If You Want to Be a Social Media Rockstar, You Have to Read this New Book

*I was given a free copy of this book to review, but all opinions are my own; I would never recommend a book to you that I didn't love!* 

This week marks the launch of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick's new book, The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. I can't wait to gush to you about how much I love it! 

In a world where your business can't succeed without a good online presence, I was afraid I was entering the game a bit late. 

I knew that my photography and my writing business possibilities would benefit from the amazing networking possibilities of this social-media world. Problem was, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. (You're talking to the girl who seriously resisted a personal facebook page just got a twitter account like 2 months ago!)

If you're anything like me, then you are too busy (or intimidated or confused) to sift through the Internet on all the do's and dont's of social media. But if you own a business, you NEED to understand how to use this (mostly) free form of marketing!

That's where The Art of Social Media sweeps in to save the day.

Guy and Peg have helped demystify Twitter for me, and they've given me practical tips to make me feel more confident as I balance the spinning plates of Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to help grow my site traffic and get my voice heard.

I understand better the power of effective hashtags.

I have a list of lame rookie mistakes to avoid.

I know the most effective times to post.

I feel empowered and organized when I approach my social media platforms.

I am "meeting" new people and making important social media connections that have already benefited my business.

All these things are because of this book, and I just know that they will snowball into huge results for my business ventures.

I haven't quite taken the jump, yet, but I have been challenged to be bold and fearlessly active on social media thanks to Guy and Peg's stats on visibility. So if you follow me on Twitter, you might get annoyed by the frequency of repeated posting, but hey chill, I'm trying to reach the world here! 

(Seriously though, I have regular readers in 5 different time zones!)

I love the edgy no-nonsense way that Guy talks to his audience. For example, when discussing the huge body of "research" on SEO (search engine optimization) he says, "There are three thousand computer science PhDs at Google trying to make each search relevant, and then there's you trying to fool them. Who's going to win?" Fair point, Guy, fair point.

This book is also funny! There were times I was laughing so hard I'm like "this is awesome - a book for 'work' that's also relieving stress by being an enjoyable read!"

So besides the goldmine of invaluable information, it's pee-your-pants hilarious at times. I call that a win!

Guy and Peg have given me the tools I need to make social media work for me, rather than me feeling like I'm drowning in tweets and hashtags and pins and getting nowhere. I am confident that their book will continue to be a helpful reference as I work to master the ways I can make Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest help me grow my business. I've got my eye on Flickr next, but I'm trying not to be too greedy ;-)

If you use social media to promote your business, service, product, or events, then this book is for you. Buy it today!

It was just released on Amazon {my affiliate link here} so at least make sure Santa slips it under your tree this year!