Last year I set a goal to spend more time reading. I did just that and remembered exactly why I loved reading as a child.
After finishing my doctorate, I was so burned out from books that it took several years before I was able to pick one up.
As I think about the upcoming year, I have one project to finish first (I’m knee-deep in my APR certification) then I get to return to spending time in a book.
If you’re looking for a few good reads this year, here are some of my suggestions, broken down by topic. I hope you enjoy, and happy reading!
Higher Education Reads
This year was the year of the book in higher education, with several great options coming out this year. I think as higher education marketing becomes more professionalized as an industry, there’s a continued need to provide resources specifically for those in the field. Luckily, several colleagues and friends have stepped up to answer the challenge.
How to Market a University: Building Value in a Competitive Environment by Teresa Flannery
This book is a must. It’s a great primer about the basics of higher education marketing. If you’re new to the industry or making the shift from a Communication office to a MarComm office, this book sets guidelines about what the marketing team should be working on and what success looks like. Even as a seasoned MarComm professional, I found this book had beneficial strategies to help me think about executing our work.
Mailed It!: A Guide to Crafting Emails That Build Relationships and Get Results by Ashley Budd and Dayana Kibilds
This book is a fast read but wildly practical – both in individual emails and in sending emails on behalf of an organization. I read it on a plane to London this summer and found myself immediately changing some of my approaches to help improve my effectiveness in communicating with others.
Epic Content Marketing for Higher Education by Brian Piper
Content marketing is something that so many universities talk about wanting to do but don’t put enough focus on. Getting to talk with Brian on multiple occasions about this book, I can tell he’s incredibly passionate about this space. In this book, Brian has worked with more than 50 university leaders to provide case studies and authentic approaches to content marketing built for higher education.
Pass/Fail: The Urgent Need for Strategic Leadership in Higher Education by Suzan Brinker
Pass/Fail is one that I can’t wait to fully dive into, and I already have my copy on my bookshelf. I think the focus of strategic leadership for higher education is critical, and it’s something that not enough people are talking about. Having met Suzann and worked with her on a podcast, she’s so intentional about how she approaches everything, and I have no doubt this book will be the same.
Organic Social Media: How to Build Flourishing Online Communities by Jenny Li Fowler
Jenny Li Fowler is one of the sweetest people, and she is the expert when it comes to organic social media. She put together this book about strategies for creating community on social media in a meaningful way. With everything from setting goals to managing up, this book covers the gamut of what social media leaders need to know. If you’re overseeing this work or supporting someone in this space, it’s a must read.
Marketing Reads
As a marketer, our world continues to evolve, and we must always learn about what is coming and how new tools and audiences will impact the work. Here are a few of the books, to me, that provide guidance about our work and can help us continually innovate.
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller and Harper Collins Leadership
The story brand process is focusing on how we tell our brand story with clarity. By focusing on the seven points of a good story, the book offers guidance on branding and how to cut through the clutter to remain focused on what matters. I think this is a good reminder of how we have to be intentional in our story telling, and it offers some good strategies to consider.
The Modern AI Marketer in the GPT Era: How to Get Ahead with AI and Advance Your Digital Marketing by Pam Didner
I think this book is valuable for several reasons. Higher education usually lags at innovation of new technology, so it’s important to look at how corporate is considering tools like AI if we really want to be aware of what’s coming. This book also offers some practical strategies in marketing-specific takeaways and can be a good brainstorming tool into ways we might use AI.
The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib
I think sometimes marketing leaders overly complicate things. From beautiful formats to lingo, it can be daunting if you’re new in the space. That’s what I love about this book is that it forces you to think about a marketing plan in one page. Instead of focusing on all of the fluff, this is a down and dirty approach to getting results and focusing time on the tactics that will impact. If you’re getting started in developing marketing plans, this is a good place to begin.
Leadership Reads
Like many in the higher education marketing field, I was good at my tasks and then became a person who managed others. That’s a hard space to be in, especially without formal leadership training. Here are a few of the books I’ve used to help navigate that space and provide insights about leadership and strategies to help me support my teams.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Joseph Grenny
I have mentioned this book before, but I think it’s a critical one. Crucial conversations are one of the hardest skills to learn as a leader. I love the notion that we can get better at that with practice, and this book offers tangible methods to have those conversations when they are needed.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
This book takes a look at some of the challenges that teams can face through the lens of a leader who took a new job. It helped me to look at some of the root causes of team challenges and better understand how to help the team be productive. If you’re doing culture work, I absolutely recommend giving this one a read.
The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
I haven’t read this one, but I’ve heard it recommended by so many people I trust that I wish I had read it sooner. It is on the list! When transitioning roles, one of the hardest aspects is getting up to speed quickly. There are so many decisions coming at you, and you lack the history and context. This book offers guidance on how to maximize the impact and strategies to get acclimated.
Leading from the Middle: A Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization by Scott Mautz
Coming into leadership from being in the middle, this book resonates with me. As middle leaders, we don’t always recognize the impact that we cam have. This book offers strategies to help middle leaders recognize the influence they can have and lean into being change agents in their current role in the organization.
For Fun Reads
While reading related to work is important, I think that balance is important. Here a few choices that I’m calling fun reads. I try to shuffle between a fun and a learning book to keep me energized and engaged in reading.
Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon & Leon Carroll, Jr.
I am a closet NCIS Junkie. I sat down and read this book in about two days. While a history book, it didn’t read like one at all. I found myself fascinated with the history. Fun fact, I saw the main street that was referenced when I visited there this Thanksgiving.
Ghosts of Panama by Mark Harmon & Leon Carroll, Jr.
This book came out this fall, and I pre-ordered it. It’s a similar story about the work behind the Panama Canal. It sounds so similar to the one listed above that I can’t wait to open it and dive in.
And Carrie On 