With 76% of marketers increasing their spend on content marketing this year, it’s clear that this practice is heading to the top of many companies’ priority lists.

In order to keep up with this growing trend, it is important to be up to speed on the latest best practices and strategies.

To brush up, consider reading one of the following content marketing books for advice from today’s leading marketers. Want to become a better content writer? There’s a book for that. Looking to generate more leads with your content? There are many books for that.

To give you some context, I grouped the books into four broad categories: content strategy, content creation, content curation and lead generation. However, many books touch upon several aspects of content marketing, so there will be overlap. We also reviewed a few of these books, so be sure to read these for an even closer look at the books’ contents.

Am I missing one of your favorite content marketing books? Let me know in the comments below!

Content Strategy

• Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals

by Bruce Clay

Do you need tips on how to effectively combine content marketing and SEO? Take a look at this book to learn how to leverage social media platforms and use SEO to increase visibility.

 

 

• Content Marketing: Think Like a Publisher 

by Rebecca Lieb

Stop thinking like a marketer, and start thinking like a publisher. This book walks you through the steps to becoming a content publisher, including creating a sense of consistency.

 

 

• Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing

by Lee Odden

In today’s digital world, attracting customers online is critical. Find out the best ways to integrate SEO and social media with your content marketing strategy.

 

 

• Welcome to the Funnel

by Jason Miller

Learn how to attract and engage leads in this guide that focuses on both content marketing and social media.

 

 

•  Global Content Marketing

 by Pam Didner

Want to learn how to scale content on a global level? Build a high performing team? Measure optimization? Find out how with this guide to globalization and efficiency.

Read our review here.

 

• The Big Book of Content Marketing

by Andreas Ramos

80% of digital advertising never reaches its intended audience. This book explains how content marketing can be used to help this audience come to you.

 

 

• The Content Code

by Mark W. Schaefer

Push beyond your existing content strategy and discover the code to content success. This guide is full of practical tips and ideas for your marketing plan.

 

 

• Content Marketing Works

by Arnie Kuenn and Brad Kuenn

Want a concise list of content marketing strategies? This book covers eight steps of the content marketing process as well as best practices and examples.

Read our review here.

 

• Managing Content Marketing

by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose

Find out how to manage your organization’s content marketing team. With tips on how to develop a content marketing strategy, what marketing channels to implement, and how to measure content results, this book is a great starting off point for any team.

 

• Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is About Help Not Hype

by Jay Baer

Learn why the best kind of marketing helps your audience, instead of sells to them.

 

 

• Content First Marketing: The Ultimate Guide to Building Authority, Establishing Trust, and Creating Lifetime Customers

by John Arnott

If you’re looking for tactics to create engaging content, this is a great read for you. Learn what combination of content strategies will benefit your business the most.

 

 

• Digital Relevance: Developing Marketing Content and Strategies that Drive Results

by Ardath Albee

Each chapter of this book focuses on a different trait marketers must have to survive the digital revolution.

 

 

• Content Marketing Ideas: 400+ Tips for Your SEO and Social Media Strategy

by Brian Rotsztein

Is traditional advertising no longer working for your company? Here are some ideas to use content marketing that will reach your target market in a more effective way.

 

 

• Experiences: The 7th Era of Marketing

by Robert Rose and Carla Johnson

It is important for businesses to let go of old marketing techniques and implement a new strategy that aims to help and educate audiences. This book will provide ways you can use content to drive this new marketing strategy.

 

• The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly

by David Meerman Scott

From blogs, to videos and news releases, this book will give you advice on how to get the most out of all your types of content.

 

 

• Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs

by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah

Find out why outbound marketing is becoming less and less effective and learn how you can implement inbound marketing to your business. Specifically, this book will help you build and promote a company blog.

 

 

• Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans and Followers

by Jeffery K. Rohrs

Wondering how to get the most out of your company’s social media platforms? Read this book to adapt your content marketing strategy to accommodate today’s social media driven world.

 

 

• Content Strategy for the Web 

by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach

Gain a deeper understanding of content strategy and create a long-term plan for content marketing success with this book.

Content Creation

• Everybody Writes 

by Ann Handley

Anyone who creates content on behalf of a brand — from a blog manager to a CEO — should pick up a copy of this book for a complete guide to becoming a better writer.

Read our review here.

 

• Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less

by Joe Pulizzi

This book will help you develop a strategy to create and curate great content. You will also learn how to attract and retain customers, as well as grow your audience.

 

 

• OPTIMARKETING: Marketing Optimization to Electrify Your Business

by Robert Rosenthal

This book provides tip on how to write like a human and not a business, how to test content, and how to optimize your sales message within your content.

Read our review here.

 

• Content Rules

by Ann Handley & C. C. Chapman

It is important to engage your audience with content to create a loyal following. Learn how to develop engaging online content with this helpful guide.

 

 

• Accelerate!: Move Your Business Forward Through the Convergence of Search, Social & Content Marketing 

by Arnie Kuenn

Keep up with the rapidly growing world of content marketing by creating an efficient content strategy and creation process.

 

 

• The Power of Visual Storytelling: How to Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand

by Ekaterina Walter & Jessica Gioglio

Are you struggling to produce valuable visual content? Check out this book to learn tips on how to create content such as graphics, videos and presentations.

 

• The Marketer’s Guide to SlideShare: How to Build Your Brand, Generate Leads & Create Opportunities

by Todd Wheatland

Not convinced about the power of SlideShare? This book will show you how to expand reach, engage audiences and generate leads with this platform.

 

 

 Content Curation

• Non-Obvious: How to Think DIfferent, Curate Ideas & Predict the Future

by Rohit Bhargava

This book urges readers to push boundaries by curating ideas that will help shape future trends.

 

• Content Marketing Done Right

by Pawan Deshpande

Curious about how content curation can be done ethically? This book is a complete guide to the best practices for an effective and ethical curation strategy.

 

 

• Curate This! The Hands-on, How-To Guide to Content Curation

by Steve Rosenbaum

Find out why curation may be the answer to many of your marketing and editorial needs. Then, learn the step-by-step process to curating in your own life.

• Content Crunch: Why Curation is the Future of Your Website

by Tim Durant

Join the revolution of curation with this book that outlines the benefits of the practice, as well as how to get started by curating on your website today.

 

• The Ultimate Guide to Content Curation

by Pawan Deshpande

Everything you need to know about content curation — from benefits to analysis — can be found in this guide.

 

• Curation Nation: How to Win in a World Where Consumers are Creators

by Steve Rosenbaum

Take a look at Curation Nation if you are interested in the history of content curation and how it is affecting countless industries on the internet today.

 

• The Content Curation Handbook – How to create curated content for your website

by Eibhlin MacIntosh

 

This book explains exactly how you can become the go-to resource for information in your industry through the practice of curation.

Lead Generation

• Growth Hacking with Content Marketing: How to Increase Website Traffic

 by Mike Fishbein

Want to gain more customers using content marketing? Find out how to drive more traffic to your site and then convert these visitors with this book.

 

 

• Content Marketing: Insider’s Secret to Online Sales & Lead Generation

by Rick Ramos

If your company is just implementing content marketing into its businesses plan, this book is a must-read. You will be provided with clear steps to take to build a successful content marketing strategy.

 

 

• Get Content Get Customers: Turn Prospects into Buyers with Content Marketing

by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barret

This book explains how to create helpful content and deliver it to customers in a way that is unobtrusive to their lives.

 

 

• 70 SECRETS REVEALED: How To Write Content That Converts 600% More

by Munmi Sarma

If you’re looking for a beginner’s guide on improving your website to drive more sales, then this is the book for you. With 70 ways to increase conversions, you will be converting customers at a much higher rate.

 

 

• Social Content Marketing for Entrepreneurs

by Jim Barry

To drive leads, marketers should use a mix of of digital content, social media, and SEO. This book will explain how this dynamic combination is transforming businesses.

 

 

• eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale

by Ardath Albee

This book guides you through creating buyer personas, learning to attract these personas, then ultimately converting them into buyers.

 

 

• Lead Generation For Dummies

by Dayna Rothman

Are you looking to increase leads by using content? If yes, then this is a great book to get you started and create a lead generation plan.

 

 

Looking for additional ways to enhance your content marketing knowledge? Download our eBook, 2015 Content Marketing Tactics & Technology Planner.