When it comes to marketing, there is a lot of content out there. But there aren’t many platforms that consistently provide high-quality content year after year. As someone who’s spent the better part of the last decade reading marketing blogs, I’ve grown accustomed to seeing an enticing headline that immediately lets you down once you get to the content.
To ensure this deflating experience doesn’t happen to you, I put together a list of marketing blogs that consistently over-deliver when it comes to value.
Here are the 5 marketing blogs that will never disappoint you:
1. HubSpot
CEO and co-founder, Brian Halligan, invented the term “inbound marketing,” so they don’t mess around when it comes to quality content. What I love about HubSpot’s blog is that they take extremely confusing marketing principles and make them palatable for normal people – without diluting the quality.
If you need a foundation for understanding the current digital ecosystem, I’d start here. #protip HubSpot also runs a Medium publication called ThinkGrowth where you can hear from their co-founders and top executives directly.
2. KissMetrics
In 2012, I saw KissMetrics co-founder Hiten Shah speak at a conference. If the MC hadn’t told the crowd who Shah was, you would have thought you just stumbled onto the world’s nicest man giving a presentation on tomatoes (seriously, he was showing us photos of his homegrown tomatoes). The calm confidence and humility Shah displayed is a hallmark of the KissMetrics blog.
Where most blogs scream at you, KissMetrics speaks to you, like a co-worker going, “Hey man, look what I just figured out.”
Their blog has high editorial standards, which is unusual these days, and makes you feel like they actually value your time as a reader. Though their blog is “technically” SaaS, internet marketing, and growth hacking focused, the lessons transcend those categories to provide valuable marketing takeaways no matter what industry your business is in.
3. SumoMe
You can’t go 10 minutes into a conversation with me without my bringing up these guys. SumoMe is the brainchild of Noah Kagen who despite having had SumoCon on Yom Kippur this year (sorry Noah, #fail) has the best marketing content on the web when it comes to list building and email. Their guides don’t oversimplify or dilute anything.
Where most of the internet is screaming “How to Go From No Traffic to 1 Million Site Visitors in TWO DAYS!” SumoMe’s stuff is like, “I mean you can do that, but you’re probably going to fail because seriously look how much work it is [begin value-packed 10,000-word post].”
They never publish anything sub-par. Every post is painstakingly self-aware and strives to be evergreen, which is what makes is so valuable. It’s is the best list building content on the internet.
4. NerdMarketing
Earlier this year, I attended a conference where Drew Sanocki was presenting on the world’s driest topic: “Database Marketing.” After his presentation, I had to swallow my pride and concede that database marketing was awesome. Drew had transformed “data” from something ominous and boring to something relevant, approachable, and hilarious. Yes, I said hilarious.
NerdMarketing is Drew’s blog and I dare you to read it without laughing your face off. Yes, the blog focuses mostly on e-commerce, data, and other dry topics I’ve spent my life trying to avoid. But the reason it’s on this list is because Drew takes these insanely intimidating topics and makes them fun to read about (without watering down the nerd-quotient).
Warning: his blog will make you want to spring into action.
5. Copyhackers
There are a million and one blogs on copywriting. And if you ignore ALL of them and only pay attention to this one, you will be more than fine. Everything Joanna Wiebe does turns to gold and when you read the blog you’ll see why.
Most copywriters are spammy internet marketers peddling junk products. Copyhackers is the only copy blog that’s academically backed and doesn’t talk down to you like you’re an idiot. What I appreciate most about Copyhackers is their willingness to go deep with you, while also being fun to read. That is not an easy skill and is a testament to their copy skills – they practice what they preach.
These are more than “digital” marketing blogs
Don’t be put off by the digital emphasis of these blogs. Their recommendations might be internet-specific, but they provide a framework for thinking about marketing and growth that will change the way you do business.
There is tons of great stuff on the internet about marketing. But do yourself a favor and stop sifting through trash to find the diamonds in the rough. These 5 marketing blogs over-deliver on value and never disappoint.
This post originally appeared on Inc.
