Top Business Books Recommended by Top Online Marketing Experts
Many hundreds of new business books are written and published each year. We all want to get our hands on the best information out there. So how do you narrow down the books you should read and that will help your business move forward? Which books will share the strategies worth implementing? The answer is simple – ask some of the best business minds in your industry!
So, we asked a few trusted sources the following…. “If you could recommend 1 business book you read in 2013, what would be?” Here are their picks:
Gary Ware, Director of Digital Experience at i.d.e.a. recommends Contagious by Jonah Berger.
Gary’s Review: I loved the book because it gave proven methods to creating content that will drive traffic. If you haven’t read Contagious I HIGHLY recommend that you pick up a copy today: Jonah’s easy to follow framework makes a great checklist to evaluate your campaigns to ensure they have the best chance for success. Find a full review Gary wrote on Contagious.
The Amazon description of Contagious says: What makes things popular? If you said advertising, think again. People don’t listen to advertisements, they listen to their peers. But why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Perfect synopsis for this whole article!
And now more great book suggestions and reviews!
John Gagnon, Bing Ads Evangelist at Microsoft recommends David & Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell.
John’s Review: We’ve all been told to play to our strengths. But as we compensate for our disadvantages and failures, we build skills which could become our greatest advantages. For marketers, it’s time to revisit our “disadvantages” for what they could be.
John also recommends and Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, which examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions
Nii A. Ahene, COO of CPC Strategy, a shopping feed management agency recommends The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone.
Nii’s review: The book covers the entire history of the company from its founding in 1994 to its battles with Barnes and Nobles, eBay, and Walmart and others in various spaces. What I enjoyed about the read the most was the fact that Stone wasn’t afraid to show the raw, sometimes not so pretty side of the company, illuminating just how fiercely the company and its founder want to win on their own terms. You know a book hits a little too close to home when the wife of the book’s main protagonist takes to Amazon to leave a scathing review of the content. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the eCommerce or web technology space in general.
Kent Lewis, President, Anvil Media recommends Multipliers.
Kent’s Review: A business consultant highly recommended this book to me earlier this year and I ended up reading it in a few days and enjoyed it thoroughly. The premise of the book is essentially there are two types of managers: Multipliers and Diminishers. The Multipliers are able to get as much as twice the productivity from their employees through a set of best practices outlined in the book (think empowerment and collaboration). Diminishers, on the other hand, get as little as 50% of potential productivity by taking a more authoritarian, top-down approach. You can take a Multiplier Quiz on the website to determine where you land on the spectrum, and the book provides stories, best practices and related insights that clearly illustrate the power of being a Multiplier. I recommend buying the book and utilizing the free resources on the website to help build yourself and your team into Multipliers. Kent also recommends David & Goliath
Dennis Yu, International speaker and Facebook marketing expert recommends Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston.
Dennis’ review: As a founder, you can appreciate what truly happens in a startup and how to navigate complex waters.
Josh Kaufman, Business Coach and author of two international bestsellers recommends Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson
Josh’s review: As your business matures, your role as a founding entrepreneur changes from salesman to innovator, then manager, and finally investor. As you progress through these four stages, your primary focus should change as well to ensure your business successfully navigates the transition. Josh has a full review on Ready, Fire, Aim you can read here.
Last but never least, our own Todd Meisler, CEO of ZD Design recommends The Connected Company by Dave Gray
Todd’s review: This is a book that teaches you how to build trust in business and clarifies what social community brings to the plate. It inspires you to build a community that has strength, and a clear purpose. I highly recommend to any business owner and social media manager.
What book on business did you read this year that you absolutely loved? Share it with us in the comments below.
