📚 Six of the Best Book Gifts for Marketers

A monthly newsletter on marketing writing & communications, by Ann Handley. A monthly newsletter on marketing writing & communications, by Ann Handley. [MarketingProfs Communication Today] December 2022 Ho, ho, ho, friend! Hi, it's Annta Claus here, stroking my metaphorical white beard. The best gift in the world is a book. Let's check this list twice for why: - A book is personal. It's chosen with someone specifically, squarely in your mind. - A book has no expiration date. - A book can be used/reused as many times as you want. (You can't ever use it up!) - And each time, it's a slightly different experience. - You can write in it. (You should write in it!) - Books don't require double-A batteries or USB chargers or adapters. - A book feeds the curious mind of a marketer. We are always looking for the next new idea, aren't we? - You can mail books in the US mail at the lower "book rate" (AKA Media Mail). Trivia to toss out at the holiday table: In the 1930s, President Roosevelt created that preferred rate as a way to encourage literacy. - Books are a window into another world. I might've seen that on a tote bag in a bookstore somewhere. But I'm going with it. - Reading material will keep you fully booked. (I definitely read that on a tote.) * * * Are we on the same page? (LOL) Good. Here are my picks for books to give to the marketers or communicators on your list. Or maybe even yourself (yourshelf?). 1. [Email Marketing Rules](: Checklists, Frameworks, and 150 Best Practices for Business Success by Chad S. White What it is: A zero-nonsense look at how to use email more effectively from one of the email OGs. Gift it to: That exec who keeps asking Why aren't we on TikTok? Email is the backbone of our marketing programs. You can quote me on that. Maybe print out that last sentence and tack it on the bulletin board in the breakroom. Favorite line: "The on-brand execution of best practices tailored to your unique audience is what leads to the best execution." My thoughts: This booked is packed with utility. (The subtitle says it all!) But a caveat: It came out in 2017. Chad is releasing a new edition this March 2023. (I've seen it; it's good.) Keep the brand-new edition on your radar. 2. [Using Behavioral Science in Marketing]( by Nancy Harhut What it is: A breakdown of behavioral science principles collected in one place. Gift it to: Marketers in your life who feel worn to the nub by nincompoops who think content is a commodity. Favorite line: "You want to pay attention to the language you use not because you want your audience to think you're a fantastic wordsmith, but because you want them to be more likely to behave the way you hope they will." My thoughts: Ridiculously good writing is about touching hearts. About making the world feel a little more accessible. About making each one of us feel a little less alone. We all want to be understood. To know that our weirdness isn't really all that weird. We all want to be seen. That's true whether you're writing a B2B email newsletter or this sentence right here. 3. [Brandscaping: Unleasing the Power of Partnerships]( by Andrew Davis What it is: An insightful read on how to partner with other brands and influencers to drive demand for the products and services you sell. Gift it to: Anyone looking to expand his/her thinking beyond the generally accepted notions of paid, earned, and owned media. Favorite line: "Successful brandscapers think more like television producers and less like marketers." My thoughts: This book came out a decade ago. But it was WAAAAAAAYYYYY ahead of its time: The ideas Andrew shares are only now beginning to take root in marketing. I've suggested to Andrew that he should update the examples and refresh the case studies. But even without that, this book is more useful than the day it was a mewling marketing book newborn. 4. [Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts]( by Brené Brown What it is: A perspective on answering the question, How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders and create a culture of courage? She offers four simple (yet hard!) things to focus on. Gift it to: Fans of Brené who might not have read this one. Favorite line: "The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can't do better and faster." My thoughts: My social feed and inbox are stuffed full of chatter and buzz around AI. This is a newly relevant read because it reminds us that empathy and connection are the core of our humanity. And our marketing. If you ask me, the robots need us more than we need them. 5. [Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning So Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It]( by April Dunford What it is: A look at how to find your product's secret sauce—and then bottle that sauce for those who will slurp it up. Gift it to: That CEO who keeps talking features and not benefits. That executive who says things like "But our product is REVOLUTIONARY!" while you try not to roll your eyes so hard you dislocate your eyeballs. My thoughts: Positioning is one of the least considered or understood underpinnings of marketing, which is why MarketingProfs CEO Allen Weiss is currently at work on his book about positioning, too. (Look for that in 2023.) In Everybody Writes 2 (below), I talk about positioning as the foundation of your story. Get April's book and the next one as a perfect one-two punch in the arm. 6. [Everybody Writes 2: Your New & Improved Go-To Guide to Ridiculously Good Marketing]( by me What it is: An easy-to-read resource that can help anyone—but especially marketers—become a better writer. [That's what David Dodd said](. Gift it to: Yourself (David said that, too). Your team. ([Amanda said that](.) Homeschoolers. ([Molly said that on Instagram](.) Even if you read the first edition, read this one. "It's a big refresh," ([D. Bourne said](). My thoughts: Writing has never been more critical for all of us. Even in an age of AI, you ask? ESPECIALLY now. You can't place an AI tool into the hands of a marketer who can't write and except anything ridiculously good. And in 2023, ridiculously good is the bar. Get this book. It's my best work. Thank you for your support. [Ann Handley] [Ann Handley] Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs Author, Everybody Writes: Your New and Improved Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content ATOM: Ann's Tip Of the Month [AnalyzeMyWriting]( will... well, analyze your writing to show instances where you use passive sentences or you repeat words too often. The free tool also gives you a read on something called "lexical density." I don't know what lexical density is, but I picture words struggling to swim in a deep, dark ocean and you—a lifeguard-writer—come along with a pair of lifesaving water wings to let your words float inside sentences, buoyant as a jellyfish. [[Webinar] The 10 Things Great Marketing Writers Do That Set Them Apart]( The 10 Things Great Marketing Writers Do That Set Them Apart* Join me in this look at how we can take our marketing writing from meh to marvel...holy-wow! [Let me know you're coming!]( *For MarketingProfs PRO members Marketing Communication Resources [podcast] [Creating Ridiculously Good Content [Podcast]]( If we are in marketing, then we are writers. I talk to Marketing Smarts podcast host George B. Thomas about the ideas in my new book. [chart] [What the Demise of Third-Party Cookies Means for Marketing [Article]]( I like this broad take on our collective cookie-less future from Scott Ensign. Yes... our cookieless future has been pushed back. But smart marketers will need to prepare now. [podcast] [How to Create B2B Social Content That Isn't Dry and Boring [Podcast]]( "98% of B2B content I run across is very boring. It's all made up of clichés and facts, and it's tiresome," says Brooke Sellas. HIGH-FIVE, Brooke! This is a great listen. [article] [Now Is the Time to Get Your Marketing Plan in Place for 2023 [Virtual Event]](mcV/bWJCL3FQbEJ4d3JBZ1FZZHMybjBUd1A5YTRNL3BuTk1pY0Y5L1l5OHBtZzRtemM1ZlFHQ0FsbDlXdUZCZksyb1U1Y0MzNkhlUFVjRTBaaFVrU1VlSE16emZaa3gvTjhDY1JWeEk4SWoycko3UGhBZGw4eXNyZz09S0/) Three experts give you advice and an approach on how to make that happen before we say buh-bye to 2022... for good! A Message From Augie Handley [Augie!] "Merry Everything." —Augie [MarketingProfs] Your Communication Today Team Your team for this issue (in alphabetical order): Megan Cordero, production director; Vahe Habeshian, publications director; Ann Handley, chief content officer; Augie Handley, naps expert. [MarketingProfs]( Copyright © 2000–2022 MarketingProfs, LLC All Rights Reserved Read our Terms of Service [here](. This email was sent to {EMAIL} as part of your MarketingProfs subscription. If you prefer to no longer receive MarketingProfs Communication Today, you can always [leave this list](. 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