Marketing technology, or martech, is a rapidly evolving field that blends the worlds of marketing and technology to help businesses connect with their target audience and improve their bottom line.
With new tools and technologies emerging all the time, it can be challenging to keep up with the latest trends and best practices in this field. That's where the top martech books come in, offering valuable insights and guidance from experts in the field.
Whether you're a marketing professional looking to stay ahead of the curve, an entrepreneur seeking to grow your business, or a tech enthusiast curious about the intersection of marketing and technology, these books are sure to provide valuable knowledge and inspiration.
In this list, we've compiled some of the most influential and informative books on martech, covering topics ranging from digital marketing strategies to data analytics to customer experience optimization. So grab a cup of coffee, settle into your favourite reading nook, and dive into the world of martech with these top books.
So without further ado, we proudly present our 6 hottest martech reads right now…
Customer Data Platforms by Chris O’Hara and Martin Kihn
CDPs are the hottest marketing technology around today, but are they worthy of the hype? Spoiler: Yes.
‘Customer Data Platforms’ dives into the problems of managing customer data, and understanding what CDPs do (and don’t do) in order to organise and harmonise your customer data and drive compliant, first-party, personalised marketing campaigns.
Many of us in martech get caught up in building complex stacks made up of various solutions while chasing the dream of delivering the “right person, right message, right time” experience. But more often than not, this leads to siloed systems and disconnected data.
Chris and Martin reveal how CDPs could be the answer to a simplified stack by delivering a balanced and engaging customer experience.
Eager to find out more? Check out our latest episode of Marketing & Tech Book Club, where we caught up with Chris and Martin on their latest release and chatted all about, you guessed it, CDPs.
The Martech Handbook by Darrell Alfonso
“The big part that a lot of people miss about martech is that the point is to really enable marketers to automate processes and in order to do that, they need to have a good understanding of what the technology/tool is, how it fits in the overall martech stack and how to utilise it to the best of their ability," says Darrell Alfonso, author of The Martech Handbook.
This book provides a deep dive on the core principles of marketing technology success including stack design, gaining stakeholder martech buy-in to developing robust marketing operations governance.
The Martech Handbook is a must for every modern marketer. With the acceleration of digital transformation in the world there has never been a more important time for marketers to build their knowledge and capabilities in martech
Carlos Doughty, Founder and CEO, Learning Experience Alliance
Creating a customer-centric marketing technology stack starts with knowing what tools you need.
The Martech Handbook is a reference guide for building a marketing technology stack. It explains in depth the role of each technology, why it’s useful and how it can help your business grow. The Martech Handbook explains key concepts, gives examples of best practices, and outlines common pitfalls to avoid when choosing technologies.
It can be difficult to know where to begin, thanks to the sheer number of platforms, tools, and solutions available on the market today. Then, marketers have to worry about how they use their tech to its best ability. So, Darrel's book provides a clear step-by-step framework for understanding and selecting various forms of marketing technology to drive business value in all areas of marketing.
But let's hear some more about Darrell.
After University, Darrell worked his way up the ranks in the leading multi-channel marketing automation company, Trumpia.
Starting as a Marketing Manager, Darrell soon became a Senior Marketing Manager, where he - in his own words "Drove 500% growth of new marketing platform through partner marketing and relentless adoption programs for AT&T Mobility’s 1,500+ business sales force".
After that, he was the Demand Generation Manager at Leaf Group. Next, he was Director of Marketing at the American Marketing Association, followed by Senior Manager of Global Marketing at Hitwise.
These days, along with being an official advisor for Syncari, a modern Data Automation Platform, Darrell is also the lead instructor for our certified course on all things Marketing Operations! (You can enrol for this course right here)
Hacking Marketing by Scott Brinker
Scott Brinker is often credited with bringing modern marketing and marketing technology to the forefront, knowingly nicknamed the martech's 'godfather'.
Nothing gives greater weight to this titular than this profound and industry-specific read.
The marketing landscape is changing rapidly, with new innovations and technology cropping up in every corner of the industry. Plus, the digital environment and digital world are looking more and more alien to marketers today. Scott Brinker provides marketing technologists- as well as newcomers- with the perfect road map to navigate this ever-changing framework.
'Hacking' any form of business can be a complex process, but Scott provides leaders with simple principles that can make marketing functions smoother, and allow for the balancing of innovation and scalability.
The agile approach is based on efficiency and streamlining processes, something that makes a lot of sense if the digital landscape continues to twist and reshape.
A Small Book on Customer Technology by Frans Riemersma
This compact book provides a practical and informative guide to navigating the vast landscape of customer technology. With over 10,000 vendors worldwide, it serves as a valuable resource for marketers and professionals across different business functions.
Inside, you'll discover 49 distinct types of customer technology and their corresponding vendors. The book presents this information in a concise manner, accompanied by helpful graphs that showcase important statistics such as vendor count, average age, revenue, and staff count for each category.
What sets this book apart is the extensive research that underpins its content. Over a span of ten years, a team of 260 experts from around the world have diligently collected and analyzed the data, ensuring its reliability and relevance.
Whether you're an experienced marketer or someone exploring the field, this book is an essential tool to understand the intricate world of customer technology. It equips you with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions and navigate this complex landscape effectively.
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to gain insights into customer technology. With its practical approach and comprehensive research, it offers a valuable reference for professionals looking to understand the diverse vendor landscape and make informed choices in their business endeavours.
But who is Frans Riemersma? I hear you ask. Well, I'm sure you already know he's the number #1 martech influencer in Europe. But who is the man behind the martech? The dude behind the digital? The influencer behind the...influencing? Let's find out.
Frans has over two decades of experience under his belt. From consulting, to research, to marketing, to authoring, he's plunged right into many parts of the industry. He's even been designing marketing stacks for 10+ years, for companies as wide-ranging as HP, Adidas, Audi, Unilever, IKEA, Volvo, Carlsberg, and more.
It's no surprise, then, that he's become the #10 martech influencer in Europe.
Agile Marketer: Turning Customer Experience Into Your Competitive Advantage by Roland Smart
Agile Marketer is a marketer's guide to modernising platforms and practices. To compete in the game of great customer experience, marketers are turning to methodologies from the world of software development. The Agile methodologies that once revolutionised software development are now revolutionising marketing.
Agile provides the foundation for alignment between marketing and product management. It can unleash the potential of new marketing opportunities for growth hacking as well as for "baking" marketing directly into your products or services.
And if that’s not enough, it can serve as a bridge to strategic alignment, positioning the chief marketing officer alongside the chief product officer as the two primary drivers of the business with one common goal.
They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan
They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today′s Digital Consumer is quite the mouthful. But it does what it says on the tin.
This book is all about setting aside the "old school" techniques of sales, content, and consumers, and looking towards the future. Sounds pretty sci-fi right?
"They Ask You Answer" by Marcus Sheridan is a must-read for any modern marketer looking to stay relevant in today's digital age. The book provides a comprehensive guide to content marketing and how to use it effectively to attract, engage, and convert potential customers.
The book's central message is simple: answer the questions that your customers are asking. By doing so, you will not only establish yourself as an authority in your industry, but you will also build trust with your audience and ultimately increase your sales.
Sheridan's approach to content marketing is based on his own experience as the owner of a swimming pool company. He was able to turn his struggling business around by creating a blog that answered his customers' questions about swimming pools. By providing valuable information and establishing himself as a trusted source of knowledge, he was able to turn his blog into a powerful marketing tool that generated millions of dollars in sales.
The book covers a wide range of topics, including SEO, social media, email marketing, and more. It provides practical advice on how to create content that resonates with your audience and drives conversions.
Overall, "They Ask You Answer" is an essential resource for any marketer looking to stay ahead of the curve in today's fast-paced digital landscape.
DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story by Nancy Duarte
Most organisations rely on data to identify problems or opportunities. The actions others may need to take today from your insights in data could reverse or improve the trajectory of your future data. That’s why communicating data well, drives very important outcomes.
Nancy reveals the importance of marrying our analytical and storytelling skills together in order to thrive in our data-driven industries.
But presenting it well, she reveals, is about more than just the numbers. Nancy takes us through understanding our audience and writing the data story to become the storyteller.
We were lucky enough to bag a chat with Nancy on her latest release last year, as she revealed her top tips on how to become our own storyteller.
