Review of “Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen,” one of the best branding and messaging books I’ve read. Miller shows how to use storytelling to make your messaging and branding simpler and more effective. I like the straightforward, common sense approach.
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert B. Cialdini (Book Summary)
Learn how to persuade by influencing a person before they decide. Use these tactics in your website and online marketing.
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse (Book Summary)
Improve your blogging and content marketing by learning how to create and promote blog content. Learn how to improve the text on your website.
80/20 Sales and Marketing by Perry Marshall (Book Summary)
Learn how to apply the 80/20 (Pareto) Principle to sales and marketing, to exponentially amplify results. Apply these tactics to your website.
Review: Duct Tape Marketing
Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide by John Jantsch My rating: 5 of 5 stars This guide is bursting with small business marketing strategy and tactics. It’s well-written and practical, based on extensive firsthand experience. The system advocates an expanded version of the marketing funnel, content marketing, digital marketing, and…
Review: A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects
A Practical Guide to Managing Web Projects by Breandán Knowlton My rating: 4 of 5 stars An informative and practical guide to successfully managing website and web app projects. It’s clearly based on firsthand experience with many projects. It’s a bit dry; it’s not as engaging or entertaining as it could’ve been. I found it…
Win Without Pitching (Book Summary)
The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book tells how creative firms can win business by being expert consultants instead of pitching. It also tells how to walk clients through the sales process and how to charge more, and provides other valuable advice. There are 12 proclamations…
Review: Content Strategy for the Web
Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This content strategy primer has both theory and application. It explains the problem, how to perform discovery, how to form strategy, and how to implement the strategy. It’s well-organized and well-written, with just enough humor for this type of book. The…
Review: Book Yourself Solid: Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling
Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling by Michael Port (aff. link) My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best sales and marketing books for service professionals that I’ve read. It walks you…
The Design of Everyday Things (Book Summary)
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman My rating: 4 of 5 stars An excellent book about how to design usable products. It’s philosophical but backed by plenty of examples (text and images) of good and bad design, including buildings, appliances, and technology. It’s interesting and well-written. I read the 1988 edition, so…