Social media marketing is more than having the obligatory Facebook page, blog and Twitter account, according to a new book by Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead for Razorfish.

Instead, his new book, Social Media Marketing for Dummies, explains that marketers should be focused on reaching and building online relationships with influencers–those people who can have a substantial impact on a brand’s reputation and sales.

“Social Influence Marketing offers new opportunities for marketers to engage consumers with a brand,” said Singh. “This book cuts through all the clutter about social media in the marketplace and provides clear insights about how to use this new medium to achieve marketing and business objectives.”

In writing the book, Singh drew on extensive client work at Razorfish, including implementing social media marketing programs for Victoria’s Secret, MillerCoors and Levi Strauss & Co. Full of examples, the book is divided into four sections that walk the reader through the scope of Social Influence Marketing, from defining the fundamentals to laying out an actionable plan.

Specifically, the book:

• Debunks common misconceptions about social media marketing and explains how it integrates with other marketing disciplines
• Describes the steps for planning, managing and measuring social media marketing campaigns, even providing advice for choosing technology and advertising vendors as well as specific recommendations
• Discusses how to leverage social media with existing marketing efforts, emphasizing the need for an authentic brand voice
• Presents the 10 best practices and common mistakes in social media marketing

Social Media Marketing for Dummies is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide. More information about the book, including further insight from Singh, can be found on his blog at www.goingsocialnow.com.

About the Author:
As the Vice President and Global Social Media Lead at Razorfish, one of the world’s largest interactive agencies, Shiv Singh advises clients on how to leverage digital technologies to develop meaningful and value-driven customer and employee relationships. He leads Razorfish’s Social Influence Marketing practice, the company’s approach for employing social media and social influencers to achieve clients’ marketing and business objectives. In addition to writing extensively on social media, he has also spoken on Social Influence Marketing at conferences such as South by Southwest, the ARF Annual Summit, Adweek Social Media Strategies, DMA Leader’s Forum, MediaBistro Circus and OMMA Global. He was also recently named one of Advertising Age’s 2009 Media Mavens, a distinguished industry honor and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Adweek, Reuters and USA Today discussing digital marketing. Shiv completed his undergraduate studies at Babson College and conducted graduate research into social networks at the London School of Economics & Political Science. He blogs at www.goingsocialnow.com and his twitter ID is @shivsingh.

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