Somebody recently asked me what books I would recommend for networking marketing and at first my answer was, “Throw those books away and just dive right in… Look at profiles of other members of social networking sites, and attempt to emulate them through a combination of best practices… Participate in group discussions, answer questions, comment on blogs articles, build your network connections list and start communicating with folks you’d like to do business with… Just do it… Simple as that…”

However, I believe it is always important to self educate by reading a couple of books from leading authors on any given subject for supplemental and continuing education.

Tribes by Seth Godin: It is a quick read and is intentionally not an in depth book in that it gives you the broader scope/bigger picture as the why network marketing is so important for long term goals and building relationships

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan: Chris builds off of Seth Godin’s book, but then starts to scratch the surface as to why. He points out that while we are still riding this wave of “social media” network marketing buzz, human interaction is still king for several reasons.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott: In this book David talks about how to get away or at least add on new media to traditional methods of marketing whether it is for a company brand or personal band (which in a lot of cases the line is blurred).

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: This is the book you should start with first. It is at the top of any list for a reason. It has stood the test of time and a great foundation to build off of with regards to network marketing.

The Referral Engine by John Janstch: John is hot right now when it comes to online and offline network marketing and sales. The is the how-to book on getting people in your network to refer to your business otherwise known as the cheapest and most trusted kind of marketing (aka – word-of-mouth marketing).

Engage by Brian Solis: Brian is one of the smartest young talents in the network marketing industry right now. This book essentially combines all the books above and breaks down the how-to’s of social media and social networking sites for company and personal branding as a starting point for building traffic to your website, sales leads, and sales conversions.