5 Amazing Books About Marketing

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Just yesterday morning, I received a message from a friend. He’s moved from journalism to marketing on a more direct path than I took. He knows that I’m a voracious reader (I read more than 100 books a year.), so he asked for my recommendations on books to help him hone his marketing skills.

Of course, I had recommendations for him! I love when people ask me for book recommendations. My husband laughs because I always ask follow-up questions when asked for a recommendation. I want to know the specifics of people’s needs, so I’m sure to recommend books they’ll love.

My friend’s request came as I was planning this book post for Independent Bookstore Day, which is Saturday. Yes, I have a favorite independent book store, so the book links in this post go there. But I’ll also take any opportunity to promote books and reading. So, here are five books about marketing for you to consider.

5 Amazing Books About Marketing

You could ask anyone in marketing what their favorite books are on the topic and likely get different answers. Also, as mentioned above, I always have follow-up questions. The questions usually involve what aspect of marketing because there are a lot of them. I decided to categorize this list of five amazing books about content marketing and keep it as concise as possible.

Marketing

Ironically, this is the most challenging category for me. I’ve read many books that inform my marketing practices, but many of them wouldn’t be considered “marketing” books. If I had to recommend one book that falls into this category, it would be “Permission Marketing” by Seth Godin.

This book is a bit dated today, but the premise is critical. People don’t want to be interrupted. So it’s our job as marketers to work to receive their permission to market to them. Once we do that, we must provide them with stellar content that directly fits their needs.

Personal Branding

Everyone has a personal brand, whether they want to or not. So, it’s best if you choose to shape your brand deliberately. I recommend a single book on personal branding that’s one-stop shopping for everything you need to know. It’s “Known: The Handbook for Building and Unleashing Your Personal Brand in the Digital Age” by Mark Schaefer.

Mark’s book guides you in establishing your online presence and making yourself known in a way that will help you accomplish your goals, regardless of what they are.

There are a lot of books out there about social media marketing. The most significant flaw in these books is that, as you can imagine, they’re outdated pretty quickly. There are two books I recommend in this area.

The first is “Platform: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World” by Michael Hyatt.

The book’s key concept is breaking through the online clutter or “noise” to make your brand different, relevant, and noticeable. To help the reader accomplish this goal, Michael offers advice on everything from blogging to social media and preparing a media kit for your brand.

The second book is “The Social Media Bible” by Lon Safko.

This book covers everything from a social media strategy basics to email marketing. It’s one any marketer should read and keep on their shelf for reference.

Writing

I wrote an entire post on writing books I recommend. I love a good, nerdy writing book. But if I had to choose one to recommend, it would be Ann Handley’s book, “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content.”

The book’s premise is that we may not all be journalists, content writers, or authors, but we’re all writers. Why? Because, from social media updates to email messages, we’re all writing every day. Handley provides writing rules on everything from basic grammar to writing headlines for marketing content.

Happy Reading!

I hope you found something on this list that you’re interested in reading. If so, I hope you’ll buy it from an independent bookstore. As I wrote, a list on the same topic would likely yield different recommendations from everyone. I only recommend what I’ve read and find super helpful. And, of course, I’m always open to new suggestions. What books would be on your list? Message us and let us know!