Bacon Bits | ContentBacon Blog

20 Best Marketing Books to Change Your Life

Written by ContentBacon | 2/1/23 7:53 PM

Attention, all aspiring marketing gurus! Are you tired of getting lost in a sea of unverified articles and outdated guides? It’s time to upgrade your knowledge with some good old-fashioned book smarts.

We’ve hand-picked the 20 best marketing books that are sure to give your marketing skills a boost. These books have got you covered, from strategies for reaching your target audience to tips on creating a winning brand. 

So grab a comfy chair and a notepad (for all those life-changing insights), and get ready to learn from the experts. After reading these books, you’ll be amazed at how high your marketing skills can soar. Trust us; your future clients will thank you!

 

1. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller

What exactly is a StoryBrand? The StoryBrand process gives you 7 elements of powerful stories that you can use to connect more deeply with your customers. After all, what better way to hook the masses than with a great, relatable, authentic story? 

 

2. Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmish Shah

This is where the whole attract, engage, delight framework started. In this book, get ready to take a serious look at how to maximize brand engagement and visibility. It’s all about using content to your advantage – at each stage, your content has to reflect what the audience wants to read. 

 

3. Purple Cow by Seth Godin

In Purple Cow, Seth Godin started a revolution by saying that businesses are either remarkable or invisible; there’s no in-between. This cult classic dropped in 2003, but check out the revised 2009 version for even more marketing goodness.  

 

4. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

This title presents the idea that classic relationship building isn’t working anymore in sales and marketing. According to the authors, the only way to excel is to be a Challenger, a very specific profile of a marketer or salesperson. 

 

5. 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More by Perry Marshal

According to a lot of satisfied readers, you can solve almost any marketing problem by applying the 80/20 rule. Here’s the idea: you can save 80% of your resources by focusing on the right 20% of the market. 

 

6. Conversational Marketing by David Cancel and Dave Gerhardt

Conversational Marketing explores building meaningful connections with customers through conversational marketing techniques. The book emphasizes the importance of creating a human and personalized experience for customers to build trust and deepen relationships.

 

7. Scientific Advertising by Claude C Hopkins

This book outlines advertising methods based on scientific principles and data analysis. Scientific Advertising provides advice on reaching and persuading potential customers through advertising based on the author’s extensive experience in the field.

 

8. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

Ogilvy’s eponymous book offers practical insights and advice from one of the most successful advertising minds of all time. The book covers everything from writing compelling ad copy to creating successful ad campaigns. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most iconic ads in history.

 

9. X: The Experience When Business Meets Design by Brian Solis

In X, Brian Solis discusses how companies can create unique and memorable customer experiences to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. It offers a take on the importance of empathy, storytelling, and technology in designing incredible experiences.

 

10. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout outlines nearly two dozen fundamental principles for successful marketing. The book covers a wide range of topics, from finding and dominating a niche market to creating a strong brand and staying ahead of the competition, and provides practical advice for marketers at all levels.

 

11. Niche Down: How to Become Legendary by Being Different by Christopher Lochhead

This title promotes a customer-centric marketing approach, arguing that companies should focus on solving customer problems rather than pushing products. The book encourages marketers to shift their focus from aggressive sales tactics to creating value and building relationships.

 

12. Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning So Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford

Check out this step-by-step guide to positioning a product in the market to stand out. The book covers everything from understanding customer needs to crafting a unique value proposition. It also includes practical advice and real-world examples.

 

13. Make It, Don’t Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success by Sabrina Horn

Make It, Don’t Fake It provides practical advice on building a strong brand and creating a reputation for quality and reliability, ultimately leading to greater customer loyalty and growth. It also says that companies should focus on delivering real value to customers, not manipulation.

 

14. Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins by Mark W Schaefer

According to Schaefer, traditional marketing approaches are no longer effective, and companies need to adopt a new mindset to succeed. The book covers topics from understanding customer behavior to creating value for society.

 

15. Ca$hvertising: How To Use More Than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make Big Money Selling Anything to Anyone by Drew Eric Whitman

We love this comprehensive guide to writing powerful and effective advertising copy. The book covers everything from understanding consumer psychology to writing headlines, body copy, and calls to action.

 

16. The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy

The Ultimate Sales Letter is a step-by-step guide to writing sales letters that actually convert. It starts with customer psychology and covers crafting better copy and creating sales letters that turn prospects into customers. 

 

17. Product-Led Growth: How to Build a Product That Sells Itself by Wes Bush

Wes Bush’s Product-Led Growth explores using a product as the primary driver of growth rather than relying on traditional sales and marketing techniques. The book provides practical advice and real-world examples of companies that have successfully adopted a product-led approach.

 

18. Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders by Adam Morgan

This title has some big ideas – it challenges leaders and disrupts markets. The book presents a framework to create and execute effective challenger strategies. We call this one a must-read for companies looking to make a lasting impact in their market.

 

19. Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler

Predictable Revenue is for you if you want stable, predictable growth rather than risky highs and lows. This guide includes a ton of practical advice on how to build a sales team that consistently generates leads and closes deals. 

 

20. Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters

Want to launch or grow an awesome startup? Zero to One shows you how to find the right opportunity, what to do when developing your product, and how to instill a fantastic company culture. If you want to make a splash with your startup, then this book is for you. 

 

Turn a page, level up

There you have it – our list of the 20 best marketing books that might change your life. Whether you’re looking to be a better marketer or starting from scratch, these books are the perfect way to invest in yourself and your future. 

So what are you waiting for?

Get some of these titles into your reading queue and get ready to settle in and turn a page tonight. And remember, the only thing better than reading one marketing book is reading 20! 

Happy reading, and happy marketing!