Education is key to understanding content marketing and its nuances. Over time, I’ve found that these blogs are the best sources for that education.
We all work hard to immerse ourselves in the industry so that we can better understand our target community. But still, according to the Content Marketing Institute, 55 percent of B2B marketers feel unclear within their organizations what an effective or successful content marketing program looks like.
Well, endless education is the key to understanding content marketing and its nuances. When I first started at Prowly last year, my hard content marketing knowledge was fairly limited. Over time, I’ve found that these blogs are the best sources for that education:
Scroll down for the list of content marketing blogs I love, catalogued into five useful, I hope, categories:
1. Content Marketing & Strategy
2. Marketing Technology
3. Social Media Content Marketing
4. Analysts & Research
5. SEO
Content Marketing & Strategy
Seth Godin’s Blog – the godfather of modern marketing — or, at least, the type of modern marketing we all want to be doing. Best-selling author and marketing expert writes on marketing, leadership, change and spreading new ideas. Best quote from his last interview with Contently: “In a world of zero marginal cost, being trusted is the single most urgent way to build a business”.
Our interview with #marketing wizard Seth Godin: https://t.co/Ei0DHDSaoS pic.twitter.com/TRb96gEAaQ
— Contently (@contently) July 29, 2016
Seth's Blog: What are you competing on? https://t.co/Oy42pEuBiu
— Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog) March 22, 2016
@ThisIsSethsBlog has 555K followers
Spin Sucks – publishes daily content advice in four categories: social media, communications, entrepreneur and marketing. For who? For the professional development of PR and marketing professionals. With Spin Sucks, you will learn how to build a PR program that increases awareness for your company or brand, get on the first page of Google search results consistently, generate real leads for the business and use the PESO model to integrate a full communications program.
There are already 46,895 Spin Sucks Fans.
Which Brand Storytelling Persona are You? https://t.co/TbpX8MeQPr pic.twitter.com/NGcuSivirj
— Spin Sucks (@SpinSucks) August 2, 2016
{grow} – “You’re in marketing for one reason: Grow.” – underlines Mark Schaefer, an influencer and creator of this blog. {grow} is a community that will help you reach this goal. It will also stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. It’s focused on marketing technology and strategy. Oh, Mark lately published an audio book about content marketing code. Some loved it so much they bought the hard copy too:
The book you MUST read to understand what's next for social media and content marketing > The Content Code http://t.co/a8dv6JM2bX
— Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer) March 29, 2015
@markwschaefer has 139K followers.
Heidi Cohen’s Actionable Marketing Guide – provides you with actionable marketing insights and tips on social media, content marketing and mobile – including the ever expanding world of connected devices and the Internet of Things. Whether you’re an experienced marketer or a marketing newbie, Heidi Cohen simplifies the complex concepts behind today’s evolving integrated marketing challenges into an easy-to-understand and consume format that facilitates readers’ grasp of new topics.
Be a Better Copywriter: 7 Lessons From 4 Legendary Books https://t.co/B4CrpxtCqC via @neilpatel #contentmarketing #writing
— HeidiCohen (@heidicohen) July 19, 2016
@heidicohen has 31.5K followers
Duct Tape Marketing – provides advice for small businesses on how to improve marketing strategy through content marketing tactics. “We all teach something – like it or not, know it or not – but how conscious are we of the act.” – writes John Jantsch, called the World’s Most Practical Small Business Expert. On his web, you can listen to some of the industry’s biggest influencers talk with him about business success, marketing and opportunity. If you have more time, you can choose something interesting from his library of free eBooks and webinars, which covers everything from earning referrals to managing time and being more productive. But from my perspective, the coolest thing is that every week they share software and tools that can help you run your business.
7 Tools to Automate Your #Marketing Tasks (Without Blowing Your Budget) from @Entrepreneur https://t.co/g2H3pSowe9 #SmallBusinessMarketing
— John Jantsch (@ducttape) August 3, 2016
@ducttape has 114K followers
The Influential Marketing Blog – non-obvious marketing insights from Rohit Bhargava, trend curator, the founder of the Influential Marketing Group and an expert in helping brands and leaders be more influential. He is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author of five best-selling business books and teaches marketing and pitching at Georgetown University.
A startup that lets you sell your own data – from this week's Non-Obvious Insights: https://t.co/UYz66SJX9o
— Rohit Bhargava (@rohitbhargava) June 24, 2016
Over 34.1K followers
Content Marketing Institute – founded by Joe Pulizzi, the leading evangelist for content marketing (you will find posts written by him here. Their mission is to advance the practice of content marketing. While the site is full of practical, how-to guidance, you’ll also find insight and advice from the experts and an active community for discussing the latest news, information and advances that are moving the industry forward.
My latest post – The Biggest Content Marketing Trends in 2017 https://t.co/xw8lQx7nPQ #CMWorld
— Joe Pulizzi (@JoePulizzi) August 3, 2016
@CMIContent has 187K followers
Barry Feldman’s The Point – chock full of consultant Barry Feldman’s knowledge of effective digital marketing, social media, content strategy, influencer marketing, copywriting, and more, including rock’n’roll. More than 10K marketers already gather useful tips and tactics to increase traffic, leads and sales from this blog. Ready to join them?
Introducing the #ContentMarketing Roadmap—30 free resources from @feldmancreative https://t.co/dEwRlsxIvy pic.twitter.com/JmWySRNAGP
— Barry Feldman (@FeldmanCreative) July 31, 2016
36.9K followers
eContent – delivers essential research, reporting, news and analysis of content related issues. Essential reading for executives and professionals involved in content creation, management, acquisitions, organization, and distribution in both commercial and enterprise environments. Also covers the latest tools and features the EContent 100 List of Companies that Matter Most in the Digital Content Industry, and the EContent Trendsetting Products List.
RT @QuarkNews: 75% of companies say fragmented content strategy prevents streamlining of the publishing lifecycle. https://t.co/CnxtEH73HH
— EContent Magazine (@econtentmag) July 29, 2016
@econtentmag has 4,263 followers
HubSpot – offers insights and advice for marketers regarding inbound marketing, sales and social media, as well as opinion articles. You should consider subscribing to their daily roundup of the “greatest marketing posts.” Personally, I especially love blog posts by Lindsay Kolowich (@lkolo25). Check out one of the latest about the future of social video: a brief look into what’s next [infographic]. If you’re looking for marketing ideas, this is a jackpot.
How to become a more productive writer, from a guy who wrote a quarter of a book in 4 days: https://t.co/0vJKVbhU5H by @adamrogersuk
— Lindsay Kolowich (@lkolow) July 27, 2016
@hubspot has 700K followers
@lkolo25 has 4,644 followers
KISSmetrics – a blog about analytics, online marketing and testing. It explores the art of conversion through a variety of channels, including social media, content marketing, and site traffic. Articles are well-thought out, with a clear purpose, and aim to offer marketers a list of takeaways they can readily apply. Every day, there is something new and valuable to discover, isn’t there? This blog gives you the knowledge you need to make better decisions.
How to leverage data to optimize your email campaigns https://t.co/oRPxdDKB3N pic.twitter.com/YtEzvvunYS
— Kissmetrics (@Kissmetrics) July 29, 2016
Curata – provides marketers an opportunity to learn and share best practices and tips across all facets of the content marketing supply chain: strategy, creation, promotion and analytics. They offer a weekly newsletter and have already over 50K peers.
RT @jeffbullas 5 #DigitalMarketing Trends That Will Disrupt Your Business https://t.co/YGepof7Coy #contentmarketing pic.twitter.com/OsaF6Xrin4
— Curata (@curata) August 1, 2016
@curata has 3.2K followers
Marketo – helping marketers master the art and science of digital marketing by driving technology innovation and expertise for tomorrow. Provides information in six various categories: marketing automation, social media, content marketing, e-mail marketing, modern marketing, and lead management.
3 Cutting-Edge #ContentMarketing Trends From Top Luxury Brands https://t.co/2mfZtS2zRV via @contently pic.twitter.com/qLVLqQFd0v
— Marketo (@marketo) August 8, 2016
@marketo has 132K followers
MarketingProfs – trusted by 600K professionals globally, MarketingProfs offers real world education for modern marketers and provides consistent insights into the marketing world through a variety of topics: content, non-profit, customer behavior, ROI, PR, sales, and more. The Twitter account is run by Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs).
The Top-Rated Content Marketing Software Platforms https://t.co/pzf4jvd183 pic.twitter.com/fjCq2u8f7c
— Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) August 2, 2016
356K followers
Convince and Convert – led by Jay Baer (@jaybaer) – a hype-free digital marketing and customer service strategist, speaker, New York Times best-selling author and technology investor. He founded Convince & Convert in 2008, and it is his fifth multi-million-dollar venture. The blog educates content marketers about online strategies to improve customer engagement and lead quality. But, in my opinion, the most valuable here are podcasts: Social Media Pros (one of the most popular marketing podcasts in the world, recently named the best podcast at the Content Marketing Awards), Content Pros Podcast, Business of Story (where the world’s best storytellers from business, Hollywood, and beyond teach you how to use stories to communicate and connect with your customers), Influence Pros Podcast, Marketing Marvels (features short demos of remarkable software platforms, followed by Q&As with a live audience). Thanks to them, you can listen to real insights from real people doing real work in social media. Isn’t that priceless?
Social Pros w/ @SallyHogshead: How to Use #SocialMedia to Make Your Brand Fascinating https://t.co/TtT1cR8kyC pic.twitter.com/3zOl2BOg8z
— Convince & Convert (@convince) August 4, 2016
Convince and Convert has 19,7K followers
Jay has 212K followers
Contentology – B2B content marketing answers tough questions for B2B content marketers. Profile. Leads. ROI. Focuses on everything content, from how to create a visual storytelling strategy, to social content, and content marketing tools.
Not enough quality content people. Too many people making it up as they go along: https://t.co/xBezBmhQG2 @contently
— Contentology (@Contentology) July 25, 2016
@Contentology has 710 followers
Marketing Technology Blogs
The Marketing Technology Blog – founded by Douglas Karr (@douglaskarr), the CMO of CircuPress and CEO of DK New Media, an agency specializing in assisting marketing technology companies with their inbound marketing – leveraging social media, blogging, search engine optimization, pay per click and public relations. The Marketing Technology Blogs delivers daily updates from marketing professionals on the latest in marketing technology. There, you will find news in 12 different categories: Advertising, Analytics, Automation, Content, Ecommerce, Email, Mobile, Sales, Search, Social, Tech, and WordPress – all written in a simple & understandable way. On Twitter, they share some interesting podcasts, for example recently, about video coming to your LinkedIn news feed or about Instagram Stories.
Listen to our latest podcast @edgewebradio Instagram Introduces New Feature Called “Instagram Stories” https://t.co/NlNQoXP35Q
— MarTech (@martech_zone) August 3, 2016
@mktgtechblog has 36,2K followers
Douglas has 31,1 K followers
The Hub – tracks the marketing technology industry, players and tools, and helps brands and agencies make more informed decisions about how to improve their marketing operations and systems. The Hub covers social media, content marketing, mobile, marketing automation, customer experience management and digital advertising platforms. The Hub also talks to digital marketers, revealing the tools they used for their campaigns and overall brand strategy.
How programmatic strategies bring campaign success. https://t.co/17Llu487XS @ZimanaAnalytics
— DMNTech (@DMNTech) August 2, 2016
@TheHubSpot has 1695 followers
Martech Advisor – a good source for marketing technology news, research, product comparisons & expert views. I very much like one section of this blog: MarTech Maven. It explores insightful content from their guest authors that comprise some of the most well-known names and opinion makers from the marketing technology world.
#MarTech Interview with Isaac Wyatt, Director Marketing Strategy & Operations-@newrelic https://t.co/C4RroLDvMH pic.twitter.com/em6ojEEEgF
— MarTech Advisor Old (@MarTech_Old) August 1, 2016
@MarTechAdvisor has 16,6K followers, 700K newsletter subscribers
Chief Marketing Technologist Blog – are you interested in marketing technology and how that’s changing marketing strategy, management and culture? Then you’ve come to the right blog. Why? “Marketing has become a technology-powered discipline, and therefore marketing organizations must infuse technical capabilities into their DNA.” – this is a quote from CMT web. Marketing technologist Scott Brinker, co-founder and CTO at ion interactive, writes about a number of different aspects of this transformation.
Another brilliant @marketoonist. :-) Wearing my @ioninteractive hat: this is a case for freemium interactive content pic.twitter.com/9YzM1XufWd
— Scott Brinker (@chiefmartec) August 3, 2016
@chiefmartec has 26,1K followers
G2Crowd Learning Hub – we’re guessing everyone knows G2Crowd (we also have an account there and it fills us with pride to see all these positive reviews of our product PR pros post), but not many people visit their Learning Hub. And there’s so much great content you can find there – and all this good stuff is arranged in 6 convenient categories. In addition to the Marketing tab, you’ll also find the following: Sales, Productivity, Design, Management, and Technology. For those with less time on their hands, we recommend the “Most recent” or “Most popular” sections.
Social media isn't enough to justify all those hours put into your #blog. Check out my latest guest post for actionable ways to promote your blog right now. https://t.co/ylbuztb2bn
— Devin (@Devin_Pickell) August 17, 2018
@G2Crowd has 27,6K followers
Social Media Content Marketing Blogs
Social Media Today – powered by Industry Dive. An online community and resource for professionals in marketing, social business, communication, customer experience, content marketing and digital strategy, or any other discipline where a thorough understanding of social media is mission-critical. Their sister sites include Marketing Dive, a daily news resource for digital marketers, SmartDataCollective, which brings together insights and best practices about big data and analytics, and SustainableCitiesCollective, a collection of bloggers who are passionate about the urban future.
Two Big #AdWords Features You Have to Try (by @ryan_burgio) https://t.co/rmm4nWHe4g pic.twitter.com/YTU4GCiChl
— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day) August 4, 2016
@socialmedia2day has 555K followers
Social Media Examiner – helps millions of businesses discover how to best use social media to connect with customers, drive traffic, generate awareness and increase sales. It hosts two popular podcasts, a weekly live video show (The Social Media Marketing podcast) and a daily 10-minute YouTube show (The Social Media Examiner Show). I can also recommend the Morning Social Media Marketing TALK, which is a weekly live video show where they review the week’s top news in social media and what it means for marketers.
NEW: How to Use the #Twitter Dashboard https://t.co/61I0QvL0qW by @mayoshrimp #SocialMedia #Marketing pic.twitter.com/ldpLMrkdyn
— Social Media Examiner (@SMExaminer) August 4, 2016
@SMExaminer has 320K followers
Jeff Bullas’s Blog – content marketing influencer, social media marketing strategist & speaker, Forbes Top 10 Social Media Influencer. I wrote about him already in my 35 Twitter Accounts Every PR Pro Needs to Follow blog post. He works with personal brands and business to optimize their online personal and company brands with emerging technologies, content, social media technologies and digital marketing. His blog is about all things to do with entrepreneurship, social media, content marketing and digital.
How to 10x Your Instagram Marketing https://t.co/YrYe3Vlzid #instagram #SMM #instagrammarketing pic.twitter.com/QojkMbHiHU
— Jeff Bullas (@jeffbullas) August 3, 2016
@jeffbullas has 483K followers
Brand24 – everything about social listening, social media marketing, content marketing and customer service plus a lot of case studies. Blog run by Brand24 – a platform which is monitoring your brand or product on the Internet and measuring the buzz around your brand, product or keyword.
An Article about How #Pokemarketing Increased Our Monthly #Blog Traffic.https://t.co/JBmU65uHIf pic.twitter.com/Ts5TGIJaHT
— Brand24 (@brand24) August 9, 2016
@brand24 has 16,1K followers
Buffer – actionable social media advice. Delivered daily. Buffer’s blog focuses on UX, productivity, customer happiness, writing, and life hacks to provide marketers with an all-encompassing view of business.
Those who write down their goals are 95% more likely to achieve them ✅ https://t.co/HT3W2z8rMD Inside Buffer OKRs. pic.twitter.com/xaOHSqXSQH
— Buffer (@buffer) August 4, 2016
@buffer has 615K followers
Analysts & Research Blogs
Jake Sorofman’s Blog – Jake Sorofman, Research Director at Gartner, analyzes digital marketing strategy, trends and practices. He focuses on customer experience and content marketing and helps clients use these techniques to engage customers, evangelize their brands, grow revenue and transform their business. Why should you follow him? Well, better insights give you the support you need to focus on the marketing opportunities with the greatest potential to deliver positive returns for your business. Meaning? Smarter decisions, result-focused.
4 Ways to Drive Digital #Commerce #Innovation https://t.co/BY66fmffjw @jenpolk1 #marketing pic.twitter.com/HTpOOGxmhK
— GartnerForMarketers (@GartnerDigital) July 25, 2016
@jakesorofman has 4166 followers
Brian Solis’s Blog – His research and his books help executives, and also everyday people, better understand the relationship between the evolution of technology and its impact on business and society and also the role we each play in it. He writes about developing new digital transformation, culture 2.0, and innovation strategies but also about social business and how readers can use it to shape their organizations. They call him a digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist. Don’t know a better description.
Five ways marketers can win in mobile-first micro-moments https://t.co/2ICkRWGCvO via @marketingland
— Brian Solis (@briansolis) August 4, 2016
@briansolis has 267K followers
Rebecca Lieb’s Blog – Rebecca is a strategic advisor, research analyst, keynote speaker, author, and columnist. Her areas of specialization are digital marketing and media, with a concentration in content strategy, content marketing and converged media. She works with many of the world’s leading brands on digital marketing innovation.
Study: only 9% of digital ads viewed for over 1 second #contentmarketing https://t.co/TedlqgrQUC
— Rebecca Lieb (@lieblink) July 27, 2016
@lieblink has 12,5K followers
Ryan Skinner’s Blog – Senior Forrester Analyst Ryan Skinner analyzes how brands should develop content and experiences that customers will desire, and even seek out, ultimately building closer relationships with customers that drive preference, advocacy, and loyalty. His research topics include defining a content discovery strategy (with search and social); understanding content consumption and engagement patterns; managing processes and tools for the production and distribution of content and experiences (technologies, agencies, and media partners); and using tools and methodologies that help marketers measure the business impact of content and experiences they have created, and how to continually optimize them. There is one negative – he posts quite rarely lately He last published on May 10th.
There is a correlation between #CX and revenue growth – and here's the data to back it up: https://t.co/pmdgkdHd7q pic.twitter.com/vXwPPsfYLq
— Forrester (@forrester) July 24, 2016
@forrester has 357K followers
Marketing Experiments Blog – The first Internet research lab to conduct and publish experiments on optimizing marketing and sales strategies. Making it simpler: discovers what really works in sales and marketing optimization through testing and research.
[Blog] Two key principles to build positive customer momentum https://t.co/Jqle66fp87 pic.twitter.com/kRASchjs93
— MarketingExperiments (@MktgExperiments) May 19, 2016
@MktgExperiments has 17,5K followers
eMarketer – the main slogan on their website is “The first place to look when you need data about digital.” Well, maybe it’s not the first place, but certainly you should know this blog. It covers not only the digital marketing, but also ecommerce and online media, offering insights and advice for marketers about the digital environment. Today, more than 1,000 corporations (ad agencies, media companies, and brands in all sectors) rely on eMarketer. Ready to dig into? Topics you can choose are: advertising & marketing, B2B, demographics, ecommerce, email, media usage, buying & planning, mobile, search, social, and video.
Download our #eMarketerPRO report, "The US Retail Industry 2016: Digital Ad Spending:" https://t.co/TPszDrkm13 pic.twitter.com/UmvVt5ppzj
— eMarketer (@eMarketer) August 5, 2016
@eMarketer has 281K followers
Michael Fauscette’s Blog – owned & written by Michael Fauscette, the leader of IDC’s Software Business Solutions Group, who offers advice and analyses on emerging trends in business software, business modernization and customer experience strategies.
5 Takeaways From #Cisco’s Big #Cybersecurity Report https://t.co/2pTZG8HFhg
— Michael Fauscette (@mfauscette) August 4, 2016
@mfauscette has 15K followers
SEO
Search Engine Land – a daily publication that covers all aspects of the search marketing industry. The site is led by Editor-In-Chief Matt McGee, who oversees the editorial team behind Search Engine Land and its sister publication, Marketing Land. Daily news coverage includes breaking stories, industry trends, feature announcements and product changes on popular platforms used by search marketers to reach consumers online.
AMP pages no longer need structured data to be valid in @Google Search Console by @rustybrick https://t.co/kwsa52RavG
— Search Engine Land (@sengineland) August 4, 2016
@sengineland has 370K followers
Moz – a great asset for marketers, a place where industry’s top wizards, doctors, and other experts offer their best advice, research, how-to’s and insights—all in the name of helping you upgrade your SEO and online marketing skills. There, you will read articles by Rand Fishkin, Dr. Peter J. Meyers, Ben Newton, Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré, Alexandra Tachalova and many more.
A Different Kind of SEO: 5 Big Challenges One Niche Faces in Google https://t.co/Q3BURoKmBc By @AlexTachalova pic.twitter.com/29j0eBCJ69
— Moz (@Moz) August 4, 2016
@Moz has 457K followers