The Digital Marketer's Master Library

What business books should you read if you are looking to up your game in the digital marketing channels or if you’re just about to enter the fray?

I’m often asked this question, but the answer is not so cut and dry. When people ask about Digital Marketing, it sounds more like they’re thinking about Social Media. The truth is that Social Media is but a small component of the Digital Marketing world. It’s much more important to have a well-rounded perspective around media, marketing, advertising and communications. Over the years, there have been many books that have integrated these core marketing foundations while adding in the newer media slant. Ultimately, a brand is a brand and while the channels and technologies evolve and change, getting an idea to resonate with a consumer is just as challenging as it was when there were no Internet connections.

So, what business books should you read if you are looking for a career in Digital Marketing (or if these channels are becoming a more critical part of your marketing mix)?

Here is the Essential Digital Marketing Library (in alphabetical order):

• The Cluetrain Manifesto by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke,  Doc Searls and David Weinberger.
• Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins.
• Groundswell by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li.
• Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky.
• Life After The 30-Second Spot by Joseph Jaffe.
• Made To Stick – by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.
• Small Pieces Loosely Joined by David Weinberger.
• Tribes by Seth Godin.
• Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.
• Waiting For Your Cat To Bark? by Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg.
• Web Analytics – An Hour A Day by Avinash Kaushik.
• What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis.
• Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams.

There’s a caveat to the list:

You may not need to read every book listed above. Some of them will have similar stories and/or case studies and some of them will be saying the same thing in a different way. While all of these books are worthy of your attention, as of late I’ve discovered that books about anthropology, networks, biology, psychology, architecture and technology can broaden my perspective and definitions of how to create something that both gets attention for my clients, while at the same time, something that has a more lasting and loyal affect. You’ll also note that many of these authors have other books as well. Most of them are great too, so if you like an author, dive into their catalogue.

And furthermore…

There are tons of new, evolving and fresh content online that can be found in Blogs (start here: Ad Age Power 150), audio and video Podcasts and simply by following some of the smarter marketing folks on Twitter who shoot out fascinating links on a daily and continual basis.

What would be in your Essential Digital Marketing Library? (remember, the keyword is "essential"!)