I read a lot, as you can gather from my book reviews. While not every book stays on my shelf for future reference, there are some that I constantly refer back to. Here are a few.
1. World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott
I’ve long been a fan of Scott’s writing, and his books always make my list. This one provides a hard look at getting people to talk about your product. Because you can’t “create” a viral video. It has to become that way. Scott’s acerbic observations always make me want more: “Nobody cares about your products (except you).”
2. The Entrepreneur Equation by Carol Roth
Easily my favorite book this year. I seem to go for books that give you the hard truth, rather than sugarcoating it and telling you how to make millions. Roth pushes you to ask yourself whether being an entrepreneur is really for you. Hopefully you’ll come out on the other side.
3. The Next Evolution of Marketing by Bob Gilbreath
I’m all about marketing with meaning, which Gilbreath covers thoroughly. So many companies are marketing with useless drivel and empty purpose. This book shows you how to build trust with customers and keep it. His focus, indeed, is on the customer: listening to what the customer wants, interacting with the customer, paying attention to the customer.
4. Getting Things Done by David Allen
I like a good productivity book thrown in to my usual mix of marketing books. Despite Allen’s book being a little dated (he suggests organizing your data on your PDA!) it applies even more today. Just substitute PDA with smartphone. And ignore the bits about printing everything. We’re trying to save trees, people.
5. Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
I’m also a fan of Hubspot, the marketing company run by the authors of this book. Halligan and Shah cover creating useful content (my personal soapbox), being relevant, and changing your marketing to reflect your customers’ changing tastes.
That’s it for now! Do you have any books to add to this list?
5 More Must-Read Books for Startups and Entrepreneurs
I read a lot, as you can gather from my book reviews. While not every book stays on my shelf for future reference, there are some that I constantly refer back to. Here are a few.
1. World Wide Rave by David Meerman Scott
I’ve long been a fan of Scott’s writing, and his books always make my list. This one provides a hard look at getting people to talk about your product. Because you can’t “create” a viral video. It has to become that way. Scott’s acerbic observations always make me want more: “Nobody cares about your products (except you).”
2. The Entrepreneur Equation by Carol Roth
Easily my favorite book this year. I seem to go for books that give you the hard truth, rather than sugarcoating it and telling you how to make millions. Roth pushes you to ask yourself whether being an entrepreneur is really for you. Hopefully you’ll come out on the other side.
3. The Next Evolution of Marketing by Bob Gilbreath
I’m all about marketing with meaning, which Gilbreath covers thoroughly. So many companies are marketing with useless drivel and empty purpose. This book shows you how to build trust with customers and keep it. His focus, indeed, is on the customer: listening to what the customer wants, interacting with the customer, paying attention to the customer.
4. Getting Things Done by David Allen
I like a good productivity book thrown in to my usual mix of marketing books. Despite Allen’s book being a little dated (he suggests organizing your data on your PDA!) it applies even more today. Just substitute PDA with smartphone. And ignore the bits about printing everything. We’re trying to save trees, people.
5. Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
I’m also a fan of Hubspot, the marketing company run by the authors of this book. Halligan and Shah cover creating useful content (my personal soapbox), being relevant, and changing your marketing to reflect your customers’ changing tastes.
That’s it for now! Do you have any books to add to this list?