Marketing, especially digital marketing that encompasses social media, is an ever changing landscape of algorithms, approaches, and attitudes. Reading books is a great way to stay abreast of changes.
But, there are thousands of books to read on the subject making selection hard for many. What books should I read? Well, you’ll get my take on the top five marketing books that every marketer should read.
These books have been really helpful to me to learn approaches to marketing and to expand my thinking about the work I do. It’s my hope that it will help you too!
Marketing Rebellion – Mark Schaefer
Mark Schaefer is a well respected expert in the field of marketing today. In his book Marketing Rebellion Schaefer argues that the “most human company will win”. As marketers we want to connect with and grow our businesses, but we sometimes get it wrong with how to do so. So, we must adjust our approach to be the most human, because that is the best marketing of all.
Building a Story Brand – Donald Miller
Donald Miller’s book Building a Story Brand helps us to understand and use elements of storytelling to help companies clarify their message. The most important thing to know about this book and marketing, is that we must treat the customer as the hero of the story, not the company. A subtle difference, but makes all the difference when writing copy, ads, etc.
Hug Your Haters – Jay Baer
If Mark Schaefer is a wizard, then Jay Baer is a jedi master of marketing. This book is a guide for marketers and leaders of companies to handle criticism and complaints online. It’s important, because nowadays with social media, a complaint has more “teeth” because of social media reach. Hug Your Haters is a must read.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook – Gary Vaynerchuck
How do you get your story heard by those you want to hear it? It’s a loud, chaotic, and disorganized world out there online, so you need a good strategy to get heard. Gary Vaynerchuck is a god among the digital space and anything he says is probably top notch advice. This book provides real examples and real critiques on great social media and bad social media. You should have Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook on your shelf.
Standing Room Only – Joanne Bernstein
Full disclosure here. I haven’t read this book, yet. I will soon. I have read Bernstein’s blog and it’s tremendously helpful. For arts marketers though this is the book that everyone should read for a good foundational approach to marketing for an arts organization. From the table of contents, the book is a comprehensive look at everything arts marketers do and should be doing in their performing arts organization. Joanne Bernstein’s Standing Room Only is going to be on my shelf very soon.
These books are probably a great start to contemporary marketing. Each one addresses a fundamental aspect of marketing the arts in a way that makes sense. There are other authors I could cite, and will in future posts.
Conclusion
In this post I’ve scoured my bookshelf for the top five books I would have anyone read who wants to learn about marketing. With these books you’ll be able to understand digital, copywriting, approaches to marketing, public relations, and more. They say that if you have read five books on any one subject you could be considered an expert!
Now it’s your turn! What books would you add to the list of top marketing books a marketer should read? What book is your favorite that is listed above? Let us know in the comments below!
*Disclaimer: by clicking on the links to look at the individual books I won’t receive any affiliate income if you buy them.
[…] The Top Five Marketing Books Every Marketer Should Read […]