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The best SaaS marketing books every B2B SaaS CMO should read

The best SaaS marketing books should be mandatory reading for every B2B Software VP Marketing, B2B SaaS CMO, and the senior members of their team.

Stijn Hendrikse · Jan 10, 2021 · Updated Jan 26, 2023

What are the best books for a B2B SaaS CMO?

There are multiple marketing disciplines that will cross the path of a modern SaaS Marketing Leader and their marketing plan.

Here are the top "must read books" that you cannot skip:

This is Marketing - Seth Godin

This is Marketing by Seth Godin is a SaaS marketing book giving foundational marketing content

The foundation of modern marketing and content (video). This is one of the first books I recommend to everyone who wants to level up in marketing.

T2D3 - Stijn Hendrikse

T2D3 by Stijn Hendrikse is the Playbook for B2B SaaS growth marketing

The playbook B2B software companies use to get to $100 million in ARR. Learn about SaaS growth stages and more.

They Ask You Answer - Marcus Sheridan

They Ask You Answer by Marcus Sheridan is a marketing book to revolutionize the approach to inbound sales, content marketing and the digital consumer

The only sustainable way to do real content marketing and SEO is to answer your audience questions...no brainer...but often forgotten (video).

Building a Story Brand - Donald Miller

Building a story brand by Donald Miller is used to clarify your message so customers will listen

This book forces you to nail a simple version of your Positioning and Branding. It gets you started quickly with a solid foundation for the content on your website, your email campaigns and product branding (video).

Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is about marketing and selling disruptive products to mainstream customers

A classic that is foundational for every Technology Marketing Executive getting to Product-Market-Fit and to Scale (video).

Start with Why - Simon Sinek

Start with Why by Simon Sinek is a book for marketing leadership on inspiring everyone to take action
Simon Sinek's high impact work on driving Strategy from the essence of your customer's values and your own (video).

Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman

Thinking, Fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman

528 pages of wisdom and insights from the inventors of the field of Behavioral Science. All books that came after, around the way people make decisions, price psychology, consumer behavior, and preferences, are grounded in this masterpiece (video).

The long tail - Chris Andersen

Chris Anderson The Long Tail about the future of business and selling

Access to information and the ability to reach individuals with unprecedented precision has changed marketing forever.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert B. Cialdini

Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini is a book about the psychology of persuasion

Building on the work by Kahneman and Tversky, making it specific to influencing behavior.

Conversion Optimization - Khalid Saleh and Ayat Shukairy

Conversion Optimization by Khalid Saleh and Ayat Shukairy telling people how to convert prospects to customers

Marketing is about driving people along their journey... converting prospects to customers... persuading people to buy your product... this book is about that.

Everybody Writes - Ann Handley

Everybody Writes by Ann Handley is a guide to creating good content

If you're not able to write, you cannot do Marketing. Even if writing does not come naturally to you, read this book to get decent at it.

I hope you find this list as helpful as I do and can find the time to check them out. These books are a must read and will help you tackle the challenges of being a leader.

Put this playbook to work — with the OS built for it.

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