1. "Living the Brand" by Nicholas Ind
Instead of the traditional focus on advertising and marketing, Nicholas Ind approaches branding from a human resource perspective. Ind identifies an organization's workforce as a powerful branding asset. Ind's view of branding is particularly compelling for organizations (e.g., healthcare and higher education) whose customers and employees live and work in the same community (real or virtual). In this book, Ind identifies the steps an organization can take to convert employees into brand advocates.
2. "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" by Al Ries & Jack Trout
Without a doubt, this will be the easiest - and most fun - book on marketing you will ever read. Pay particular attention to Ries & Trout's Law of Category: "If you can't be first in a category, create a category you can be first in."
The Law of Category is particularly pertinent to organizations that are struggling to differentiate themselves from competitors. This law provides clear guidance to organizations that cannot lay claim to being the world's biggest or the world's best.
3. "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR" by Al & Laura Ries
In Aesop's tale "The North Wind and the Sun," we are told of a competition between these primal forces of nature to see who is the stronger. The wind attempts to remove the traveler's cloak by blowing with all its might. But, the traveler tightens his grip. In contrast to the wind, the sun gently warms the traveler, who willingly removes his cloak and tunic.
What's wrong with advertising? According to Al & Laura Ries, advertising (the wind) is too often created to be artistic instead of persuasive. In addition, the authors contend that advertisements often lack credibility. The solution lies in the effective use of public relations (the sun). Of particular note are the chapters covering "The Power of a Third Party" and "Establishing Your Credentials." In the authors' view, rather than taking off in a unique direction, advertising should be used to reinforce and reaffirm your organization's public relations initiatives.
4. "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell
What does "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" have to do with your Employer Referral Program? Well, according to Malcolm Gladwell, Paul Revere is an example of a connector - someone who has an extensive social network. When Paul Revere made his historic ride through the New England countryside, virtually everyone he encountered knew him. His warning had a lot of credibility.
In "The Tipping Point," Malcolm Gladwell discusses the disproportionate impact a few well-connected people (The Law of the Few) can have on your message. If you think about your organization's ERP, you will probably find that the 80-20 rule (Pareto's Principle) applies. 80% of your employee referrals are made by 20% of your employees. Could these 20% be your connectors?
5. "High Impact Consulting" by Robert H. Schaffer
Most professionals are fairly competent in understanding and managing business processes. However, most of us have a more difficult time managing projects. In "High Impact Consulting," Shaffer advises us that instead of attempting "one big solution," we should divide projects into smaller increments that will generate quick results and build momentum. He stresses matching project scope to what the client is ready to do (client readiness) and defining the project in terms of results you are attempting to achieve. Shaffer's advice is particularly apt for advertising and HR communication projects.
6. "Living on the Fault Line" by Geoffrey Moore
Moore's message is that organizations that are managed to maximize shareholder value (also discussed in this book) should focus on core. In Moore's view, "core" employees are those whose "differentiated performance" will lead to an increase in shareholder value. Those individuals whose "differentiated performance" will not increase stock value are considered "context." In the movie The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered core; the assistant sound editor is context.
Given limited resources, human resource professionals should consider employing Moore's "Core versus Context" as a framework for allocating time/money to their employer branding initiatives.
7. "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" by Steve Krug
From Web postings to Web sites and everywhere in between, the Internet has become the primary meeting place of candidates and prospective employers. In this humorous, easy-to-understand, 208-page book, Steve Krug explains how to make Web interactions user-friendly.
Think about the prospective candidates who are viewing your job postings on your company Web site or job board. According to Krug, "We don't read pages-we scan them" and "Most of the time we don't choose the best option-we choose the first reasonable option."
"Don't Make Me Think" will change they way you think about the Web.