What I am I reading? Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Having read & reviewed Crushing It and the Thank You Economy, here comes the book review of Jab Jab Jab Right Hook - another book authored by Gary Vaynerchuk.

Being a marketer, you'd think that you are totally clued into content marketing and what new possibly could the book throw at you that you didn't know?

But that's where I was wrong - even though social media has erupted in a grandiose fashion since Gary authored the book, there were still many, many things that I did learn from the book. The most important of which were context and adaptability. What works on Twitter, won't work on Instagram, and what works on Insta may not work on Facebook [Yeah, I know, I know, that we all know that, but trust me, you need to read those specific chapters to understand how organically this is explained in the book]

The book begins with how social blends into digital, what makes a great story, and showcases examples from various social media accounts and how brands (and individuals) can cut through the clutter on social media with creative and powerful content.

The book is organised into chapters [called Rounds - yes, boxing is referenced throughout the book!]. The first two chapters talk about the set-up, and the characteristics of great content and compelling stories, then it moves onto specific platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr.

Learnings

1. Jabs come before hooks: Jabs are the lightweight pieces of content that benefit your customers by making them laugh, snicker, ponder, play a game, feel appreciated, or escape; right hooks are calls to action that benefit your business. So that’s the order - jab, jab, jab and then, right hook [You gotta throw some jabs before you throw your right hook]
2. The perfect right hook has 3 characteristics: #simple and #easy call to action, #optimised for #mobile, #platform-relevant and #contextual
3. Characteristics of #compelling #content: (i) #native (ii) doesn’t interrupt (iii) doesn’t make demands (iv) leverages #pop #culture (v) #micro (vi) #consistent and #self aware
4. #Micro-content + #community management = effective #social #media #marketing
5. Telling the story on each platform’s native language is extremely important.

Gary also talks about opportunities in emerging networks - as marketers we need to be aware of what newer platforms are coming up, and take risks wherever possible.

What I liked about this book?
Filled with practical examples of what works / what doesn't through in-depth dissections of campaigns on all social media platforms - Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Instagram.

The book does have practical value, and ready to implement strategies and tips for virtually anyone. Its an easy-breezy read, and you might find yourself cringing when Gary points out certain mistakes that brands make on social media [you might also have made them too!]


How can this book help you?
Are you looking to step up your content game on all these social media platforms? Do you want to create engagement first, then read this book and start jabbing.

Final take
Nice read [jab 😊] - read with an open mind.