Changing The Buzz Words in Social Business: “The Impact Equation” Delivers #ImpactEQ

The Impact Equation by New York Times bestselling authors Chris Brogan & Julien Smith is set for release on October 25th. I was thrilled to get an advance copy for review and am so honored to be able to share my experience in reading it with you here.

First things first, a little Q&A on who should read this book. In case you’re wondering if this book has something in it for you.

Q1: I’m just a business person, not a social media expert, is this book right for me?

A: Yes. It’s perfect for you. No social media mumbo-jumbo here. Just practical, real life information that you can understand and apply to your life and business right away.

Q2: I’m in the field, I’m already a “social media expert”, why would I read this?

A: I’m not really sure what a social media “expert” is, but I am pretty sure that like in the medical field where doctors have expertise, social media professionals who truly understand the business, would never declare themselves “experts” of all areas of social. Just because you’re a doctor, doesn’t mean you can do surgery. The field is evolving to quickly, and the greatest value and the most revolutionary thinkers I know in the sphere are pretty big on collaborating and sharing ideas. So, after you explain what being an expert is, consider my answer and pick up the book. You’ll thank me, it might even blow your mind.

This book is for everyone.

The beauty of the content in this book is that it comes from two very different people who work successfully in the social media sphere  yet their experiences and views compliment each other perfectly. They contribute their individual experiences, perspectives and examples from their own trial and errors, then they lay it all out for us to learn from. Whether you’re reading this as your first attempt to understand our new landscape and exploring how you can make an impact, or whether you’re well immersed into social media theory and practice already, there will be takeaways and points of discussion that stem from this book that will give you value. It has been written with skill and styling that delivers the facts you need in an entertaining and easy to digest prose.

To really navigate the waters of the social marketing landscape you really need to understand core concepts. These core concepts are extremely difficult to figure out most of the time without a lot of help. By the time I finished reading The Impact Equation, I realized, they actually managed to cover them all. Yes, all. I was impressed.

  Q3: What about Branding and Engagement? Is this where I can learn about all that?

A: You won’t find it under those headings, but you will learn all of the underlying concepts that made those buzz words big…  

You Won’t Find The Usual Buzz Words – They Created Their Own

Are Chris and Julien going to change the buzz words of social? Maybe.

The formula of the book is: Impact = Contrast x (Reach+Exposure+Articulation+Trust+Echo) 

Words like branding and engagement are so overused, people are lost in trying to find their meanings. It was rather brilliant how this book covered the essence of what those fly words mean, but introduced some very specific areas to focus on which bring the results you need to create impact without losing the reader in the “buzz words”.  They manage to shift the focus from words, to the areas you need to really work on, and give valuable tips on how to get there. Will the new buzz words in social platform development include the ones in their acronym CREATE? I think so because these truly are the key elements.

If more of us could dissect the elements of social like they have, I think the business population would be a lot less lost and a lot more “sold” on the value and need to building a social presence.

Stand out features that add to the value:

• Impact examples – so you can put their theory into practice and learn from real case studies
• Checklists – so you don’t get off track – they keep you focused
• Gradual development in your understanding of the core concepts making it easy to digest
• Business Development Advice – Working your ideas, learning how to evaluate potential opportunites
• Writing Advice – How to create contrast, keys to better articulation and stronger emotional communication
• References to tools they have used in their success – one of my favorites was MindNode (Thanks Chris and Julien!)

The book also addresses the importance of finding allies, not only identifying the right platforms, but sharing them, and most importantly tailoring messages to the appropriate place and time.

• You’ll learn about the shift from audiences as spectators to active participants.
• You’ll cover many of the challenges faced in the online space and be presented with organic solutions, answers and strategy.

This book makes you smarter – fast.

You can spend a year asking questions and reading blogs or you can spend a day reading The Impact Equation. Suddenly your whole world has changed, you’ll understand the how and the why of where we are now.

Why does the why matter? When you know why you are doing something, it really drives a project home, helps align players, departments, find supporters and gives you the power to really make things happen.

Do yourself a favor and if you’re in the online space or want to be- pick up this book and read it. You’ll thank me later. It will help you flush out ideas, and build your “channel”. I, for one, can’t wait to see what you do with it!

The most important take away from the book is the importance of starting now:

“Be there before they know who you are” .

So what are you waiting for?

The official launch of the book is October 25th, it is available for pre-order from Amazon now.

Read it, get started. Make your impact.