Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-116) and index.

Preface -- Power and validity -- Key questions -- 1. Why, what, and how? -- Community reboot -- First source: function, shared meaning and objective -- Second source: emotion and your brand loves me -- Third source: self-oriented actualization -- Fourth source: personal and social engagement -- Fifth source: collective relationships -- Next steps -- 2. The importance of social media branding -- Brand as app -- What is a social media community? -- The social media brand and your brand -- Functional vs. emotional -- Relationships and community -- Closing thoughts on the importance of social media branding -- 3. Source 1: functional social media brand -- Problem solving, information search, and feedback -- Prompt action -- Convenience and accessibility -- Closing thoughts on the functional brand -- 4. Source 2: emotional social media brand -- Problem alleviation -- Privilege -- Fantasy -- Curiosity -- Closing thoughts on the emotional brand -- 5. Source 3: self-oriented social media brand -- Self-actualization -- Self-relevance -- Self-branding -- Life arrangements -- Closing thoughts on the self-oriented brand -- 6. Source 4: personal (social) media brand -- Experience exchange -- Community attachment -- Link building -- Social engagement -- Closing thoughts on the personal brand -- 7. Source 5: relational social media brand -- Personalized brand communication -- Fickle relational bonds -- Obliged relational bonds -- Preexisting relational bonds -- Emerged relational bonds -- Casual relational bonds -- Closing thoughts on the relational brand -- 8. Implementing social media branding -- Create functionality through product -- I love, service I use -- Create emotion by tapping into my feelings -- Create the personal and social -- Create relationship -- Being interactive and personal -- Closing thoughts -- 9. Brand building in action -- Case 1. Yarns with Erica and Jess -- Case 2. Westjet Xmas Cheer -- Case 3. Fun with Bitstrips -- Case 4. Communication and social media -- Case 5. Banking and social media -- Case 6. Offline engagement and online community -- Case 7. The human factor -- Case 8. Not much spark in Spark.co.nz -- Suggestion readings -- Index.

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Social media branding provides the thinking, evidence, and practice to create a road map for practitioners in small businesses to develop and implement their brand in online and offline communities. It provides a start point because one of the biggest issues for small businesses is where to start. I have talked to so many business practitioners who don't like the idea of social media. Often, they say: "We can't do that because of the legal implications!" Or, "We will have to employ more people and we don't have the resources."

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest, 2015. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest affiliated libraries.