Izz Whizzdom the business book club: three simple ways to boost your marketing strategy in 2026
Edition One
Turn Ideas into Better Business - the Marketing Edition
Read. Reflect. Do.
The Digital Marketing Handbook by Alice Benham
Why I started Izz Whizzdom the business book club
I created Izz Whizzdom, the business book club, to 1) keep me accountable to my plan of reading one business book per month; 2) to embody the values that I care about most: continuous improvement, creativity, collaboration, community, and being relationship-driven. It’s a space for founders, leaders, and professionals to connect, learn, and grow together sharing real actionable insights. And no surprise, the book club itself is one of the biggest actions that I have come up with after reflecting on chapters of The Digital Marketing Handbook* by Alice Benham. More on that below.
When I first started Izz Whizz VA, I quickly saw that there’s a lot more to marketing than I knew. Like most of us, I am learning as I go - there is no rule book. As my knowledge and experience grew, I was reading lots of marketing books but none left me with clear, actionable strategy for my business. Whether I knew it or not, I was seeking a clear, actionable guide that could help both beginners and more experienced marketers alike. This month’s book does exactly that; it’s simple, practical, and full of insights you can start using immediately.
In Alice’s own words in the book since I can’t put it any better than this:
“This book will break down marketing strategy in a way that helps you take confident action towards your business goals.” This has definitely happened for me, so let’s dive in.
Quick and Easy Takeaways
Marketing Made Accessible
The Digital Marketing Handbook breaks down marketing by topic in an easy to understand lay out with an incredibly useful summary of key learnings and action steps at the end of each chapter, and real life case studies and guest experts really bring each chapter to life. For my busy brain, this is invaluable and a great place to reference over and over.
Thoughts: Marketing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming and you don’t need to know everything at once. A few consistent, smart actions can make a big impact.
Whizzdom: I revisited my brand positioning; revamped and streamlined it so the messaging now speaks more clearly to a scaling founder’s pain points that we can address and solve.
Actionable Insights Across All Areas
Alice’s book is very comprehensive: marketing strategy (what is it and why do you need it?); long form and short form content; social media; branding; email marketing; networking…. - essentially an overview of the whole marketing works.
Thoughts: Even if you’re already experienced, it’s a great checklist to make sure nothing is falling through the cracks. I realised I was underusing some simple strategies that could boost engagement with potential clients.
Whizzdom: I created a small, repeatable, repurposable content plan: a monthly “Reel + carousel + blog + stories” workflow that aligns with my marketing strategy. It’s now easier to maintain, measurable, and more engaging.
Simplicity is Powerful
One of the biggest messages in The Digital Marketing Handbook is that complexity doesn’t mean better. Small, consistent actions usually outperform big, sporadic efforts.
Thoughts: Music to my ears; as an OBM and small business owner, systems, simplicity, and focus are your best friends.
Whizzdom: I reviewed my social media workflow and eliminated unnecessary steps, keeping only what drives engagement or connection with my audience, and automated where relevant. The result is less overwhelm and more impact.
Turn Insight into Action
The real value of any business book is applying what you learn. I am now more clear and structured with my marketing strategy and spending more time thinking strategically about better ways to create community and collaboration.
And so, the seed was planted and the Izz Whizzdom business book club grew from that seed. A place to collaborate, share, learn and grow as a small business community. Learning together is more fun and more powerful.
As Alice says, “you can’t read the label when you’re inside the jar”. Getting outside input is really valuable, and other business owners will spot what might not feel obvious to you in your business.
By focusing on small, actionable steps, I:
Stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed by all the things
Give my community more value
Strengthen my brand as a calm, capable, and thoughtful OBM
This is exactly what Izz Whizzdom business book club is for: taking ideas and turning them into better business whilst learning and collaborating together. Two heads (or a whole talented business community) are better than one and a whole lot more fun!
Whether you’re new to marketing or already an experienced marketer, this book provides practical ideas you can implement this week. Let me know what you think!
I’d love for you to join the conversation:
Share your takeaways on Instagram @izzwhizz_va #IzzWhizzdomReads
Follow along for more insights, reels, and reflections.
Let us know what your top business reads are, we may feature you and your choice in an upcoming edition! Get in touch with us.
Let’s turn learning into better business, together. Read. Reflect. Do.
*there are no affiliated links in this article. This is not an ad and I have not been paid or sponsored by anyone. I also bought my own copy of the book.
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