8 Marketing Blogs You Need to be Reading

If you’re executing your own small business marketing efforts in-house, you know how important it is to stay on top of the latest trends and techniques.  It seems like every day, there’s some new tool, platform or app that will make your marketing efforts a little bit easier, a little more effective, and attract a few more leads. With all these new innovations and ideas constantly bombarding us, how does a small business owner possibly keep up, let alone wade through all the noise to find the true marketing insights needed?  Below are 8 marketing blogs you need to be reading as a small business owner (in no particular order!).

HubSpot – http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing

These guys have marketing down to a science. Not only that, the information they provide can be used in enterprise-level marketing departments as well as solopreneurs who handle all their own marketing.  HubSpot provides information on email marketing, video, content marketing and much more, and does so in easy to understand terms.

Vertical Measures – http://www.verticalmeasures.com/blog/

This is THE blog to read for search, social and content marketing information. They were one of the first agencies to talk about content marketing, and it shows in their blog. They offer a variety of topics and present it through several types of content:  video, articles, interviews, infographics, lists, etc. The marketing insights, especially as it pertains to content marketing, are thoughtful and helpful, which is exactly what content marketing should be!

Infusionsoft – http://learn.infusionsoft.com/

This blog is a little more expansive in nature.  Not only are you going to get great marketing tips, you’re going to get suggestions on sales and marketing integration, as well as small business insights overall. Infusionsoft is all about small businesses, and their blog really reflects that. Though not exclusively a marketing blog, I’d take the time to read this blog on a regular basis; you won’t be disappointed.

Marketing Charts – https://www.marketingcharts.com/

Don’t have a lot of time to read, and looking for a place to get marketing insights in a single snapshot? This is where you want to go. This cool little site has all kinds of marketing charts that give great information in quick, easy soundbites (OK, no sound, but you know what I mean). Want to learn about B2B’s top marketing challenges? How millennials consume information? What makes for a good mobile experience?  Check this site out and you can get all this information in under 5 minutes.

Hootsuite – https://blog.hootsuite.com/

Looking for a marketing blog focused on social media? This is where you want to be.  Hootsuite, one of the more popular social media management platforms, has a fantastic blog that talks about all things social media. They cover every social platform imaginable from Twitter to Facebook to Pinterest to Snapchat and much, much more.  They provide great insights on easier usability, how to determine the best platform is right for your small business, and how to measure the ROI on your social media activity.  Great little must-read blog.

Content Marketing Institute – http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/blog/

Like it or not, content marketing is not going away. As a matter of fact, it continues to grow, expand and morph into new tactics and ways to engage your audience, so why would you ignore it?  This blog is all about content marketing and all the ways to execute your small business content marketing effectively. Their blog posts can be a bit robust, so set aside plenty of time when you hop on this blog; you won’t be disappointed.

Search Engine Journal – https://www.searchenginejournal.com/

Looking for a place to get some in-depth knowledge on SEO, paid search, social media, and more?  This site has been around for quite a while and provides insights, data, industry news and more.  The content is fairly diverse, and some articles will likely be more technical or in-depth for some small business owners, but when you’re ready to really explore all aspects of digital marketing and how to best leverage it for your small business, definitely check this site out.

SCORE – https://www.score.org/blog/all

This site is dedicated to the small business owner, and all their blogs are targeted to small businesses. The topics range from marketing to financial to operations, so if you’re looking specifically for information on marketing, be sure choose that topic group in the navigation bar to better focus your reading.

There are numerous sites to explore if you’re looking for a marketing resource for small businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups, so find a few marketing blogs that work for your daily reading and stay up to date on marketing strategies and tactics that will work for you.