Top 5 Branding Books for Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders
Why is brand strategy and branding important to entrepreneurs and marketers?
Without a clear brand strategy, you may be damaging your business irreparably. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that successful branding is about getting your prospects to see you as the sole provider of a solution to their problem or need.
To succeed in branding, you must understand your customers’ and prospects’ needs and wants. You achieve this by integrating key branding strategies throughout your company at every public touchpoint. To properly execute a successful brand strategy for a growing or complex business, you’ll need help from a branding agency like Propr. However, most smaller companies and individuals do not need a branding agency or consultant to develop and implement effective brand strategies. With a little curiosity, initiative, and page-turning, you can up your branding game and make important and high-impact changes to your business.
Over the decades, I have read countless books on design, branding, leadership, and entrepreneurialism. In fact, I wrote my book on branding, which you should read too. The following Top Branding Books for Entrepreneurs are the ones that have had the biggest impact on me and my business, as well as I believe they are accessible and approachable to all business people.
Top 5 Branding Books for Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders
Branding: In Five and a Half Steps 1st Edition
by Michael Johnson
“While branding (in its widest sense) and brand identity (in its visual sense) may not be perfect works, they are broad enough to encapsulate how an organization looks, ow it ‘feels’ and ow it wants others to feel about it.”
A deep dive into branding which bridges the gap between grand strategy and brand building. Most consider branding as the latter, but the former is the most critical part for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and marketers alike. Consider this a solid reference book and a great resources on the branding process.
The Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design
by Marty Neumeier
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company.”
A quick read and the first of its kind book that bridges the gap between brand strategy and brand creative that will quickly up your brand acumen. If you’re looking to quickly improve your understanding of comprehensive branding, this book is for you.
United We Brand
by Mike Moser
“Before you can project a unique, external brand for your company, you must first understand the company’s internal character.”
If you’re looking for a workbook approach to branding yourself or your business, start here. I’ve found this book to be one of the best practical approaches to building and/or clarifying a brand. The exercises and examples are a little dated, but the results are timeless.
Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team
by Alina Wheeler
“Branding is about seizing every opportunity to express why people should choose one brand over another.”
I recommend this book for those that are interested in the creative and implementation side of branding. While it does go into the strategy side of branding, which guides the creation of you overall brand, without a core understanding of design and marketing this may not be the right book for you.
Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits
by Debbie Millman
“Branding is a history in flux, and my hope is that this collection of conversations can provide a time capsule of the second decade of the 21st century.”
A collection of interviews of some of the top names in branding, marketing, and business by one of the best self-marketers of our time. The content is diverse and informative, some of it incredibly eye-opening and provocative, while the self-marketing isn’t shy and can cause readers to skip chapters. A must read for aspiring brand designers and people who are brand-curious.
The Propr Brand Strategy Workshop
The concept of branding yourself and your business is popular for many reasons. But getting to the point where you can clearly and concisely articulate why your business exists (not just what it does), how you are different and better, and why your customers can’t live without it can be daunting and challenging. That’s why I created the unique Propr Branding Workshop. It’s designed to make you and your company think differently, push boundaries, and energize your organization.
Is your business struggling to make your brand stand out? In that case, we have an amazing offer for you for our immersive, collaborative, and fully interactive Brand Strategy Workshop facilitated by yours truly, Bobby G, and get the clarity, empowerment, and brand performance you desire.
- Clearly Deliver Your Message
- Confirm the Brand’s Credibility in the Marketplace
- Emotionally Connect Target Prospects with Your Product or Service
- Motivate the Buyer to Make a Purchase
- Create user Loyalty
- Be Consistent
- Grow Revenue
- Sleep Better
Are you looking to grow your business with a stronger brand?
Bobby Gillespie
With 24 years of creative experience in leadership, planning, and executing performance-based branding and web design strategies, Propr and I help small and medium-sized companies and organizations grow revenue, attract new customers, manage and scale their brands, and improve marketing performance.
I’m also the author of Build Your Brand Like You Give a Shit.
Connect and follow me on LinkedIn.
Schedule a call to learn how we can help you transform your brand for consistent and better performance.
About Propr
Propr is a boutique brand strategy and creative agency. We help companies and organizations grow through high-performing brand strategy, graphic & identity design, messaging & custom WordPress website design & development. Performance and results drive our passion for service. Let’s do great things for your brand together.
Ready to transform your brand for consistent and better performance? Contact us today!
10/18/2019
