Content marketers love words and are usually avid readers. Perfecting your craft requires reading about trends, strategies, and more. So, what are the content marketing books you should read?
We’ve got a list of books that can influence your content strategy, content operations, and every other facet of content marketing. By making these books part of your library, you’ll be a wiser content marketer and be able to infuse new ideas into your enterprise team.
Happy reading!
Everybody Writes (2nd Edition, and hot off the presses)
Author: Ann Handley
What It’s About
Handley has just published the new and improved version of this content marketing bible. It’s a field guide with practical advice and insight required for content creation, production, and publishing. The updated version has new tools and resources.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
Since the author is a content marketer, she understands your challenges and processes. The book can help you transform your content operations to be more streamlined and deliver more value to your audience. Plus, it’s charmingly written with a slice of humor (10% more, in fact)!
Praise for Everybody Writes
“Funny, insightful, and profoundly transformational. You can’t say that about any other book about the craft of becoming a better writer and a more brilliant marketer.”
— Andrew Davis, Author and Keynote Speaker
The Culture Code
Author: Daniel Coyle
What It’s About
The author looks to find the secret of successful businesses and their culture. He does so by going inside them. As a result, he formulates a roadmap for transforming an organization into one that innovates, problem-solves, and exceeds expectations.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
Content marketers don’t own company culture but can influence it, starting with their own team. Since content collaboration is so critical, you’ll appreciate its guidance on teamwork using the principles of cultural chemistry.
Praise for The Culture Code
“I’ve been waiting for years for someone to write this book — I’ve built it up in my mind into something extraordinary. But it is even better than I imagined. Daniel Coyle has produced a truly brilliant, mesmerizing read that demystifies the magic of great groups. It blows all other books on culture right out of the water.”
— Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author
Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less
Author: Joe Pulizzi
What It’s About
Pulizzi is one of the world’s leading experts on content marketing, so one of his books should always be on your bookshelf. In this book, he takes you on a journey of developing content that informs and entertains. He also presents strategies to help you become thought leaders and trusted experts.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
This book can inform your content strategy and content planning — areas where content teams often struggle. The author gives you a blueprint for content production consistency and how to grow an audience, measure content performance, and increase your content budget.
Praise for Epic Content Marketing
“This is a brilliant canter through the rapid and ever-changing world of content marketing.”
— Jonathan Mildenhall, VP of Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence at Coca-Cola
Brandscaping
Author: Andrew M. Davis
What It’s About
This take on content marketing is about partnerships and how valuable they can be for organizations. The author helps readers unlock hidden opportunities to stand out among the noise.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
Any content team faces challenges in optimizing resources. This book sets you up for success with new content development perspectives and ensures it resonates with your audience.
Praise for Brandscaping
“Brandscaping holds the promise of redefining tired notions of paid, earned and owned media. Andrew Davis shares dozens of great stories of companies that have grown their markets by creating unconventional partnerships to create content their audiences can’t get enough of.”
— Mike O’ Toole, President and Partner, PJA Advertising
Conversation Marketing: How to Be Relevant and Engage Your Customer by Speaking Human
Image Source: Startup Nation
Author: Kevin Lund
What It’s About
This book will help you assess your brand’s voice and tone. No matter the complexity of your field or the expertise of your audience, speaking human creates connections over jargon. The author offers ways to connect your brand and customers through their hearts and minds.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
This book has the potential to transform your content marketing as you dial into what matters to your customers. Key points in the book that are excellent takeaways include how to earn an audience’s attention, craft meaningful stories, and develop a two-way dialog between you and your customers.
Praise for Conversation Marketing
“This book will teach you the small tactical things and big strategic thinking to change the way you communicate with your customers.”
— Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute
They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today’s Digital Consumer
Author: Marcus Sheridan
What It’s About
The premise of this book is to stop selling and start answering your buyers’ questions. Sheridan takes readers through his struggles as a business owner and triumphs by using this principle. It’s an easy-to-grasp book with tactics and strategies.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
The book has some great takeaways for you to experiment with, such as turning your website into a magnet for qualified leads and why you should treat your business as a media company that’s constantly publishing content. If you’re looking for a fresh approach to attracting and acquiring customers, you’ll find them here.
Praise for They Ask, You Answer
“They Ask, You Answer provides a great guide for creating relevant content, earning trust, and speeding up sales cycles. Sheridan’s philosophy is simple: ask yourself the question, ‘What is my customer thinking?’”
— Darrell Amy, Author of Revenue Growth Engine
Talk Triggers
Authors: Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin
What It’s About
This book is from two content marketing legends. Its core is helping marketers create strategies to capitalize on word-of-mouth interactions, which can influence 90 percent of all decisions.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
This book fills a gap in your content marketing strategy — generating customer conversations. The more you can hear from them, the better you can target them based on their needs and challenges. Give this book your undivided attention to learn how to progress the conversation so your company becomes the solution to challenges.
Praise for Talk Triggers
“There are 3 types of biz books: Opening eyes to new ideas: in-depth how-tos; & a magical type that gives language and heuristics to know, share, and execute things you noticed but never fully harnessed. THAT is @jaybaer [and] @daniellemin’s book.”
— Jay Acunzo, Founder of Unthinkable Media (via Twitter)
Content Strategy for the Web (2nd Edition)
Authors: Kristina Halvorson & Melissa Rach
What It’s About
The 2009 edition was widely acclaimed by content strategists everywhere. With their 2nd edition, Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach add new insights and examples to crystallize the rationale behind their advice.
Why It’s a Must-Read for Content Marketing Managers
The book’s title is what most content marketing leaders are hired to do. Its content shows content leaders how to generate meaningful results in a corporate setting.
Praise for Content Strategy for the Web
“This is the go-to handbook for creating an effective content strategy. The Post-it notes and dog-eared pages in my copy are evidence of that!”
— Aaron Watkins, Director of Digital Strategy, Johns Hopkins Medicine
You can learn so much from this library of content marketing books. Honing and refining content ideation, creation, production, publishing, and distribution is necessary to stay relevant and competitive. For more great reads on content marketing insights, subscribe to the DivvyHQ blog, written by and for content marketers.