10 Must-Read Guides for Every Inbound Marketer

Every day hundreds of articles that are designed to help and educate new inbound marketing professionals are published. If you’re like me then you probably find that keeping on top of what really matters is becoming an ever more challenging task.

The number of digital publications, online groups, resource centres, hubs and so on has increased to a level that is just too much to absorb. So to help ease your way through all that content, here’s a list of what I consider to be 10 of the best inbound marketing eBooks around at the moment. Between them they contain all the most valuable aspects of Inbound Marketing that you simply can’t afford to ignore:

1) The Guide to Inbound Marketing & Automation by Pardot

This eBook contains a fantastic introduction to Inbound Marketing, including where it falls short as a standalone discipline, and how aligned with Marketing Automation technologies it can lead to better ROI. Written in an easy-to-comprehend way, this is a must-read starting point for anyone new to Inbound Marketing.

2) Search Engine Optimization – Past, Present and Future by Hubspot

Search Marketing plays an equally important role in assuring the success of your inbound activities. Google’s non-stop algorithm changes have definitely altered the rules of the “SEO game”, requiring marketers to know more and act smarter. The Search Engine Optimization – Past, Present and Future eBook from HubSpot is a must read, containing valuable up-to-date advice on how to focus your SEO efforts for maximum visibility in 2014.

3) A Guide to Creating Content for Demand Generation by Marketo

The eBook dives into the basics of Content Marketing for Demand Generation, trying to solve the eternal question of “How to create content that sells?” A concise, analytical and valuable source, written by professionals for professionals.

4) Best Practices Guide to Successful Landing Pages by Pardot

Whether a visitor to your website will convert into a lead in your sales funnel is usually decided within seconds. One of the key factors that influence that decision is landing page optimisation: design, navigation, ease of access and so on.

The Best Practices Guide to Landing Pages eBook from Pardot provides you with some useful tips on how to boost the effectiveness of your landing pages and raise the number and quality of your B2B conversions.

5) 5 Marketing Automation Strategies to Nurture Leads and Create Long-Term Customer Relationships by Hubspot

As with most of Hubspot’s great pool of resources, this guide provides practical solutions that aim to ease and improve your journey towards long-term, successful inbound marketing. The eBook highlights how through automation your lead nurturing processes can impact repeat purchases, as well as helping you to discover and nurture brand ambassadors.

6) 7 elements of Inbound Storytelling by John Bonini

This beautifully designed eBook defends the art of storytelling as the most successful technique to differentiate your brand from your competitors. As opposed to generic, dry value propositions and uninspiring content, this eBook promotes the use of remarkable business stories and not boring factual articles to inspire your prospects to take action.

7) The Blueprint of a Modern Marketing Campaign by Kapost and Eloqua

Did you know that 60-70% of content produced by B2B Marketing departments goes unused? In order to avoid wasteful practices within your Inbound Marketing programmes, you need to learn how to execute your campaigns in a more integrated and aligned way.

The Blueprint of a Modern Marketing Campaign eBook provides great advice on how to achieve that goal. In addition, it contains worksheets called the “Modern Marketers’ exercises” that aim to help you design the blueprint for your next marketing campaign.

8) The Advanced Content Marketing Guide by Neil Patel and Kathryn Aragon

Presented as a series of attractive visuals, this guide covers all you need to get started in the art of content marketing. This volume covers the ten basic aspects of the discipline from strategic foundation and idea generation, to planning and monetising.

9) 58 Social Media Tips for Content Marketing by Content Marketing Institute

This eB from the Content Marketing Institute includes a collection of best practices to help inbound marketers get the most out of the top social media channels. Additionally, the Social Media Tips for Content Marketing eBook includes practical examples of brands – such as Taco Bell, Red Bull and Dell – that have managed to successfully master their presence on those channels.

10) Content Marketing, Meet Content Selling by KnowledgeTree

Did you know that the marketing collateral and assets that you create are no longer just required for lead generation and nurturing activities?

The concept of Content Selling outlined in this eBook explains how ready access to relevant marketing collateral has now become a key part of the sales processes. This book provides some great insights on how to effectively collaborate with your sales colleagues and also how effective matching of content assets to stages in the sales process can generate you more revenue.

So those were my thoughts, but are there any particular eBooks or publications that you think need be included in my ultimate reading list for inbound marketers? I’ll watch the comments for suggestions!

Read more:

• The Anatomy of an Inbound Marketing E-Book