Reading lists for the summer vacation season bring visions of romance novels, murder mysteries or mindless quick-reads. This summer, we’d like to encourage you to switch it up with one of these selections, all hand-picked to help you energize your business, your marketing plan and your mindset. Grab or download all seven and head to the beach.
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
By Scott Adams
Authored by the Dilbert comic strip character author, this book uses similar-to-Dilbert humor to reveal his personal stories of workplace dilemmas and failures and how he overcame them. It’s part memoir, part business primer and the result is a hopeful message.
The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Application, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly
By David Meerman Scott
The rules keep changing and Scott keeps updating his book to keep his advice current. In fact, this is the fourth edition! The latest version of what has become a small business marketer’s must-have book, has updated case studies and insight on all of the new social media and marketing apps.
This excellent look at the basics of new-millennial marketing should find use in the hands of any serious PR professional making the transition.
Publishers Weekly
Business in Blue Jeans: How to Have a Successful Business on Your Own Terms, In Your Own Style
By Susan Baroncini-Moe
From the lady who started a grape kool-aid stand as a kid because everyone was doing lemonade stands, comes a book for business owners about how to do things your own way. Her advice comes from years of working as a consultant with entrepreneurs, start-ups, individuals and SMBs. Her creative thought process trickles down to stimulate your thinking as well. Hear what she has to say about marketing on your own terms:
https://soundcloud.com/lgkmarketing/marketing-on-your-own-terms
The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success
By Megan McArdle
We’ve all heard the story of Michael Jordan getting cut from his high school basketball team. He used this failure to become a better player. That’s the premise for this book – how to turn failures into opportunities for success, growth and new beginnings.
The Up Side of Down reveals a forgotten secret to success: failure. This gracefully written, carefully researched book offers a timely and critical message. In a world that’s obsessed with perfection, Megan McArdle shows that our accomplishments depend on whether we can make mistakes and learn from them.
Adam Grant, Wharton professor and author of Give and Take
Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing and Advertising
By Ryan Holiday
This book looks at marketing from a totally different mindset and is a strategy that has been used successfully by many IT companies such as Dropbox and Twitter which don’t use traditional advertising or marketing.
Growth hacking is a marketing technique developed by technology startups which uses creativity, analytical thinking, and social metrics to sell products and gain exposure.
Wikipedia.org
Whether or not it spreads to non-tech companies, this is still an interesting look at an emerging trend.
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of the Battling Giants
By Malcolm Gladwell
As a fan of Malcom Gladwell (and one of his previous books, What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures) we thought this would be a good one to check out and we were not disappointed. This review provides an appropriate description:
It provides useful insights in terms of how emergent or small players can effectively compete and win when taking on larger firms, which is key for many entrepreneurial startups.
Dr. Michael H. Morris, George and Lisa Etheridge Professor of Entrepreneurship, Program Director, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing
By Ramon Ray
The author, a Technology Evangelist, takes small businesses through the basic and advanced features of Facebook. Some of the tips come from the Facebook staff and some from his experience as a technology marketer. This book is particularly helpful for businesses who want to start a Facebook presence and don’t know where to start.
Ramon Ray will be a guest on The Marketing Mojo Show on Wednesday, June 18 at 1:00pm to talk about Facebook and Marketing Technology for Small Businesses.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lgkmarketing/2014/06/18/facebook-and-marketing-technology-for-small-businesses
Still I Rise
By Maya Angelou
Reading this poem from a strictly literal sense, you can feel the power of a people rising above the indignities of slavery. More generically, this poem is a testament to the power of humanity to rise above the indignities of life. It is an inspirational ode to survival and faith and a mandatory read for all business leaders. Technically a poem, it is available in book format on Amazon. RIP Maya Angelou
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise
Leisa Chester Weir
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