Marketing is one of the things that make a business successful. If you have a good idea, product or service, but do not know how to sell it, you will not make money. Turning prospects to customers require the help of a good marketer and marketing skills.

Marketing is all about the activities a company takes to endorse the purchasing or selling of a product or service. Advertising, selling, and delivering products to customers or other businesses are all part of marketing.

Influential and affiliate marketing can help in boosting the sales of the company. The marketing department of the company needs to be updated on the different trends in society. This is because marketing experts need to get to their targets by connecting with them.

Some marketing moves may involve celebrity endorsements, catchy phrases or slogans, media exposure, and excellent packaging. Marketers – make use of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) to convince buyers.

What is expected of a marketer?

As a marketer, you need to be updated with all recent trends amongst your target consumers. Doing market research and analysis will help in getting the required information. 

If you are an aspiring marketer, you need to know that the business world is fiercely competitive. Your business needs healthy ideas that make your strategy unique, and you can improve this by reading books from seasoned experts. 

We have put together a list of seven marketing books to read and improve your marketing strategies.

1. 2017 Non-Obvious: How to Think Different, Curate Ideas & Predict the Future by Rohit Bhargava

What are some of the trends that affect our businesses which several people are not aware of or do not even think about? This is typically the information you will get in the 2017 edition of the book “Non-obvious.” 

Rohit puts together 15 new trends and 60 past forecasts that will aid any business make a more significant impact. Marketers need to read about the future of marketing and which strategies will successfully influence customers and earn customer trust and loyalty.

2. Blue Ocean Shift

Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing – Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

This book is a must-read for all aspiring marketers. It is all about taking your business from a fiercely competitive market known as the red sea to new markets that have not been adulterated or touched the authors refer to as the blue ocean.

The blue market is filled with unexploited opportunities. Most businesses are already accustomed to using the same strategies. The book helps you think beyond the standard marketing norms and develop your own fresh, unique approach. 

3. Future Marketing

Future Marketing: Winning in the Prosumer Age by Jon Wuebben

The future is ours to build, and we can make whatever we want of it. In this book, the seasoned marketing writer Joe compiles recent research, data, and predictions from different fields, to show how cultural and technological changes will affect the marketing industry.

He further talks about how content marketing and marketing technology will change.

How will marketing practices look like in 2021 and 2030? Future marketing is your guide to get more insight into the future of marketing and how to plan your strategies.

4. GetSocialSmart: How to Hone Your Social Media Strategy by Katie Lance

Are you a new marketer and not yet familiar with how social media works? GetSocialSmart aids you figure out the leading platforms to use and how brands can use the media platforms successfully. The book focuses on creating a well-branded social media strategy to ensure long-term success by creating a full-proof customer acquisition and retention plan. 

As a marketer, you will also need to learn how to use the different social media technologies plus live streaming to tell the story of the brand and build relationships with customers.

5. What Customers Crave

What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint by Nicholas Webb

This book talks about how companies can get accustomed to changing customer needs and wants by identifying their target audience’s likes and dislikes. It shows that you have to build essential and engaging experiences that generate brand loyalty to comprehend your audience.

6. A Practitioner’s Guide to Account-Based Marketing

A Practitioner’s Guide to Account-Based Marketing: Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts by Bev Burgess and Dave Munn

The book is written by the two people who introduced account-based marketing as a strategy for business growth. The book provides a detailed guide to comprehending, investing in, and successfully establishing ABM strategies.

The book uses companies like; Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft as their case studies. This helps to give a practical guide that can be used by any company.

7. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

How do you persuade someone to say yes? The basic of marketing is getting someone to agree to your proposal. This is always easier said than done – people are still coming in contact with things they love but hesitate to make a purchase.

Though a customer is reluctant to buy, you still want to sell your product. In the book “Influence,” the author spells out how thoughtful words and a convincing prowess.

If you are an aspiring marketer searching for new approaches/strategies in marketing and ideas, you can relate to your marketing tactics. The books listed above are some of the best marketing books that you can read. The books will aid you to comprehend recent trends and strategies for all marketing types.

Marketing is a complex and continuously evolving field. With digital marketing pushing us into a new era, the learning curve is always around the corner. Every marketer needs to realize that they have to be a student of marketing for life in order to master its various aspects. 

To continue your marketing education, check out this list of the best marketing books by Cool Things Chicago, which will help you in your journey.