Books can occasionally seem quite dated in the world of modern media.
But if you want some wisdom straight from the top that you can dwell on—and use in your own journey to the top—books written by the business and marketing gurus are where you should be looking.
Often, these books can be tell-all approaches to the mistakes and lessons that these successful business people have made themselves, so they can tell you their experiences, and we can learn from their mistakes and be inspired by their wisdom.
8 Best Digital Marketing Books
Here are our top picks of the must-read books for a digital marketer.
1. Digital Marketing Strategy by Simon Kingsnorth
This book from Simon Kingsnorth is a best seller globally and is the only text you need for a strategic approach to digital marketing.
Something which Kingsnorth does well to point out as the first mistake made by newcomers to digital marketing, the right strategy can take you right to the top.
Recommended by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the book is accessible and in-depth. In its current 3rd edition, it presents strategies for a whole host of marketing channels, such as search, social, and others.
2. Brand Storytelling by Mimi Rodriguez
Written by Miri Rodriguez who worked at Microsoft, as well as advice from large brand names such as Expedia, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Adobe, and Google.
This book teaches the digital marketer how to remain human and utilize storytelling in their brand design.
Miri hopes to encourage brand growth and long-term business models through a focus on the customer within the digital world, implying that a lot of digital marketing these days forgets about the customer’s own story and how the brand can integrate with that for better results.
3. Hook Point by Brendan Kane
We have mentioned this book on our site before, but it remains useful in a few different business settings but can be most useful in the world of digital marketing.
This is the modern bible on how to stand out within the world of modern media, so it would feel wrong not to mention it.
What Kane teaches is invaluable for the modern world of digital marketing, he provides actionable advice on how to stand out when so much of digital marketing is based on the 3-second attention span of customers.
Having worked for MTV, as well as building brands like Taylor Swift’s and Rihanna’s, you can trust Kane’s out-of-the-box thinking.
4. Digital Branding by Daniel Rowles
This is a book that really focuses on how to brand your company in the digital world, with the hopes that the wisdom Rowles brings can help you strengthen your online presence as well as embracing the core values of marketing.
The book features a robust framework for strategic content marketing, SEO, and web analytics.
In this updated 3rd Edition Rowles adapts his robust ideas to become even more useful and accessible to the newer markets of social media as well as providing an understanding of the ethics and law that surround these platforms and their markets.
5. Rethink Lead Generation by Tom Shapiro
Lead generation is the initiation of interest from consumers, and how they interact with your brand or product.
This book from Tom Shapiro presents some new ways to rethink your lead generation and how it can be bolder and more effective in our digital world.
Published in 2022 this book remains a very up-to-date approach to how to get your digital marketing out of a ditch.
If you feel this describes your situation then Shaprio’s book takes the traditional lead generation approach and revitalizes it for the new generation.
6. The Power Of Digital Marketing by Owen Armstrong
This up to date text from Owen Armstrong is the beginners bible to digital marketing.
If you feel you struggle to understand digital marketing, this is the book for you.
Armstrong seeks to explain how marketing has changed in the digital world and how to adapt your strategies to this new world with efficacy.
This book is great for those who want to avoid making traditional marketing mistakes and instead create something that is current, savvy, and embraces bold tactics to stand out in a world of micro attention, super necessary for any burgeoning digital marketer.
7. The New Marketing by Cheryl And Mark Burgess
This is another book aimed at transitioning traditionalists into the new world of digital marketing and how to ultimately succeed as a digital marketer.
The book more specifically is for those MBA students who want to sharpen their skills to be applicable to the modern age of digital marketing.
The book includes anecdotal advice from those who are at the forefront of the digital marketing age, rewriting the now outdated marketing textbooks of the past.
8. Upstream Marketing by Tim Koelzer And Kristin Kurth
This book doesn’t necessarily focus on how to start in the digital marketing world but on how to emulate the success of the big fish.
How they swim upstream rather than downstream and how to apply their successes to your own marketing journey.
The book includes many in-depth case studies on some of the top digital marketing brands such as Apple and Nike to name a few, and ultimately how insight, identity, and innovation can lead to health, growth and success in your business.
Final Thoughts
As traditional marketing textbooks are thrown in the trash, these books are now the scriptures we must rely on to survive in the world of digital marketing.