revolves around the internet and social media. This book was written several years ago, but the main points still hold true today. I liked the author's passion and thought the book was well written. I liked how he sort of describes social media has a cocktail party where meeting and conversation takes place. 

Bottom Line: This is a great book for understanding consumer behavior and how to spread word of your business in a digital age with social media. I think some aspects even apply to blogging. While the book is a few years old, the main message is still very applicable today. 

Rating: 4/5

[Jason Machinski]

Although written in 2009 this book still hold many insights into Social Media. One insight that really stuck with me is that Social Media is like a cocktail party, a place where you can meet, converse and share ideas with others. Like any good conversations though interactions on Social Media are enriched if know what you are talking about, you are an active listener and you share freely. This is the way to build a strong business and personal community online.

[Alexander K]

Would have been better to read in 2010 but it's given me a few good ideas and things I want to look into.

[JT]

Learned a bit of information here which hopefully I can apply!

[Julie]

May seem oudated but still contains a lot of valuable information. Will likely listen again.

[Reiden]

Practical advice, but much of it is no longer relevant in 2021.

[Jay French]

For a book about using the internet that is now 4 years old, this one is just starting to show its age. The suggestions offered to use social media are still valid, but the products mentioned, as well as the focus of some social networks, has changed quite a bit. For instance, the value of LinkedIn as a social platform seems to have greatly increased in the past few years, and this book misses that change, as it misses the changes from Ning eliminating their free model. But if you read it for the how to and why to of social media for business, that value is still there.

[B.C. Crow]

For a social marketing ignoramus such as myself, I really liked this book. I knew I needed to get into the grove of social marketing, and this really served to confirm that need. I really like the advice he gives about how to approach the different mediums, and I plan to take his advice to heart.

There is nothing in this book that I would consider offensive. Language is clean, and it is a simple straight forward book for anyone wanting to know if social media is right for their business.

[Deb]

I thought this was a great book. It seemed to help prioritize and make sense of all the options available in this new media landscape. I would recommend this to any business person as a primer for learning where to start in order to jump in and join the social media world.

[Sallie]

heard him present at a professional development thing. very persuasive. Like that he's got such a strong focus on WHY you should do these things ... not just the nuts and blots of how-to

[Tiffanie Z.]

Good.. but I didn't quite finish

[Priyesh Soundararajan]

A good read if you want to scratch the surface to learn about social media

[Eric Burgan]

totally recommend for anyone creating a business. the tips shared here will have your mind spinning on how to truly share on social media, without annoying your friends!

[Brittany]

Good points, but a bit out of date now.

[Mindi]

Great advice!