10 Books Every Content Marketing Team Should Have in Their Library

There are many reasons why reading should always be encouraged within the professional space. It keeps teams informed, broadens perspectives, and can curate a sense of office community. So it makes sense that for content teams, the first step towards creating better content is reading more. Below are ten books that as encapsulate the best of both worlds: business development and creative expression. Let’s begin.

1. Atomic Habits

Best for: content strategists

If there were a tagline for professional content creation, it would be “starting is half the battle.” Perfectionism is the greatest adversary for many creative professionals, so motivational hacks are always appreciated. However, while many self-improvement/business books tell a story, few give concrete, actionable advice. This is where James Clear’s Atomic Habits excels.

Atomic Habits is undoubtedly a personally useful book on many levels, but it also has an incredible bonus for marketers – helping us better understand consumers’ behavior through the habit (or feedback) loop. How? Clear offers four pillars:

• make it obvious

• make it easy

• make it attractive

• make it satisfying

Regardless of whether you view it as a self-improvement book, a window on consumer behavior, or a motivational tip trove, it makes for a stimulating read that can take your content goals to the next level.

2. The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Best for: content and copywriters

While it may be fiction, The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a book that we’d recommend as an absolute must-read to anyone working in content or copywriting. Turton’s novel is a brilliant example of how to reframe messaging into fresh narratives.

The book follows Aiden Bishop through a Groundhog’s Day-esque murder mystery. Evelyn Hardcastle will die at the same time every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. However, every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor.

Generating fresh takes for content and copy work can be difficult, especially during retargeting methods. This book will rejuvenate out-of-the-box thinking when your teams need inspiration.

3. Everybody Writes

Best for: content & social media strategists

As the author, Ann Handley states, no matter what level you’re at, “the ability to write well is part habit, part knowledge of some fundamental rules, and part giving a damn.”

Therefore, if you’re looking for ways to make your writing more engaging, this A-to-Z guide to creating content is good to have within reach. You’ll learn (or be reminded of) important writing rules, grammar essentials (including five rules you should break), common publishing concerns, and the mechanics of writing on social media. Everybody Writes reads like a blog about writing great content, except all that great advice is in one tidy vessel on your shelf, ready to be notated when needed.

4. Made to Stick

Best for: social media strategists

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath reveal the anatomy of ideas that stick and explain ways to make ideas stickier through the acronym SUCCES (Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories). The Heath brothers demonstrate each tip with unforgettable anecdotes and facts like applying the human scale principle, using the Velcro Theory of Memory and creating curiosity gaps. Along the way, we discover that sticky messages of all kinds—from the infamous "kidney theft ring" hoax to a coach's lessons on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony--draw their power from the same six traits.

5. Content Chemistry (6th edition)

Best for: general content team members

Admittedly, we’re a bit biased on this one because we found it through our Hubspot partner, but oh boy, it’s really a gem among marketing books.

Content Chemistry is a compilation of thousands of conversations about digital marketing between hundreds of companies, detailing essential and practical lessons and advice about the power of SEO, social media, and email marketing. By covering the theory behind web and content marketing and then detailing it in practice, it shows how it is critical to modern business and a lot of fun. This edition is the most up-to-date to reflect new technology and marketing trends as of this publication.

6. Range

Best for: content strategists

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters, and scientists. He discovered that in most fields, especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, juggling many interests rather than focusing on one. However, they're also more creative, agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see.

Range validates Omnio’s core belief that ongoing education is essential to success— regardless of industry. Although we proudly fly our “expert” flag, we know there is always more to learn and ways to grow.

7. What the Dog Saw

Best for: content writers

Throughout the past decade, Malcolm Gladwell has written many books that have radically changed how we understand our world and ourselves, including Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. In What the Dog Saw, he collected the best of his writing from The New Yorker. What is the main takeaway? No matter the topic, you must invest in it and think creatively to present it. Find your lens and work with it.

Gladwell is one of the few authors in the business literature domain who makes the genre accessible. His dexterity in taking the veil off the underlying truths while capturing the reader's imagination is a masterclass in making complex topics digestible and exciting to diverse audiences.

8. Contagious

Best for: content marketing team leads

With Contagious, Jonah Berger, a professor at the Wharton School, created one of the top marketing books. Berger explores how and why some information goes viral while other info doesn’t. His work has become a seminal marketing book and a must-read for any marketing professional trying to figure out how to get ahead of the curve. Intrigued— but not enough to read 200+ pages? We get it. You can also find an equally charming 50-minute video in which Berger gives a live presentation of his findings.

9. The Glamour of Grammar

Best for: content marketing managers & content writers

The Glamour of Grammar is composed of 50 bite-sized lessons on the effective usage of language. They are grouped into various categories, from simpler to more complex: words, points (punctuation), standards, meaning, and purpose. Each lesson ends with a keepsakes section— bulleted lists of points to remember. These are also compiled into a short appendix at the back of the book to make them even handier.

We recommend this book for writers because writing professionally can quickly turn into a forest through the trees— or word count through the creative process— situation. Take time to remember why you love to write and marvel at the strange and fascinating world of words for a bit.

10. The Dictionary of Lost Words

Best for: content writers

Piggy backing off the last suggestion, we’d be remiss not to mention this beautiful bit of historical fiction.

A brief summary: Esme grows up in the ‘Scriptorium’, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are collecting words for the first dictionary. One of Esme’s favorite pastimes is to collect her own words, the ones that don’t make the cut for the official book but help her make sense of the world, nonetheless. Eventually, she dedicates her life to this endeavor.

The Dictionary of Lost words is a love letter to language and curiosity. If you’re in a writing slump, struggling with burnout, or just want a bit of escapism in your workday— reach for this one.

Creating great content with Omnio

By reading different genres and styles, you gain a deeper understanding of how to create engaging content. Take that inspiration and experiment with how you structure your brand, use different tones and styles, and connect with different audiences.

That said, mastering marketing strategies isn’t as simple as building a solid library. If you’re looking for a team of experts you can chat with about elevating your digital marketing efforts, Omnio is here to help.

Contact us today to learn about our suite of services and how we can take your company to the next level.