10 Best Marketing Books Everyone Should Read

One of the famous quotes on marketing says that “The best marketing never feels like marketing.”

When I first read it, I was dumb enough not to understand what it means. I had a belief that marketing can only be done by some creative heads not by someone like me (dumb-head)

However, my dumb mind is never quite ready to give up. I read hundreds of marketing books to know the ABC of marketing. After reading all those books, I realized that everyone can be a kick-ass marketer if one follows particular principles of marketing. Luckily, some of the world’s best marketers have penned down their experience so that you don’t make mistakes they made.

I have filtered 10 Best Marketing Books that you must read right now to get a leg up on your competition and convert your business into a BRAND.

If you are in rush here are the top 3 of the best books that made into my list:

Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

1. Hooked by Eyal Nir

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Have you ever wondered why some brands ‘stick’ in the mind of customers while other brands struggle to even get their name right? Let me give you an example of such a brand.

Maggie by Nestle has successfully become a habit and household name in Asia. Asian no longer say noodles, they say Maggie. How? Maggie is a brand under the noodle category then how come it becomes a synonym of noodles in Asia?

The answer lies in the best-selling book, Hooked, where the author shares with us how to use psychology to make your product a habit. And we all know a product can easily be replaced by another but you can’t change the habits of the customer.

Hooked is a book to get into the head of your customer and make your product a part of their daily lifestyle so that your product remains irreplaceable.

Click here to buy Hooked on Amazon.

2. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin

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Seth Godin, the king of marketing says ‘humans love stories and to be honest, it is quite true, isn’t it?

Seth Godin shares the formula of storytelling that arrests the attention of your audience and persuades them to take the desired ACTION. George Riedel narrated a story that wine tastes better in George’s glasses. Result? People pay 1000x more to drink the same $100 wine in their glasses because people believe that wine does taste better from George’s glass.

Do I need to say anything else to comfort you on the power of good storytelling?

However, a bad story that challenges your customer’s worldview can even backfire on you. But no worries! Seth Godin has summed up everything you need to tell an attention-grabbing story to your customer in his evergreen book, All Marketers are Liars. 

Click here to buy All Marketers are Liars on Amazon.

3. Influence by Robert Cialdini

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To become a successful marketer, you need one thing and that is the power to understand how human nature works. Once you know that, you can use it in your favor to make your customer say ‘yes’ for everything you want.

Influence is one of the most powerful books that share 6 principles of persuasion, how they work and how they can be turned into weapons of influence to gain control over the customer’s mind. 

The six principles are:

1. Reciprocity
2. Consistency
3. Social Proof
4. Liking
5. Authority
6. Scarcity

You can’t even imagine how clever marketers use these 6 principles to manipulate you to purchase their product and feel as if you won a lottery. Well, now it’s your turn to take the lead and use these 6 principles more persuasively to sky-rocket your sales.

Click here to buy Influence on Amazon.

4. Contagious by Jonah Berger

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All the marketing and advertising is useless if people are not talking about your brand. Word of mouth is the only secret sauce to building a brand that every marketer tries to achieve through various techniques. 

The one question that has always been a nightmare for marketers is “How to make people talk about our product? How to make our advertising the topic of the town?”

The answer is Contagious where the author has shared 6 practical STEPS or ingredients for creating a viral marketing campaign that spreads like wildfire. These 6 STEP formulas help anyone who wants to build brand awareness, grow customer base and make people talk/share about your product like never before.

The 6 key ingredients are as follows:

1. Social Currency
2. Triggers
3. Emotions
4. Public
5. Practical Value
6. Storytelling

All these 6 techniques are explained in detail in the book with appropriate real-life examples to build your understanding of the matter strong. You cannot afford to miss out on this one.

Click here to buy Contagious on Amazon.

5. Purple Cow by Seth Godin

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In the race of succeeding and acquiring customers, almost every business has successfully left behind the idea of ‘innovation.’

Purple cow is more like a reminder of how businesses don’t need a giant marketing budget but exceptional innovative products or services that attract customers organically. Businesses like Google, IKEA, Starbucks, SAP, are all perfect examples of remarkable products that get talked about. 

Seth Godin, the marketing wizard, and bestselling author says that innovation is what stands you apart from the competition. The Purple Cow claims that the only technique to cut the hyper-clutter of advertising and products is to build something unique, new and innovative- like Purple Cow. 

The Purple Cow sets itself apart from every other marketing book by discussing something out of typical advertising and marketing techniques. However, the strategies that Godin shares with us are practical and have rarely been talked about which makes it a truly ’remarkable’ book.

Click here to buy Purple Cow on Amazon.

6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

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Before I even start talking about Thinking fast and slow, I must tell you I was scared like hell after reading this book. I think that if this book gets into the wrong hands, you can’t imagine what it can do. Ahha! Some people are getting in now.

Thinking Fast And Slow is a detailed guide on how the ‘human mind’ works. How we make decisions and how cognitive biases, fallacies, and illusions influence those decisions. Everything might sound pretty peaceful till now.

However, when Thinking Fast And Slow unfolds how people use these biases and psychological aspects to control and manipulate our decisions that come as a surprise. As a marketer, your first job is to understand the customer and then persuade him to take action.

You can do that successfully only when you know how, when and what gets clicks in the human mind. Thinking Fast And Slow is a solution to your problems. This book not only helps you to get into your customer’s shoe but change the shoe itself. It also helps you to understand exactly how to influence human emotions and use them in your favor. 

You can’t deny the fact that every marketer must first understand basic human psychology to make an effective marketing campaign. To understand human psychology like an expert, Thinking Fast And Slow is the only solution that you shouldn’t miss out on.

Click here to buy Thinking, Fast and Slow on Amazon.

7. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

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I am sick with some of the television commercials and the way brands are advertising themselves these days. Every brand is saying “we are No. 1” even when they have just entered the market. 

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing is a simple yet impactful read that sets as a foundation of successful marketing strategies. The book is filled with examples like Burger King vs McDonald’s, Honda vs Toyota, etc. With each marketing law, the author has shown real-life examples of brands who either became successful with those laws or failed by doing the opposite.

While I say 22 laws, I mean that the book has summed up pretty much everything that you need to launch your product in the market as a King and make it memorable for the audience. One of the best things about this book is that it has examples of big brands which makes it entertaining, interesting, and informative at the same time.

I would highly recommend this book to beginners.

Click here to buy The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing on Amazon.

8. 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib

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The 1-page marketing plan shares the Pareto Principle that predicts that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. While in business, if you leverage and become even 10% better in marketing then it can bring exponential growth for your business.

“If you didn’t go into business to make money then you’re either lying or you have a hobby, not a business.” 

The 1-page marketing plan shares with us some of the most impactful and powerful marketing strategies that help you in customer acquisition. Where everyone talks about how to retain customers, The 1-page marketing plan says that customer retention is possible if you are successful in customer acquisition.

To help you to build a kick-ass practical marketing strategy that brings customers on board, The 1-page marketing plan has shared various tactics with us.

Click here to buy 1-Page Marketing Plan on Amazon.

9. Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath

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As the name itself suggests, Made To Stick is a book that examines how some ideas stick in our mind even when we didn’t plan to remember and how you can also spread your ideas that stick in the mind of the right people.

Made To Stick analyzes advertising campaigns, compelling stories, and urban myths to introduce six traits that make an idea unforgettable or stick in our minds.

“The most basic way to get someone’s attention is this: Break a pattern”

Made To Stick has shared a quick and SIMPLE recipe for the success of an idea which breaks down like this,

1. Simple
2. Unexpected
3. Concrete
4. Credible
5. Emotional
6. Stories

This SIMPLE six-step formula makes an idea memorable and gives you an edge over your competitors. The book is written in such a simple yet impactful manner that you can’t stop falling in love with marketing all over again.

Click here to buy Made to Stick on Amazon.

10. Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy

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‘Everyone’s gangster until a real gangster walks in the room’ and the real Gangster of marketing is surely David Ogilvy. Written by the world’s best advertising expert, Ogilvy on Advertising is one of the most unique books on marketing.

David Ogilvy knows exactly how to get into the customer’s shoe, say what they want to hear, and make them buy what they never planned to buy. David Ogilvy knows the power of advertising and he has shared his years of experience, lessons, practical techniques, and the mistakes he made in his book, Ogilvy on Advertising. 

Ogilvy has shared everything essential to make advertising successful. Right from writing the advertising script to selecting the kind of images you should use, there is nothing that Ogilvy has failed to mention.

One thing is sure that after reading Ogilvy on Advertising, you will change the way you advertise your products and the way your customers perceive your brand. Ogilvy on Advertising is less a book and more of a legacy that luckily has passed to us. Make the most out of it.

Click here to buy Ogilvy on Advertising on Amazon.

CONCLUSION

I am quite sure that you must be wondering which one to choose among all these 10 books, right? Well, if I were in your place, I would have bought all these 10. Ohh, wait! I already did. However, the problem is you are thinking about which one to buy, whereas your competitor must have bought all these 10 books. 

I have recommended these 10 books after carefully analyzing how they can help you and if all of them have something unique to share with you. All these books are important as all of them talk about one special or underrated marketing strategy. If you are a complete beginner and want to dig deeper into marketing, these books would serve as a master course from the industry experts.

I hope you become the best marketer after reading these books and next time, someone has to include your book in the must-read books for marketers. 

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