Digital marketing is a field that changes all the time, and savvy marketers need to keep on top of evolutions in the field to get the best results on their social media efforts. No one ever made progress by burying their head in the sand, so I always make a point keep learning. In fact, I believe in continuing education so much that I created a whole community built around teaching others how to improve their skills!
Luckily, our industry is filled with great resources to help you optimize your social media presence, so it’s easy to stay on top of the industry if you give learning a place in your schedule.
These are a handful of my favorite must-follow blogs for social media strategies.
I’m a huge fan of Social Report. They do a wonderful job with social media scheduling and optimization, and I personally use and love their tool. Their blog is a compendium of industry-insider intel on making social work for you, and the content ranges a lot from week to week. I especially appreciate their attention to lesser-known platforms like Quora and Reddit, and their roundup posts are really inspiring. Plus, they make content in English, Spanish, and Portuguese!
- Where to start: The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Post Lengths in 2019
Buffer is another awesome social scheduling platform, and their blog is one of the best around. I love their expert posts, because their team is able to really synthesize complex social media topics into an easy-to-digest format. They put a big emphasis on using data to support their conclusions, and as marketers, metrics are our bread and butter. They even do experiments to gather data and post conclusions! It’s a blog that’s really sharp and interesting, and the interface is clean and contemporary. It’s the sort of blog you’d want to be caught reading at an impossibly cool coffee shop.
- Where to start: 5 Data Backed Social Media Trends You Need to Know for 2019
Social Media Examiner has probably the cheesiest blog theme I’ve ever seen, but don’t let that fool you. They put out tons of high-quality content that supports marketers across industries, and they have a pretty huge number of readers to show for it. It’s one of the biggest blogs, and you should definitely keep it on your reading list. They put on a yearly social media conference that’s one of the biggest in the world. One of my favorite features on their blog is the annual social media industry report, which has some really valuable trends to inform your decisions. I also recommend their podcast and talk shows!
- Where to start: 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report
Social Media Today is a fantastic overview of the day’s news. The quick reads and infographics get you up to speed with a minimum of overhead or wasted words. Honestly, in the world of content production, I appreciate a platform built around delivering the bottom line up front. I also give them bonus points for not using clickbait-y titles. Expect titles like “YouTube Adds New Option to Swipe Right to View Next Video” as opposed to something like “You Won’t Believe YouTube’s Newest Feature.” Subtle difference, but it really speaks the quality of the content. Plus, their Twitter chats on social media topics are amazing, and they happen twice a month under the hashtag #SMTLive.
- Where to start: 15 Facebook Marketing Groups to Join in 2019
HubSpot’s marketing platform is a giant in the industry, and their blog reflects their expertise. Their marketing blog has tons of templates, downloadables, research, and news that add genuine value to my work. If there’s something they haven’t written about, let me know. By the time you’ve hit send, it’ll probably be live on their site.
They also have a lot of great career focused content that helps marketers improve their job prospects as well as their content. They even have free, full-on video courses!
Sprout Social is another social media management platform, so their insights are always great. They have their own internal data that they can use highlight trends and best practices, and their Wednesday afternoon #SproutChat sessions on Twitter are awesome. They bring in experts who ask six questions to the world at large, and then they offer advice. The dialogue is a great way to learn skills and meet other colleagues in your field at the same time. As a side note, I love Sprout Social’s branding and graphic design. Their color scheme is distinct, and their graphics are gorgeous. Definitely a good place to get inspo for your own designs.
- Where to start: A Complete Calendar of Hashtag Holidays for 2019
The Content Marketing Institute
the CMI is a great marriage between content and social media marketing, and their posts are great for their accuracy and comprehensive coverage. They also put out some irreverent, interesting content. For example: How to Deal With the Blasphemy of Email Unsubscribes. Not a headline you’d see just anywhere, but the information is fantastic. I love getting to learn and have a little laugh at the same time.
- Where to start: 3 Life and Marketing Success Resolutions for 2019
Peg Fitzpatrick wrote a wonderful book called “The Art of Social Media,” and her blog is warm, genuine, and fun, and the branding really connects with women bloggers. I really recommend it for new entrepreneurs looking to maximize their social media strategy. She also has a whole series about starting a blog that’s fantastic for anyone looking to get into content marketing, and her Pinterest inspirational quotes are cute enough to be phone backgrounds. Going onto her site makes me want to organize my pantry and improve my social media presence, so it’s an all-around win.
- Where to start: 3 Things to Focus on in the New Year
Gary Vaynerchuk does basically everything. He’s a podcaster, vlogger, speaker, investor, and marketing whiz-kid, and his blog is awesome. Quick, five-minute reads get straight to the point, and his list-style delivery makes it easy for busy professionals who don’t have a lot of time. He does a lot of work teaching people how to use social media to develop a personal brand, and a lot of his blogs focus on mindset as well as hands-on tactics.
- Where to start: 9 Strategies for Personal Branding Online in 2019
Those are my top picks for blogs to influence your 2019 social strategy! Who did I miss? Anyone you’re loving these days?
