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What marketing books would you recommend?

Hi everyone! On IndieHackers I've seen that a lot of people could do with advice on marketing their projects. With that in mind, what are the best marketing books that you have read, and what made them so damn good?

#ask-ih

  1. 7

    I will kick this off with my recommendation ( Slightly cheating as I'm still reading it ). I am recommending Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares.

    The book is about 19 traction points that you could use to build up traction for your project. It breaks down those 19 traction points into a brief intro to that point, as well as some case studies from large companies and their founders.

    The reason I think it's great as it's made me contemplate marketing methods I had previously written off. As a complete beginner, It's given me some insight into some of the marketing methods where I have almost zero knowledge. One of the things that makes a lot of sense to me is not to spread your marketing efforts everywhere, but instead, find what performs the best for you and focus on that.

    1. 4

      +1 for Traction. The Bullseye framework is a great way discover untapped traction channel.

    2. 3

      Traction is a really great book. Everyone working in growth should read it.

      But the book concept is hard to put in practice sometimes. Specially when you work on a team and everyone want to pursue one channel.

    3. 3

      Yes this is a really good read! It sets your mind right in regards of marketing fundamentals.

      "Hacking Growth: How Today's Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success" can also be a good addition to that.

      1. 1

        Yeah, it's really helped so far, it's quite an easy read as well. Thoroughly enjoying it though!

        That has been on my radar actually haha! So thanks for the recommendation! Do you have any other books on marketing you'd recommend for others here? :)

        Cheers! @Dahfab

  2. 5

    I'm going to recommend 5 that will give you a very rounded knowledge in marketing.

    • 22 Imutable Laws of Marketing
    • Everybody Writes
    • The Conversion Code
    • Predictably Irrational
    • Blue Ocean Strategy
    1. 1

      Hey Chris, thanks for the list! They all look great!

      I think I'll kick it off with 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing and move through the list.

      Predictably Irrational looks like quite a fun read as well! Can I ask are marketing tips you'd like to share? Would be really appreciated as a massive noob! :)

      1. 1

        Here is what has worked for me:

        • Start writing, blogging, etc now. Don't wait, do it now.
        • Make a simple landing page that explains your product (no navigation, just email product details and email signup). If you're not converting at least 5%, change your messaging.
        • Don't get too obsessed with A/B testing until you have min 1000 visitors a day
        • Sell the vision, not the implementation
  3. 3

    I recently enjoyed This Is Marketing from Seth Godin. I've read/followed lots of his stuff over the years, it was a nice refresh, but because I already knew his background I felt like I didn't learn much from it. I still enjoyed it though and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read Seth Godin before.

    1. 1

      Awesome! I've yet to read a Seth Godin book, so it sounds like it'd be good for me. Any other books of his you'd recommend?

      And do you have any points from the book that you'd like to share with others? Would be great to hear your findings!

        1. 1

          Thanks for the notes.

          "tell a story that resonates" this is interesting enough to buy the book. :-)

        2. 1

          Oh damn, this is awesome! :D Thanks!

  4. 2

    +1 for traction. Practical and actionable straight out of the gate.

  5. 2

    Okay, so this isn't a book, but I've taken two marketing courses and keep up to date on the MarketingSherpa blog (and their corresponding research institute MECLABS), and I can say without a doubt that this is the source from which I have learned the most about data-driven marketing and viable A/B testing.

    It's a bit academic, but I far prefer that to "the latest marketing trend," and it's shaped my entire worldview of inbound marketing and what actually works.

    1. 2

      Just wanted to say that MarketingSherpa seems like an absolute goldmine! Thanks so much for the recommendation, going to be trawling through this for weeks to come haha!

    2. 1

      What are the marketing courses you've taken? I'll take a look at the MarketingSherpa blog though, so thanks for the recommendation.

      Nothing wrong with academia! I thought it would be good to find some of the resources to kickstart marketing, so thanks for sharing :)

      1. 1

        Isn't it great?! I took the courses on email marketing and landing page optimization - highly worth it.

        1. 1

          I think I may have to look into doing the email marketing course, I'm alright at landing page optimisation so I should be okay to skip that! :)

          Thanks! @Lauren_IH

  6. 1

    Traction is a great framework for all startups.

  7. 1

    "Hacking Growth" by Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown

  8. 1

    Badass Your Brand...was interesting book for sure.. "Forget everything you think you know about branding and “starting a business,” and throw out your “how to write a business plan” workbook."..

  9. 1

    "The 1 page Marketing plan" https://www.amazon.com/1-Page-Marketing-Plan-Customers-Money-ebook/dp/B01B35M3SM the best practical marketing book I've read.

  10. 1

    DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson is excellent for laying how to put together a modern marketing/conversion funnel. An essential guide to putting together a system for converting traffic into leads and sales.

    Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm remains one of the most influential books on how to bring high tech products to market.

  11. 1

    Recently I've started reading "Building a StoryBrand"! So far it seems one of the best books I've ever read to build/clarify your product message!
    Another one is The Purple Cow by Seth Godin! It has taught me the importance of building products for smallish-vertical niches!

    1. 1

      +1 for Building a StoryBrand

    2. 1

      I've heard Building a Story Brand highly recommended a bunch of times now, so I think i need to push this to the top of my list.

  12. 1

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