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Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?

49 points by kuvkir ↗ HN
Just wondering if you guys can recommend any fundamental reading on internet marketing, advertising and related subjects (probably with more emphasis on theory such as knuth or cormen for programming).

Thanks.

12 comments

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wallflower
1) "Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer" (A/B Testing)

2) Aaron Wall's SEO Book - excellent primer for internet marketing and SEO - theory but with practice applied

3) The original Backrub/Pagerank paper

> probably with more emphasis on theory

Are you doing research for school? I know you asked for theory but you did say 'fundamental'. Just to throw it out there, fundamentally, I believe the independent people (not large companies - that is different) making more money than we'd like to know through Internet marketing don't think in terms of theory - theory is easy - they try and try many different ways until something works. For example, Shoemoney:

"So with this Cornhusker quiz, it’s a needed service because all these guys want to see where they are. It spreads virally, because they want to challenge their friends and see if they could do better than their friends. And the way to make money is, when they finish, if they score high enough, they’re presented with a free trial to Netflix. [with his referral ID of course]"

http://blog.mixergy.com/shoemoney-ads/

showerst
I'm not sure that it exactly qualifies as marketing, but Avinash Kaushik's "Web Analytics: An Hour A Day" is really great on how to design for and think about project metrics on the net, which in my experience is one of the biggest advantages that the great guys are holding.
craigbellot
Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Shwartz

Advertising Secrets of the Written Word - Claude Hopkins

Anything by Seth Godin

sivers
To get fundamentals and theory foundation, drop the "internet" part of your requirement. The internet is just another way to connect people.

All successful marketing comes down to a fundamental understanding of people, how we like to be spoken to, what captures our attention, and what messages stick.

Read my notes and excerpts on some of these books to get an idea if they're what you're looking for:

==

Small is the New Big - by Seth Godin

A "best-of" collection of small essays about marketing. Seth writes in general terms meant to give you perspective, change the way you think about marketing, and inspire you to actions, no matter how small, that make all the difference. Read anything by Seth Godin (as others here have said), but this is his best overview.

http://sivers.org/book/SmallIsTheNewBig

==

Made to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

A deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.

http://sivers.org/book/MadeToStick

==

You, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith

Harry Beckwith is amazing. Read everything by him. This is just his newest. He's the best at reminding you how basic human consideration translates into marketing.

http://sivers.org/book/YouInc

==

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got - by Jay Abraham

Jay Abraham is an absolute marketing genius from an angle the others here don't cover. This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before, and how to communicate them to your audience. Sorry I don't have notes on this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312284543

jamiequint
For the marketing process I also recommend 4 Steps to the Epiphany. For more depth on the online advertising industry itself I don't think you'll find much print material that is good (Its still changing too fast). One of the best in-depth blogs on the subject that I have found is http://www.jayweintraub.com/
skmurphy
I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:

   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen
   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore
   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker
   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow
   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank
   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall
   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne
   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg
For an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar...

There is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf