5 Marketing Books You Need to Read

14
22 August 2012

According to Todd Derfren, co-founder of the Social Media Club. There are three types of knowledge: foundational understanding, contemporary intelligence and street smarts. I can’t help you the last two but I can tell you there are five books you must-read if you want to acquire foundational knowledge.

1.  Good to Great by Jim Collins is a great book that reads as well as a fast-paced novel.  It’s full of vital ideas and new concepts such as the Big Hairy Audacious Goal, the Fox and the Hedgehound, and the Flywheel.  Read this book and you will start to question what you are doing right/wrong.

2.  New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott. There are literally hundreds of great Social Media Marketing books out there but David Meerman Scott got there first. 

3.  Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout.  No doubt you will know almost everything in this book already but always worth reminding yourself of well-known concepts.

4.  Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith. A less well-known work, it was influential to me in coming to understand the rising importance of marketing in a service- oriented economy.

5.  The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen.  Arguably the most important book in our hyper competitive age.

 Also remember we are surrounded by a wealth of intelligence every day!  Don’t forget to read the papers, top magazines and blogs. Try and avoid checking Facebook every ten minutes for a week and instead invest your time wisely and I bet you’ll benefit tenfold.

 

14 comments
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Anonymous help

Great post - Good to Great is

Great post - Good to Great is a personal favourite, and definitely one that will make you apply the right/wrong test!

Thanks for the list below.

Thanks for the list below. Is the 'New Rules of Marketing & PR' book a practical guide to successfully deploying a social media strategy?

Hi Brigitte, many thanks for

Hi Brigitte, many thanks for your post. The New Rules of Marketing and PR focus on how to use new releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing and online media to reach buyers directly so yes it will help you with social media by helping you build personal links with your market. It's a great book and one I refer to on a regular basis.

Enjoy :)

Sylvia

Thanks so much for sharing

Thanks so much for sharing this list Sylvia. I've been on Amazon and purchased 3 of these books ready for my holiday in two weeks time!

Hi Sylvia, Another one I

Hi Sylvia,

Another one I would add to the list is Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach. I have just finished reading it and it has changed the way I think about content marketing. A great read and a book I would highly recommend!

It's great to see so many

It's great to see so many responses to this blog post! And thanks for your recommendations too! Just on the content Strategy you might also want to take a look at Eloqua's content marketing Grande Guide- it's a quick read but has some great content in there (no pun intended) you can download a copy by visiting. http://www.eloqua.com/grande/Grande_Guide_To_B2B_Content_Marketing.html

Happy reading!!!

Sylvia - Many thanks for

Sylvia - Many thanks for including my book in your list. Great company indeed - I've read all the others. David

@ David Your welcome. Do let

@ David Your welcome. Do let me know if there are any others that you feel would be worth a read.

thanks

Sylvia

In today's world, Groundswell

In today's world, Groundswell by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li is a must read. A fabulous book on the power of social and how to think about it for your business.

Thanks for sharing Dwight- I

Thanks for sharing Dwight- I will take a look at that one.

Sylvia

Our magazine readers recently

Our magazine readers recently recommended 20 top reads for marketers (Good to Great was also on there) http://www.b2bmarketing.net/knowledgebank/telemarketing/features/summer-...
I also look after the book reviews for B2B Marketing, I currently have a pile of books on my desk up for review. Drop me an email if you're interested and I'll send you the list: maxine.marshall@b2bmarketing.net

Thanks Maxine-Laurie, any

Thanks Maxine-Laurie, any chance you can share the book titles you have on this thread so we all benefit? Many thanks

Sylvia.

How about at least 1 offering

How about at least 1 offering from copywriting/marketing legend Drayton Bird, like this one: Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing

Thanks for your

Thanks for your recommendation Gary- I will make sure I take a look at Drayton's book.

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