These 7 Books Helped Me Do $1.36 Million In Sales In 36-Months
IMPORTANT: These books are in the order I recommend reading them. You can read them in whatever order you want. But, to connect the dots fastest, I recommend reading them in the order I’ve indicated below.
Special note to Hacker News readers: I will soon be writing an article to de-bunk a common developer myth that digital advertising is a bubble because advertising doesn’t work. My experience shows that concern is invalid.
Book #1: “Ogilvy on Advertising,” By David Ogilvy
“David Ogilvy was a British advertising tycoon, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, and known as the “Father of Advertising.” — Wikipedia
Ogilvy opened my eyes to this truth:
“The ads that make money look NOTHING like most of the ads you see in most magazines, TV, and digital platforms.” (Capitalization mine)
I always suspected this was true.
But, Ogilvy helped me confirm two facts:
- It is true; most advertising doesn’t work.
- It’s the advertiser’s fault; it’s not a fundamental flaw in advertising.
Learning this secret helped me STOP imitating 95% of the ads I see running online and offline
And doing that helped me produce consistent money-making ad campaigns.
For example…
At the time of this writing, my Return On Ad Spend on one Facebook campaign is $14 for every $1 I spend
Even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic…
17 days of ads have generated $25,500 in sales on only $1,822.06 of ads
I could not do this before taking the time to learn how to create ads that really sell.
Book #2: “Scientific Advertising,” By Claude Hopkins
‘Claude C. Hopkins was one of the great advertising pioneers. He believed advertising existed only to sell something and should be measured and justified by the results it produced.’ — Wikipedia
Hopkins showed me that good advertising is just sales by written word
Thus, you should…
Design your ads as if a human salesperson is speaking to your client
Thus…
Don’t use slogans, ditties, and music if a salesperson would not use those methods when talking to your customer
Instead, present facts-driven copy that shows how your product or service solves your customer’s problem.
The key lesson from this book is this…
High-ROI copy uses the same standards and methods an honest salesman uses when selling face-to-face
This book is the quickest read of all the books on this list.
And it is the inspiration for almost all traced advertising in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Book #3: “Tested Advertising Methods,” By John Caples
‘A member of the Copywriters’ Halls of Fame, John Caples, built a nationwide reputation for his research and scientific methods of testing advertising effectiveness. John Caples was Vice President of BBDO, Inc.’ — Source: ScientificAdvertising.com
A myth in digital advertising is… Before digital advertising advertisers had no good way to track ad ROI
That is not true.
Caples will show you ad principles learned by tracking ad ROI to the penny during the 20th century
Caples will also show you how to…
Move away from advertising opinion in favor of tested advertising fact
Though this book is older, like many on the list…
Most of his “tested advertising methods” are as relevant today as they were then
It makes sense because…
Though technology has changed, humans haven’t
A famous quotes from this book drives home the DRAMATIC jump in sales you can get from well-written ad copy.
Referencing Caple’s words, the preface of the 4th edition says:
“In this book, John Caples writes…I have seen one advertisement sell 19–1/2 times as much goods as another.”
“This statement dramatizes the gigantic difference between good advertisements and bad ones. You will increase your chances of writing good ones if you read this book, and commit its conclusions to memory.”
Book #4: “Writing That Works,” By Kenneth Roman & Joel Raphaelson
This book will help you unlearn bad writing habits you learned in school.
Often, the more formal education we get the worse we write
What impresses our professors does not impress our customers.
It confuses them.
As humans, we tend to buy what we understand and avoid what we don’t
Big words, industry jargon, and complex sentences creates confusion.
Confusion lowers sales.
This book will teach you how to get to the point and speak with fewer, simpler, and stronger words
Do NOT skip this book.
Book #5: “How to Write A Good Advertisement,” By Victor O. Schwab
This book covers the same topics as books #1–3 above.
But…
This book fills gaps in the ad writing process
The first 3 books cover core advertising principles.
This book helps you understand the process of writing a winning ad
It starts by…
Explaining FIVE things your ads MUST do to succeed
- Get attention
- Show the customer a benefit of your product or service
- Prove your product or service will deliver
- Help your audience UNDERSTAND the benefit
- Tell the customer what to do next
I go back to this book more often than any other book on this list.
Book #6: “Reality In Advertising,” By Rosser Reeves
“Rosser Reeves was an American advertising executive and pioneer of television advertising… The Ted Bates agency, where he rose to Chairman, exists today as Bates CHI & Partners.’ — Wikipedia
Rosser Reeves coined the term “Unique Selling Proposition”
It’s in this book that he coined the term “USP”. But most marketers who refer to USP ignore some of Reeves’ greatest insights.
Like every advertiser on this list…
Reves took a scientific approach to advertising
Reeves’ method is like a pharma company testing a drug versus placebo.
Below is Rosser Reeves’ description of the method his firm used to discover the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition
“At regular intervals, we interview thousands of people in 275 different locations from coast to coast [United States].”
“The sample is carefully broken down into age, income, race, and city size.”
“We measure only big advertising campaigns.”
“The largest appropriation is $17,500,000. The smallest is $400,000.” (1961 dollars)
“The average budget for each brand is approximately $5,000,000 a year.”
“We measure…The number of people who remember (and who do not remember) your current advertising”
They then…
Measure purchase penetration among the two groups
Putting it all together, he states:
“…The difference in these two figures shows how many have been pulled over to the usage of your product by your advertising.”
“We call this USAGE PULL.”
Penetration, and how to maximize it, is a concept developed throughout the book
To avoid costly advertising mistakes…
Reeves’ findings are CRITICAL for you to understand
For example…
There is a trap explained in this book that helps me consistently get an ROI higher than my competition
I believe this is one of the fundamental insights of the entire book.
Book #7: “Websites That Win,” By Dr. Karl Blanks & Ben Jesson
This is the only book on this list that is modern.
It is also….
The only book on this list not written by one of history’s great advertisers
Yet….
The work done by Conversion Rate Experts will help you apply the older lessons from the 6 books above
I list this book last because the first 6 books teach you the fundamentals of advertising for a high ROI.
If you skip this 7th book, you’d still have a solid foundation for consistent profits.
In conclusion, these 7 Books Helped Me Generate $1.36+ Million Of Sales In 36-Months. (Most of that during the most recent 24-month period.)
Even During COVID-19, I’m Running Ads With ROIs Well Above 10X, 11X, 12X, Up To 14X.
Don’t Waste Another Minute Struggling To Generate Sales Online.
Take The Time To Read and Understand These 7 Books, And You Will Know Everything You Need To Know To Generate Thousands Of Dollars In Online Sales…
Best Wishes To You!
About Me: Hi, my name is Ayo Ijidakinro. I’m an experienced software developer, marketer, and SEO. If you need help with any of the above, you can message me on LinkedIn or send an email. Contact me now, because my schedule fills up quickly.
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