20 Best Marketing Books to Level Up Your Skills
The abundance of sources from which you can draw knowledge and inspiration is frustrating. There are so many movies, books, articles, and courses available that sometimes it takes hours to choose the one to explore next. The fear of missing out does not stand aside as well. Every time we choose one source over another we wonder: have we missed something more interesting and important?
To help you out with making the right choice and cut down the time you spend reading dozens of book reviews, we’ve created a list of the best marketing books that are full of insights and knowledge on the topic.
1. “All Marketers Are Liars” by Seth Godin
Storytelling has definitely been a driving force of the last decade, however, the ways it is used by directors, writers, and marketers are different. Seth Godin, a business executive and a writer, in his book “All Marketers Are Liars” shares how professionals use storytelling and highlights the power of it from a marketing perspective.
Cover source: Amazon
2. “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin
Seth Godin’s “Purple Cow” is a guide on how to make your offer unique and memorable. It features hundreds of useful tips and tricks that you can apply today. The only thing that might take the most time is figuring out what’s so special about your business or product and what has not been done in marketing yet.
Cover source: Amazon
3. “Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind” by Al Ries and Jack Trout
“Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind” is one of the best books for marketing and PR managers. In it, American marketers Al Ries and Jack Trout share a groundbreaking approach to marketing and explain how to capture the biggest market share by embedding your company’s message into the subconscious of masses.
Cover source: Amazon
4. “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
Business school professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne in their book “Blue Ocean Strategy” make statements on how to get out of the competitive environment in order to create a successful business model, as well as why you need that in general. The book is a world’s bestseller, the updated edition of which was translated into 43 languages.
Cover source: Amazon
5. “Growth Hacker Marketing” by Ryan Holiday
Although the basics of marketing remain relevant for many years, some things change with the advent of new tools and technologies. Ryan Holiday, a marketer and a writer, reveals new marketing techniques that work for both small startups and large companies. This book is also likely to change your way of thinking when it comes to understanding your customers.
Cover source: Amazon
6. “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell is an author of several bestselling books of the 21st century. He is a journalist and a sociologist who, in his book “The Tipping Point”, seeks to answer a couple of questions that marketing professionals often wonder about. Why do some ideas, behaviors, or products become so popular? How do trends appear? What can we do to set trends? And many others.
Cover source: Amazon
7. “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek
“Start With Why” is a book based on the biographies of real people and stories of companies. It explores the leader’s phenomena and explains how to reach a whole new level in positioning your ideas and forming great commercial offers. The key message is that the question you should ask yourself in the first instance is “why?”.
Cover source: Amazon
8. “Contagious: Why Things Catch On” by Jonah Berger
Despite the variety of complex tools and techniques marketers have up their sleeves, word of mouth is among the most powerful ones. There’s even a book called “Contagious” that describes how a marketer and any other professional working in the field can create products, services, or ads that people will gladly share with each other.
Cover source: Amazon
9. “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson, a businessman and a head of TED, in his book “The Long Tail”, provides an overview of tools that can help your business reach new heights. The main idea of this book on marketing is that in the 21st century, every manager should take into account the wishes of all consumers. The approach is only getting popular but with time, it will definitely become a go-to for many companies.
Cover source: Amazon
10. “Buyology” by Martin Lindstrom
Martin Lindstrom’s “Buyology” is a book that clarifies what exactly attracts customers’ attention and makes them pay for things they don’t always need in the first place. This book is definitely a must-read for marketing and advertising professionals who want to influence customers’ minds in the most effective way.
Cover source: Amazon
11. “Hooked” by Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover
“Hooked” is one of the best marketing books written by investors Nir Eyal and Ryan Hoover. It provides a variety of insights on how to create habits that stick to people. The author describes a four-step model that major companies use to influence customers’ behavior and make them engage with a product because of a habit rather than a real necessity.
Cover source: Amazon
12. “This Is Marketing” by Seth Godin
“This Is Marketing” is another book by Seth Godin that is designed to challenge your understanding of traditional marketing. It provides an overview of the changes that happened in the field in the past years and breaks the stereotypes marketers still turn to in their work.
Cover source: Amazon
13. “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller
How do you connect with customers? How do you make them understand the benefits of your brand, product, or services? How do you effectively deliver your message? The answers to these questions and many others are provided in the book “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller, a businessman and a writer.
Cover source: Amazon
14. “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini
It is very unlikely that you have not heard about Robert B. Cialdini’s “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”. The book is a must-read for those who study social psychology and management, as well as for marketers and everyone working in the creative industry. Have a read to find out how to make anyone say “yes”.
Cover source: Amazon
15. “Hit Makers” by Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson, a writer at The Atlantic, in his book “Hit Makers” thoroughly examines the many factors that make some products so compelling in comparison to others. What’s even more exciting is that Derek Thompson states that there’s no recipe for success and lists factors that influence the insane popularity of movies, TV-shows, memes, and books.
Cover source: Amazon
16. “Everybody Writes” by Ann Handley
Creating a persuasive copy is a form of art. In the digital world, it is also a powerful tool for communication between a brand and its customers. The good news is that according to Ann Handley, everyone can comprehend and learn it. You just need time, practice, experience, and the desire to get familiar with tips and tricks she provides in her book “Everybody Writes”.
Cover source: Amazon
17. “Youtility” by Jay Baer
Jay Baer is a business growth expert who shares his professional knowledge in the book “Youtility”. The idea that lies at the core is that a desire to help is more important for a business than a desire to sell. In addition, Jay Baer provides reasons why such an approach will help you gain loyal customers.
Cover source: Amazon
18. “Storytelling with Data” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic
“Storytelling with Data” will teach you the basics of data visualization. This book on marketing is full of real-world examples of the power of storytelling. It also provides a theoretical overview of how you can use data to create engaging and compelling stories.
Cover source: Amazon
19. “Marketing Management” by Philip Kotler
Philip Kotler’s book “Marketing Management” is an indispensable manual for both students and professionals. It contains the theoretical foundations of marketing but also provides practical examples for a better understanding of the topic.
Cover source: Amazon
20. “Good to Great” by Jim C. Collins
“Good to Great” is a 300 page-long research of how and why the world’s best companies managed to achieve success. The book is based on a 5-year study during which the stories of the Fortune 500 companies were researched. However, the author selected only 11 companies that became great and included their stories in the book.
Cover source: Amazon
These 20 books on marketing are a must-read for industry professionals all over the world. They are full of insights and inspiration, as well as useful tips and tricks on how to make your company, product, or services successful. Having read at least a couple of them, you’ll get a better understanding of the marketing basics but also will back up your existing knowledge with some great case studies.
You might also be interested in these articles:
1. Marketing Experts You Should Keep An Eye On in 2020
2. Generations Explained: Baby Boomers, Generations X, Y, Z, and Alpha
3. The Power of Brand Archetypes in Marketing: Which One are You?
