According to some experts, owning your industry as a marketer comes down to creating exceptional, unforgettable content. Others believe in the power of data to dominate, while a few suggest focusing on customer experience. The truth is, they are all correct to some extent. Your task is to find the right balance to propel your business forward.
Although it may seem overwhelming, you can achieve this by dedicating time to gathering ideas and determining which ones to apply. This week, start by sitting down with any or all of the following new books for professionals. Each offers a unique perspective on marketing, communications, and personal branding in the modern world.
Take notes as your next breakthrough may only be a page away.
Essential Books for Professionals and Marketers
Without further ado, let’s get to our list of the top 8 books for professionals that will equip you with valuable insights about marketing technology trends and strategies to elevate your strategic marketing game.
#1 Zag by Marty Neumeier
If you haven’t checked out Marty Neumeier’s books on branding, you’re missing out. Among his impressive list, “Zag” stands out as a must-read for anyone serious about marketing success. This powerful and concise book offers invaluable ideas on standing out in a saturated marketplace.
Once you dive into “Zag,” you’ll discover a brand marketing model containing four essential elements: focus, difference, trend, and communications. Neumeier also provides readers with 17 checklists to reference when developing and differentiating their brands.
And here’s the best part – the book’s unique format, written as if on a whiteboard, makes it incredibly easy to grasp the concepts. So don’t hesitate to grab a copy and get inspired!
#2 The Circle by Dave Eggers
The most recent novel on this list is Eggers, published in 2013. It follows the journey of Mae Holland as she starts her new job at The Circle. The Circle can be compared to tech giants like Google, dominating the online world through its TruYou system, ensuring every internet user is known and enabling them to pay, comment, and interact across the web.
Similar to many near-future dystopian novels, privacy, or rather the lack of it, is the main concern of this story. Despite the obvious warning for society, the book also contains a great deal of excellent dark humor.
We understand that novels for digital marketers are also valuable and help to distract themselves. You probably want not just dry text with marketing strategies, but fiction books for marketers.
In this case, try the app for reading FictionMe. If you’re looking for a large library of novels and an easy-to-read interface, look no further than Fiction Me, which features books of varying levels of notoriety. This is a good chance to turn book reading into a useful and enjoyable vacation.
#3 The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt by Matt Beaumont
You should check out this rollicking read, which is a departure from literary works. The author, Matt Beaumont, was a former copywriter and has his own memorable story of getting fired from an agency for sending a threatening email.
Now a novelist, Beaumont draws on ad agency culture for humor that is as blue as one would expect, even decades after Mad Men. “The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt” is his second novel, and it follows Greg Fuller, who is a partner in the ad agency Fuller Scheidt (a good reason to read the book in itself).
The plot revolves around a farcical commercial for rubber tires retold through various characters on the shoot. This is a must-read for readers familiar with the agency side.
#4 Competing Against Luck by Dr. Clayton Christensen
Are you searching for a game-changing book that helps marketers develop and market products and services customers won’t refuse? Competing Against Luck by Dr. Clay Christensen and David Duncan is just what you need.
This book focuses on the powerful approach of The-Jobs-To-Be-Done (#JTBD) theory of innovation, which enables a deep understanding of customer behavior.
The main argument in Competing Against Luck is that the key to being competitive against both competitors and luck is to develop a product or service that directly addresses customers’ needs and goals.
By using this book, you’ll discover how to apply the #JTBD theory to:
- Define your business from your customer’s perspective,
- Identify your direct and indirect competitors through your customers’ eyes,
- Understand what motivates customers to choose or reject your products,
- Determine why customers would stop using certain products,
- Gain clear insights into the emotional and social needs your customers want to be addressed,
- Identify conversion opportunities to drive business growth,
- Build customer-centric products or services.
#5 Neuromancer by William Gibson
You may be familiar with this book, even if you haven’t read it. Gibson coined the term Cyberspace in previous work but popularized it here, making it a major synonym for the web.
You can find the relevant paragraph on Wikipedia (it’s located here). It’s remarkable to consider that this foreshadowing of the web was published in 1984, just five years after the Walkman was introduced, and coincided with the release of the Discman.
Neuromancer, a classic sci-fi thriller, features AI, the matrix, hacking, and cybernetics. If you’re looking for something more recent from Gibson, All Tomorrow’s Parties is a well-regarded novel from 1999 that follows a ‘netrunner’ (a data analyst) who becomes obsessed with the influential head of a PR firm.
#6 Oblivion by David Foster Wallace
You should begin reading this collection of short stories with the tale titled “Mister Squishy.” It takes you to a focus group where they are taste-testing a new chocolate snack called “Felonies!” The author, Foster Wallace, is known for incorporating fictional brands into his literature that are both absurd and remarkably accurate.
His most renowned work is “Infinite Jest,” which refers to a dangerous weapon that consists of a video so captivating that it immobilizes the viewers in their armchairs. Despite his playful use of brands and media, Foster Wallace avoids being cynical towards pop culture and instead emphasizes sincerity in relationships.
#7 Microserfs by Douglas Coupland
You will find Microserfs to be a more postmodern American literature, akin to The Circle but focused on geek culture rather than a dystopia. The novel takes place on the Microsoft campus and follows engineers who must choose between staying with Microsoft, which has lost its former coolness, or joining a startup in Silicon Valley.
Coupland perfectly captures engineering culture and showcases the reverence for technology among the campus employees. He also delves into the protagonist’s family life, as his father loses his long-term job at IBM and starts helping out at the startup’s offices.
If you enjoyed HBO’s Silicon Valley, this book is worth a read. It features prescient elements, including blog-style communications with emoticons and a game similar to Minecraft.
FAQs: Essential Books for Professionals
So far, we introduced you to some of the essential books for marketers. Now, it’s time to go over some frequently asked questions:
Q1: How Can These Books Benefit Digital Marketers?
The recommended books offer valuable insights into various aspects of strategic marketing, including branding, customer behavior, innovation, and the role of technology.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your understanding of brand differentiation, learn about the Jobs-To-Be-Done theory, or explore the intersection of technology and culture, these books provide actionable knowledge to elevate your marketing game.
Q2: Are Fiction Books Relevant for Digital Marketers?
Absolutely! While some books for professionals focus on marketing strategies, others like “The Circle” and “Microserfs” offer a unique perspective through fiction.
These novels delve into tech culture, privacy concerns, and the dynamics of the digital world. Incorporating fiction into your reading list can provide a broader understanding of the industry, inspire creativity, and offer a refreshing break from traditional marketing literature.
Conclusion
Being a good digital marketer is not just a profession, but rather a way of thinking. You get paid not so much for physical actions, but for generating exceptional and effective ideas. Self-development can be perceived as one of the responsibilities of someone who wants to be on the marketing front.
