If you’re a digital marketer who takes your role seriously, it’s imperative that you know all about social media. What started off as a simple means of online communication has, quite accidentally, evolved into a whole new advertising space for brands and businesses. When done right, social media has the power to launch a business into fame and fortune – which is why knowing your way around the most popular platforms is so important.
Social media moves incredibly quickly from one day to the next. There is always news to be read, and changes to be made. I’ve compiled a list of my top 9 favourite social media blogs to help you to stay up-to-date and on top of your social media marketing game:
No element of social media is missed out on Social Media Explorer. The colourful, friendly blog splits its posts into four handy sections: Tools & Tips, News & Noise, Movers & Makers and Cases & Causes.
Whether you want to refresh your hashtags, grow in a certain niche, or attract a particular audience, on Social Media Explorer, you’ll find all the info you need and more. Choose from a number of categories if you’re looking for something particular. If not, there’s plenty to intrigue you from a leisurely browse through the site.
The Small Business Trends blog is awash with evoking content and actionable social media marketing tips. If you’re after inspiration on how to improve your current strategies in an engaging way, there are plenty of posts that can help you out.
Additionally, Small Business Trends supplies a free Social Media Calendar Template for you to organize your social tasks and make strong plans for the future, and you can sign up to the blog’s newsletter for updates and advice sent straight to your email inbox.
It’s one of the most renowned go-to resources for social media professionals, and for good reason: there’s a lot to learn from Social Media Today. With studies, news, and advice, even a five-minute scroll down the blog should boost your creativity when it comes to your own social marketing plans.
If you’re short on time, make sure to check out the most popular posts list, for items that are most worthy of a read. These change regularly, so it’s a good idea to pop by to the site every now and again if you don’t want to miss out.
Presenting as “your guide to the social media jungle”, Social Media Examiner is a fun blog offering tips, how-tos and strategy plans for social media marketers at all levels. All social media platforms are covered, from LinkedIn to Instagram, with elements of each discussed frequently and in depth.
For insight into how other marketers are using social media to grow their business, Social Media Examiner also offers a social media marketing industry report. If you’re intrigued to know what your competitors are up to, this is a handy free resource to make use of.
Social Report is an all-in-one social media management platform, so when it comes to marketing across the likes of Facebook and Twitter, you can guarantee these guys know what they’re doing.
The site’s free blog is a fantastic source for anyone looking to learn from an entertaining read, with regular spotlights focusing on brands that are really doing the social media thing properly. There’s also plenty to learn if you’re looking to improve certain skills and hone your craft.
6. Buffer
You’ve most likely heard of Buffer – but if you haven’t, its promise to help marketers “plan, collaborate, and publish thumb-stopping content that drives meaningful engagement and growth for your brand” should be enough to jump at any free advice the company is willing to give.
With a main emphasis on Facebook and Instagram for business, Buffer’s latest guides focus on audience response, strategy shortcuts, and top marketing mistakes to avoid. A must-read if you’re keen to push above your competition on the key social platforms.
There’s nothing like a success story to push you to perform better in your own line of work, and you’ll certainly get the drive for change when you read about Nicole Harrison, founder of Social Nicole, and her own journey to social media triumph.
Nicole launched her business back in 2009 and has since helped hundreds of clients leverage social media to reach business objectives, so when it comes to her blog content, there’s nothing that isn’t covered. You can scroll through the posts or pick and choose based on you favoured topic of interest, with categories such as inspiration, content marketing and media relations to choose from.
8. Martech Zone
There is so much to look at on the Martech Zone, you might find yourself struggling to know where to begin. Perhaps start on the posts themselves, of which there are many. For a more detailed focus on a particular topic, Martech Zone’s guides are also great. Covering everything from digital to Wi-Fi marketing, it shouldn’t take you long to find what you’re looking for – or you might even stumble across something new.
Martech zone also directly links its podcasts to its blog, which feature interviews with top social media professionals and are pretty short and snappy in length – a great learning opportunity with easy on-the-go listening.
9. Mashable
If you can’t yet name your go-to blog destination for procrastination purposes, you might have to give the title to Mashable. You can certainly tell that the blog’s posts are written by content marketing professionals, with every subject more enticing than the next.
What’s particularly interesting about Mashable is that it often focuses on newer social apps that are hitting the scene, giving you the news and updates on the potential Next Big Things. Be warned, though – it’s easy to find yourself moving on from a social media strategy post to something completely irrelevant (yet equally as intriguing), as is the lure of Mashable’s entertainment content.
