As a marketing professional, you want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and practices in the digital landscape. If you don't, you risk losing relevancy with your clients and within your own industry. That is why it's a good idea to have a collection of news websites in your back pocket.
Next time you sit down with a bowl of cereal in the morning, open your laptop and be prepared to access these 7 digital marketing news sources in your bookmarks. I know they've served me well in terms of blog inspiration.
1) HubSpot
As an inbound marketer in particular, this source has provided me with issues important to the inbound arena. Whether it be lead generation, SEO, or best landing page practices, HubSpot is an authority that I trust to keep me educated.
2) Copyblogger
Effective blogging is essential to the content strategy of your website. Copyblogger provides some of the best practices for writing engaging content. These can include a guide to creating memorable infographics, how to come up with engaging topics, and why people love to read list. This source is a must for any content writer.
3) Fast Company
This entertaining read consistantly churns out cool stories. If you want to hear about important tech innovations, have fun reading Fast Company. There are hardly any dull topics as you scroll though the feed. I also find I lot of interesting thoughts on design—both technological and analogue.
This is a great source for practical advice on social media strategy. While Mashable spreads news on what's viral, Social Media examiner actually teaches you how to use social. I guarantee you will find plenty of advice and statistics that you can use to persuade your boss into making a bigger social media investment.
I always go to NYTimes.com for some top notch writing and reporting. I generally look at the Business and Technology sections, trusting that I'll find ample amounts of research and journalistic integrity. Also, because the writers are some of the best in the country, I've picked up some fine composition techniques.
6) PSFK
This free-wheeling website is a new one for me. They have some pretty inspirational content ranging from charming tech innovations to tips on how to live a more efficient life. This publication aims at sparking your creative mojo.
7) Seth Godin
This blogger has a tremendous following, and for good reason. He's a quick read as his blog posts are normally no longer than 300 words. He makes every sentence count, and gets straight to the point on matters of marketing and life in general. A good source for quick philosophy to work and live by.
I find that it's easier to collect all of these sources in one feed, rather than bookmarking them. That's why I use Feedly, a clean interface that categorizes my news for easy navigation. It also has a convenient iPhone and iPad app.
I've also used Google News and Flipboard, two popular news aggregator alternatives. I got on Google News because, well—hey it's Google and they generally provide most of the answers you're looking for. However, Flipboard presents a more engaging interface that acts like a digital magazine of sorts.
So always stay up-to-date, fellow marketers. You never want to be caught out of the know. Reading every day and from a variety of sources helps inform great innovations. Just make sure you add the Responsive Inbound Marketing blog to your trusty handy list! You can sign up for a convenient email update each time we post.
Okay, so you now have all of these great resources I shared with you to check out. So you need to know how to start a blog for your business? Check out this awesome Ebook with so many tips to help you get you started today!
