Marketing is constantly evolving in the digital age, often at a crazy pace. New tools, platforms, tactics, algorithms, and apps seem to be available constantly.
As a practice, marketing encompasses both art and science, and keeping up with the myriad of changes requires constant study.
While this is the case, it's more important than ever to develop a solid fundamental understanding of the frameworks and strategies you'll need to be effective. If you're just starting in the field, or have already established your career, having this knowledge is crucial.
This is where reading comes in. Some of the most successful people in world adopt impressive reading habits.
via GIPHYFor example, Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in the world who is worth over $80 billion, said he would read between 600 and 1,000 pages each day in the beginning of his career. He still commits 80 percent of his day to reading.
And he’s not just an outlier.
According to a study of 1,200 wealthy individuals by Steve Siebold, a professional speaker and sales management training expert, they all had one thing in common: They educate themselves through reading.
Why Reading Still Matters
Your reading habits can directly impact your professional and financial success throughout your life. Wherever you are on your path in your marketing career, you will become a more effective marketer when you build your knowledge base by reading these top marketing books.
While traditional marketing delivery methods are phasing out to make way for the new digital paradigm, the underlying strategies have not changed. Delivery methods may change, but the fundamentals never will.
Here are 20 of the best marketing books that can give you a strong background in the techniques used for effective marketing as well as fresh advice on how to improve your current efforts.
Best Marketing Books For Beginners
1. Kotler on Marketing
Author: Philip Kotler
Amazon: $17.99 for paperback
Kotler's name is synonymous with marketing. He is one of the most influential marketing professors in academia and a professor at the Kellogg School of Management.
This is one of the best marketing books dealing with the essentials of marketing that should be read by everyone – from beginners to experts. It covers the basics in an in-depth, yet easy to understand way that will make you better at what you do.
2. Trout on Strategy
Author: Jack Trout
Amazon: $19.60 for paperback
This book delves into developing strategies for marketing that are effective. In fact, it's a wonderful “strategies for dummies” book that covers the topic from the basics to more complex strategic approaches.
It's an easy read, but it packs in more than a few powerful, effective concepts. Trout has written other classics, including Positioning with Al Ries, Differentiate or Die, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, and The Power of Simplicity.
He is a thought leader and industry pioneer who should be in every business library.
3. All Marketers are Liars: The Underground Classic That Explains How Marketing Really Works – and Why Authenticity Is the Best Marketing of All
Author: Seth Godin
Amazon: $12.99 for paperback
Godin has written 18 international bestsellers, so it’s hard to pick just one of his books to add to this list. But this book stands out as one of the most relevant resources in today’s marketing landscape.
It’s hard to cut through all the noise in the crowded, loud world to actually make an impact on your audience. Godin shows you that the most important tool you have at your disposal is your authenticity and storytelling abilities.
As he writes, “Stories make it easier to understand the world. Stories are the only way we know to spread an idea. Marketers didn’t invent storytelling. They just perfected it.”
4. Digital Marketers Sound Off: Tips, Tactics, Tools, and Predictions from 101 Digital Marketing Specialists
Author: Matt Chiera
Amazon: $14.99 for paperback
If you're looking for tips, tricks, and advice about all things digital marketing, this should be your first pick up.
Matt Chiera aids the help of 101 accomplished digital marketing specialists to dive into every aspect of digital marketing, from SEO and content marketing to email marketing and social media marketing.
This book is a great read for both beginners and experts – whether you're just starting your first digital marketing campaign or you're looking for ways to improve upon the foundation you already set, this book has enough insights for everyone.
And it's not all about success stories and greatness: these specialists uncover the biggest weaknesses made by marketers and how they can be strengthened to improve their efforts and results.
Best Marketing Books About Digital Marketing
5. #GetSocialSmart
Author: Katie Lance
Amazon: $24.95 for paperback
Social media can be tricky – but Lance created a perfect social media guide that works for organizations large and small.
Learn how to create a smart social media business strategy that encompasses all major social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, and more.
To accompany your social media strategy, #GetSocialSmart also teaches you how to use blogging, live streaming, and more to help tell your company's story to your audience.
6. The Conversion Code
Author: Chris Smith
Amazon: $17.00 for hardcover
Consumers now control basically everything – the marketing world has shifted to a consumer-centric environment because, well, they're the decision makers in this story.
The Conversion Code is just what you need to increase your sales in the digital world. Learn how to capture more leads, convert them, and close more deals.
In his writing, Smith throws away old traditional marketing tactics and instead introduces modern concepts of attracting new leads: blogging, social media, and live chat, among others.
After reading this blueprint, you'll come away with a better understanding on how to find leads, how to engage with them, and how to position yourself as the best solution to their problems. A salesperson's dream!
7. New Rules of Marketing and PR
Author: David Meerman Scott
Amazon: $16.32 for paperback
While there are tons of great social media marketing books out there, this is one of the best marketing books on the subject, and Scott got there first!
This is the seminal work on the tools, techniques, and psychology behind effective social media marketing. Already in its third printing, this book remains the most influential and in depth work on the subject.
Best Marketing Books About Content Marketing
8. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content
Author: Ann Handley
Amazon: $11.15 for hardcover
As marketers, we all know the integral role content plays in our overall strategy. More companies are investing heavily in content, so it can be challenging to have your content stand out.
Handley is a digital marketing pioneer and the current Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, one of the most influential educational online resources for marketers.
This book is a Wall Street Journal bestseller for good reason. Handley lays out actionable solutions to help you create, produce, and publish content that actually attracts and retains your customers.
No matter your role, you will gain valuable insights on content creation that will fuel your marketing strategy and yield big results.
9. Content - The Atomic Particle of Marketing
Author: Rebecca Lieb
Amazon: $20.36 for paperback
This book isn't a surface-level overview of content in marketing. Rather, the strategies and insights presented in this book are "results of many years of deep quantitative research, and hours of interviews with senior marketers at some of the world's leading brands."
Rebecca Lieb is a well-known thought leader in the industry, and she dives into how content is the framework for all marketing – not just the content marketing we know, like blogging and website messaging, but how it plays a larger role in advertising, social media, and more.
This research-based guide will provide you with everything you need to know about a successful content marketing strategy – it's a must-read.
Best Marketing Books About Branding
10. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
Authors: Al Ries and Jack Trout
Amazon: $14.78 for paperback
Ries and Trout are pioneers in the industry – they were the first to develop the concept of branding. This is the first and one of the best marketing books to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical, media-weary consumer.
It develops the revolutionary approach to creating a position in a customer's mind through sharing information as opposed to selling – the earliest references to what has since become content marketing.
The book deals with the concepts of branding, thought leadership, and follow-up products in order to build a reputation for your business that can keep you top of mind with consumers. This classic is a must read!
11. How Brands Become Icons
Author: Douglas B. Holt
Amazon: $23.62 for hardcover
We all wonder how brands like Nike, Harley-Davidson, and Volkswagen got so popular – so much so that that they have a cult-like following. How did they do it?
Holt's book analyzes some of America's most iconic and influential brands to answer the question: How do brands become icons?
From his findings, he breaks down a set of "cultural branding" principles that can help your business establish a connection with your audience. If you're a die-hard fan of one of these iconic brands, you're going to want to read this.
12. Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen
Author: Donald Miller
Amazon: $15.09 for paperback
Miller's proven seven-step StoryBrand framework is the only thing you need to understand how to fine-tune your brand messaging and tell the story of your business.
No matter what kind of business you're in, this book can help you hone in on the messaging that your customers understand, engage with, and value. Beyond that, the StoryBrand framework can be used for managing corporate culture and staff recruiting.
Plus, the book provides templates. Everyone loves templates that they can use for themselves.
Best Marketing Books About Consumer Behavior
13. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
Author: Geoffrey Moore
Amazon: $9.29 for paperback
Yet another classic! The fundamental concepts of this book are critical if you work with technology-based businesses.
It explains how products are adopted and what the behaviors of customers are in the different stages of the adoptive curve. If you build conversion strategies and engage in content marketing or other long-tail engagement strategies, this book can give you psychological insight into the behaviors of your customers to help you build effective lead funnels.
It will help you understand why and how early adopters, futurist, mainstream, and laggard buyers make purchasing decisions, which is foundational to your marketing approach. This is another must read for every marketer!
14. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
Author: Dan Ariely
Amazon: $13.98 for paperback
Effective marketers know that customers often buy based on emotions and then justify their purchase decisions. This book gives you fascinating examples of our irrational behavior and critically important concepts and lessons that should guide every marketing professional.
It's a great read and a perfect introduction to behavioral economics from a psychology professor. These insights dive deep into a fascinating subject that affects every marketer and should influence every strategic marketing approach.
Best Marketing Books About Growth
15. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't
Author: Jim Collins
Amazon: $14.99 for hardcover
This book is a must read. It discusses the ways and whys of what makes a business able to make the leap from good to great.
His description of concepts like the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, The Fox and The Hedgehog, and the Flywheel will have you questioning what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong when it comes to implementing marketing strategies to grow your client's business.
16. Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising
Author: Ryan Holiday
Amazon: $11.41 for paperback
A successful marketing strategy is not always about spending the most money to advertise your business on billboards and other traditional marketing tactics.
Growth Hacker Marketing teaches you how to use the power of growth to push your business toward success, create buzz around your brand identity, and build your business.
The back of the book sums it up perfectly: "Whether you work for a tiny start-up or a Fortune-500 giant, if you're responsible for building awareness and buzz for a product or service, this is your roadmap."
Best Social Media Marketing Books
17. The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue
Author: Shama Hyder
Amazon: $12.89 for paperback
Ever thought of social media marketing as zen? Neither did I until I found this book. Shama Hyder, the author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing and founder of the Marketing Zen group, teaches you the "Zen" of using social media to help you reach a "marketing nirvana."
Through this book, you'll learn how to use social media to drive traffic to your website and attract followers, as well as how to use self-expression as the driver for social media success.
18. The End of Marketing: Humanizing Your Brand in the Age of Social Media and AI
Author: Carlos Gil
Amazon: $12.59 for paperback
This excellent social media marketing book is shortlisted for the Business Book Awards 2020, and we can see why! Carlos Gil offers a revolutionary approach for brands to follow when it comes to staying relevant on the market.
He talks about some major personal brands that made it big time through social media, like Kim Kardashian (who remains one of the world's biggest online brands).
The End of Marketing also teaches you how to use new features and platforms that will immediately engage customers through a human approach. Essentially you will learn how to put the "social" back into social media.
19. Social Media Marketing Workbook: How to Use Social Media for Business
Author: Jason McDonald
Amazon: $19.99 for Kindle
If you need a book with a step-by-step guide, look no further than Jason McDonald's Social Media Marketing Workbook. McDonald's book is packed with information and steps on how to make the most out of each major social media platform by creating a plan for marketing your business on social media.
This book brings out how managing social media marketing is like throwing a party and social media is the party. You need great content, the same way a party needs great food and entertainment.
Pick up this book or order it for more than 500 social media tips!
20. The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users
Authors: Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick
Amazon: $14.49 for hardcover
A successful business, product, or brand is almost always successful on social media. Love it or hate it, it is an essential marketing practice today.
Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick deliver practical insights, tips, and tricks in their book The Art of Social Media. This book helps beginners to get the. most out of the time, money, and effort they spend on social media.
Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick guide you through steps that help you build a solid foundation, acquire digital assets, attract followers, and easily integrate social media and blogging.
Read to Learn, Adapt, and Grow Your Business
Marketing today is equal parts art and science. While the tools and delivery methods have changed, the fundamental practices, psychology, and strategy have not.
As consumers become more informationally based in terms of their buying process, marketers need to adapt and adopt new ways of reaching them.
These 20 books, written by some of the industry's leading thinkers, can help you to develop the basics and find strategies that help you succeed in today’s marketing landscape.
They also give you plenty of insights in how to address branding, positioning, targeting, creating, and delivery of your marketing message.
As a marketing professional, you have a powerful tool – your knowledge. Staying current on the tactics, techniques, strategies, and delivery methods for your message is key.
By developing a good foundation of the basics, you'll be able to understand the psychological and practical aspects of new delivery channels as they become available, giving you an advantage over your competitors!
Baylor Cherry
Baylor is an inbound specialist for Bluleadz. As a native Floridian, she enjoys soaking up the Florida sun, buying clothes she can’t afford, and dreaming about one day owning a dachshund.