Looking for some extra reading this semester to one up your class mates? Well fear no more as I have compiled a list of my personal favourite marketing books!
1. Positioning; The Battle For Your Mind
Yes, I just had to recommend the "Bible" of Marketers for my first place suggestion. It is such a classic short read that gives real life examples of positioning theories. The concepts presented on your organization choosing a position, and sticking to only that competitive advantage will benefit you in the long run. Whether you're the Catholic Church or a small business, finding your position in the market is extremely beneficial.
2. The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business
The business elements of habituation is what fascinated me the most in this piece. It is amazing what successful companies do to encourage habits and how we can alter psychological perspectives. The importance of the 80/20 rule when it comes to repeat customers is outlined front and center in this book. If you're a coffee shop or a industrial supply specialists, repeat sales in consumables is what keeps your business afloat, and this is one that successful marketers have tapped into.
3. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action
This amazing book by the famous Simon Sinek explains the concept of creating a purpose to your business. Incorporating a purpose to every aspect of your business is what keeps you afloat. Marketers then capitalize on this idea in their promotional materials. What seems like a surprisingly simple concept is ignored by so many companies in the market today.
4. Blue Ocean Strategy
If you've attended a school of business, you've probably heard professor's talk about blue oceans. It examines organizations that venture from a 'red ocean', a highly competitive market with low gross margins, to a 'blue ocean', a market with temporarily uncontested competition. Perhaps a surprisingly simple concept to grasp, the creative thinking aspect is what makes this theory so difficult.
5. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
What drives organizational change? Often a tipping point is what creates drastic change in business. This organizational change is what marketers should be capitalizing on to ensure they continue to adapt to such a new and highly competitive modern market. A tipping point could be referring to product or promotional adaptation to market trends. The theories proposed in this book reaches farther than marketing as it applies to almost anyone in positions of management.
6. Guerrilla Marketing
This is definitely far from the best marketing book, however, the concept of guerrilla marketing is what fascinated me the most. How do you market an individual? How does a small business compete with big box outlet stores? The book starts off strong with explaining these concepts as they apply on the micro scale of marketing. Despite the great knowledge presented in this book, many ideas are outdated. Marketing using old styles of advertising in the yellow pages and zero mention of modern promotions is the main issue with this book.