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My Books 2

I hope you find these book recommendations useful. I’ve read or listened to every single one of them (yes, I am a bit of a book geek) and would highly recommend them to you.

Note: Chat Marketing are Amazon affiliate partners, which means that if you were to purchase any of the books mentioned after you’ve clicked on a button or link on this page, we would earn a small commission from the transaction (at no extra cost to you). I only ever recommend books that I have personally read or listened to and that have made a huge impact on my understanding of the subject matter. Thank you for your support!

Ready to dive in…Okay Let’s Go!

 

  • 'Building a StoryBrand' by Donald Miller

    I am recommending this book to all my clients at the moment! Building a StoryBrand was first recommended to me a few months ago and I've been listening to the audio version in the car ever since. I think I've listened to it all the way through, 3 times so far! I've even gone out and bought the paper-back version of the book, so I can make notes and use it as a reference tool. It really is that good! Essentially the book is about how to increase sales by using movie plot formulas to better explain how your business helps customers and how to eliminate confusion around what you do. Well worth getting hold of a copy. You can thank me later!

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  • 'They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer' by Marcus Sheridan

    I love this book, written by a genuinely nice guy! If you are looking for an easy introduction to the world of content marketing, I could think of no better book to start off with. This is no stuffy marketing text; this is a practical, no nonsense guide that explains how you can use content marketing in your business to increase sales.

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  • 'Business for Punks 'by James Watt

    This excellent thought-provoking book by James Watt, Co-founder of BrewDog, explains that you need to be different to stand out in today's crowded market place and the best way to do that is to have a mission that's much greater than the products and services that you sell. The book is written in an entertaining and unorthodox style that will make you laugh and pause to think in equal measure. If you are a new business (or even just thinking about starting one) you will get the most out of this book, but there are chapters that are relevant to the more mature business, so there really is something for everyone with this read.

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  • 'KNOWN: The handbook for building and unleashing your personal brand in the digital age' by Mark Schaefer

    This book was written by one of the nicest guy's in marketing at the moment, Mark Schaefer, but that's not why you should buy it! Mark has come up with the perfect guide to helping you become "niche famous" in whatever industry you are in. Being well known in your industry is a great strategy for attracting more customers to your business. Who is this book for? This book is not just for those of us seeking to build personal brands, but the ideas contained within this book could easily be applied by any business owner.

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  • Get 1 of these books for free, when you sign up to a 30-day audible trial

    In addition to reading books (which I love but often don't have time for), I like to take full advantage of the dead time I spend travelling by listening to audiobooks on audible. Many of the books mentioned on this page are also available in audio format and you can grab 1 free when you sign up for their 30-day trial.

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  • ‘Youtility’ by Jay Baer

    This excellent book by one of my favourite authors and speakers explains why marketing needs to become helpful or useful in some way. Not only does Jay explain this new approach to marketing, but also provides numerous case studies to illustrate how others are successfully adopting these principles.

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  • ‘The Content Code’ by Mark Schaefer

    Content marketing and social media go hand in hand and you can’t be successful with your social media until you understand the role of content marketing. This excellent book will explain not only what content marketing is and why it is important, but how content marketing and social media work together. In my opinion this is essential reading for any marketer.

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  • 'Will It Fly?: How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money' by Pat Flynn

    Will it Fly was primarily written for those just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey, to help them test their idea for a new business first, before investing a ton of time and money up front, only for the business to be a flop. But the tools and techniques described in the book can be used to test ANY idea you have for your business; be that a new product you are thinking about launching, or even testing the validity of your current business, this book will give you the confidence and techniques to research your idea first.

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  • The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

    This should be required reading for everyone thinking of starting a business, or anyone who is trying to get their business to the next level. The first two books in this category are fairly strategic and high level, whereas the 'E-myth Revisited' is an easy to follow guide to understanding the practicalities of running your business. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

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  • 'Blue Ocean Strategy' by W.Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

    Where 'Business for Punks' is written as if from the heart, 'Blue Ocean Strategy' is written more from the head. This insightful book explains how companies can use various techniques described to find uncontested market waters where it is possible to build a profitable business. Although written in a totally different style to the book above, this book is definitly worth reading.

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  • 'Launch' by Jeff Walker

    Jeff Walker is the creator of "The Product Launch Formula", which is an online training course teaching people how to create, launch and market their own online courses. This book describes the PLF approach and how you can use it to earn your share of an estimated $1.7 Billion industry.

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  • 'Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion' by Robert Cialdini

    This is another must-read for any marketer or business owner. Although not specifically about online business, the techniques that Cialdini describes in his book will help you enhance your online business by teaching you about the psychological triggers that you can use to help your customers to buy from you. Health Warning: This book can definitely be used for evil as well as good, but that's not you is it? Okay, assuming that you deliver a quality product or service and you are not interested in ripping people off, then feel free to head to your nearest bookshop or Amazon web store and get this book on order.

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  • 'Launch' by Michael Stelzner

    Written by the founder of my favourite blog Social Media Examiner, this excellent book explains the practicalities of how to use content and social media to develop a community of raving fans.

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  • 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

    This is a brilliant book! It is so easy to become overwhelmed with all the things that you need to get done, especially if you run your own business, but the truth is that 80% of what we do is just 'busy' work and contributes very little to the success of our venture . This book explains how to master your productivity by focusing on the tasks that are going to have the biggest impact.

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  • 'Understanding Digital marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation' by Damian Ryan

    If you are new to marketing (or even if you are not), it is important that you have a firm grasp on how all the moving parts fit together. This book explains everything from social media to email marketing, to websites, mobile marketing, online public relations, and content marketing and much much more. Each section is written in a clear and concise way, that explains exactly what each of these areas of marketing involves and how they can be brought together for the success of your business.

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  • 'Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook' by Gary Vaynerchuck

    Gary is great, and I could have easily listed several more of his titles in this 'Essentials' list but I've chosen to feature this one here because it has chapters on all the major social media networks, showing examples of both good and bad practices and distilling valuable lessons from each.

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  • 'The 4-Hour Work Week' by Tim Ferris

    If you are looking to build a lifestyle business (or even if you are not) I think this book should definitly make it to your bookshelves (or Kindle). Tim explains how you can live the life of your dreams now by adopting a flexible business model using technology to tie everything together. If you long for the laptop lifestyle, do yourself a favour and order this book now. You can thank me later!

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  • 'The $100 Startup: Fire Your Boss, Do What You Love and Work Less to Live More' by Chris Guillebeau

    This book is often bought as a companion text to the '4-Hour WorkWeek', the book continues the theme Tim sets out in his book and gives more practical advice on how you can start your laptop lifestyle.

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  • 'Eat that Frog' by Brian Tracy

    Whereas 'The One Thing' is quite a meaty read (or listen if you get the audio version like I did), 'Eat that Frog' is a relatively quick read with loads of practical time-management tips to help you stay productive.

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  • 'The Ultimate Webinar Marketing Guide' by Lewis Howes

    This was Lewis Howes' first book and is only available on Kindle. You can tell that he probably didn't have an editor to proof read it, but what it lacks in grammar it more than makes up for in a tone of actionable content, which is why you would want to buy the book in the first place. Don't let the odd typo put you off reading this book. It's well worth the effort. If you want to learn about webinars and how you can use them to build your business, this book delivers exactly as the title promises.

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  • 'The Invisible Selling Machine' by Ryan Deiss

    If you want to get into the nuts and bolts of email marketing, what specific messages to send and when, then this is an excellent Kindle book by Ryan Deiss, Founder of Digital Marketer. Well worth a read!

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  • 'The LinkedIn Code' by Melonie Dodaro

    If you are in the B2B space and you want to learn how to leverage LinkedIn to identify and connect with prospects in a non-salesy way, then this book should be a must-read for you. Melonie does a great job of explaining both the theory and practice of social selling.

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