As organizations everywhere build their digital game plans, it’s time to accept that the word “digital” in “digital marketing” is redundant. All marketing today touches digital technology, whether that’s social media, search engine marketing, data analytics or beyond.

So, what does it take to succeed as a marketer today? Read on for an in-depth introduction to how we got here, and how today’s leading marketing minds are harnessing new technologies and ways of thinking to achieve explosive growth for their companies.

What is Digital Marketing?

• Growth Hacker is the new VP Marketing by Andrew Chen
• Digital Marketing by Hubspot
• Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing and Advertising by Ryan Holiday
• Commentary: We need more startup marketing minds (a.k.a. Full-Stack Marketers) by Marcelo Calbucci

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

• The Beginners Guide to SEO by Moz
• Rewriting the Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Britney Muller
• How to Do Keyword Research in 90 Minutes by Jeremy Gottlieb
• What is SEM & Paid Search Marketing? by Search Engine Land
• Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords by Perry Marshall, Mike Rhodes and Bryan Todd
• Creating a Link Building Machine by Ross Hudgens
• Optimizing Your Long-Tail Keyword Strategy: A Guide by Ross Hudgens

Email Marketing

• Email Persuasion by Ian Brodie
• Email Marketing Field Guide by MailChimp
• Email Marketing Rules by Chad White

Social Media

• The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott
• Social Media Marketing for Business by WordStream
• Why Community Management Matters For Your Business (And How to Do It Right) by Shopify
• What’s Your Viral Loop: Understanding the Engine of Adoption by Andrew Chen
• Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today’s Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves by Adam Penenberg

Google Analytics

• Google Analytics for Beginners (free certification) by Google Academy
• Advanced Google Analytics (free certification) by Google Academy
• Ecommerce Analytics: From Data to Decisions (free certification) by Google Academy
• Google Tag Manager Fundamentals (free certification) by Google Academy

Business & Marketing Principles  

• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink                              
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

Course Compare will be adding to this and other “101” posts across a range of tech disciplines. Let us know in the comments section if you have essential reading for aspiring digital marketers to add to this list.

Ready to pivot or take the next step in your career? Explore Canada’s leading digital marketing courses to get certified in this growing field.