This book will help small business owners and marketers feel comfortable using social media to promote their businesses, regardless of their past experiences or level of expertise.
Social networking plus small business is a slam dunk! Small Business Smarts: Building Buzz with Social Media explains why that's so and helps small business owners decide whether social media tools are right for them. Assuming the answer is yes, the book offers concrete advice and implementation suggestions that make using tools to start building word-of-mouth quick and easy.

Built around actual success stories from small businesses, such as the Roger Smith Hotel, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Cafe Yumm, and the Tattered Cover Bookstore, the book illustrates how different social media can help achieve different business goals, how the Internet can be used to "listen" to customers, how networks and relationships are built online for both B2C and B2B, and how effective messages can generate awareness and attract customers. Measurement strategies and techniques for a social media audit are included. For the complete novice, step-by-step instructions on getting started with popular social media applications are provided as well.

Steve O'Leary is chairman of O'Leary and Partners, a full-service advertising agency in Orange County, CA.

Kim Sheehan, PhD, is professor of advertising and director of the Strategic Communication Master's Program of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.

Sterling Lentz is market analyst at the marketing firm Adpearance, Portland, OR.