Social Business Strategist Jeff Gibbard Shares the Books That Formed His Business Perspective
Jeff Gibbard is a Philadelphia-based social media & content marketing strategist, blogger, podcaster and keynote speaker.
Jeff earned his undergraduate degree in Film and Media Arts, and afterwards he went back to school and got his MBA.
After graduating and working for a short time in management consulting and PR, he founded True Voice Media, a social business agency that helped organizations redesign themselves from the inside out, starting with Marketing. Although most of the agencies in this field were selling their services by bragging about their large Twitter following, Jeff focused on content marketing and decided to try and help his clients understand what they were doing with their online presence.
Seven years later, True Voice Media was acquired by From The Future, a Philadelphia-based digital agency “sent from the future to save websites 1 pixel at a time”. ? Jeff’s now FTF’s Chief Brand Officer.
He also hosts Sharable podcast, a show “about people and technology”. Every week, he brings on successful and interesting people, and tries to understand the pivotal moments where a person or technology had a profound impact on them, forever shifting the direction of their career and life.
Another project co-founded by Jeff is HitchPhilly, a consultation-service company that helps people better understand how to succeed at dating, both offline and online, by using online marketing techniques.
From our interview you’ll find out more about the books that changed his life, which ones form the majority of his perspective on business, and what books he recommends to youngsters interested in following a similar career path. Jeff’s working on completing his own book, “Lovable Leader“.
Oh, one last thing. He’s also known as The World’s Most Handsome Social Media & Content Marketing Strategist. 😛
Enjoy our book-talk!
What’s your favorite book and why? Business and non-business, if possible.
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff. This book single-handedly changed my life. By learning the principles of “Frame Control” I have had much greater success in sales, public speaking, and in managing my team.
Was there a moment, specifically, when something you read in a book helped you? Can you tell us about it?
The first time I put down How To Win Friends and Influence People, I realized that books have the potential to change our lives by altering our perspectives.
What books had the biggest impact on you? Perhaps changed the way you see things or dramatically changed your career?
There are five books that, when taken together, form the majority of my perspective on business:
What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path? Why?
Youtility by Jay Baer, Engage by Brian Solis, Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard, Social Business Design by Dion Hinchcliffe, Groundswell by Charlene Li.
I’m interested in finding out more about your reading habits. How often do you read? What format do you prefer?
I try to read at least one book per month. Doesn’t always happen. I somewhere prefer paperback books to Kindle, but if I had to pick just one, I would definitely pick my Kindle Oasis.
How do you make time for reading?
I read on vacations and in the evenings. I’d even read for 5-10 minutes if I don’t have time to read longer. I also took a speed reading course in 2017 and it changed my life. It takes a lot less time now to read.
Do you take notes or have any other technique for conquering the torrent of information?
When reading on Kindle, I highlight passages. And regardless of the format, I take notes in Evernote or in the description field in Asana.
How do you choose what books to read next?
I get book recommendations from my podcast guests, and people in my network. I talk about books a lot. I also know a number of authors and podcasters, who often talk about their own books or books they recommend.
Do you prioritize books recommended by certain people? Is there anyone that you consider a book-recommendations guru?
No. I don’t really have a hierarchy of who I listen to. Instead, I have a group of people who are all trustworthy.
Last question: what book are you currently reading and what are you expecting to gain from it?
Reading Lingo by Jeffrey Shaw and Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. I am always trying to learn more about effective marketing and sales.
Links where you can follow Jeff Gibbard or find out more about his projects:
- JeffGibbard.com
- From The Future Agency
- The Sharable Podcast
- HitchPhilly
- Connect with Jeff on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram
All books mentioned by Jeff Gibbard in our interview:
- Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal, by Oren Klaff
- How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
- 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
- Marketing in the Groundswell, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
- Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype, by Jay Baer
- Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, by Brian Solis
- Social Media ROI: Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in Your Organization, by Olivier Blanchard
- Social Business By Design: Transformative Social Media Strategies for the Connected Company, by Dion Hinchcliffe and Peter Kim
- Lingo: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible, by Jeffrey Shaw
- Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz
