Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
If you are in the business of online marketing, keeping up with the latest trends and technological shifts can feel like an endless pursuit. As the internet is not lacking in articles that dispense the same information that would be rendered obsolete by the end of the week, digital marketing professionals are turning to books for something more substantial, more timeless. With this in mind, we handpicked a list of the top 7 digital marketing books to include on your reading list.
Looking to earn some extra cash to supplement your paycheck with minimal investment of time, money and effort?
Ever flirted with the idea of starting a profitable side business that would eventually (hopefully) allow you to quit the dreaded day job and finally say goodbye to that difficult manager of yours?
Side Hustle may seem like a book tailored for the adventurous nomadic entrepreneur, however it hides endless wisdom and tips to propel any digital marketing strategy forward.
Packed within the pages of Side Hustle is everything you need to know about starting a profitable side business while holding a full-time position. From ideation to launch, the step-by-step methodology laid out in this book by Chris Guillebeau provides a blueprint that allows you to turn your favourite hobby into a legit side hustle in less than a month.
While it is often believed that side hustle is only reserved for the dreamers and the artistic, the book dispels the myth with success stories of ordinary individuals who even if placed at gunpoint, correctly distinguishing between persian blue and cobalt blue is still an impossible task.
Be it writing reviews for commission, or dusting off your old handy camera for some photography gigs, Side Hustle proves that the way of the hustle is for everyone. All you need is just 27 days.
When an original investor and board member of Google and Amazon has something to say, we pay attention. During his time with the tech giants of Silicon Valley, John Doerr succeeded in achieving explosive growth and creating half a million jobs through a goal-setting system of Objectives and Key Results (OKR). Having observed the rise and fall of countless startups, John has come to a mantra he believes is the linchpin for success.
Ideas are easy. Execution is everything.
Without well-defined objectives and means in which success can be measured, ideas fail to take concrete and sustainable form. Measure What Matters takes its readers through the framework that would allow organizations of any size to develop a more transparent, accountable, and effective team that’s capable of achieving structured goals that would set the business on the path of exponential growth.
If you are looking for the tried and tested approach to operating excellence that has contributed monumentally to the success of global tech companies, look no further.
Be a purple cow or risk being invisible.
Written by one of the most remarkable marketers of our time, Seth Godin sets out to alter the way we think about marketing by challenging businesses and marketers to do better.
The main thrust of the book: in order to succeed, a product has to be truly remarkable. The end goal of a product is the betterment of the lives of a specific group of people, while marketing is the tool by which your offer is made known. Using fancy marketing gimmicks to mask the mediocrity of a product puts a business on the fast track to joining the other brown cows in the field.
With precision that resulted from decades of marketing experience, Seth Godin accurately diagnoses common pitfalls and mistakes often committed by businesses in their marketing efforts, and provides helpful insights to help entrepreneurs and marketers steer clear of them.
For an unforgettable read that sticks out, try Purple Cow.
What do companies like Wal-Mart, Ford, and Boeing have in common? Vision.
For businesses of any size, the absence of vision is a slow but inevitable death. Companies with a vision held up by pillars of core values often endure for generations while others become casualties of changing times.
By sharing the findings of his study, Jim Collins seeks to make the case for the important role of vision, as well as to debunk the myths that prevent many from building everlasting companies that continue to create a positive impact in the world after its founder and charismatic leaders are long gone.
The 1-Page Marketing Plan is a masterpiece that belongs on the bookshelf of every marketer.
Beautifully written yet easily digestible, serial entrepreneur and rebellious marketer Allan Dib mixes powerful insights with practical tips so flammable, executing them correctly would blow up your sales and profit.
Allan speaks to his readers not from a theoretical position, but as one who has tasted the dirt and done the work. With an intimate understanding of the complexity involved in marketing and business development, The 1-Page Marketing Plan helps business owners in reducing the difficult and time-consuming process of developing a marketing plan down to a tried and tested template that allows for customisation and tweaks to suit the unique needs of different businesses.
From getting more leads to making your products the best logical option in the eyes of your audience, the book is brimming with simple and executable tips that have the potential to turbocharge your business.
The captivating book title is just a foretaste of the brilliance David Ogilvy has to offer.
Widely known as the father of modern advertising, Confessions of an Advertising Man distils the Ogilvy concepts, tactics, and techniques that made David Ogilvy a marketing legend. Often lauded for his authenticity and professional integrity, the book asserts that marketing can be a noble profession and a force for good if done honestly. Vehemently against marketing products he did not believe in, David challenges marketers to never treat consumers as rube simpletons, but family members.
Marketers looking to write killer copy would benefit from the principles laid out in “How to Write Potent Copy” chapter, where the author reveals his secret sauce that has allowed him to captivate attention and have his audience reaching for their wallets.
Though some guidelines within the book may be a little dated, much of the knowledge David dispenses in this book remains relevant to the marketing climate today.
You can’t talk about advertising, without talking about Eugene Schwartz; and you can’t talk about Eugene Schwartz without mentioning Breakthrough Advertising.
This book remains a classic among marketers and copywriters thanks to the timeless principles contained within its pages. While technology advances and mediums for selling change ever so quickly, what makes people tick remains the same. Breakthrough Advertising asserts that what worked in Caesars time still works today.
In a world of parity, the ability to be unique is directly tied to the amount of sales you can get. Eugene explains his special formula for obtaining uniqueness that would allow your product to stand out even though your audience is aware that a similar item can be purchased somewhere else.
Besides marketing and copywriting tips, the book also challenges business owners to think more deeply about their sales funnel and how to best communicate with prospects at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Whether you are a marketer or business owner, Breakthrough Advertising is the one book you can’t afford to not read.