One of the most important steps in running a brand is creating a marketing strategy. this should come before anything else, but is often overlooked. This part of the process is so vital to any business that it affects all aspects of the brand and becomes the foundation for any business’s long-term success.
The reason this step is so often overlooked is that it is very difficult to create a winning strategy. On the other hand, some of the most successful brands attribute their success to having a really strong marketing strategy.
You are reading: Best books on marketing strategy
That’s why we bring you the 20 best books on marketing strategy. These marketing books are practical, full of real-world examples and tactics to get you in the right mindset and help you create that winning marketing strategy for your business.
let’s dive in.
[add banner here]1. The Blue Ocean Strategy – By W. Chan Kim & renee mauborgne
how to create a market space without competition and make the competition irrelevant
First on our list is the iconic blue ocean strategy.
is a book that was super transformative when it came out and completely transformed the business world. He talks about this idea of a “red ocean” where companies compete against each other versus a “blue ocean” where each company has its unique value proposition and position in the market and is focused on thriving and creating.
The book talks about the change in mindset that a company needs to make from “compete” to “create”, and the different techniques that help companies create their own space in the market.
what does that mean? Can you ignore your competition and move on? no, not quite. The book teaches you how to create a product-market fit and solve that problem for your customer in a unique way.
what brands used to do was constantly look over their shoulder and add more features to beat the competition or constantly undervalue their product. Instead, this book brings examples of how companies can find differentiators through new technologies, new materials, and channels. there are plenty of examples from different companies in a wide range of industries and it makes for fascinating reading.
About the authors: w. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne are professors at one of the best business schools in the world, located in France. They are co-directors of the insead institute for marketing strategy and have consulted with some of the world’s biggest brands to help them create a blue ocean strategy and change that mindset.
Published: 2005
authors: w. chan kim, renee mauborgne
get the book on audible, google play books, audiobooks.com.
2. the 22 immutable laws of marketing – by al ries & jack trout
This is another must-read classic for any marketer. it’s a great book because it shows exactly what not to do and brings lots of funny examples of brands that failed because they went against some of these principles.
here are some of these laws that still apply today:
- the law of the mind – it is better to be the first in the customer’s mind than the first in the markets
- the law of the opposite : if you are aiming for second place, then your strategy is determined by the market leader (similar to what we talked about in the blue ocean book)
- the law of extension of the line: There is a lot of pressure to expand the value of the brand by creating more similar products, and it is usually not advisable to do so.
- The Law of Perspective: Sometimes it takes a long time to see the effects of your marketing campaigns on public perception or the market. so don’t just focus on short-term ad campaigns, but also on the long game.
As you can see, these are really fundamental things that can drastically change the way brands approach marketing strategy. you can use them to really help focus your strategy on the right things, the right product and brand attributes to really set yourself apart from the competition and be successful.
Warning: The book was written before the internet, so many examples are totally out of date. many of the companies mentioned there failed or no longer exist. But if you follow the principles carefully, you can apply them to your business, and just keep in mind that many of today’s marketing channels and technologies didn’t exist at the time.
Published: 1993
authors: al ries, jack trout
get the book at kindle, audible, audiobooks.com.
3. epic content marketing: – by joe pulizzi
how to tell a different story, break through the clutter, and win more customers with less marketing
Content is absolutely everywhere and is a fundamental part of any marketing strategy.
We’re talking about web content (home, product pages, category pages, our story page, checkout), social media, landing pages, and brand positioning. If you get your content right then you can really describe your brand to your users and your brand is much more memorable to the consumer.
and as we talked about in the last book, it is one of the immutable laws of marketing, this idea of being the first in the consumer’s mind.
This book will teach you how to:
- tell your brand story
- create a content strategy for your business
- create content that sells, step by step
- analyze your content to see how it can be improved
And last time I checked, this book is actually the textbook for several college business courses on content marketing, so if you want to master any of these skills, you should read it.
About the Author: The book was written by Joe Pulizzi, a content marketing expert who founded the Content Marketing Institute and runs the largest content marketing event in North America. called content marketing world. he is known as the “godfather” of content marketing and has spoken at over 200 events around the world.
Published: 2013
authors: joe pulizzi
get the book at kindle, google play books, kobo, barnes & noble.
4. blue ocean change – by w. Chan Kim & renee mauborgne
Beyond Compete: Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Harness New Growth
The shift to blue ocean is a continuation of the blue ocean strategy. it was published 15 years later and has a comprehensive set of case studies and examples of companies using some of the principles discussed in the first book. the first volume really lacked implementation and examples showing these principles in action and the sequel has it all.
what is new is the implementation of the strategy. they created a great five-step process for developing a blue ocean strategy that makes it very easy to implement these concepts. this is how it looks.
Otherwise, I’d say it’s a pretty good book for those people who read the first one and were intrigued and a little confused about how to implement the principles in their business. but if you haven’t read the first, I recommend you start with the second. It is clear, concise and super practical.
Published: 2017
authors: w. chan kim, renee mauborgne
get the book audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
5. purple cow: transform your business by being remarkable – by seth godin
seth godin is a maverick writer and teacher and we have two of his marketing books on this list. Just the title of this one sounds appealing, doesn’t it? and the fact that you really have to turn your head to read the title of this thing. wow.
This book completely revolutionized marketing when it was published in 2003. In this book, Seth Godin highlights how some of the best brands succeeded because they worked to become exceptional and truly stand out in the marketplace. it tells the stories of brands like apple, dyson and starbucks and it’s really inspiring.
The only downside to this book is that it won’t give you a practical step-by-step process on how to become extraordinary. so if you are looking for concrete methods, this is not the book for you. but it will definitely inspire you and put you in the headspace to start transforming your business.
About the Author: Seth Godin is an internationally acclaimed entrepreneur turned best-selling author with 19 international bestsellers. his marketing books for entrepreneurs include the icarus hoax, tribes, linchpin and others. he runs a very popular marketing blog at sethgodin.com.
See Also: Ann Cleeves – Book Series In Order
Published: 2003
authors: seth godin
get the book audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
6. the pizza guide to digital marketing – by christian farioli
a delicious first byte of the biggest business game changers of your life
Fascinating title, but the guy is Italian, so I guess you’ll enjoy reading his marketing books over a large pizza and glass of wine.
It’s refreshing to see a marketing book written by the owner of a marketing agency. and this one is quirky, fun and super practical. It offers a lot of advice, tips, examples and really a complete picture of digital marketing that is more geared towards beginners.
About the author: christian farioli is a professor at the digital marketing institute and owner of the digital agency called “agency of the future”. It has trained more than 10,000 marketers, and its clients include Armani, Bayer, and Huawei.
See Also: Ann Cleeves – Book Series In Order
Published: 2003
authors: christian farioli
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
7. highlights – by john hall
use content to unleash your influence and engage those you care about
This book offers a practical combination of content marketing and influencer marketing and how to use these two disciplines in the context of marketing strategy. this means building relationships and engaging your audience or online community so that your brand truly matters most to your ideal customers.
This book will teach you how to:
- build a content strategy
- better manage knowledge across your team and brand
- create and distribute content the right way
- create relationships with the right influencers and brand ambassadors
Another big topic in this book is how brand values and ideas about marketing strategy are communicated within a company, between different teams. john has a whole chapter devoted to that. In it, he provides many useful tips for making your marketing strategy stick and communicating it to other teams and departments.
About the Author: John Hall is a co-founder of the Calendar.com scheduling tool. He is also the co-founder of a digital marketing agency called Influence and Co. He is a well-known influencer and speaker and has written articles for more than 50 online publications, including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Mashable, and others.
Published: 2017
authors: john hall
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
8. positioning – by al ries & jack trout
how to be seen and heard in the crowded market
You guessed it: This book is about brand positioning and how to do it right.
what is brand positioning? it’s a way you communicate your brand to the outside world, how you communicate your strengths and weaknesses, and how you differentiate yourself from your competition.
Brands often compete in an overcrowded market where it is difficult to differentiate the brand or product line. This book presents a truly comprehensive history of branding, practical methods on how to extend or reposition a brand, and how you can use it to craft the perfect marketing strategy for your business.
What I love about this book is that it presents several really fascinating examples of brands repositioning themselves and succeeding. there are stories about xerox, milk duds, mailgram, new jersey bank, and even the catholic church!
Overall, it’s a really fun and engaging read that will challenge and delight you at the same time.
About the Authors: Al Ries and Jack Trout (known as the father of positioning) are two of the world’s best known marketing strategists and have written several best-selling marketing books on sales. the two worked at the same marketing strategy firm for more than 26 years. Its clients have included well-known brands such as AT&T, Apple, IBM, HP, Pfizer, P&G, Xerox, and Southwest Airlines.
Published: 1980 (new edition came out in 2001)
authors: al ries, jack trout
get the book on kindle, kobo, google play, barnes & noble.
9. permission marketing – by seth godin
turn strangers into friends and friends into customers
This is a must-read for anyone developing a marketing strategy or running marketing campaigns. This is another big hit from Seth Godin where he explains the notion of Permission Marketing.
The idea is that brands should move away from disruptive advertising and market to the customer in a way that doesn’t interrupt their online experience. is a great mindset for any kind of omnichannel strategy because user experience is crucial. there are many different touchpoints along the customer journey and this book helps brands focus on putting the user first and not disrupting their experience.
Published: 1999
authors: seth godin
get the book on audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
10. quantum marketing – by raja rajamannar
mastering the new marketing mindset for tomorrow’s consumers
If you’re tired of outdated marketing examples and want a fresh, up-to-date perspective on what marketing should be today, then this book is for you.
quantum marketing is written by raja rajamannar, the how of mastercard, and in this book he shares the progress and challenges that companies face when creating their marketing strategy.
In this book you will find:
- practical lessons from the world’s best marketers
- the kind of thinking it takes to break through
- the best marketing strategies and tactics to help you to grow your business
- techniques for continuous innovation in new channels and media
Overall, it’s an excellent read and a good overview of the latest marketing technologies that all brands should be using.
About the Author: Raja Rajamannar is the Head of Marketing & communications officer at mastercard he is also the present of the world federation of advertisers, he has more than 30 years of experience as a global executive. He has been recognized by Adweek as one of the most tech-savvy CMOS in the industry and one of the 5 most influential CMOS in the world by Forbes. he has taught in more than 40 top management schools in the world.
Published: 2021
authors: raja rajamannar
get the book on audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
11. what customers crave – by nicholas j. webb
how to create relevant and memorable experiences at every touchpoint
One of the most important steps brands overlook when creating their marketing strategy is the customer research stage. you need to know what your customers love, what they hate, and what problem your product solves for them. Without that information, you won’t find a good fit between product and market, and ultimately your brand will fail.
This book really teaches you how to get that data and structure your product around the customer experience. It is super practical and will teach you the methods to do it.
about the author: nicholas j. webb is a popular speaker and corporate strategist in the areas of customer experience design and innovation. His company, cravve, provides consulting and training to many of the world’s leading brands.
Published: 2016
authors: nicolas j. webb
get the book on audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
12. marketing plan template & example – by alex genadinik
how to write a marketing plan
once you have your marketing strategy, you need to include it in a marketing plan, and that’s where some brands get stuck. That is why we recommend this book to all our readers because it is a very practical next step in moving from strategy to plan to execution.
What’s so special about this book? alex created a really innovative and fast way to structure and create your marketing plan template. First, you start with a 3-sentence marketing plan, distilling your strategy into just three sentences. then expand that into a 1 page plan and finally you will create a full marketing plan.
Most people get stuck trying to write essays and don’t get to the execution part fast enough. This book introduces a way that cuts out all the unnecessary steps and helps brands create a marketing plan pretty quickly. it’s a quick read with tons of examples and real-world scenarios.
About the Author: alex genadinik is one of the top marketing professors on udemy with over 20 best selling courses. He has written several of the best selling marketing books for entrepreneurs on Amazon on marketing.
Published: 2015
authors: alex genadinik
get the book at google books, kindle, barnes & noble.
13. digital marketing strategy – by simon kingsnorth
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an integrated approach to online marketing
This book is for the digital marketer who is ready to implement their strategy. The book goes through all the various marketing channels: SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, User Experience, Paid Advertising, Lead Generation, Customer Loyalty, Online & offline marketing – and introduces cutting-edge techniques and strategies for each channel.
A word of caution: This book goes over the topics pretty quickly, so if you need to dig into any of them I would recommend reading industry blogs or getting another book on specific marketing . channel or technique you are interested in exploring. this book is more of an overview of the big picture of each channel aimed at marketers new to marketing.
About the Author: Simon Kingsnorth is an award-winning digital consultant and marketing strategy expert. he has worked with and advised many leading brands around the world. he is a well known corporate speaker and trainer.
Published: 2016
authors: simon kingsnorth
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
14. Marketing Strategy: The Thinking Involved – By Mark E. hill
this is more of a textbook, it is used in colleges and universities all over the united states. Don’t be fooled by the vague title, this is a very comprehensive book that covers all aspects of digital marketing strategy. it deals less with practical tactics and more with the kind of analytical thinking required to get the big picture right.
topics include:
- how to craft the perfect marketing strategy
- the marketing mix and which channels to use
- logistics/operations
- pricing strategies</ li
- how to create the right company culture
about the author: brand e. hill is an associate professor of marketing at montclair state university with more than 20 years of academic and professional experience. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing strategy, marketing research, and consumer behavior.
Published: 2012
authors: brand e. hill
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble, google play books.
15. hacking growth – by sean ellis & morgan brown
how today’s fastest growing companies drive success
This is one of my favorite marketing books of all time. the growth of piracy really represents the growth of big tech and how marketing went from glorified public relations to a measured and precise science. growth hacking involves cross-functional teams and rapid a/b testing based on rigorous data analysis. and above all, it focuses on the customer-centric approach.
The main premise of the book is perhaps that companies that learn faster grow faster. the best brands collect data and make their entire company culture revolve around making data-driven decisions, rather than shooting into the wind. And this book provides a ton of practical examples of brands that have managed to make growth hacking a vital component of their culture and were able to grow revenue really fast.
About the author: Sean Ellis was the one who coined the term “growth hacking”. He is the CEO and co-founder of Growthackers.com and has been mentoring startups for years. Morgan Brown launched Growth Hackers with Sean and is a veteran of startup marketing.
Published: 2017
authors: morgan brown, sean ellis
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
16. traction – by gabriel weinberg & justin mares
how any startup can achieve explosive customer growth
traction is another great success, it is one of the most popular books on digital marketing. The main theme of the book is that growing businesses are difficult and the most important thing is customer acquisition. Without acquiring new customers, your business will not grow.
traction introduces nineteen channels a brand can use to build a customer base and tells you how to choose the right ones. There are plenty of practical examples of great companies that focused on customer acquisition and were able to grow pretty quickly, like reddit, kayak, hubspot, and wikipedia.
is considered one of the main resources for start-ups and companies that want to increase their income and correctly structure their marketing strategy.
About the Author: Gabriel Weinberg is the CEO and founder of Duckduckgo, the private search engine, and Justin Mares is the founder of two startups and former Chief Revenue Officer at Exceptional.
Published: 2014
authors: justin mares, gabriel weinberg
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
17. digital marketing for dummies – by ryan deiss & russ henneberry
This is a great read if you want to get down to basics. be honest, how many times have you felt like choosing a guide to something for dummies? There is a reason these books are so popular because they explain everything in plain language and because they are comprehensive, covering all aspects of a topic.
same goes for digital marketing for dummies.
topics include:
- Understanding the customer journey
- Choosing the right marketing campaign
- Crafting a winning offer
- Content marketing & blogging
- building high converting landing pages
- seo and search marketing
- social media
- paid advertising
- email marketing
- data analysis and optimization
- main marketing tools
Published: 2016
authors: russ henneberry, ryan deiss
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
18. they ask you for an answer – by marcus sheridan
a revolutionary approach to inbound sales, content marketing and today’s digital consumer
This book was written by the famous CEO of a struggling swimming pool company during the 2008 market crash that was on the verge of bankruptcy. So, Marcus used content marketing and blogging to really educate his customers and get to the top of search results and he was able to turn it all around. in fact, the story was used by hubspot in the early days to popularize content marketing and the inbound approach.
This book provides really great resources on how to create a content strategy, how to perfect your marketing funnel, the types of content you should use for your business. It will help you structure your marketing strategy in such a way that your customers become brand ambassadors and your brand grows in the long term.
About the Author: Marcus Sheridan owned the pool company River Pools and has since become a content marketing guru. he lectures and speaks around the world and consults with big brands on their content marketing strategy.
Published: 2016
authors: marcus sheridan
get the book at kobo, kindle, barnes & noble.
20. #getsocialsmart – by katie lance
how to perfect your social media strategy
Social media is a big part of your marketing strategy and one of the hardest things for a brand to do is really create a consistent voice and tell the brand story.
This book is unique in that it not only covers the practical strategies of the major social media platforms (facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram), but also teaches brands how to tell their brand story and how to better engage with your audience online.
It’s a great read and a must for any brand looking to scale.
About the Author: Katie Lance is the CEO of Lance Consulting, a large social media consulting firm, and has worked with clients including docusign, realtor.com, smartzip, and re/max. She is a nationally known keynote speaker, she runs her own social media academy called GetSocialSmart Academy, and continues to mentor brands around the world.
Published: 2017
authors: katie lance
get the book on audible, kindle, barnes & noble.
summary
Marketing books are some of the best resources for developing your strategy and learning new tactics. The best part of this list is that all of these books have practical examples and real-world case studies. To get a really good foundation, we recommend that you check out some of the more general strategy books, and then read the more practical books that talk about specific marketing channels and tactics.
and, as always, if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact us 😊.
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