According to Statista, only 76 percent of American adults read a book in the last year. This number is one of the lowest totals in recent decades, which is a shame. There are more outstanding digital marketing agency books than ever sitting on bookshelves and in online stores.

Publishers release hundreds of books on digital marketing each year. There are titles covering everything from search engine optimization to email marketing to social media engagement. The bevy of options ensures something for everyone, regardless of their industry.

Sifting through all this knowledge would take years. That’s where we come in. Our team read and ranked the essential digital marketing books that serial entrepreneurs and business owners need to read. Here are our choices for the 13 marketing books every digital marketing agency should own.

The Top 13 Digital Marketing Books to Read in 2024

1. The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap: How to Build a Million Dollar Digital Marketing Agency by Josh Nelson (2019)

  • 226 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.9/5 (91 ratings), #19 in Business Mentoring & Coaching (Kindle Store)

“Everything that Josh does is first class and his latest book ‘The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap’ is no exception. Josh shares his personal story from struggle to success and then outlines a comprehensive plan to build a 7 figure agency. The case studies and proven methods shared all form a game plan for success. This is a must-read for anyone serious about growing their marketing agency.” – Christopher Yates, author

Author Josh Nelson is a well-established name in the digital marketing world. He’s earned a reputation for helping small agencies evolve into multi-million-dollar success stories. His no-frills approach provides a refreshing take for anyone trying to grow their business.

Nelson lays out a step-by-step plan in The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap to establish agency success. He covers an expanse of topics from finding your niche and landing clients to delivering products. Keep in mind that this is not a “get rich quick” book. Anyone willing to put the hard work into Nelson’s plan will reap the results.

Ready to read the book that Ryan Diess called “a must-have” for anyone in this field? You can have it for free. Visit the Seven Figure Agency website, get a complimentary copy, and build your agency today.

2. $100M Leads: How to Get Strangers To Want To Buy Your Stuff by Alex Hormozi (2023)

  • 438 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.9/5 (3,006 ratings), #2 in Direct Marketing (Books)

“Alex’s book is an absolute masterclass in how to get leads. He explains each concept in an easy to understand, concise manner that is straight to the point with

 executable action steps in each section. This book will become a staple in the business world!” – Lance Watson

The second book in the Acquisition.com $100M Series, $100M Leads shares Alex Hormozi’s secrets for generating leads who are ready to buy whatever you sell — whether it’s digital marketing services, physical products, or anything in between. 

The book is essentially Hormozi’s step-by-step playbook that has led his group of companies to generate 20,000+ new leads a day across 16 industries. It breaks down the lead gen process into manageable steps ideal for beginners. The key selling point? After finishing the book, you’ll have the tools to gain more leads within the next hour.

 

3. $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi (2021)

  • 210 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.9/5 (20,203 ratings), #1 in Direct Marketing (Kindle Store)

“In this book, Alex Hormozi shares everything you need to know to create a great offer…But remember, it’s not magic. You have to do the work. You have to provide value to your potential clients. Alex gives you the tools in this book. Just put them to use and you can’t lose!” – J. Bailey

Alex Hormozi is an entrepreneur who reached a personal net worth of $100M by age 32. But not too long before writing this book, his business became stagnant — he couldn’t even give away his services for free. 

Using the strategies outlined in $100M Offers, Hormozi went from losing money to making $36 for every $1 he spent. He shares that it wasn’t a great marketing funnel or ad strategy that got him to this point — it was the offers he created that were so good, people couldn’t say no. 

The book shares exactly how to create those winning offers, from charging more and enhancing your product to creating urgency and sealing the deal.   

 

4. Sell Like Crazy: How to Get As Many Clients, Customers, and Sales As You Can Possibly Handle by Sabri Suby (2019)

  • 305 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (3,240 ratings), #9 in Marketing for Small Businesses

“Sabri is a genius when it comes to marketing and scaling businesses, this book is an absolute must read!” – Nathan Chan, CEO of Foundr Magazine

A prime example of one of the best digital marketing books of the decade, Sell Like Crazy has given thousands of readers the actionable steps they need to catapult sales. Sabri Suby went from being dead broke to generating $1.33 billion in sales in just five years. 

Suby shares his step-by-step strategies to help you achieve that level of growth just as quickly. You’ll learn where to find the best clients, how to create world-class Google and Facebook ads, and how to uniquely understand your dream client – and then land them. Take your digital marketing agency’s sales strategy up a notch with these essential tips and techniques.

 

5. The Client Retention Handbook for Digital Marketing Agencies: How to Keep Clients on Board Long-Term and Reduce Churn by Josh Nelson (2022)

  • 188 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.9/5 (97 ratings), #394 in Customer Relations

“Josh tells you, step-by-step, how to get results for your clients, how to implement your own agency marketing, & how to design systems that grow with your agency long-term.” – Ryan Deiss, Founder & CEO of DigitalMarketer.com

Author and world-class digital marketer Josh Nelson returns with his second book of digital marketing business strategies. The Client Retention Handbook for Digital Marketing Agencies focuses on an essential KPI many agency owners overlook: retention. It’s not enough to get clients; you have to know how to keep them, too. 

Nelson explains the three key elements — known as “the sticky triad” — to help you retain clients at the highest level possible. You’ll learn how to give clients exactly what they want so they stick around longer, how to onboard clients who respect and appreciate you, and how to choose your own clients to enhance your scalability. 

This step-by-step toolkit is one of the best digital marketing books for any and every agency owner looking for long-term sustainability. Best of all, you can get it for free. 

6. The Marketing Agency Blueprint: The Handbook for Building Hybrid PR, SEO, Content, Advertising, and Web Firms by Paul Roetzer (2011)

  • 256 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.4/5 (147 ratings) , #127 in Search Engine Optimization

“It’s time for a new type of agency…Roetzer shows you how to transform your firm to thrive in the real-time world we live in today.” – David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing & PR

Building a digital marketing agency can become overwhelming quickly, and sometimes, it helps to break the process into small, actionable steps. Paul Roetzer’s Marketing Agency Blueprint does just that — but with a valuable twist. 

Roetzer shares how to build a “disruptive marketing agency for the modern day.” Through his tools and insight, you will learn how to bring your marketing firm into the future and prepare it for the transformational period in marketing we’re entering. 

The blueprint walks you, step-by-step, through how to generate more leads, win more clients, and develop efficient management systems — all with the goal of future-proofing your agency. 

7. Digital Agency Hacker: Forget Theory! Tactical Wisdom From an INC 5000 Agency by JC Hite & Karen Hite (2022)

  • 239 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (35 ratings), #511 in Entrepreneurship Management

“JC is one of the few resources on building and running a successful agency who is providing insight and value to the market who not only has done it, but is doing it. Because of this, what he wrote in this book is all based off of proven strategies that are currently working and that is clear when you read it.” – Bradley Akers

JC Hite is the founder of one of the fastest-growing digital marketing agencies in the U.S. — Hite Digital International. After spending some time in the industry, he noticed that while there are a lot of coaches and theory-based books out there, there aren’t many guides based on actual experiences. He made it a mission to write one of the best digital marketing books available using his own background as a blueprint. 

Digital Agency Hacker provides specific examples of what has gone well in Hite’s business — and what he and his team have done wrong along the way. It covers topics ranging from hiring to firing and finances to investments, sharing tangible ideas and strategies for building a successful marketing agency in the 2020s.

8. Beyond The Agency Box: The Phoneless, Meetingless Digital Marketing Agency That Creates Lifetime Happy Clients Without Facebook Ads, Webinars, Google, or SEO by Frankie Fihn (2020)

  • 271 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.6/5 (94 ratings), #18 in Online Advertising

“After trying to build an agency for so many years and going through lots of bumpy roads, this book helped provide so many tools, wisdom, knowledge, and out of the box perspective of how to build a successful agency towards living the BEST life you truly want to live–more beach life, less computer life!” – Verified Customer

In Beyond the Agency Box, Frankie Fihn empathizes with agency owners who feel trapped in a business they can’t step away from. Maybe you’re running a successful agency, but you’re also experiencing a lot of burnout, stress, and anxiety — so your agency doesn’t feel like that much of a success. 

With Fihn’s strategies, you can learn how to scale your agency so that you can have both a profitable business and a life outside of it. Fihn shares how to ditch the meetings, phone calls, emails, and headache by creating leverageable assets and thinking differently about your business model.

 

 

9. How To Build a Kick-Ass Advertising Agency by Peter Levitan (2023)

  • 276 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 5.0/5 (20 ratings), #269 in Business Management (Books)

“Peter Levitan has delivered the go-to guide for building an agency. I expected HOW TO BUILD A KICK-ASS ADVERTISING AGENCY to be like most of the other agency books I’ve read—a waste of time and money. Instead, I found it to be smart, accessible and entertaining. It is filled with substance!” – Rainny Fidelis, Expert Content Writer

Are you building a digital marketing agency from the ground up? Or restructuring an existing business model that just isn’t working for you? How To Build a Kick-Ass Advertising Agency is your comprehensive, go-to guide, featuring step-by-step strategies in 27 agency management subject areas. 

Levitan has experience managing the world’s largest advertising agency, and he translates that experience into actionable steps for you to build your own healthy, successful agency. Topics span from lead generation to branding and intellectual property to recruitment and management.

 

10. The Agency Build – Grow – Repeat: How To Build a Remarkable Digital Agency Business That Wins and Keeps Clients by Luca Senatore (2019)

  • 308 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.2/5 (123 ratings)

“Luca’s genuine and fearless drive for self-development, and for making a massive and positive impact on team members, clients, and community, is deeply inspiring.” – Alberto Frasarin, Director at Google

If you’re having trouble breaking into the oversaturated marketing industry, Luca Senatore’s The Agency Build – Grow – Repeat can teach you the strategies to build a bullet-proof agency that outperforms competitors. 

As one of the best digital marketing books, Senator’s guide centers on constructing a solid foundation for your business, from creating a powerful mission to building a strong sales and pitching process. With these foundational building blocks, you’ll be in an excellent position to grow a successful and sustainable business. 

 

11. The Wealthy Consultant: Confessions of a 9-Figure Advisor by Taylor A. Welch (2023)

  • 124 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (265 ratings), #13 in Consulting

“If you want to give yourself a time machine to shortcut the learning curve, you need to get yourself a copy of this book. So many expensive lessons given to you on a silver platter.” – Josh Harris, CEO of A.I Sales Systems

Taylor Welch distinguishes between two types of business — those you own and those that own you — in his guide The Wealthy Consultant. This handbook shares the strategies and formulas Welch has deployed for thousands of nine-figure client businesses throughout his time as a professional consultant. 

The book combines stories and anecdotes with step-by-step frameworks and models to help you create a world-class income for yourself. This book can help you break free from the typical 9-5 and build a healthy business that doesn’t own your time and freedom. 

 

12. Standout or Die: How to Make Your Digital Marketing Agency More Visible, Desirable, and Valuable by Gareth Healey (2021)

  • 288 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.7/5 (30 ratings), #287 in Business School Guides 

“A practical, step-by-step framework to guide you on the path to creating the agency you’ve always dreamed of.” – Peter Czapp, The WOW Company, UK

Gareth Healey invites agency owners to rethink how they’re operating in an oversaturated, competitive marketing industry. He notes that your ability to SURVIVE depends on your ability to STANDOUT in the market. And the two key strategies to standing out are attracting better clients and employing better people. 

Healey shares his seven-step roadmap that can help you position your agency as a more visible, desirable, and valuable option — helping you land more clients and enjoy better profitability. These action steps make Standout or Die one of the best digital marketing books of 2024. 

 

13. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini (1993)

  • 336 pages
  • Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 (13,671 ratings), #22 in Marketing and Consumer Behavior

“If there is only one book you’ll ever read, if there is only one expert whose advice you’ll trust, it should be this book and this author, Robert Cialdini.” – Angela Duckworth, author of Grit and founder and CEO of Character Lab

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion isn’t a new book by any means, but it’s still invaluable for any business owner in 2024. This book has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has become the cornerstone of influencing customers and clients in the business world. 

Cialdini shares six universal principles of influence — reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity — and how they apply to running an ethical yet highly successful business. You can use these principles to influence the behavior of your digital marketing clients and understand how to defend yourself against dishonest influence.

So while Influence; The Psychology of Persuasion isn’t about marketing, it’s still one of the best digital marketing books for agency owners. 

Start Reading Today

Digital marketing has never been more competitive. Digital marketing books offer advice for companies to best leverage their marketing skill and experience. Books provide that crucial push to put your marketing campaigns over the edge.

We assembled the best digital marketing books available, so you can’t go wrong when selecting any of these. A great starting place is the Seven Figure Agency Roadmap, with its easy to understand and actionable guidelines. Follow the link to grab your free copy today.

So what is the best digital marketing book?

There is no shortage of options for outstanding digital marketing books. If we had to pick one aside from The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap, it would be Digital Marketing for Dummies. Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry wrote the authoritative guide for improving content marketing strategies. The comprehensive book covers everything from SEO to SEM to social media and more.

What is the best book on the general topic of marketing?

While Vintage published it in 1985, Ogilvy on Advertising remains a must-read for anyone in marketing. The material holds up well, even though Ogilvy wrote it long before the internet, social media, or personal computers. The book’s popularity and influence are so widely regarded that it remains a top two seller in advertising graphic design decades after its release.

How can I become a better digital marketer?

Take courses. Create content. Test ideas. These are just a few ways to become a better digital marketer. While every marketing guru has their philosophies, the best way to improve is through reading and experience. Take the time to gain insight into the craft and then hone that knowledge through practice and experimentation.

How do you gain a deep understanding of digital marketing?

Digital marketing encompasses any marketing services related to electronic devices. Unless you are an anomaly, you cannot become an expert in the field overnight. That said, reading digital marketing books and practicing provides a sturdy foundation. Give yourself time to explore different areas within the industry so that you can maximize your potential as a digital marketer.

Josh is a big-time believer in the notion that Formal Education will get you a job, Self Education will make you wealthy. Over the years Josh Nelson has read (or listened to) many books on Sales, Marketing, Business & Self Development. Below is a list of his favorite books based on the impact they have had on him:

  1. Self Development / Mindset – Secrets of the millionaire Mind by T Harve Eker
  2. Sales / Business Development – Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port
  3. Sales / Business Development – The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
  4. Online Marketing – Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan
  5. Self Development / Mindset – Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
  6. Business / Accounting – Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits by Greg Crabtree
  7. Time Management – Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
  8. Business Management – The eMyth Revisited by Michael Gerber
  9. Time Management – Getting Things Done by David Allen
  10. Self Development / Mindset – How to craft a world-class life by Robin Sharma (Speach not a book)

Other great books::

If you’re not a great reader and prefer to listen to books, we recommend www.audible.com. It’s a website where you can download audiobooks and play them directly from your mobile phone. A commute can be turned into great learning time.

What books have had the biggest impact on you? Post your comments below.