Where to Find Marketing Gold: 5 Online Resources for Marketing Pros

I’ve been there.  I’ve been a solo marketing manager trying to stay on top of current trends in an industry where no one really cared about marketing except for me.  Alone and adrift in a sea of marketing needs, I turned to the internet to be my virtual staff, my sounding board and my training guru. 

Whether you’re a seasoned marketing veteran or a newbie, there are a few go-to marketing resources you can turn to for ideas, inspiration or even just the validation of “Oh, yeah, I’ve got this!”

• MarketingProfs.com:  This is a gem of a site that includes everything from marketing articles to forums to training.  They have a free option and a pro option for getting to meaty training seminars.  Whatever your learning style, they have it: podcasts, articles, online seminars, and guides.  They have a variety of marketing topics that you can dive into for more info.  Need social media tips?  They’ve got ‘em.  Want to know more about ROI?  Yup.  Sign up and be a part of over 625,000 people who feel your pain.

• AP Stylebook Online (or in print!):  As a marketing professional in a small office, you may be engaged to write a press release (or two or ten).  The AP Stylebook is a must-have for any marketing or PR professional because it will tell you that “website” is one word.  It will tell you how to properly punctuate “Ph.D.”  It probably won’t get you very far in Jeopardy but you will be advised in the differences of “than vs. then” if you so need it.  Consult these rules and use them and you’ll be the office grammar pro in no time. 

• Hootsuite: If you’re not using marketing automation software like Hubspot or Pardot, you may want to try some free tools (or, the pro version of Hootsuite, which costs less than two lattes per month) on Hootsuite to manage your social media campaigns.  Hootsuite allows you to launch marketing campaigns,  monitor streams, schedule social media updates and create reports on the outcomes.  Hoot! Hoot! 

• Copyblogger.com:  This site is all about how to create sparkling rich content.  You can get lost in here for days if you love content marketing.  Articles, ebooks, seminars, webinars and, of course, a blog, help marketers find their footing in the wide open world of content development.

• FastCompany:  Sometimes a little inspiration is what it takes to get your marketing juices flowing.  FastCompany is a magazine with an online presence that will inspire you to create and move beyond the bounds of your humdrum email campaigns. Find out what creative people in business are doing to ignite change and drive business goals by taking chances.  It may spill over into your little marketing world.

So what?  Marketers need resources to drive creativity and to enhance skill sets. As the ubiquitous “they” say: Two heads are better than one.  We say a whole internet of heads must reign supreme! 

 Now that you have some useful resources, check out our Inbound marketing checklist!

 Blog image courtesy of kittisak/freedigitalphotos.net