There have been a lot of books written about content marketing. The following are the best content marketing books that you must not miss in order to excel in this field. We have also listed some of the best content marketing authors and their popular books at the end of the article.
8 Best Content Marketing Books of 2023
1. The Psychology of a Website
Author: Matthew Capala
The book talks about the factors which influence the performance of any website. Capala, with his massive study of websites, explains two factors influencing website ranking. – Google’s AI-powered RankBrain and the choice psychology of us humans. A marketer gets an explanation of how it’s the user satisfaction and not keywords, that bring success to a website. Derived from hundreds of practical examples, he explains the six-step PSY formula. He guides the readers on the following:
- How to build trust amongst the audience
- Strategies to reduce bounce rates
- Methods to attract customer attention toward your offerings
- The rightness of designing and copywriting from a website point of view
- Varied methods to boost engagement and sales on the website
The book provides valuable content for beginners and experts. It is a must-read for business owners, working professionals, digital influencers, and students. The book teaches an intelligent approach to sales and marketing. Hence, it is the best suit for sales and marketing professionals.
2. SEO Fundamentals for Small Business Owners
Author: Dean Scaduto
The book walks readers through actionable SEO tips. Scaduto opens the book with the basic terms of SEO and its importance in marketing a small business. The author believes that businesses based on the internet are futuristic and competitive. And so, he stresses having the fundamentals of search engine optimization done right!
Scaduto prefers to explain complex SEO terms through simple examples. Marketers learn innovative ideas, and actions, to improve the performance of their websites.
The language used in the book to explain the complex SEO terms is easy. So, it is suitable for students learning marketing & website development. It is a great suit for company owners, digital marketers, and SEO experts.
3. 3 Months to No.1
Author: Will Coombe
The author is an airplane pilot fascinated with the SEO world who has switched from “airline” to “online”. Will Coombe runs the top SEO agency in London in spite of starting from knowing nothing. The book hence avoids all the technical jargon of SEO. It focuses on techniques to filter the most profitable traffic to a website. The book is a guide on technical know-how, processes, and SEO blueprints to help websites ‘take off’! It helps readers in the following areas:
- Online marketing tips
- Advice for your small business
- Finding and using money-making keywords
- Configuring WordPress with the right SEO
- A detailed guide on building quality content
- Use of social media accounts
- SEO tips for a local business
- SEO for eCommerce
The book is best for small business owners, content marketers, and successful businesses. It helps affiliate marketers and bloggers to save time and resources invested in SEO.
4. Epic Content Marketing
Author: Joe Pulizzi
The author highlights the changing world of advertising and marketing. He proves to the readers throughout the book, how ‘effective content marketing’ is ruling the internet. He throws light on building epic content marketing by explaining the following self-built methods:
- How to tell a different story
- Breakthrough the clutter
- Win more customers with minimal marketing
Apart from discussing the ways of effective content creation, Pulizzi also guides readers to know their target audience, and customer behavior keenly.
The book proves to be an asset for a person owning a large business or a small one. It is a must-read for a digital marketer, blogger, student, budding entrepreneur, or content writer wanting to build compelling content!
5. Hook Point
Author: Brendan Kane
The author puts forth a 3-second micro-attention theory. He explains that a customer’s attention span is as low as 3 seconds. It is crucial to catch the customer’s eye from the ocean of advertisements. He further explains the term ‘Hook Point’ as the nucleus of the content. Such a nucleus has a quality to grab customers’ attention and time. The author walks the reader through the following to explain- ‘how to stand out in 3-seconds’
- What is Hook Point
- How to create a perfect Hook point?
- The keys to success with Hook points
If you are a brand trying to promote your products and services, this book is for you. It is a perfect guide for social media marketers, strategists, and business owners. Anyone wanting to switch to online marketing should prefer reading this book.
6. Content Marketing, Engineered
Author: Wendy Covey
The book provides a detailed framework for building an effective content marketing program. The author begins by discussing the sound and well-researched approach of customers towards the sellers. This, she says, makes the competition harder to crack.
The book focuses on steps to inform, educate and help buyers about your product or service. She goes on to explain an end-to-end content marketing process. She explains planning, writing, publishing, promoting, and measuring the performance of the content.
Covey derives methods of producing content that is a trusted resource for customers. Such content helps spend less per lead and achieves greater sales pipeline efficiency.
Best for B2B businesses, multinational organizations, and digital marketers. It is a must-read for marketing, business development, and sales professionals.
7. They Ask, You Answer
Author: Marcus Sheridan
The book talks about fixing the existing content marketing strategy. The author mentions the need to change the point of view toward online marketing and SEO. He implies that a top-ranking website is no more about keyword stuffing and SEO. It is more about providing answers that the customers are seeking through questions. Sheridan asks the readers to stop “selling” products/services. He insists on replacing it with “answering”. Today, this is a fresh approach to marketing. The author guides on executing the procedure of answering your customers’ questions. The big five customer questions mentioned by the author are as follows:
- Price: How much does (insert product name) cost?
- Problems: What is the problem of (insert product)?
- Comparisons: Which is the best (insert product)? (product A) Vs (product B),
- Reviews: Is (insert product) worth the money?
- Which is the best (product category)?
It is a book perfect for businesses looking to start content marketing. Writers, experts in content marketing, lawyers, consultants, etc. can befriend this book.
8. Marketing Made Simple
Author: Donald Miller
The author emphasizes the importance of having an effective way to reach customers. The book starts by introducing three stages of a customer relationship. Namely- Curiosity, Enlightenment, and Commitment. The author also gives a marketing checklist to develop effective content. The book guides the reader on important topics. Namely- Copywriting, website wireframing, campaign building, and email marketing. Miller, explains the complex terms with relevant examples. It makes the journey through the book more engaging for a reader.
The book is a perfect go-to for founders, entrepreneurs, marketers, and sales professionals.
Top Authors who Wrote the Best Books on Content Marketing
1. Robert W. Bly
Robert W. Bly has authored many (over 90) best-selling books on marketing. Some of those include:
- The Content Marketing Handbook: The book helps create ROI-focused content and lead magnets.
- The B2B Marketing Handbook: A complete guide to creating results-oriented B2B marketing plans.
- How to Write and Sell Simple Information for Fun and Profit: The book helps monetize online content like podcasts, videos, etc.
2. Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi has authored many business books. The following books are the best-selling collections of the author.
- Content Inc.: This book is a complete guide for newbies in business. It educates the reader to select and analyze a business idea. It teaches to predict competition, build loyalty, and expand the business.
- Killing Marketing: The book guides on converting a marketing strategy into a revenue-generating tool!
- Managing Content Marketing: The book helps marketers to develop and manage an effective storytelling process.
3. David Meerman Scott
David Meerman Scott is a sales and marketing expert. He has authored and co-authored more than 10 books. The following three are out of his best-selling collection:
- The New Rules of Marketing and PR: The book talks about using Content Marketing, Podcasting, Social Media, AI, etc. to reach potential buyers effectively.
- Fanocracy: The book is about turning the fans of your business into your customers and your customers into fans. Scott explains fandom as the most powerful marketing force.
- The New Rules of Sales and Service: The author guides on agile selling, real-time customer engagement, content strategy, and storytelling.
4. Ann Handley
Ann Handley is one of the most influential women in Social Media Marketing. She writes about reinventing content marketing efforts.
- Everybody Writes: This book is a guide to attracting customers through effective online communication.
- Content Rules: The book is a guide to creating engaging web content and building a loyal set of followers by engagement.
5. Jason McDonald
Jason McDonald writes on Social media marketing, Adwords, and SEO. His books help marketers to deal with complex concepts in marketing. Following are his most famous works:
- Google Ads Workbook: It is a step-by-step guide on advertising. It talks about Google Ads, YouTube, and other display networks.
- SEO Workbook: The book explains a seven-step process to achieve top-notch SEO success.
- Social Media Marketing Workbook: It is an effective guide on using social media for business. It guides marketers in building content strategies and advertising on social media.
Closing Remarks
Hope this article has proven to be a useful source of information about the best content marketing books. You can choose the book based on the area of content marketing you want to improve.
What’s your favorite book on content marketing? Let us know in the comments below.
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