January 18, 2018

Our Pick: The Top Ten Marketing Books Of The Moment

Working in digital marketing, we spend a lot of time looking at computer screens, so sometimes we like to learn something new with a good old-fashioned book.

But, what is the best marketing book to read? In no particular order, here we round-up some of the best on the shelves.

 

1. Influence by Robert Cialdini

Deemed by the Journal of Marketing Research as one of the most important books for marketers written in a decade, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini looks at the reasons why people say “yes” and how to apply this to your marketing efforts.

 

2. Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout

With users now more digital and sale savvy than ever before, Positioning: How to Be Seen and Heard in the Overcrowded Marketplace discusses how to position your brand as an industry leader so it becomes the go-to company of its kind.

 

3. Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom

Martin Lindstrom’s Buy-ology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy sets about demystifying what we believe influences us and what actually does. This book is based on a ground-breaking study of 2,000 people who partook in brain-scanning sessions.

 

4. Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends and Friends Into Customers by Seth Godin discusses why interruption marketing no longer works and how asking for ‘permission’ from consumers who voluntarily accept advertising is more effective.

 

5. Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson

Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson is a classic marketing book which has been a favourite among small businesses since its release in 1983. The focus of this book is to think differently about market share and how to gain it.

 

6. The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson teaches about niche promotion and how to focus on those customers who do not purchase bestseller products or in bulk transactions. He writes in the book that ‘endless choice is creating unlimited demand’ and looks at mass culture optimistically.

 

7. Marketing: A Love Story by Bernadette Jiwa

In Marketing: A Love Story: How to Matter to Your Customers, Bernadette Jiwa discusses the idea of swapping promotional activity for helping solve customers’ problems, or how doing better at your job matters to them. She asks the question: what if marketing was where we began our journey towards understanding what people need and want?

 

8. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini

The user journey is discussed in great detail in the marketing sector and Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade brings home the idea that it’s not about the message itself, but when you deliver it. Cialdini teaches how to capitalise on a situation at just the right moment.

 

9. Everybody Writes by Ann Handley

Ann Handley believes that everyone is now a writer, and writing now matters more than ever. She writes that content marketing is an often-overlooked skill and that you must choose your words well, plus she advises on content strategy too.

 

10. What Customers Crave by Nicholas J. Webb

Nicholas J. Webb believes that the best companies in the world figure out what their customers want and then give them this in a memorable way through deeply human experiences. In What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint he examines this in a culture with ever-changing consumer expectations.

And When You’re Ready to Take a Break from Reading

Why not sign up to a Figaro Digital event to expand your knowledge on a specific product or build upon a topic featured into one of the above top reads? View our digital marketing events calendar and sign up today.