If you work in the marketing space, you know that the art of marketing is constantly evolving. In essence, the only way to stay on top of innovative techniques, tactics, trends, and tools is to continually immerse yourself into new and useful information. While the Internet can be a great tool for researching this type of data, books are also a valuable option when looking to learn something new. Keeping that thought in mind, our employees have identified five of their top marketing book finds. Here’s a look into each pick –

1. Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

First up, Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion. This book explains the psychology of why people say “yes” and how to apply these understandings. Within the text, you will learn about six universal principles, how to use them to become a skilled persuader, and how to defend yourself against them. The six key principles outlined include –

1. 1. Reciprocity – The tendency to return favors.
   2. Commitment and consistency – The inclination to honor a commitment.
   3. Social proof – The tendency to follow the crowd.
   4. Authority – The eagerness to obey influencers or experts in a particular field.
   5. Liking – The inclination to be easily influenced by someone you like.
   6. Scarcity – The ability for perceived scarcity (real or artificial) to generate demand. e.g., “limited time only.”

The book was originally released in 1984 but has since been revised and adapted to address the ever-changing marketplace. That said, this book is a great tool for marketers, but it’s also a genuinely good resource for people in all different types of occupations.

2. Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Four-time New York Times bestselling author and CEO of VaynerMedia wrote Crushing It, a book centered around lessons and inspiration drawn from the experiences of influencers and entrepreneurs who rejected the typical “corporate path” to follow their dreams of building their businesses and personal brands. Essentially, this book was created to serve as a guide to building your path to professional and financial success by highlighting the importance of living life on your own terms.

This book was a follow-up to his 2009 international bestseller titled Crush It. In that particular book, Gary highlighted that a vibrant personal brand was critical to entrepreneurial success. While Crushing It built off of the core principles in Crush It, it offered a new perspective from entrepreneurs who have grown “wealthier” in every aspect of their lives by following these principles. Gary claims that the secret to their success is understanding the ins and outs of every major social media platform.

3. How To Win Friends and Influence People In the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie

Ah, a true classic with a twist. Dale Carnegie’s advice has carried readers through over seventy-five years up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives. This book has been reimagined to reflect modern times including information on how to capitalize on a solid network, make people like you, be a more effective leader, optimize the power of digital tools, and more! While our communication styles and speed may look a bit different today, Dale Carnegie’s advice on how to communicate, lead, and work remains priceless no matter what time we’re living in.

4. Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

Those immersed in the digital realm already know that Seth Godin is said to be one of the most influential online marketers of this time. Permission Marketing incentivizes consumers to voluntarily accept advertising into their lives by only reaching out to those who have expressed in learning more about a product or service. The sole purpose of permission marketing is to allow companies to develop long-term relationships with their customers, as this will ultimately increase the chances of making a sale.

5. Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi

Joe Pullizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) is a known expert in the content marketing space. His book, Epic Content Marketing takes you methodically through the process of developing stories with the intent to inform and entertain your customers to act without actually telling them to do so. In essence, epic content marketing allows you to position your business as an expert within your industry. The six epic content marketing principles include –

1. 1. Your content must fill an unmet need or answer a question for your customer.
   2. You must deliver your content consistently.
   3. Your content needs to be written in your voice, preferably with some humor.
   4. You need to express an opinion rather than giving a balanced history report.
   5. You must avoid sales speak, as it destroys the value of your content.
   6. You must aim to produce the very best content relating to your content niche.

While there are many other useful marketing books out there, our employees have identified these as their top five choices. Each of these books brings a unique perspective to entrepreneurial success. So, be sure to check them out!