Looking to increase your marketing knowledge with a good book? We’ve got a short list for you of books we think are worth the read. From ABM to change management to strategy there’s a wide variety of topics that you can use to beef up your marketing skills. This is not an extensive list but there are 8 here to get you started. Comment below if you know of one we should add to our reading list!
1. Blue Ocean Strategy
W. Chan Kim
Blue Ocean Strategy is, you guessed it, a strategy book. Kim uses the analogy of red and blue oceans throughout the book – these are to represent the red waters that are bloodied with competition, and the clear blue ones that you can find if you diversify your strategy from others. This book will provide you with the tools you need to re-shape the way you think about strategy.
2. Competing for Customers: Why Delivering Business Outcomes is Critical in the Customer First Revolution
Jeb Dasteel, Amir Hartman, Craig LeGrande
Technology has advanced over the years and so have customer expectations. Customers expect personalization, innovative products and a seamless customer experience. How do we marketers stay relevant and competitive? Making customer success a central aspect of your organizational strategy. This book lays out 3 ways you can create that customer success and ensure you stay ahead of the changing landscape.
3. Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers
Geoffrey Moore
Our clients are looking to us for ways to adopt new technology and harness its power. Have you ever noticed that there is a major gap between those who take the leap of faith on new technology, and others who wait to make sure it will work first? This book explores the chasm that is the Technology Adoption Life Cycle and aims to provide readers with new insights and success/failure stories.
4. Flip the Funnel: How to Use Existing Customers to Gain New Ones
Joseph Jaffe
Joseph Jaffe has laid out a new “flipped funnel” model for customer service/customer retention in this book. He has found that to acquire a new customer is almost 5-10x as expensive as simply nurturing relationships with those customers you already have. This book will give real life examples to prove the success of this model, and should leave you convinced that you need an ABM model.
5. Leading Change
John P. Kotter
Whether it is welcome or not, change can be difficult. but John Kotter lays out an infamous 8-step process to manage change. The best part? His change management process will give you positive results and is proven. After all, if the change isn’t supported it will not have its intended effects. If you are in a leadership position, or aspire to hold a leadership role in the future this book is a must-read.
6. Networking on Uber Steroids: How to Master a More Powerful Way to Network
Brandon Miltsch
Networking isn’t for everybody. Sure, it comes easy to some, but for many people it is cause for anxiety. With BrandON’s tips and tricks, not only can you master the art of networking, you can be an influencer. With numerous methods, you are sure to find success after reading this book. Get rid of that networking anxiety for good!
7. Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent
Sydney Finkelstein
Sydney spent 10 years researching executive leadership before writing this book – so you could say she’s an expert. While there is variation among superbosses, they all have a few important traits in common. Read her book and find out what those are! (Oh, and did we mention Larry Ellison, CEO of our friends Oracle is featured? Just the sugar on top of an already great book.)
8. The Agile Marketer: Turning Customer Experience Into Your Competitive Advantage
Roland Smart
When Roland started his marketing career he never would have thought that technology was such an instrumental part of marketing – they seemed so different! However today implementing technologies (albeit the right ones) is what will give your business the competitive advantage. This book will allow you to better understand agile methods and how you can integrate those with your traditional marketing tactics.
If you would like additional book suggestion, don’t hesitate to comment below or contact us here. We’ve got a lot of marketing gurus around here that would love to help you learn more!
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