10 Best Marketing Books for 2019
One thing I get asked a lot is, “Drew, you seem to read a lot. What marketing book would you recommend I read?”
So, I’m going to countdown the 10 best marketing books every marketer should read.
These marketing books aren't all brand new books. Sometimes the oldies are the goodies.
Number 10: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
This book came out in 2002 and is an unbelievably good book for any marketer to read.
If you want to know how influencer marketing works, understand the key to social media success and how viral hits actually happen, this book is a must read.
Number 9: Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact by Phil M. Jones
This book is not traditionally considered a marketing book but a sales book. I admit, it does sound like a sales book, and maybe it is meant for salespeople, but the very same magic words can be used by marketers to help make a sale – at the end of the day, every marketer is in the business of increasing revenue for the company you work for
Number 8: Never Lose A Customer Again - Turn Any Customer Into Lifelong Loyalty in Just 100 Days by Joey Coleman
As a big fan of building loyalty loop experiences, this was a must-read for me, and it should be for almost every business in the world.
Joey does an amazing job of outlining exactly what it takes to keep your customers.
Number 7: Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
This is a book that I cherish. Every time I've purchased a copy of it, I actually end up giving it away.
I love the print version of the book – make sure you buy the hardcover edition. I can tell you personally that Everybody Writes has transformed the way I write, not just my books, but the way I write my emails, my blog posts, my scripts for these videos.
Ann Handley really has written the go-to guide for creating ridiculously good content,
Number 6: Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin
This is also a great book for anybody interested in creating amazingly good customer experiences.
I know you might be thinking you've read other ‘word of mouth’ marketing books before, but this one is not like those books. It’s a great read.
Number 5: The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
This may be a controversial choice, but, honestly, I think the biggest struggle marketers have today is not what to start doing to make them better marketers, but what to stop doing.
The One Thing isn't actually a marketing book. It's a personal development book, maybe a self-help book – it’s all about picking the one thing that you're going to do to make an impact in your business and in your life today.
It uncovers the surprisingly simple truth about extraordinary results and does a great job of uncovering exactly how focusing on the right things can actually allow you to spend the right time on the right things and deliver the right kind of results.
Number 4: Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
This book is all about helping you understand that there are no new ideas, only derivatives or inspirational moments that allow you to mash up amazingly good ideas and create something that seems to be new but really isn't.
If you feel the pressure to be innovative, be creative, and look for some new angle or exciting marketing creative outlet, this book will help liberate your thinking, fuel it for success, and give you new ideas from old ones.
Austin Kleon gives you permission to steal like an artist.
Number 3: Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath
This is also not a new book. It's an old one, but a smart one.
Dan and Chip uncover why some ideas survive and others die. It's a formula for success if you want to create a sticky idea, and in the marketing world, we're all about creating ideas that stick in the mind of our consumers, that own a corner of their mind.
This book will help you understand how sticky ideas work, why they work, and what you can do to create the next one for you, your company, or your brand and business.
Number 2: Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work by Jay Acunzo
This one is one of my favorites, because we live in a world where tips and tricks and hacks seem to be what everybody's searching for, but this book that will challenge your conventional wisdom about what it takes to be successful in the marketing world today.
It contains wise career advice designed to help you stand out in a really noisy world. So if you're ready for a change, and if you’re skeptical about the tips and tricks and hacks and fast wins, this is the book for you.
Number 1: The Wizard of Ads by Roy H. Williams
This is a really old book, but it's one of my favorites and I recommend it to every single person that asks me what marketing book I’d recommend.
I cannot stress heavily enough that you must get a printed copy of the book. A Kindle version will not do it justice. You see, the book is made up of really short, inspirational chapters designed to help you think differently about advertising and marketing.
It's all about turning words into magic and dreamers into millionaires. It's masterfully written, easy to read, and any time I feel like I've lost my mojo, I'm not feeling inspired, or can't figure out what to do next, I take this book off the shelf and read a chapter.
If you have a suggestion of what should be on the list that I missed, let me know in the comments!
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