The Best Branding and Marketing Books

There’s a lot of books on branding and marketing out there, too many for one person to read in their lifetime. So I’ve compiled this list of 10 books that have taught me a lot about business and how to grow my company. Some are oldies but goodies, some are new book releases. Either way, they’re all worth reading if you want to build your brand from the ground up or learn more about marketing in general.

Here are the best brand and marketing books out there today:

10. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

This book is a classic. The author, Malcom Gladwell, was inspired to write The Tipping Point after writing an article about the decline in crime in New York City and looking for other trends that move virally throughout society. This book talks all about social epidemics like how Hush Puppies became popular among teenagers or why some products become wildly successful while others never go anywhere. It’s extremely interesting and I’ve found it very useful when I’m trying to get my own products marketed.

9. The Dip by Seth Godin

This book has a lot of great things to say about quitting when you need to quit and how important it is not to give up on something too soon. The author talks all about the value of persistence and what really makes people successful versus those who give up after their first failure or two. It’s hard sometimes, but if we look at success as being like a mountain range, then each dip in the mountains is a chance to change direction and try something new.

8. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout

A lot of my favorite business books are old but this one is super interesting because it’s so full of vivid stories that I can really picture unfolding before me as I read about them. There’s lots of great information here, too, like how we buy based on emotion or how brands become successful because customers come to expect certain things from them. There’s a lot of great marketing information in this book.

7. The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

This is one of the most useful business books out there because it talks about what goes on behind the scenes at businesses and how to make sure you have all your bases covered before you get started with something new. It teaches readers how to think like an entrepreneur, which can be harder than actually doing it sometimes. I’ve used this book as a guide for my own business and it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.

6. Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got by Jay Abraham

I first heard about this book on an episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast years ago and I loved what it had to say about pricing, marketing, positioning your customer in the mind of others, etc. This is a super old book but it has some very interesting ideas that still work well even today. At least it did for me when I read it.

5. The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan

This book has a great philosophy and anyone who’s looking to get more out of their business or life should check it out. It talks about focusing on the one thing that will have the biggest impact on your success, everything else can be put off until after you’ve finished this goal. This is something most people struggle with so if you’re having trouble getting things done then this book might be a good choice.

4. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

This is another great little book for anyone who wants to improve their situation in life or business and this one has an interesting take on how you’re always either going forward or backward, no matter what happens in your life. It’s all about the choices we make every day that end up making us better off over time. This was my favourite title on this list of 10 books because it really made me think about how I’ve been living my life lately and what areas of it could use a big change.

3. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

This book is all about the art of bootstrapping a business with zero costs, no debt and very little investment from outside sources. It talks about many unique businesses that have made over 100 grand in their lifetime without having to pay for anything up front or borrow money from anyone else on top of that. There are plenty of ideas here for anyone who wants to start their own business.

2. Purple Cow by Seth Godin

This is one of my favourite books on marketing and it’s all about how you have to do something that really stands out from the rest if you want your company or product to be successful in today’s world. No one can compete with the big guys anymore so if you’re going to get noticed, then your product has got to be amazing and fresh in a way that no one else can imitate. It’s a great read and I think any business owner would benefit from it.

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This is the best book on this list of 10 books for people who want to start their own business but don’t have much money or savings yet, which happens to most entrepreneurs today. The author talks about how he had two dads growing up that taught him radically different lessons about work and what makes people successful in life. If you’re looking to start your own business, then I highly recommend this book.

I hope you enjoyed reading about these 10 books that have taught me a lot about how to build my company and what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur. These are the types of books that I’ll continue to read for years because they help me get better at what I do every day.