The best 97 Marketing books

Hooked (2014) explains, through anecdotes and scientific studies, how and why we integrate certain products into our daily routines, and why such products are the Holy Grail for any consumer-oriented company. Hooked gives concrete advice on how companies can make their products habit-forming, while simultaneously exploring the moral issues that entails.

The Tipping Point discusses why certain ideas, products and behaviors spread like epidemics and what we can do to consciously trigger and have control over such epidemics.

The Long Tail challenges existing notions of the market and the entertainment industry by looking at the massive influence of the internet on the economy. Due to new modes of content creation and distribution, it can be more profitable to offer a large number and wide variety of products that appeal to niche consumer groups rather than one certain “hit,” e.g., a blockbuster or bestselling book.

These blinks explain why traditional marketing no longer works, and why to be successful you need to build Purple Cows, remarkable products and services that stand out of the crowd. They also explain how you can reach your target market once you’ve found your own Purple Cow.

Trust Agents describes how anyone can use the web to become a trust agent – meaning someone who is well-versed in the tools of the web and who is very influential and trusted because of this.

Thanks to advancements in communication technologies and the widespread availability of the Internet, we can now contact one another and share information at unprecedented rates. Here Comes Everybody explains how these changes aren’t just affecting the way we communicate; they’re affecting the way we organize, too. As the obstacles and expenses of communication diminish and the reach of our communication expands, we’re now experiencing a significant shift in the ways we get together.

This book shows you how to craft messages and ideas that stick in the minds of your audience because they are Popular, Original and Pithy. Author Sam Horn offers a highly adaptable and systematic approach to creating pitches, titles and taglines that grasp people’s attention and win them over to your brand, product or idea.

Positioning has become one of the most renowned, best-selling books about marketing strategies in the last few decades. It describes a revolutionary marketing concept developed by the authors in the 1970s after it became clear that classic advertising was no longer effective due to an increase in media and competition. Positioning focuses on how to position your product in the market to become an industry leader.

The Thank You Economy (2011) describes how the advent of social media has changed the relationship between companies and their customers. It shows just how critical online engagement is for companies who want to succeed, and offers tips on how companies can use social media to influence their public image along the way.

The Dragonfly Effect explains how anyone can harness the power of social media to get people behind meaningful social change.

The book offers detailed information on how to create compelling products, then establish an online platform to get visibility for them. These blinks will walk through the process the author, Michael Hyatt, went through to build a successful career, by mastering social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. This book will show you how you, too, can monetize your social media platform and even turn it into a career.

Originally published in 1984, Guerrilla Marketing is a classic must-read for marketers. It explains how small firms with limited marketing budgets can still compete with bigger competitors by getting creative.

In this book, author Seth Godin reveals the most powerful unit of social organization: the “tribe,” or a group of people connected to a cause, a leader and each other, who together drive change in society. It shows us how we can harness the power of the internet to form and lead our own tribes. Tribes also advocates the universal need for change and leadership, so we can grow as a company or as a society.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook explains how managers, marketers and small businesses can capitalize on social media platforms like Facebook to increase their public profile. A great social media marketing campaign can deliver that fatal blow – the “right hook” that knocks consumers into buying their product. The author teaches you social media moves that’ll have your product floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.

Growth Hacker Marketing charts a major departure from traditional marketing practices, relying heavily on the use of user data and smart product design. This book illustrates how today’s top technology companies, such as Dropbox and Instagram, have used this strategy to gain millions of users.

Epic Content Marketing (2014) offers you a step-by-step guide to mastering one of today’s most innovative approaches to product marketing. Knowing your audience and assembling a top-notch content team are just some of the key elements to achieving a successful content marketing strategy and getting ahead in a highly competitive market.

How can you get people interested in your brand in an age of ad-blockers, vanishing attention spans and colossal consumer choice? Paid Attention (2015) discusses the fast-changing media landscape, and maps out strategies for success that reach beyond banner placement and pop-ups.

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! has become a seminal guide to the world of advertising for those who have been in the business for decades, for newcomers, and for anybody intrigued by what happens when creativity meets commerce. The title is an irreverent nod to an unconventional 1970s campaign for Charmin toilet paper that featured an annoying shop clerk called Mr Whipple, who couldn’t stop squeezing the product. It sets the tone for Sullivan’s honest and practical insights into the sometimes crazy creative process of advertising.

The Art of Social Media reveals the most effective ways to promote yourself or your product professionally on social media platforms. The authors explain how to get the most of the many dominant social media platforms today, including Google+, Facebook, Twitter and others.

In Truth, Lies and Advertising (1998), leading account planner Jon Steel shares an insider’s insight into the world of advertising. For Steel, the creation of great ads is all about understanding the consumer, and his compelling behind-the-scenes anecdotes illustrate the role account planners play in developing a successful campaign.

Duct Tape Marketing outlines the most essential facts about effective marketing for your small business. It explains what techniques really work and how you can build a marketing campaign that will not only bring in customers but keep them and have them spread the word to their friends, too.

Sonic Boom (2014) highlights the many ways sounds permeate not only our environment but also our personal lives. From your company brand to your personal space, sound has the power to make us remember and even can encourage us to buy. These blinks show you exactly how to harness the power of sound in your business and life.

Getting Started in Consulting (2009) is the go-to guidebook for budding consultants. From finding your footing and learning about legal matters to mastering the dual art of marketing and branding, these blinks outline every step on your journey to building a strong consultancy firm – and maintaining it, too.

Marketing 3.0 is a handbook to the marketing strategies of tomorrow. These blinks explain how old tactics have grown outdated as people search for meaning in their lives and the companies that can provide it. Read on to learn how you can adapt your marketing strategy to the changing nature of consumer preferences.

Facebook Marketing (2014) is a comprehensive guide of the topic, covering both the basics like creating simple ads, and advanced power-user techniques like building custom audiences.

Content Rules (2012) is a guide to content publishing that’ll help you implement effective and sustainable strategies. Regardless of whether you’re a social-media novice or a web-savvy pro, these blinks will guide you through the ins and outs of web-based content tools and social media sites, while offering plenty of helpful content tips along the way.

Marketing Above The Noise (2015) guides you through today’s marketing world, helping you separate useful advice from useless noise. Advising against jumping on the bandwagon and following all those hot new marketing trends, these blinks demonstrate that tried and true approaches to marketing are the best way to win over – and hold onto – customers.

Many people think that marketing is difficult, requires tons of time, loads of money and lots of powerful connections, but The One Week Marketing Plan (2014) debunks this myth. These blinks will walk the reader through the process of building a custom-made, cheap and powerful marketing strategy for the information age.

Spin Sucks (2014) cuts through the out-dated marketing clichés and updates business communication for the social media age, where customer service blurs into brand messaging and every misstep is preserved for posterity. It teaches you how to maximize your SEO power and content marketing to reach – and retain – an audience for your product.

Global Content Marketing (2015) is your comprehensive guide to marketing in the digital age. These blinks offer strategic insights into implementing and maintaining a powerful content-marketing strategy and explore what the future holds for global content-marketing and the role of the marketer.

Today, ownership is out. Consumer trends show that more and more consumers want temporary access, not permanent ownership. And within this changing landscape, membership-oriented businesses are king. The Membership Economy (2015) outlines key strategies and tactics based on real-world examples for successfully building a membership organization.

The Power of Visual Storytelling (2014) is the ultimate guide in showing you how to tell stories through visuals and how to use this technique to your company’s advantage. With well-illustrated examples, these blinks explain in detail how you can master today’s most important social media platforms through powerful images.  

The New Rules of Marketing & PR (2007) is your guide to the world of online marketing strategies. These blinks explain how and why communicating with authenticity and agility on social media will help you reach more customers and take your brand to the next level.

Content Marketing Revolution (2015) is your introduction to pioneering new strategies in digital marketing today. These blinks guide you through the process of developing and implementing a content marketing strategy, helping you optimize your advertising efforts.  

Pricing For Profit (2013) is a practical strategy guide for pricing. These blinks use real world business examples to paint a comprehensive picture of how to optimize your pricing and maximize your profits.

Zombie Loyalists (2015) gives you the inside scoop on the customers that every company dreams of attracting. These blinks, illustrated with insightful stories from a wide range of businesses, provide you with simple steps that your brand can take to establish, grow and maintain a faithful, enthusiastic customer base.

The Impact Equation (2012) takes a fresh look at how companies can successfully introduce a product to a market with maximum impact and keep it relevant over the long-term. These blinks will teach you how to articulate your message, deliver it effectively to your audience and build the trust necessary to keep customers coming back for more.

YouthNation (2015) offers essential insights on modern-day youth – a generation, lifestyle and rising phenomenon that will be essential to any business’s success in the future. These blinks will teach you the ins and outs of YouthNation and help you build an up-to-date strategy for your company.

We’ve all heard success stories of start-ups attracting millions of users and earning billions of dollars virtually overnight. Startup Growth Engines (2014) shows us what all these companies have in common: a new approach called “growth hacking”. These blinks reveal how your business can use viral marketing techniques, freemium business models and other growth engines to rapidly achieve business success.

Curate This! (2014) reveals the different ways content curation is used today, why humans make the best curators and how you can use content to expand your audience.

Meaningful (2015) is a guide to making customers central to your business. These blinks, by teaching you how to produce a product that truly matters to and empowers your customers, will perfectly align your brand with the demands of the twenty-first century.

Captivology (2015) shows that, in our modern world of rapidly proliferating information, attention is a scarcer and therefore more valuable resource. Knowing what drives our attention, however, and being aware of how we direct it, can help us reclaim this resource. Based on scientific research, the author reveals techniques for drawing people’s attention to any project, idea or message.

The IT Marketing Crash Course (2013) is a guidebook to accelerating your IT sales and growing your technology business. These blinks show you how to earn the attention and trust of potential clients through well-calculated marketing strategies.

Connected CRM (2014) cuts through buzzwords like “the cloud,” “personalization” and “big data” to show us how best to use information to serve customers in the brave new world of online business.

The Smarter Screen (2015) is a guide both for the start-up and established business to boosting your company’s digital presence in a media-saturated world. These blinks apply insights from behavioral economics to explain exactly how people think and respond to digital information on a screen.

It’s Not the Size of the Data (2014) is a beginner's guide to designing, creating and adopting your own marketing dashboard, helping you uncover the links between campaigns and performance, and monitor progress with long-term goals in mind.

Campaigns that Shook the World (2015) tells the history of public relations through a series of groundbreaking campaigns, work that inspired a revolutionary shift in communications. These blinks will show you how to create a campaign that packs a serious punch and leads your company to success.

Content, Inc. (2015) is a useful and practical guide on how to use content management to market your business, attract an audience and bring your ideas to the world. These blinks are packed with tips and tricks that will help you turn that audience into loyal subscribers and allow you to diversify your brand and move to the forefront of your industry.

SEO 2016 (2015) is your definitive guide to mastering search engine optimization. These blinks will explain the essential workings of Google’s ranking algorithm and outline strategies to increase your website’s visibility and help you climb higher in search engine rankings.

The Revenue Growth Habit (2015) is a collection of strategies for boosting your revenue and increasing your exposure to both potential and existing customers. These methods are quick, easy and cost-effective – perfect for delivering your message to the people who matter most.

The Global Code (2015) is about a recent worldwide phenomenon: a global unconsciousness, or code, that contains a new system of values, beliefs and principles. This code is formed and shared by the Global Tribe, a highly mobile and cross-cultural group of people who are setting trends, shaking up the old status quo and becoming the target demographic for global luxury brands.

Managing Online Reputation (2015) offers insight into how companies and CEOs who don’t know how to manage social media and the internet can damage their reputations. Find out how one small incident with an unhappy customer can spiral into a tornado of negative posts and angry tweets. More importantly, find out how you can prevent this from happening to you.

80/20 Internet Lead Generation (2015) reveals how your business can take advantage of the internet’s lead generation potential. From SEO to pay-per-click advertising to content creation, simple and actionable strategies are what you’ll need to get your business ahead in the information age.

Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing (2016) shows you how to update your local business’s advertising strategy for the information age. These blinks describe how you can harness the power of smart keywords, search engines and a savvy, well-built website to win more customers.

Targeted (2014) takes you on a journey from the early days of internet advertising to today’s complex online ad exchanges. On the way, the author reveals the vital importance of harnessing the power of Search Engine Marketing or SEM to target the consumers you need to make your company grow.

UnMarketing (2009) lays out a new approach to marketing that goes beyond typical methods like cold calling and ads. These blinks explain how, with the help of new, more sophisticated tools, businesses can build relationships with their customers to engage them in a more natural and effective way.

The Attention Merchants (2016) details the history of the fascinating field of advertising. These blinks will teach you all about the “attention industry,” offering a historical account of how advertising has arrived at its modern incarnation.

Success Secrets of the Online Marketing Superstars (2015) helps you plan a campaign to bring your product to a potentially vast new audience. These blinks illustrate the principles and strategies for building a winning blog, creating great online content or making your videos go viral.

Perennial Seller (2017) explains how to ensure that great creative work also succeeds in the market. These blinks not only demonstrate how to generate success for a particular project, but also how to secure continued long-term success for yourself as a creative individual.

Hit Makers (2017) looks into the cultural phenomena of popularity and fashion, as well as the science behind them. These blinks offer an up-close examination of why some products, songs and works of art take off, while others fade into the past.

Oversubscribed (2015) explains how to create a business that generates more demand than it can supply. Used by Apple to create a passionate and loyal customer base and by boutique brands to manufacture desire and earn huge profits, the business model of oversubscription both gets attention and keeps it. In these blinks, you’ll learn how it works.

It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be (2003) offers sage advice to anyone interested in turning their grand ambitions into reality. Paul Arden takes readers behind the scenes of the advertising world to reveal the best and most effective techniques for pitching ideas and getting the client to say yes. Throughout, Arden encourages creative minds to think big and break away from the mundane and mediocre.

The One Hour Content Plan (2017) is a strategic guide to creating engaging, attention-grabbing and profitable blog content. The fruit of years of hands-on experience in online marketing, Meera Kothand’s actionable advice for would-be content creators is focused squarely on the how. Full of useful tips and strategies, these blinks will help you get your brilliant ideas off the ground.

Building a StoryBrand (2017) is a practical guide to effectively marketing your company or product. By showing the power of a seven-part story-telling framework, these blinks help you and your company create a clear message that no customer will ignore.

Frenemies (2018) explores the forces that are currently disrupting the traditional advertising and marketing industries. It looks at how the internet age has forced the advertising industry to change and adapt, specifically how technology, science and customization have revolutionized the role of the traditional advertising agency.

The Referral Engine (2010) is a practical guide to developing an in-depth referral-based marketing strategy for your business. These blinks explain why referrals are so powerful before taking you through a step-by-step process to build the referral machine that your company wants and needs.

Napoleon Hill’s Golden Rules (2009) offers a wide array of tips and life hacks to improve your life and bring you closer to realizing your goals. Author Napoleon Hill developed his techniques – many of which stem from the power of positive thinking – nearly a century ago, but they’re still the cornerstone of many of today’s self-help and personal development theories.

This Is Marketing (2018) begins with a provocative premise: the landscape of marketing has dramatically shifted in the past few decades, but we haven’t updated our thinking about it accordingly. Our mental model still places advertising at the center of the marketing universe – but in the age of the internet, that no longer makes sense. A new philosophy is needed.

Top of Mind (2017) offers readers an exciting new perspective on marketing by helping them break free of old, outdated methods and embrace the new “You Marketing” movement. Author John Hall provides the tools and insight necessary to navigate the new world of marketing, focusing in particular on how to gain an audience’s trust and target their needs.

Talk Triggers (2018) reminds us of a truth so obvious it’s often forgotten: nothing drives customers through your doors as effectively as word-of-mouth recommendations. The trick is to strategically steer the conversation your way with carefully crafted talking points that set you apart from the competition. In these blinks, you’ll learn how to do this.

We’re All Marketers (2019) offers a helpful overview of the tactics and principles that are guiding the world of digital marketing. Whether you’re part of a small business or a giant corporation, or you’re simply curious about how ideas are sold online, these are tips that can change the way you think about marketing.

The Gen Z Frequency (2018) offers a blueprint for brands seeking to connect and build meaningful relationships with Generation Z. In addition to providing insight into the minds of this growing demographic, the authors give actionable advice on content strategy, marketing, social media, and more. 

Podcasting Marketing Strategy (2019) is an accessible guide to podcasting. As marketing experts Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers point out, podcasts generate higher levels of consumer commitment and engagement than any other social media. That makes them an indispensable tool for today’s businesses. Podcasting Marketing Strategy guides you through the podcasting process and shows you how to design your show, what equipment you’ll need, and how to reach your target audience. 

Free Prize Inside (2004) provides practical answers to one of the most pressing questions facing marketers, entrepreneurs, and business owners today: In a world where people no longer pay attention to traditional advertising, how can you stand out from the crowd and reach your audience? Seth Godin shows that by tapping into the power of small-scale innovations, you can make your product, service, or company so remarkable, it will generate enough buzz to break through the noise of modern life. 

Despite what the title says, F#ck Content Marketing (2019) isn’t against content marketing. Rather, it’s about clearing up the confusion and refocusing our attention on how to get the most from our content marketing efforts. To this end, author Randy Frisch is out to take the emphasis off of content creation and put it where it belongs: on how to get your content noticed and use it to create a meaningful customer experience.

The End of Marketing (2020) is a guide to how brands should use social media. In an age when traditional marketing is no more, businesses must find ways to give their brands a human face, to capture the attention of social media users and win their trust.

See You on the Internet (2020) is a simple guide to navigating the world of digital marketing. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the thought of building a website or running an email marketing campaign, See You on the Internet will walk you through planning, implementing, and measuring your digital marketing efforts.

They Ask You Answer (2017) describes a transformative new marketing philosophy. Rather than relying on flashy ads and keyword-stuffed articles, author Marcus Sheridan encourages companies to embrace quality online content that truly seeks to educate customers and win their trust.

Communicate in a Crisis (2019) explores how brands can communicate sensitively and effectively in a crisis. Author Kate Hartley explains why consumers connect so intimately with brands, and why social media is a threat to businesses. She also offers valuable advice for how to execute a crisis communication plan.

ROI in Marketing (2020) lays out a framework for planning and running effective marketing initiatives that deliver good financial results. Using design thinking principles, ROI in Marketing breaks down how to create chains of impact in marketing campaigns and monitor their effectiveness to ensure positive returns on investment.

The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks (2020) describes how brands can create effective and authentic content by understanding the basics of human psychology. Drawing on Freudian psychoanalysis, it gets to the bottom of our online habits and shows brands how to connect with people on a deeper level.

Likeable Social Media (2011) is a handy guide to promoting your business on social media. This manual shows the best strategies for garnering positive attention on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more.

Get Different (2021) is a practical guide for entrepreneurs who want to leverage their market strategies and set themselves apart from the competition. Using an established framework, it offers step-by-step guidance on how to turn a marketing experiment into a strategic plan that gets you noticed and generates leads.

Digital Marketing Strategy (2016) is a guide to effective marketing in the digital age. From content marketing to social media and SEO, it offers a whistle-stop tour of the latest techniques and developments in this fast-moving and exciting domain.

New Sales. Simplified. (2012) is a guide for those charged with finding new business. It takes a look at the fundamentals and offers actionable advice and techniques to the aspiring new business salesperson.

Renegade Marketing (2021) is an incisive guide to becoming a cutting-edge B2B marketer in today’s frenetic corporate climate. It distinguishes four key characteristics of very successful marketing executives and shows you how you can apply them in your own company. Most importantly, it demonstrates how to create meaningful brands that are embodied at every level of your organization.

Branding Between the Ears (2021) explores how marketers can apply the latest scientific insights to their branding strategy. It explores how the human brain responds to advertising, and how consumers really make the decision to buy or not to buy.

The Direct to Consumer Playbook (2022) takes a look at how some of the world’s top e-commerce brands got to where they are today. Through a series of inspiring interviews with DTC founders, you’ll discover stories of both failure and success – and be much better placed to build your own DTC company.

How to Grow Your Small Business (2023) is your six-step flight plan to guide your business as it takes off. When Don Miller started to take his business to the next level, he realized no-one had written a reliable, step-by-step playbook for growth. Since then, his small home content business has expanded into a $20 million dollar company, so he wrote the book he wished he’d had. 

The 1-Page Marketing Plan (2018) is a streamlined, step-by-step framework for developing your own customized marketing strategy. With only one page, businesses can build and implement a marketing plan that attracts new customers and drives growth.

Two Weeks Notice (2023) is your step-by-step guide to launching a successful online business. It provides you with the tools and tricks you need to become your own boss – and gain the creative and financial freedom to live your best life. 

$100M Offers (2021) is a guide to creating Grand Slam Offers – big-ticket products or services that sell themselves. By breaking down the psychology of pricing and perceived value, Alex Hormozi teaches readers how to differentiate and optimize their offer until it’s irresistible. 

Emotion by Design (2022) explores the creative philosophies that can differentiate your brand from the rest. It features lessons and stories from the author’s design and marketing experience at Nike.   

Marketing Strategy (2021) is a comprehensive guide that decodes the intricacies of crafting and implementing effective marketing strategies. It introduces the reader to a practical framework known as STRATEGY, exploring each component through real-world examples and actionable insights. From setting smart objectives and understanding target audiences, to measuring performance and conducting post-mortem analyses, it provides a roadmap to marketing success. 

Sol Price: Retail Revolutionary & Social Innovator (2012) is a deep-dive into the life and legacy of Sol Price, a pivotal figure who reshaped consumer behavior in the United States and across the world. Authored by his son, it illuminates Price's disruptive retail strategies that birthed FedMart and Price Club, and spotlights his steadfast commitment to employee welfare and customer value, a practice that became an ethical cornerstone of his expansive business empire.

Marketing 5.0 (2021) introduces the concept of a new era in marketing focused on leveraging technology to improve human lives. It provides strategies and examples demonstrating how the synthesis of advanced data-driven capabilities with human creativity, ethics, and empathy will allow companies to deliver tailored customer experiences amidst a complex, rapidly evolving marketplace.

Ogilvy on Advertising (1983) offers insights into the world of advertising from the Father of Advertising himself: David Ogilvy. With practical tips on copywriting, design, and media – and a showcase of iconic ad campaigns – it serves as both a guide and a manifesto for aspiring advertisers.