10 Best Marketing Automation Books to Read for 2025

marketing automation books

These best marketing automation books can help your business activities automate, saving time and money. They teach you how to make it work for your business.

What is Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate marketing activities. For example, you may need to do repetitive tasks in email marketing, social media posting, ad campaigns, affiliate marketing, etc. Such tasks can be automated with technology. The technology provides efficiency and an even more personalized experience for your customers.

Learn how combining marketing automation software and strategy can convert prospects into satisfied customers. The books teach you how to implement automation in marketing effectively and which parts of your industry to implement it in. After successfully implemented, you’ll experience improved customer relationships and increased sales.

These books are our top selections for the year 2025. Choose the right title based on where you want to automate your activities. If you wish to automate your activities or learn marketing automation as a career, these books are for you.

Best Marketing Automation Books for 2025

Marketing Automation Unleashed: The Strategic Path for B2B Growth

1. Marketing Automation Unleashed

by Casey Cheshire

Rating: 4.4/5 • Publication: 2020
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What the book covers

This book is an evergreen guide with insights into strategies, techniques, and tools essential for B2B success. It introduces the “Cheshire Success Index,” a structured ten-step approach divided into four phases: Foundational, Growth, Alignment, and Optimization. These steps help businesses implement effective marketing automation campaigns, bridge gaps between sales and marketing, engage customers, nurture leads, and measure campaign effectiveness in real-time.

Who’s the book for

Business owners, marketers, and sales professionals.

About the author

Casey Cheshire is the Founder and CMO of Cheshire Impact, a leading Salesforce Pardot consulting firm. A Marine Corps veteran, he is also the host of the Hard Corps Marketing Show, where he shares industry expertise with marketers worldwide. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.

Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity

2. Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity

By Philip Kotler, Hermawan Kartajaya, Iwan Setiawan

Rating: 4.6/5 • Publication: 2021

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What the book covers

This book explores how marketers can use technology to address customers’ needs while making a positive impact on the world. It provides strategies for integrating artificial intelligence, agile marketing, contextual technology, facial recognition, and the Internet of Things into modern marketing. The book also covers transmedia storytelling, the evolution of customer experience (CX), and corporate activism, making it a comprehensive guide for future-ready marketers. The importance of artificial intelligence as a central component of marketing automation is discussed in the book.

Who’s the book for

Marketing professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and students who are looking for the digital transformation of marketing. 

About the authors

Philip Kotler (LinkedIn) is a globally renowned marketing expert, known for his work in modern marketing principles. Hermawan Kartajaya (Instagram) is an esteemed business consultant, while Iwan Setiawan  (LinkedIn) is a strategist focused on digital transformation. Together, they offer invaluable perspectives on how technology can shape the future of marketing.

ABM is B2B.: Why B2B Marketing and Sales is Broken and How to Fix it

3. ABM is B2B.: Why B2B Marketing and Sales is Broken and How to Fix it

By Sangram Vajre, Eric Spett

Rating: 4.2/5 • Publication: 2019

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What the book covers

This book challenges traditional B2B marketing and sales approaches. Instead, it introduces the TEAM framework—Target, Engage, Activate, and Measure—to help businesses optimize their marketing strategies. It explains how Account-Based Marketing (ABM) unites marketing, sales, and customer success teams to focus on high-value accounts, engage them meaningfully, and measure success based on business outcomes rather than vanity metrics. The book implements ABM strategies within automated systems.

Who’s the book for

B2B marketers, sales professionals, and business leaders who need to refine their marketing strategies. 

About the authors

Sangram Vajre (Instagram) is the co-founder of Terminus and a leading expert in Account-Based Marketing. Eric Spett, also a co-founder of Terminus, has led the company to become one of Atlanta’s fastest-growing software firms.

The Sales Funnel Book v2.0: The Simple Plan To Multiply Your Business With Marketing Automation

4. The Sales Funnel Book v2.0

By Nathan Williams

Rating: 3.9/5 • Publication: 2018

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What the book covers

This book introduces the Interest Driven Sales Funnel Strategy to create automated sales funnels that adapt to their audience. You will learn the six phases of the Macro Sales Funnel, the benefits of self-segmentation, and how to build relationships with customers through Main Series content. Readers will learn about story-based marketing, weekly promotions, and long-course strategies to engage leads and drive conversions. Williams’ approach focuses on an ecosystem of interconnected processes rather than a simple linear progression for more sophisticated automation strategies.

Who’s the book for

Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers who need to optimize their sales funnels with automation. 

About the author

Nathan Williams is an entrepreneur specializing in sales funnel optimization. He helps small business owners and entrepreneurs plan, build, and refine their marketing automation strategies to maximize growth. He is available on Instagram.

No B.S. Guide to Successful Marketing Automation: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Guide to Using Technology, Automation, and ...

5. No B.S. Guide to Successful Marketing Automation

By Dan S. Kennedy, Parthiv Shah

Rating: 4.4/5 • Publication: 2024

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What the book covers

This book provides a simple approach to marketing automation with AI, CRM systems, and automation tools to scale the marketing operations. It covers customer engagement strategies, funnel optimization, AI-driven copywriting, and campaign automation to increase profits and efficiency. The book also discusses how technology is used in marketing efforts to operate autonomously.

Who’s the book for

Entrepreneurs, marketers, and business owners who have struggled with overly complex automation implementations. 

About the authors

Dan S. Kennedy (magneticmarketing.com)is a renowned marketing expert, influencing over one million independent business owners annually. Parthiv Shah is the Founder of eLaunchers.com.

Marketing Automation For Dummies

6. Marketing Automation For Dummies 

by Mathew Sweezey

Rating: 4.1/5 • Publication: 2014
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What the book covers

This book is one of the well-known books on the topic. It breaks down marketing automation into simple, actionable steps, helpful for beginners and professionals alike. The author explains how automation technology can improve customer segmentation, lead conversions, and forecasting. Readers will learn how to define a buyer profile, assess their needs, select the right tools, create a lead-scoring model, and integrate marketing automation seamlessly into their CRM program.

Who’s the book for

Business owners, marketers, sales professionals, and anyone looking to optimize their marketing strategies. 

About the author

Mathew Sweezey is the Marketing Automation Evangelist at Pardot (ExactTarget), a leading provider of automation solutions. His expertise lies in simplifying complex marketing concepts, making them accessible to professionals across various industries. View his LinkedIn profile

Introduction to Algorithmic Marketing: Artificial Intelligence for Marketing Operations

7. Introduction to Algorithmic Marketing

by Ilya Katsov

Rating: 4.6/5 • Publication: 2017
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What the book covers

This book is an in-depth guide to advanced marketing automation techniques, combining economic theory, machine learning, and data science. It covers key marketing areas that require programmatic decision-making using AI, such as targeted promotions, advertisements, eCommerce search, recommendations, pricing strategies, and assortment optimization. The book explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and .automation in modern marketing.

Who’s the book for

Marketing strategists, data scientists, product managers, and software engineers for AI-driven marketing.

About the author

Ilya Katsov is the VP of Technology at Grid Dynamics, a global consulting company specializing in emerging technology innovations. He leads AI and data science solutions that help enterprises improve customer experiences, operations, and marketing strategies. The author is also available on LinkedIn.

Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation

8. Join or Die: Digital Advertising in the Age of Automation 

by Patrick Gilbert

Rating: 4.7/5 • Publication: 2020
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What the book covers

This book is about leveraging automation within Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other digital advertising platforms. You’ll learn machine learning principles, smart bidding strategies, and automation-driven campaign management. The book includes real-life case studies, frameworks, and strategies to enhance ad performance and profitability.

Who’s the book for

Digital marketers, PPC managers, and business owners who want to leverage automation in advertising. 

About the author

Patrick Gilbert is the Executive Director of Digital Advertising Services at AdVenture Media Group. He is recognized as a Top 50 Most Influential PPC Expert and a leading thought leader in PPC machine learning. He is available on LinkedIn.

Conversational Marketing: How the World's Fastest Growing Companies Use Chatbots to Generate Leads 24/7/365 (and How You C...

9. Conversational Marketing

By David Cancel, Dave Gerhardt

Rating: 4.6/5 • Publication: 2019

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What the book covers

This book introduces a strategy that leverages chatbots and real-time messaging to engage customers instantly. Modern consumers are interested in immediacy and personalization. The authors teach integrating conversational marketing into existing workflows, merging inbound and outbound tactics, and using AI-driven chatbots to improve customer interactions.

Who’s the book for

Marketers, business owners, and sales professionals who want to modernize their customer engagement strategies. 

About the authors

David Cancel (LinkedIn) is the Chairman and CEO of Drift, a leading conversational marketing platform. Dave Gerhardt is a marketing strategist and founder of DGMG, a consulting firm specializing in brand building and marketing strategy. His website is davegerhardt.com. 

Marketing Automation Foundation: Eliminating Unproductive Marketing

10. Marketing Automation Foundation

by Steve Thomas & Brian Thomas

Rating: 4.4/5 • Publication: 2017
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What the book covers

This book lays the strategic foundation for businesses to scale through digital marketing automation. You’ll learn about automation tools to improve lead generation, customer engagement, and campaign management. It highlights how intelligent software actively engages prospects, tracking every click, page visit, and social media interaction. 

Who’s the book for

Business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs can optimize their marketing strategies using automation after reading this book. 

About the authors

Steve Thomas and Brian Thomas are automation experts. They specialize in helping businesses implement strategies to improve customer engagement and revenue growth.

Is the list of the best books on marketing automation helpful to you? Read one of them and apply it to your business. And share this page with your friends and loved ones on social media. If you have any comments, please leave them in the comment box below.

Disclosure: We are partners or associates of Amazon and other top brands. We may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases without increasing the price. Please read our full affiliate disclosure here.

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