In my five-plus years of experience as a marketer, I believe the most valuable skill that anyone can learn is how to turn attention into customers and likes into loyal fans. That is the magic of marketing. It can be the difference between the life and death of a business, your success, and also your future.

I’ve gone through hundreds of Digital marketing books over the years so you don’t have to. Here are my five must-reads that you should have on your bookshelf to become a better marketer. All right, let’s get to it.

I wanted to feature all the different engines of marketing success that can be covered from the start of the customer journey all the way to the end. These books will cover areas like building a brand and story so customers can feel seen and relatable, understanding customer psychology and why they buy, growth hacking strategies to help you grow your audiences even faster on various digital platforms, creating content that gets seen and ideas that spread, and last but not least, writing a simple but effective marketing plan to put it all together.

“This is Marketing” by Seth Godin:

This is one of my all-time favorites. Seth Godin, for those who don’t know him, has been a marketer and entrepreneur for over 30 years. He argues that traditional marketing techniques, like spamming people’s feeds with ads, no longer work because we live in a media-saturated world where attention is the number one asset. People have so many options to choose from in terms of what they watch and give their attention to. By just spamming people with ads, you won’t be able to earn that attention over time.

Instead of focusing on selling, which is something I always talk about, we should focus on building relationships with our audiences and customers through authenticity, empathy, and trust. Seth is the godfather of permission marketing, which is intentionally marketing what you have to say to people who want to hear from you. According to Seth, great marketers figure out what their audience needs and then meet that need through their messaging. He calls it matching your story to your audience’s point of view.

This is powerful because Seth explains that what we decide to buy is really based on the stories we tell ourselves. For example, saying, “I’m the kind of person that buys luxury cars,” or “I go to a discount store,” or “I go to the gym every single day.” This book will reshape your approach to marketing and help you become a modern thinker in the current marketing landscape.

“Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller:

If you’ve been watching the channel for some time, you know that I love Donald Miller’s book on this topic. It’s something I’ve integrated into my marketing strategies and for my clients, seeing great success from it. This book highlights the power of storytelling in marketing. Since the dawn of time, stories have been relatable and emotional, driving people toward action.

Dr. Miller talks about how one of the most effective ways is to weave our brand messaging into a story format that shows our customer as the protagonist, helping them toward their desired goals and destinations. The storylines will drive the rest of your marketing assets, such as your website copy, social media posts, email marketing, etc., creating clear and effective marketing for your brand.

Sometimes, I come across businesses where I go through their entire website and can’t figure out what they actually provide and how they can help me. This is why having a story brand is so effective in your marketing strategies. It allows you to go back to the basics of understanding your overall brand messaging and how you will help your customer get from A to B. When they read your copy on your website or your social media posts, they will know whether or not you’re the right business or brand for them.

This book is valuable because it includes a seven-step story brand framework that you can use across all your marketing channels to make it consistent with your brand messaging.

“Influence” by Robert Cialdini:

So far, we’ve covered how to create a strong brand and craft a strong story. Now we’re thinking about how to use consumer psychology to understand why people buy. I’ve always been fascinated with psychology in general, but as a marketer, I’ve realized how important psychology is in marketing.

In this book, Robert Cialdini talks about the importance of persuasion in terms of psychology within marketing. Have you ever wondered why we have certain assumptions in our everyday lives? Reading this book clicked for me because these strategies have been used by salespeople and politicians to convince us to say yes to what they want us to do.

Understanding these psychological triggers helps us figure out what makes people want to buy from us and how we can create more of those opportunities.

“Contagious” by Jonah Berger:

Jonah Berger, a professor at Wharton, argues that word of mouth is the number one way for ideas or products to catch on and become contagious or viral. This book inspired me to think about how to create content that is eye-catching and creates a virality effect over time. If your product, idea, or content makes your audience feel inspired or proud, they will share it with others.

It’s human nature to want to look cool in front of our friends, and tapping into this social trigger helps create more content ideas that spread and catch on online. Read this book to craft marketing messages that create a word-of-mouth effect, especially in the current social media age.

“The One Page Marketing Plan” by Allan Dib:

This book puts all the concepts we’ve shared so far together into a simple and effective way to write a marketing plan that doesn’t just collect dust on the shelf but becomes something everyone can contribute to, making it effective for your business or brand. A recent Forbes article argues that not having a marketing plan is one of the ten worst marketing mistakes that can cause a business to fail.

I resonate with this book because I’ve worked a lot with small businesses and startups, even during my time at Google. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is trying to replicate a tactic they’ve seen somewhere without understanding the need for a comprehensive marketing strategy. It’s like going on vacation without picking a destination; you won’t know where you’re going.

Most importantly, Allan Dib offers a free template in the book that you can download to create your own one-page marketing plan.

“The New Rules of Marketing and PR” by David Meerman Scott:

David Meerman Scott is one of my favorite experts in content marketing and social media. This book explains how social media, blogs, and content marketing have changed the marketing perspective. It guides you on how to use social media, online videos, mobile applications, news releases, real-time marketing, and how to enhance your PR efforts by leveraging your online presence.

“Content Chemistry” by Andy Crestodina:

Andy Crestodina is one of the top SEO and content marketing experts worldwide. This book is an illustrated handbook containing a lot of diagrams and practical tips for your digital marketing efforts. It takes you through the entire content marketing cycle and explains how to use content to boost your SEO. It’s really good, easy to read, and you’ll love it.

“Call to Action” by Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg:

This book is essential if you’re interested in conversion optimization and user experience. Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg are top user experience experts and provide detailed insights from their A/B tests done for real brands. The book explains how a simple CTA change can lead to more conversions, making it especially useful for e-commerce.

“Priceless” by William Poundstone:

For those working on e-commerce, “Priceless” is a valuable resource for building your pricing strategy, planning discount campaigns, and creating offers. It delves into the hidden psychology of value, explaining why perceived value is as important as actual discounts.

“dvanced Google AdWords” by Brad Geddes:

Though a bit older, this book is still the top resource for understanding Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords). It’s considered the Bible of pay-per-click marketing and simplifies the basics of Google Ads campaigns.

“Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath:

As someone who doesn’t find copywriting easy, I loved this book. It explains how to create ideas that stand out, which is perfect when you don’t have a huge marketing budget but need a memorable campaign.

“Pre-Suasion” by Robert Cialdini:

Recommended by my friend Harry Inaba, this book is excellent for e-commerce and beyond. It explains how to use visuals and copywriting in your ads to make them more compelling, clickable, and capable of building relationships with consumers.

“Web Analytics 2.0” by Avinash Kaushik:

Avinash Kaushik is a Google Analytics guru. This book is an analytics Bible, covering everything you need to know about web analytics. It’s comprehensive, making it a must-read for anyone serious about understanding data.

“Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely:

Dan Ariely, a behavioral economics specialist, explains how humans often make decisions based on irrational factors. This book provides examples to help you better persuade your customers.

“Buyology” by Martin Lindstrom:

This book explores the hidden reasons behind our buying decisions. It’s another excellent read for understanding consumer behavior.

“Traction” by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares:

The most common reason why new businesses fail is due to a lack of customers. Many can bring a product or service to market, but that alone doesn’t guarantee success. “Traction” covers 19 proven marketing channels, including organic, paid, and social strategies. It explains how to select and execute the best marketing opportunities for your business, whether you’re starting something new or looking to attract more customers to an existing business.

“Marketing Made Simple” by Donald Miller:

Many businesses fail to communicate a simple and effective offer. Their websites use industry jargon or flowery language that confuses people. “Marketing Made Simple” helps you create an effective sales funnel that makes it easy for people to understand what you do and why they need your product or service. The book outlines five essential marketing tools, including how to create a great website that converts prospects into paying customers.

“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout:

Why do some brands consistently dominate the market while others struggle to gain traction? “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” explains the power of positioning and how customers think when selecting brands. It’s a short, powerful read that provides valuable insights for anyone interested in business, branding, or marketing.

“They Ask, You Answer” by Marcus Sheridan:

As your business grows, it’s wise to invest in marketing channels that provide greater freedom and control. “They Ask, You Answer” focuses on content marketing to attract loyal customers. It explains how to create articles, videos, podcasts, and other content to build trust and authority in your market, resulting in a reliable source of new leads.

“Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller:

Businesses often fail to clearly communicate what they do and how they create value for customers. “Building a Story Brand” helps you use storytelling to clarify your message so it resonates with customers. This book makes it easier for people to understand how your business can help them, using universal elements of storytelling.

“The Language of Trust” by Michael Maslansky:

Today, people are more skeptical than ever before. “The Language of Trust” explains how to overcome skepticism by communicating on people’s terms. The insights apply to any situation where you need to build trust with customers, critics, or the general public. This book is a must-read for leaders, marketers, or anyone active on social media.

“No BS Direct Marketing” by Dan Kennedy:

This book emphasizes direct response marketing, focusing on creating measurable, profitable responses from your audience. Key takeaways include the importance of having a clear offer, creating urgency, and giving clear instructions.

“The Brain Audit” by Sean D’Souza:

D’Souza’s book delves into customer psychology and why people buy (or don’t). The “seven red bags” analogy helps illustrate the different factors that need to be addressed to close a sale, including identifying customer needs and handling objections.

“$100 Million Dollar Offers” by Alex Hormozi:

Hormozi’s book offers a step-by-step guide to crafting irresistible offers. It breaks down key components like dream outcomes, perceived likelihood of achievement, time delay, and effort/sacrifice to create offers that customers can’t refuse.

“How to Create Irresistible Offers” by Robert Bly:

This book dives into advanced offer creation strategies. Bly discusses adjusting your focus from brand building to making compelling offers, backed by data showing how this shift can significantly increase sales.

“80/20 Sales and Marketing” by Perry Marshall:

This book explores the 80/20 principle and how focusing on the top 20% of efforts and customers can yield 80% of your results. Marshall’s insights into leveraging this principle for higher sales and more effective marketing strategies are particularly powerful.

These all books offer valuable insights into various aspects of marketing. Take some time to go through the list and choose the books most relevant to your business needs. Each book offers a unique perspective on digital marketing, from acquiring customers and building brand trust to creating viral content and optimizing user experiences. Choose the ones that align best with your current needs or interests, and dive in.