Marketing Books Even Non-Marketers May Like

Normally, I use my Novel Viewpoints blog to talk about fiction, but I do have an alternate blogger persona posting for clients about direct marketing and database marketing. For once, I'm going to let my blog interests overlap by sharing top new books about marketing. Why? Even if you aren't involved in marketing, you are certainly the focus of marketers. Wouldn't you like to know how you are being targeted and manipulated in this age of "big data," social media influence, "personalized" messaging, and scientifically crafted persuasion? I'll start with The Power of Broke by Daymond John, FUBU founder and star of ABC’s "Shark Tank." We all like rags-to-riches stories. John explains how "empty pockets, a tight budget, and a hunger for success can become your greatest competitive advantage," with inspiring illustrations of this hustle principle from his own life, his branding consultant experiences and "Shark Tank" success stories.  If only empty pockets were enough to put me in John's league! Don't Buy A Duck: Stop Wasting Money & Only Do Marketing That Works! by Derek Champagne is a guide to basic branding and marketing, sharing candid soup-to-nuts advice and humorous missteps. I put this one on the list for all my non-marketing readers because of the review by Seth Godin, co-author of The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook: "If you had a smart friend who knew a lot about marketing, this is precisely what she'd tell you over coffee." Viralnomics: How to Get People to Want to Talk About You by Jonathan Goodman lets readers look at their social networks the way psychologists and marketers do. Goodman explains how social media marketing can promote to the right audience--not by finding buttons to push but by finding, understanding and appealing to the influential people who push social buttons. Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die by Eric Siegel is more technical but has fascinating revelations. Learn how the mass of data from online and offline sources can be used to predict behavior for boosting sales, reducing risk, crime fighting, winning elections and more. Siegel covers intriguing topics such as predicting which people will drop out of school, cancel a subscription or get divorced before they know it themselves. You may want to insist that you're a statistical outlier, but you'll be fighting the data! For more options, go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/new-releases/books/2698/ref=zg_bsnr_nav_b_2_3