Marketers are often innate storytellers. They use their creative skills to draw audiences in to learn the value their brand can offer and its mission or purpose. It’s no wonder many of them like to immerse themselves in someone else’s story — and not just the ones you can find in a novel.
Beyond going to conferences and learning new skills on platforms like Trailhead, pursuing self-development as a marketer means reading widely. This includes the books written by their fellow marketers, CEOs of leading brands, trend forecasters and many others.
The right book can give marketer’s a unique window into how other brands are building their reputation with customers. Others will help them recognize the opportunities open to them if they adopt technologies that make the work they do more data-driven.
Then there are the books that might not seem tied directly to marketing, but provide a more holistic perspective on business and strategy. Great marketers learn how to take the insights from those in other roles and apply them to the work they do. Even a book that’s purely based on self-care or wellness could help marketers bring their best selves to work, no matter where they’re working.
Although there’s no shortage of sources for book recommendations, here’s a roundup of ideas selected specifically with marketers in mind. If you found any gems from our previous list of books for marketers, hopefully you’ll enjoy some of these too.
1. The Results Obsession: ROI-Focused Digital Strategies to Transform Your Marketing, Karen J. Marchetti
Whether you’re trying to improve the search engine optimization (SEO) of your website or drive revenue through online ads, what you’re really doing is trying to prove the value of what marketing departments do. Marchetti, whose work spans clients in both the consumer and B2B space, understands that.
Her book offers a highly tactical roadmap to boost the metrics in areas such as email marketing, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, SEO and more. A lot of this is focused on areas like copywriting, which is an area where many brands continue to struggle. Ultimately, this is a book to help you attract more leads and make sure marketing efforts convert into sales.
2. The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks: How Brands Create Authentic Engagement by Understanding What Motivates Us, Joe Federer
A lot of marketers are pretty comfortable working with channels they own, like their brand’s blog or their newsletter. Meeting customers where they are on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok is another matter.
Federer comes to this area with a lot of credibility. As the former head of brand strategy at Reddit, he has learned first-hand what’s involved in cultivating a community of highly engaged users. He doesn’t limit himself to his own experience, though.
Drawing upon classical psychology like Freud’s concept of the id and ego, his book explores what people really want when they’re on social media, and how to tailor your approach according to the nuances of specific platforms. If you’re taking a second look at how your brand shows up on social media, start here.
3. Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, Erica Dhawan
Like their counterparts in sales, customer service and other departments, marketing leaders have increasingly shifted to work models designed to make their teams successful from anywhere. This takes more than simply supplying everyone with a link to a video call, however.
Dhawan, who was a featured speaker in Salesforce Canada’s Path To Growth session on the future of work last year, provides a crash course in adapting to this new modality. Her tips for listening, conveying meaning and demonstrating empathy through a screen fill a critical void.
This book is not only valuable for marketers in how to manage their team virtually. It could also be a way to ensure they optimize their efforts when hosting online events like webinars and live-streamed portions of traditional conferences.
4. Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow's Consumers, Raja Rajamannar
There are few brands bigger than Mastercard, and few brand leaders more well-known and expected than Raja Rajamannar, its chief marketing and communications officer.
The word “quantum,” in this case, can be defined in three ways: an extreme or abrupt change, new theories to explain when classical theories break down and “new methods and devices that cross existing, known limits.”
Marketers have already had to contend with a lot of change, but Rajamannar’s book offers an important look at how to continue changing with agility and effectiveness. This is also a book that can showcase a best-in-class approach to harnessing the latest technologies. Rajamannar touches on everything from artificial intelligence to augmented reality (AR), wearable devices, drone deliveries and 3D printing.
5. I Am My Brand: How To Build Your Brand Without Apology, Kubi Springer
A standout career in marketing isn’t just about turning the brands you work for into a household name. It’s also about proving you’re ready to step into the spotlight and be recognized as a thought leader.
Springer’s guide to personal branding isn’t simply based on following her lead as a business professional. Instead, she shows what we can learn from the strategies of top companies like Nike, Aston Martin and L’Oreal.
Springer also points to her peers, finding inspiration and advice from female executives across a variety of cultures. You’ll finish this book being more prepared to build your personal brand, and perhaps your employer’s as well.
