12 Marketing Books for Small Business Owners

Reading is essential to expanding your mind (and business)! Every single successful business owner is an avid reader and a massive supporter of continually furthering their education.

I am a big reader. While my true loves are mostly fiction (Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables, Mists of Avalon, ETC.) I've taught myself over the years to incorporate some other, more educational literature into my reading schedule. Nowadays, I bang through Marketing and Business books like it's my day job.

This is my current list of marketing books I suggest to business owners and marketers. I'll keep adding to this list as I discover more!

1.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling: Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales....Now and Forever by Jeffrey Gitomer

This book was made for salespeople but can be very useful for marketers since, after all, every business is about selling something, whether that's yourself, your product, or your service. This is a quick read full of valuable tricks that make you come off as trusted and relatable, and best of all...not "salesy" when selling something.

Magnetic Marketing: How to Attract a Flood of New Customers that Pay, Stay, and Refer by Dan Kennedy

This book is like the Marketing for Dummies book...but better. This is the condensed version of everything you need to know about GOOD marketing for your business, with highly relevant examples taught by a trusted marketing guru.

Trust Me I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday

This book is perfect for the PR specialist (which I originally studied) and the guerilla marketing genius. It follows the schemes and strategies Ryan Holiday used when marketing for American Apparel and the not-so-pretty side of media and marketing...crazy stuff!

The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers by Keith R. McFarland

Another book to get your wheels turning and your inspirations growing...this story showcases the businesses that made it big and the secret ingredients they used to "breakthrough" the noise.

Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim

This is one of my favourites! It totally changes your mind when thinking about growing and expanding your business or even starting a whole new venture. So many industries are infiltrated with the same exact business model, and it's so hard to distinguish yourself. If you are looking for some real, useable inspiration and strategy to stand out among the "blue ocean" of competition, this is your book.

Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman

Every business owner should read this book. Simple. If you are ready to take hold of your team and see actual tangible results, you should follow the EOS method outlined in this book. It's a cult classic for business owners.

Digital Marketing for Dummies by Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry

Love me a good ol' 'For Dummies' book, and I certainly can't discredit this classic. For anyone getting started in building out their marketing strategy, such as creating customer avatars, building out a sales funnel, and setting up your platforms, this is the place to start.

Power Branding: Leveraging the Success of the World's Best Brands by Steve Mckee

This entertaining book follows a similar narrative of how a startup can go from 0 to 100 and the branding tactics to make it happen. This also touches on the mindset business owners have to make it over the hump of average, run-of-the-mill branding and marketing.

The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life by Robin Sharma

This great book recognizes the features and characteristics that make up a great leader, whether you're still in high school, a budding entrepreneur, or the CEO of a multi-million-dollar enterprise. There is a formula to greatness and a natural ability to lead. This book tells you all there is to know.

Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger III and Mark McDaniel

This is a fun book for marketers that is full of helpful information on how to craft the perfect content that stands out to your customers. In addition, it goes over the psychology behind what makes something "stick" and how to do it with real-life examples.

Entrepreneurial Leap: Do You Have What it Takes to Become an Entrepreneur? By Gino Wickman

This was a goodie! If working "for the man" isn't your thing, you likely have an entrepreneurial spirit. Or do you? This book will tell you about the life of an entrepreneur in a cut-throat matter-of-fact way. By the end of this book, you'll know if entrepreneurship is for you, or not...no hard feelings either way!

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

This is a well-known, best-selling story about the owner of Nike's road to stardom and the challenges and opportunities he faced throughout his career. A very inspiring story for those starting with just a dream!

These books are great to get you inspired, teach you tactical skills and have you thinking about your business strategy.

Are you ready to get those wheels spinning? Book a consultation today.