Top Marketing Books: Experts Recommend the Best!

Gini Dietrich of  Spin Sucks. Author of Spin Sucks and co-author of Marketing in the Round.

	What Would Google Do?, Jeff Jarvis – This book changed my thinking entirely about how to build products out of a service business and use the web to drive revenue. I re-read it every year, during planning time. Though I use it for business growth reasons, it’s mainly a marketing book.
	Groundswell, Charlene Li – Even though it’s nearly 10 years old, this book really helps you think about digital media, the types of people who participate and engage, and how you can reach them. It’s timeless in that it’s more strategic than tactical so it helps you with planning.
	Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch Joel – This is another timeless book that combines digital media, entrepreneurship, and personal branding in one. I re-read it once a year to always make sure we’re covering everything we need to in our communications programs.

Melonie Dodaro – Author of The LinkedIn Code.

	Start With Why, by Simon Sinek. I have attributed him in my book as your ‘why story’ is an important piece to include in your LinkedIn profile to help people connect with you.
	Influence by Robert Ciadini. I attributed him in my book as well, but I also caution people not to use his weapons of influence in an unethical way, which can eliminate trust.
	eMyth Revisted by Michael Gerber is terrific at helping you to understand the need for systems and processes and how to create an efficient business model. Each of these books have inspired me in my career, my book and my online courses.

Nathan Ellering, of CoSchedule. Author of How To Create A Social Media Strategy. The Know-It-All’s Complete Guide To Launching Social Media For Monumental Growth

	Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype, Jay Baer – For successful content marketing, Baer advocates create content so good, your audience will seek it to solve their problems. By default, you’ll build trust with potential customers. As a result, your product or service is also worth checking out.
	Managing Content Marketing: The Real-World Guide for Creating Passionate Subscribers to Your Brand, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose – It’s easy to jump into marketing. It’s another thing to plan, manage, and organize processes behind the scenes that help you create and share great content consistently. Managing Content Marketing aims to help you execute more effectively than ever.
	Likeable Social Media, Dave Kerpen – Unlike advertising, social media isn’t an avenue for marketers to just share their own messages. Social media is about creating a conversation and community where you share, listen, and respond to your audience. Dave provides a fundamental framework for marketers to truly connect with their followers.

Eric Enge of Pilot Holding. Co-author of The Art of SEO (With Stephan Spencer and others.)

	Purple Cow, Seth Godin – Godin is the one that got me thinking about how to make content “worth remarking on”. This book is an awesome read.
	Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath – The Heath brothers share lots of ways that people were able to solve tricky problems with novel thinking. The examples provided really resonate with how you can think “outside the box”.
	How Google Works, Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg  – The value of this one is more about seeing inside the inner workings of one of the world’s most successful companies.

Brian Fanzo (aka iSocialFanz) – Co-Founder of Summit.Live and Co-Host of SMACtalk Live Podcast & Event Show.

	Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary Vaynerchuk.  Simplified the thought process for building a community, engaging on social and creating content to ultimately setup the sale.
	Youtility, Jay Baer Content Marketing was foreign to me and seemed disconnected from social media and other marketing objectives until I read this book that contained real world examples and made content marketing make sense.
	X, Brian Solis Experiences are everything and how brands create them and how consumers desire them is important. This book not only broke that down but also, was an entire experience in itself on how it was really an iPAD on paper.

Rand Fishkin – Author of Lost and Founder

Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely opened my eyes to the idea that while people aren’t logical, their lack of logic does follow patterns that can be recognized and optimized for.

Andrea Fryrear – Author of Death of a Marketer

	Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg is another favorite. He’s my non-fiction writing crush. I just adore his style, and how he uses storytelling to craft complex arguments.
	Hacking Marketing by Scott Brinker was the first time I saw someone make clear, clever, sustained argument for Agile marketing. It’s really good writing about the emerging connection between marketing and software, and anybody working in digital marketing should read it.

Allen Gannett – Author of The Creative Curve

	The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark Manson. The book is as thought-provoking as its title is edgy. In a world where so much demands our attention, Manson offers an antidote: caring less about the little things so that you can care more about the big ones.
	Creativity, Inc.,  Ed Catmul. Catmul is one of the co-founders of Pixar, and his book is a deep dive into the creative culture at Pixar. It’s extremely engaging. If you’re interested in the artistic process and innovation, this book is a must read.

Bob Gilbreath – Author of The Next Evolution of Marketing: Connect with your Customers by Marketing with Meaning

Permission Marketing by Seth Godin first got me thinking down the path that marketing could be different in the digital age.

Dan Gingiss – Author of Winning at Social Customer Care

	Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz
	Hug Your Haters by Jay Baer
	They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan