Abstract
A frequent question that is commonly asked among social media educators is “What book are you using for your social media class?” There are many books out there that cover basics on social media, how specific platforms operate, and even some that attempt to look at applying public relations principles within a social media context. However, Kim’s new social media book brings a fresh perspective of not only social media for public relations and marketing courses, but how it is strategically and creatively applied in campaigns across the disciplines.
Kim, an assistant professor at Biola University, has developed campaigns for national nonprofits and global charities. Her research interests in credibility, digital strategy, social media, and public relations education are reflected in this book.
Compared with other campaign books that are focused on general areas within marketing and public relations, Kim’s book focuses specifically on how to create a systematic and strategic approach for creating and launching a social media campaign. The chapters do not start off directly with launching a campaign, but they take into account the influences of research (listening and applying meaning to data collected) and the role social influence plays in relationships with audiences. This approach is slightly different than what is common in campaign books, but it is refreshing to see this. It helps set up the setting for students and educators on what they need to consider before launching an initial social media campaign.
Kim also takes on the approach of how social media are about relationships, and clarifies the definitional assumptions by stating that social media focus on content that “is user-generated, user controlled, and user shared” (p. 9). This clarification is not only a simple, yet concise explanation of what social media are but also unique compared with other types of media channels available for public relations and marketing professionals.
There are many reasons to adopt this book if you are teaching an upper level public relations or marketing course in social media. First and foremost, Kim provides a clear perspective and lens for her social media book, and it is focused on strategic thinking and application. There are many books that attempt to integrate strategy into the conversation, but Kim provides clear, yet insightful suggestions and examples for how this can be done for marketing and public relations courses. Second, Kim’s book offers many different components for the educator as well as the students. The book mixes in professional industry insights, tips, and best practices for both how to strategically address social media and how it can be applied. Third, Kim’s book spends a lot of space discussing campaign key metrics selection and how to apply them.
This is an important distinction between other social media books out there that do not have a thorough or updated section on measurement and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For example, Regina Luttrell’s Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect in comparison is more limited. In an industry that is constantly changing, Kim has addressed this by focusing on the core principles that can be tailored and applied even with new advances and features on social media platforms, which is both refreshing and exciting to see in a book like this.
Kim’s book breaks down from start to finish the various social media campaign components and areas of focus for public relations and marketing professionals. While reviewing this textbook, questions arose: Where should this book could be used in a public relations or marketing curriculum? Would other majors find this book to be useful for their own studies in social media?
The answer to these questions is absolutely. This book would have a place in either a marketing or public relations campaigns course, or even at the graduate level. However, this book would also serve well for those who are working and applying specifically for social media internships. Most of the time, social media interns have to create or propose a social media campaign at the end of their internship, so this book could serve as a valuable resource for them in applying what they have learned in the classroom to the real world.
With a nice blend between research and practice, Carolyn Mae Kim has written a social media book that is essential to have on the bookshelf for educators, students, and professionals in the marketing and public relations industry.