It’s 2022. Welcome to the changed — and changing — landscape of post-pandemic marketing. Yet even if you boast the most robust marketing tech stack on the block, you can still find yourself struggling for wins. One natural response is to turn to newer marketing books — and that’s a wise instinct, especially in 2022.
Last year, Harvard Business Review author Janet Balis published a thoughtful piece on why marketers have it tougher than ever. She repeats several truisms in her exploration of the 10 biggest marketing shifts. Perhaps the one that’s most memorable is that all the rules of the road have changed — so you might as well prepare to toss and replace your dogeared marketing playbook for a fresher one.
Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you swap your outdated marketing systems with ones that are going to work.
That’s where picking up a few of the latest marketing books comes in handy. Reading for merely 15 or 30 minutes a day helps broaden your mind, fuel innovation, and revive enthusiasm. It can also prompt you to bring new information to your team via formal or informal knowledge transfer sessions.
For instance, let’s say you read a book that lights a fire under you. You could purchase copies for everyone in your department, leadership group, or even company. Paying employees to read and discuss books may even lead to higher engagement, productivity, and collaboration levels among the people in your workforce.
Where should you start? Any of the following options will broaden your horizons and offer fascinating perspectives about the subjects marketers like you are most concerned about.
1. The Hawke Method — Erik Huberman
You only get so many chances to wow consumers as you lead them through the customer journey from prospect to fan. But are you making the most of each of those touchpoints? Or are you allowing opportunities to slip away?
If you’re not sure, sit down with entrepreneur Erik Huberman’s book on the core principles of marketing, The Hawke Method.
Huberman draws heavily on his personal business-building and marketing experiences throughout his book, starting from the plucky venture he launched as a nine-year-old searching for a bit of spending cash. Over the years, Huberman’s built a reputation as a marketing sherpa for thousands of successful brands and snagged honors, including a place on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
The Hawke Method is designed to help you understand and grow the tripod foundation for a marketing strategy built on awareness, nurturing, and trust. You’ll appreciate the layout of this book and its tactical use of real case studies to illustrate methodologies.
If you’re hungry for more of Huberman’s advice after finishing the last chapter, jump to the #HawkeTalk podcast. There, you’ll be introduced to other business leaders eager to share the marketing secrets that made them famous.
2. This Is Marketing — Seth Godin
When you mention world-renowned marketers, Seth Godin’s name usually creeps into the conversation sooner or later. And why not? After all, he’s known as the King of Marketing, according to Forbes contributor Zack Friedman.
In an interview with Friedman, Godin outlines some of the most important reasons he felt compelled to write This Is Marketing. Namely, Godin wanted to tell marketers to “ignore what you want and find the empathy to see what others want, what they believe and what they fear.” He calls this “human marketing.”
Though This Is Marketing was written half a decade ago, it remains a great beginning point for marketing-related corporate reading material.
Some of what Godin discusses will come across as a refresher if you’ve been keeping up with the latest marketing trends. However, you’ll get plenty of gems of wisdom from this bestselling guide.
3. The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks — Joe Federer
No matter how many articles come out in The New York Times warning about the societal downsides of social media, sites like Facebook and YouTube keep rising in popularity.
As a marketer, you need to be active on the hottest platforms that make sense for your brand. But first, you need to understand the differences between real and virtual social communities. Author Joe Federer’s ready to give you the low-down.
Federer, a former Reddit brand strategist leader, uses The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks to dig into the uniqueness of digital interactions. First, he takes a scientific approach to map out what makes social networks one-of-a-kind places. Then, he leverages his findings to show you how to gain better traction with audiences across your brand’s preferred social sites.
How will you know that this book belongs on your reading list? Does the question, “Why aren’t our social posts getting traction?” sound familiar? Yes? Then you can benefit from discovering The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks.
To hear some of what you’ll read from Federer himself, pop on your headphones and listen to a WO Strategies podcast interview from 2020.
4. The Content Fuel Framework — Melanie Deziel
Times and marketing may have marched on. Nevertheless, pushing out endless amounts of content remains an essential part of any marketing plan.
That’s a tough sell, though. Coming up with interesting topics for blogs, social posts, email drip campaigns, and how-to videos can be a hair-pulling experience.
Melanie Deziel has the solution to coming up with an endless supply of material. In The Content Fuel Framework, Deziel teaches how to rev up your internal storytelling machine to the point where your marketers never hit a “writer’s block” wall again.
What’s her basic recipe? First, develop a self-sustaining system for churning out amazing content day after day, week after week, and year after year.
Now, maybe you count on an agency or outsourced creators to create the bulk of your content. Not a problem. This book still belongs on your shelf as a resource.
Why? There’s enormous value in knowing how to produce buzz-worthy messages like a pro. You never know when you’ll be asked to roll out some quick content.
Marketing will always be a moving target because consumer desires and expectations naturally morph. Fortunately, many of today’s top marketing thought leaders are willing to coach you. They reveal the strategies and systems that have worked in their favor. All you have to do is grab a book and dive in.
Image Credit: Felicity Tai; Pexels; Thank you.
