This list was long overdue.
We all know that the art of selling has undergone a radical revamp over the past decade. Brands are no longer in charge of how their prospects consume information or arrive at the decision to purchase a product or patronize one business over another.
This is the very reason why good solid marketing that actually offers immense value to leads is one of the only ways in which companies can have somewhat of a say in the buyer’s journey.
It is a relationship where both parties understand each other, build trust, start with low commitment actions and then move on to high commitment considerations like the purchase.
And so the ground rules have changed!
This selection of 7 books has been hand-picked to cover various in-buzz marketing trends and concepts that every successful marketer must leverage to stand apart from the competition. Once you are done going through the list, you should be up to speed about all the tactics and mind-sets that are defining the way brands are positioned, grown and nurtured in today’s fast paced economy.
Let’s dive straight in.
1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
This one is a classic. The seminal work of Dr. Robert B. Cialdini which shifted the way marketing is perceived and practiced. The book dives deep into why we nod “Yes” to certain marketing messages and offers and even gives tools to say a “No” when it suits our best interest.
Why Is it Important? Granted that to the seasoned neuromarketer of today, the principles being discussed might seem rather basic. But the book does a masterful job of diving deep into the human psyche and identifying the 6 ways in which we might be coerced into action or manipulated into making a decision. Just 6! However these six deeply ingrained behavioral tendencies are powerful, the easiest to trigger and can be conveniently woven into marketing campaigns. If you are just starting out with persuasion based marketing – this is the book to begin with.
Brief Content Snapshot: The book primes readers by making them realize the fact that most of their decisions are subliminally guided. It discusses the principles of “contrast” and “fixed action pattern” and then moves on to the weapons of persuasion.
Reciprocation (or the willingness to pay someone back in kind), Consistency (or the human need to justify an action by taking more similar actions), Social proof (the herd mentality), the factor of Liking (where we may buy from the marketer because we hold them in high esteem), the influence of Authority (or attributing desirable traits to someone because they are a declared authority on a certain topic) and the impression left by Scarcity Calls are analysed with real life examples.
My Suggestion: Go ahead and craft a landing page with all of these elements. It will look surprisingly like the template recommended by experts at Unbounce and Copy Hacker.
2. Buy.ology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy
Martin Linstrom really cooked up a storm when he published this one. It’s not as ubiquitous as the other suggestions on this list. And there is good reason behind it. The book is explosive. It reveals the real inner workings of the human mind and shows why the purchase and investment decisions we make are tied up to our childhood associations, our senses and even the ability of the subconscious to take in messages without letting the conscious mind know!
Why Is it Important? There are some legacies the marketing world is reluctant to let go of. Like product placements. This book will force you to revisit your list of old and new best practices and revise them based on solid proof. Martin and a large group of neuroscientists conducted a $7 million study into the minds of over 2000 buyers and the results make up this controversial offering. You ideally shouldn’t even conceptualise your next campaign without reading Buy.ology.
Brief Content Snapshot: There is so much that the book covers. It starts off by busting the myth of the product placement gimmick. It then talks about the connection between the behavior of Macaque monkeys and the huge surging popularity of the iPod (which was at the end of the day inferior in terms of sound quality when compared to the CD players of the generation). Over the nest few chapters it also explores the importance of rituals like licking off the cream in an Oreo cookie before dunking it, the impact of religion and sex on what (and how) we buy and the revolutionary suggestion that logos might actually take away from brand recognition and that the senses are better persuaders than any visual brand identifiers.
My Suggestion: After you have read this book, visit your marketing plan for 2017. Are you making any glaring mistakes? Save the money. Ditch what never worked.
3. The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business a Stage
Joseph Pine and James Gilmore hit on the truth when they coined the term Experience Economy. If you are not familiar with it then you need to make it a part of your vocabulary right away. This book is one that will guide you and your efforts for a very long time to come. It isn’t about quick fixes. It is about taking all the findings from publications like “Influence” and “Buy.ology” and unveiling the bigger picture around why marketing needs to change.
Why Is it Important? America was initially a goods economy. Then it started focusing on services. But with the advent of the internet, free information and the rising levels of disposable income amongst Millennials, the next logical step on the ladder of value is the “Experience Economy”. An economy where brands – irrespective of what they sell – focus on the way they make their buyers and prospects feel. The book provides a framework within which principles of neuromarketing can be used to enhance user engagement and delight. This is basically a road map of where you should be going with your marketing efforts.
Brief Content Snapshot: The book is rich in terms of examples. It not only breaks down the four different types of experiences a company can stage – Entertainment, Educational, Escapist (or immersive) and Esthetic – it also provides a five step guideline around how to improve them. It asks marketers to theme the experiences, amplify the positive cues or associations, eliminate negative ones, mix in memorabilia (something to remind consumers of the experience) and engage all five senses.
My Suggestion: Visit an Apple store near you. Can you spot the way in which the framework guidelines are implemented by the brand? Can you use them in your marketing?
4. Contagious: Why Things Catch On
If you are a marketer, chances are that you have coveted the tag of “viral” at some point in 2016. There is something extremely compelling about the notion of creating content that generates incredible traction. And propels your brand to the main stage of recognition! Contagious by Harvard professor Jonah Berger is a handbook for going viral. Or at least doing all the right things that can lead to the outcome.
Why Is it Important? The gold mine of information in this book is based on scientific facts and business successes in the real world. And it applies to companies of all kinds – online, offline, startups and established cash cows. It is the best book on the list in terms of creating a stir amongst buyers, triggering real desire and becoming a part of everyday life.
Brief Content Snapshot: Take a look yourself.
My Suggestion: Choose one of the pillars from the STEPPS framework and apply it to your campaign right away. How can you start a landing page with a story that impact fully conveys your message and pushes people to share it? Can you generate social currency on Facebook today?
5. Epic Content Marketing: Tell the Story of Your Business to Break Through the Noise and Bring Customers to Your Door
Content marketing is the most prominent spoke in the wheel of the inbound practice. Without creating content that is relevant and instantly valuable, it is almost impossible to draw in buyers. Ads are definitely not the powerhouse they used to be! And this is why “Epic” is a book marketers will avoid at significant expertise expense.
Why Is it Important? For one Joe Pulizzi heads the Content Marketing Institute. He has made an entire career teaching people the art and science of content marketing. Second the book assumes that you – the reader – know nothing about content marketing and guides you robustly to the final phase of measuring the effectiveness of your efforts. This kind of chapter trajectory is useful for someone looking to grasp content marketing on a deadline.
Brief Content Snapshot: The book opens by defining what “epic” content is. Even though the title is hyperbolic, the breakdown is very practical touching on usefulness, consistency, the force of opinions expressed and intrinsic value. Epic makes the business case for investing in content marketing, helps craft a content strategy through formal content plans, lays down the process of managing content production, throws in the element of storytelling and wraps things up by detailing metrics to track.
My Suggestion: Create a content marketing plan for January 2017 armed with the knowledge in this book. Were you doing everything right? What did you learn from Pulizzi’s approach?
6. Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business
A book that is sheer poetry to the innovative marketer – Guerrilla Marketing is a wonderful mish-mash of virality, experiential marketing, ambush marketing and a lot more. Penned by Jay Conrad it is more relevant now – even for big brands – than it was ever before.
Why Is it Important? Guerrilla Marketing lives and breathes the elements of offering a wonderful brand experience (The Experience Economy anyone?) and disruptive promotional messaging. It is extremely effective in capturing the attention of the masses bombarded with more than 5000 advertisements every day and can help position your brand and its products favorably.
Brief Content Snapshot: This book delivers over 200 “marketing weapons” to enthusiastic brands in categories like print, radio, television and the web. So even though the title claims that the advice will come in handy for companies on a tight budget, the principles are universal and can be applied by almost any business under the sun.
Jay Conrad not only walks you through the myriad ways in which you can effectively cut the clutter and grab mindshare of your prospects, it also focuses on certain mindset shifts that marketers must embrace to make the most of going Guerrilla. I recently created an article on Guerrilla Marketing. You might want to check that out too.
My Suggestion: Use Guerrilla Marketing in conjunction with content marketing. Get on their radar by being “exceptional” and “unexpected”. Then hold them captive with valuable content.
7. Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products
I saved my favorite for the last. Hooked may not sound like a typical marketer’s guide but the “Hooked Model” shared in the publication is one that can be easily leveraged by marketers and brands to spike customer engagement. It is an advanced resource.
Why Is it Important? In today’s economy getting a client to stick around is not just something “desirable”, it is absolutely essential. As the information overload increases companies will find it costlier to capture new minds. They should have a strategy to constantly reward and “addict” existing buyers. Hooked is the book that dissects the operational models of social sites like Facebook and offers a four stage framework to do just that.
Brief Content Snapshot: It is best understood through the image below. The book elaborates on the questions and directions with plenty of real life examples and an engaging narrative.
My Suggestion: Brainstorm ways to implement the “Hooked” model in your sales funnel. Where do you position the triggers? What will be the rewards?
Did I miss anything? What are the best marketing books in your opinion? Let me know.
Featured Image Attribution:“Stack Of Books” by yodiyim
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