When Ryan Deiss, CEO of DigitalMarketer spoke on how to market in a “post-digital world” at the Traffic and Conversion Summit 2021, he made a few key points that you’ll want to remember.
Digital is the new normal. And when everything is digital — nothing is digital.
Which means that making sales is no longer about pushing buttons and pulling levers to get more traffic.
Converting your audience is no longer about targeting.
He mentioned that while seemingly EVERYTHING is changing — a few things will not change.
- The power of good copy.
- How humans perceive and express value.
- The importance of a seamless, fulfilling value journey.
So where do you turn to get a refresher on these tried-and-true marketing fundamentals?
According to Ryan, you go to the greats. Here are the books he recommends to brush up on the fundamentals of marketing.
#1 Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
An overview of the core principals all ad-like communication, Ogilvy on Advertising is often recommended as the first advertising book you should ever read. So if you’ve been in the business for a while, it’s time to pick it up and learn what you’ve been missing.
#2 Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
“Nobody, at any level, should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times.” – David Ogilvy
If that’s not a compelling enough recommendation, I don’t know what is. Scientific Advertising gives you the fundamentals of direct response marketing, from one of the original pioneers of the craft.
#3 Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz
A copywriting handbook from 1966, Breakthrough Advertising remains a cult classic in marketing. It’s loaded with essential information on copywriting, persuasion, marketing, and human behavior. The testimonials speak for themselves.
#4 Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples
Another Ogilvy-recommended text, Tested Advertising Methods is full of practical tested advice and real examples you can model in your ads.
#5 The Wizard of Ads by Roy Williams
Full of insightful wisdom on why humans do what they do, every advertiser and copywriter should pick up a copy of the Wizard of Ads.
