43 Inspiring Social Media Books to Read & Accounts to Follow

Marketer, speaker and author, Bryan Kramer, dropped by #bufferchat to talk about the art (and impact) of sharing.

From Bryan:

There are 4 types of sharing. 1) H2M, M2M, H2M2H, and #H2H
1) H2M = Human to Machine (we do this all the time with ATM’s)
H2M2H = Human to Machine to Human. We are doing this now by using tools to communicate to each other.
M2M – Machine to Machine – Watson Analytics is a good example of this.
And finally, #H2H – personal one to one communications!
The key thing to remember is that Human to Human communication and sharing IS YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

More great advice:

“I’ve also made freinds, colleges and business partners on Social media and have learned so much, had access to soo much info” @cathywebsavvypr
“Social sharing gives your brand colour, voice and personality to a much wider audience than before” @edgoodman
“Relationships are built when you share yourself, not just content. Headlines just share info. ” @martinlieberman

From Bryan:

Human to Human is bringing back the 1) Simplicity 2) Empathy 3) Imperfection in all we do in business and humans
It used to be that marketing was segmented into two categories; business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C).
What it really did was create an unnatural language – with words like “synergy” and “speeds and feeds”
It’s become like one massive game of telephone, where by the time a message gets to the person
Marketing increasingly strives to become one-to-one
The dichotomy between marketing and social has actually flipped… and it’s out of balance
Social and marketing need to work together to personalize individual conversations, deliver shared global experiences
Our challenge as humans is to find, understand and explain the complex in its most simplistic form.
This means you, marketers.
Find the commonality in our humanity, and speak the language we’ve all been waiting for.
There is no B2B or B2C, it’s Human to Human, #H2H

More great advice:

“Speaking as an individual at a brand, not just as a brand. Taking the time to know who your listener is beyond a number.” @katiemcculey
“To me, sharing involves listening more than speaking (doesn’t everything) – that’s what makes it most human – being open.” @kymberlaine
“Human to human sharing means what it always has. The internet has just changed the way it’s done.” @lisamasiello

From Bryan:

The best thing we can do is “share with intent”
Let’s face it. With all of the social media chatter, it’s hard to find a way to break through the noise
Nearly 2.5 million pieces of content is shared and posted on Facebook Over 220,000 new photo, Nearly 300,000 tweets
With that amount of data being shared be minute, there’s little wonder that many brands are struggling
But in a world of viral cat videos and reposts, how do you find and share engaging content that reaches your main audience?
One key is to curate the RIGHT content
The key to understanding curating content is to know your readers. Understanding what they are passionate about
This means that you have to spend time to listen to your customers in order to fully assess their needs and wants.
Although this idea may seem basic, it really should be an essential part of any marketing strategy.
The goal should be not to simply aggregate information but to create a dialogue that will lead to building a relationship.
Curating different types of materials makes it more interesting for readers to share.
Remember the ultimate goal is to engage and share with consumers in order to sell both yourself and your brand.
make sure that you distribute information from a variety of sources on multiple platforms.
You should encourage your readers to interact with each other.
Finally, use the right tools
Companies such as @Bufferapp offer excellent assistance to deliver your brand’s message

More great advice:

“Social sharing helps you figure out what content is valuable to your audience so you can cater future content towards them.” @Jaymietarshis
“Social sharing is personal. It reflects who we are & that motivates us to create Fridge-Worthy content to share everyday” @ErinEHayes
“Posting, writing, curating content people love can only benefit your content marketing strategy and grow your community” @poppypiper

From Bryan:

I do use @bufferapp and others to help start the conversation. I find the best H2H conversations using the native apps

Other tools mentioned:

From Bryan:

@IBMSocialBiz
@VirginAmerica
@purematter
@buffer
@NicksCoffeeCo is a small family owned coffee shop. They answered my tweet and sent me coffee from Ireland.

More great recommendations:

A7: books I’m reading now #bufferchat pic.twitter.com/2yjdBnCjJb

— Bryan Kramer (@bryankramer) April 22, 2015

More great recommendations:

Thank you so much for everyone who joined in on this great chat!

Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern and join our Google+ community for the latest news.

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash

How can social sharing impact your business and personal life?