Best products from r/socialmedia

I agree with what everyone is saying about calling yourself an expert. I've had this conversation many times. Client testimonials, something everyone should get, will speak much louder than any title you can give yourself.

I'm a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk He has some great videos and key note presentations on his website.

Books
The Thankyou Economy, Marketing Lessons Grateful Dead Business

You do not need to be a Grateful Dead fan to enjoy this book.

Twitter @JoltSocialMedia, @socialmouths

Blogs
Hubspot
Seth Godin
Situation Interactive
Ajax Union

I highly recommend Google Hangouts and LinkedIn Groups as a way to get more information. I run a Social Media hangout every Tuesday

On LinkedIn groups you can get information and also share your own knowledge.

There is a ton of information out there about social media and new articles from across the web come out every day. It can be overwhelming at times. My recommendation is to find a few sources you like and go with those. Take the information you think is practical and useful and try to implement it.

Get on every big social media platform out there and learn the inner workings of them. Tear them apart and learn every feature. Click on everything. Whenever possible be an early adapter. The sooner you can get on a new social network the better. There are many smaller ones that are under the radar. It can't hurt to be familiar with them.

Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment.

• Max Weinstein
  http://www.maxweinstein.net
  My weekly Google Hangout
  
  
  
  
  

Sorry to say it but based on what you've written here, you're not a good enough writer at the moment. I'd start with learning spelling, punctuation and grammar (you can probably do that online, or read Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss) then move on to a more general writing course. Also read great literature and pay attention to what makes it great. An instructional book like Elements of Style is also a great place to start. Many writers absolutely rave about that book and you'll learn things you never realised you didn't know.

Hitmakers (https://www.amazon.com/Hit-Makers-Science-Popularity-Distraction/dp/110198032X) was really incredible, and was published in February of 2017 (the more current the better I think when it comes to books about social media). It's so interesting, and has great info for anyone looking to create really great content that resonates with their audiences. Seriously, can't recommend this book enough. I was hooked.

Congrats on the new job!

This is a tough question. There is SO much valuable information out there on building, managing and scaling programs. If you're looking for ongoing insight and ideas, I'd recommend subscribing to many of the blogs on the Ad Age Power 150. While the list is no longer update, the blogs are usually updated quite frequently. Check them out.

If you're looking for books, here are the top three I recommend:
The Social Media Strategist by Christopher Barger (former head of social at GM),
Open Leadership by Charlene Li, and
Managing Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi.

Some reading I strongly suggest:

• Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke
  
• No Logo by Naomi Klein
  
• Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
  
  My advice is for you is to forget "best practices" and instead go gonzo. Obeying "best practices" is a recipe for eventual failure even if it seems "safe".

The bigger problem is the first one - getting a good grounding in Marketing, as the fundamentals don't really change although the media does. Social media marketing is Marketing, and follows many of the same principles.

Would recommend taking a look at Josh Kaufman's book The Personal MBA (Amazon) and here's his list of 99 books from his website of which the marketing books listed there is a very good place to start.

You can basically waste a TON of time on the plethora of so-called 'social media marketing experts' who are experts at selling to others social media marketing 'secrets'. It's a bit of old-fashioned hucksterism that makes them a lot of money (true) but may not be all that worthwhile (unless you want to sell social media secrets for the future career).

As a professional marketer myself, having been in many roles in Marketing (and outside sales and product development), you've got to have a foundation to build on.

Even consider taking a MOOC from a reputable place on Marketing, it's a discipline of study for good reason, and then see how the social media part fits into it.

In my own situation, Large Mega Corp the revenue from Social Media is on the order of 1% (we track such things), while the web is on the order of 15%. We still have a direct sales force (we are B2B) and have events and exhibit at conferences; I have no illusions about all the marketing that needs to be done offline (where still many of our customers are).

Just my $0.02, FWIW.

This is from 2013, but a good read either way: Digital Marketing Analytics: Making Sense of Consumer Data in a Digital World

I am not even in social media, yet I am the one who knows what this means...

...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Book-Likes-Nonprofits-ebook/dp/B00C4NM8JW

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
http://www.amazon.com/Jab-Right-Hook-Story-Social-ebook/dp/B00BATNNZY

QR codes are total garbage. Might as well give you on your campaign now if you plan to use them as it will fail.

You can look up stats on them if you like but they are totally ineffective. Android may have reading built-in but no one uses them still. iOS makes up a huge part of the smartphone market but requires people to download a 3rd party app to read them. No one is going to do that and right there you've lost a HUGE part of your potential.

Use shortened links or something but don't use QR codes.

If you want funny insight into how stupid QR codes are, check out QR Codes Kill Kittens: How to Alienate Customers, Dishearten Employees, and Drive Your Business into the Ground by well know marketer and keynote speaker Scott Stratten
https://www.amazon.com/Codes-Kill-Kittens-Customers-Dishearten/dp/1118732758