Brooke Sellas (that’s me!) has launched her very first book, Conversations That Connect.
The book features thirteen information-packed chapters and comes with a range of resources that will help business owners seize the opportunities associated with the digital customer journey.
Today, we’ll cover what you can expect from the book, plus give info on goodies and more!
Connect –> Converse –> Convert –> Community
For starters, this book has very much been a labor of LOVE. It started way back in 2007 with a charity event and a few beers and ended 15 years (and one pandemic) later with a book all about CX (customer experience) through social media.
Secondly, throughout those 15+ years I’ve produced award-winning research, founded a social media company, and realized along the way that most of us are doing social media wrong.
We’ve spent so much time and money on content that we’ve forgotten about the real hero of social media: the conversations.
Finally, in Conversations That Connect, I explain how I’ve helped billion-dollar brands in consumer goods, finance, retail, and others connect with the online communities that discuss, influence, and buy from their brands.
Like all meaningful connections, it starts with genuine conversations. Knowing how to listen, share feelings, and offer opinions (yes, even as a company!) – that build relationships and lead to effective social media management and customer care.
Chapter Breakdown: Conversations That Connect
Here’s a glimpse of what I cover in Conversations That Connect.
The book has two parts:
- The psychology around conversations that connect, and
- The tactical, practical “how-to” blueprint for having better brand conversations that help companies connect –> converse –> convert.
Additionally, Part One is meant to build the foundation for organic social media success. It includes how and why we build relationships in real life and online, including how we connect with brands.
PART ONE
- Chapter 1: “Where Do We Start?”
- Chapter 2: The Social Penetration Theory
- Chapter 3: The Digital Customer Journey
- Chapter 4: Social Media Intelligence
- Chapter 5: Look Wo’s Talking – Audience and Community
- Chapter 6: Social Media Listening
Comparatively, Part Two explores the tactics behind becoming a “conversation company” or becoming a brand that takes a stand. Plus, it gives a glimpse into operationalizing customer care for your in-house team.
PART TWO
- Chapter 7: Having Conversations That Connect
- Chapter 8: Social-Led Customer Care
- Chapter 9: A Word on Automation and Bots
- Chapter 10: Coding Conversations
- Chapter 11: Metrics and KPIs
- Chapter 12: Teams, Not Tech
- Chapter 13: Final Feelings
Not to mention, I list several tools and assets worth their weight in gold in the Resources section.
Praise for Conversations That Connect
Above all, I hope you not only take my word for how much I think the book will teach people, I hope you’ll listen to these other smart business leaders and what they had to say.
Content may be king, but care is the key to the kingdom! Brooke does an extraordinary job of explaining why building trust and connecting with empathy, compassion, and care will get you further faster with your social audience! She offers real-life examples that demonstrate the ROI of listening and customer care. Her tips for finding the right people to fill social support roles are spot on – it’s like a cheat sheet for hiring managers and talent acquisition teams! I ordered a copy for our entire content and customer care team.” ~Jill Sammons
Finally, a modern approach to Social! Brooke Sellas breaks one of the greatest misconceptions in business today – that the business purpose of social media is sales and marketing. The greatest application of social is for customer service. She dives into Customer Experience (CX) and mapping the Digital Customer Journey. If you want social media efforts that drive product marketing, increase customer satisfaction, and build a community around your brand, this is the map.” ~John Wall
Smart, practical tips on how to rethink your approach to social media. Longtime follower of Brooke, was excited to read a long-awaited longform perspective from her on what social media can and should be for businesses.
The book doesn’t disappoint. It includes practical tips for businesses, big and small, to make the most of social media for real connection that align to business goals. Brooke does away with the vanity metrics, virality and meme culture that many can get stuck in when talking about the power of social media.
Brooke centers what brands and businesses are trying to accomplish — real connection and understanding of their customers — and shares the real ways that they can use social media to learn from, understand and meaningfully engage via social media. And she shares the case studies, templates and tactics to back it up.” ~Luke Reynebeau
Finally, check out the rest of the 5-star reviews on Amazon here, or see some of our other praise on the Conversations That Connect landing page.
Book Goodies
Now, if you made it this far, you deserve ALL the goodies!
To start, if you want a sneak peek into the book, I suggest you check out a few of the recent interviews I’ve done for the book. Hopefully, these will help show versus tell when it comes to the book topics.
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- Listen to my interview with Dan Nestle on his podcast.
- Watch the video interview from Social Media Examiner with Michael Stelzner here (or listen to the podcast or read the blog post here):
Additionally, if you aren’t quite sure if you want to buy a copy just yet, you can read chapter one for free by entering in your information on the book landing page.
And last but not least, check out the FREE co-branded workbook I created with Sprout Social here.
There will be more goodies to come!
Stay tuned to our website, my speaking page, and sign up for our quarterly newsletter, From Lost to Loyal, which covers many of the same topics as the book. For example, customer experience through social media.


Latest posts by Brooke B. Sellas (see all)
- Understanding Customer Churn: Key Insights for CMOs, Marketers, and VP’s of Digital - September 20, 2023
- Creating Emotional Engagement With Your Social Media Content - September 6, 2023
- How Social Media CX Helps Lock In Customer Loyalty - August 9, 2023