10 Social Marketing Books for Summer 2017

“School’s out for the summer!” – Alice Cooper.

Now that school is out and summer is approaching, I researched the top social marketing books that can make me a better digital marketer. I will be starting my senior year of college as a marketing major this fall, so I thought that this summer is the perfect opportunity to broaden my knowledge and learn new strategies in the marketing industry. To help me do this, I pulled together ten social marketing books that would broaden, sharpen and strengthen my knowledge of social and digital marketing.

Of the many social marketing books that I’ve read (and there have been quite a few), I have to say that these ten books were the most thought provoking. They not only explain new leading industry strategies and standards, but they got me thinking about what’s to come. Without any further adieu, here are the ten social marketing books that I think every serious digital marketer needs to read this summer. Let me know what you think of this list in the comments section below!

Growth Marketing is the process of rapid experimentation across marketing channels and product development to identify the most effective, efficient ways to grow a business. Growth hackers believe in tools that are testable, trackable and scalable. Ryan Holiday discusses how the major digital brands of today (Facebook, Airbnb, Snapchat, etc.) utilize Growth Marketing instead of traditional marketing strategies, and how you can use the same strategies to help your brand grow and thrive in today’s digital world.

SEO 2017: Learn Search Engine Optimization with Smart Internet Marketing Strategies

By Adam Clarke



SEO is one of the most discussed 3 letters in all of digital marketing. It’s incredibly important, often ignored and usually mismanaged. Adam Clarke’s SEO 2017 provides strategies to improve your organization’s SEO through Google’s new algorithm. Clarke, a Google certified professional, talks about the latest updates and changes that Google has done to their algorithm, all while providing tips and pointers to stay ahead, and to be highly ranked.

Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers

By Jay Baer

In Hug Your Haters, Jay Baer talks about how to deal with negative comments on social media. He proves that there are two types of complainers with different motivations: an offstage hater and an onstage hater. Baer pulled researched case studies from businesses, and includes strategies in his book to tackle haters and embrace their complaints, while explaining the differences in each of the two complainers, and how to deal with each one.

Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior

By: Jonah Berger

Jonah Berger’s Invisible Influence talks about how social influencers form and structure the decisions that we make consciously and unconsciously. Invisible Influence explains how other peoples behavior affects the everyday lifestyle choices we make. Everything from the food we eat, to the careers we choose are influenced by the behavior of others. Berger teaches how to use social media to harness the power of influencers for the benefit of your business.

Top of Mind: Use Content to Unleash Your Influence and Engage Those who Matter To You

By: John Hall

John Hall teaches you how to use content to influence consumers by building a relationship with them. Top of Mind provides a clear step-by-step strategic plan to build your own brand. With the goal of doing business through building relationships, Hall explains how to build trust using strategic and targeted digital content specific to your audience.

Known: The Handbook for Building and Unleashing Your Personal Brand in The Digital Age

By: Mark W. Schaefer

Mark W. Shaffer explains how to build content through digital marketing using a step-by-step plan followed by a diverse group of successful influencers. This book provides case studies and inspiring stories that can show you the path to building a more personal business success story in today’s digital age.

Kraig Kleeman gives you strategies to help you create your own personal brand that separates yourself from competitors. This book contains tips and key strategies for building and creating a winning brand while gaining a loyal following, generating more business and establishing a great reputation for your brand.

Unleash Possible: A Marketing Playbook that Drives B2B Sales

By: Samantha Stone

Unleash Possible, is a how-to-guide for B2B marketers to learn how to partner with others to achieve sales goals, and also to get the right results. Samantha Stone tells her personal story, citing her real-life experiences, and using her experience to give advice on how to collaborate with others, and marketing fundamentals as well.

Digital Sense is a playbook for organizations seeking a more engaged customer experience strategy. This book gives you advice on how to reorganize sales, and how to compete in today’s digital world. This is a step-by-step road map on learning how to optimize customer experience to gain a competitive advantage.

#GetSocialSmart: How to Hone Your Social Media Strategy

By: Katie Lance

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, this book can guide you on how to use social media platforms to benefit your business. Katie Lance teaches you how to build your own content by capitalizing on blogging, live streaming, etc. on multiple social media platforms.

Social media marketing is growing rapidly and it is important for every marketer to always keep updated in today’s digital society. If you want to learn even more about social marketing, download our social media marketing dictionary by clicking the button below.