In this day of maximum information growth, there is no shortage of good content marketing blogs. That is certainly an understatement, isn’t it? The difficulty is finding the few that can teach you the most in the least amount of time.
Many bloggers fancy themselves a “content marketer” or a “social media expert.” And many can be a very large number, on the internet. And if you have just low to average knowledge on content marketing, it can be very difficult to pick the winners from the losers without wasting a considerable amount of time. Time that most of us cannot afford to waste.
We recently came across a NewsCred list of 30 of the best content marketing blogs and newsletters around so that you don’t have to spend time differentiating the good from the bad. I certainly appreciate all of their hard work in building this large list.
But here is my problem with this list. I have a list of 6-8 blogs that I now follow, with 5 overlapping the NewsCred list. I can’t follow any more than 6-8. So using this list to decide which 3 of the 25 are better than the 3 currently on my list is a daunting task. So, if I am going to take it on, I must share my process and my results.
Without further ado, here is my analysis of 10 blogs I had never heard of from the NewsCred list. Note that I do not mean to say that not hearing of a blog is a negative. I spend my time reading from my list and am not too curious when I do bump into new blogs.
Snarketing is the brainchild of Ron Shevlin, a certifiable expert in the marketing space. The great thing about his blog? Besides sharing a ton of knowledge that he’s gained in a variety of sectors as a marketing leader, his snarky tone of voice and personality, as well as the examples he gives on what NOT to do, makes the blog entertaining to read whether you’re at work or not.
My take:
Ron specializes in retail banking issues and domain. Not a domain that is high on my list. Yes, the marketing space is the marketing space, but domain defines the examples best. So not the best add for me.
Avinash Kaushik is not a lightweight when it comes to matters of marketing technology. He has a background glittering with Silicon Valley’s best companies, including Google. His blog is a wonderful resource for content marketers who are looking to up their technology-side knowledge of the content marketing industry.
My take:
Very excellent, thorough details in this blog, though heavy on metrics. Will keep on my short list for the second round.
Digiday is the all-around source for content and agency news. What people don’t necessarily realize is that the website also offers info on career postings and upcoming events. As a source of industry news, Digiday has truly come of age. It’s not a bad example of excellent content strategy and tone, so take note.
My take:
A news and media article source, not really a content marketing blog for my taste.
LKR Social Media
NewsCred take:
Here’s one for the small business mavens in the hunt for a bigger social audience. Social media marketing maven Laura Roeder’s blog is an essential read for small business owners trying to get a handle on their own strategy without feeling overwhelmed. That’s because it’s easy to understand, fun to read, and gives you takeaways and strategies you can immediately implement.
My take:
Definitely an easy read and I very much like the orientation to small business. Must add this one
This blog could definitely be a textbook on content marketing psychology. Written by Derek Halpern, its focus is on discussing how our inner workings impact our perceptions and creation of content marketing materials. There’s a lot here on a broad variety of topics including boosting conversion, grabbing traffic, and even how to relate to some of your more difficult consumers and engagers.
My take:
The psychology focus for to content marketing wins the day for me. An area where I need more knowledge.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever used Basecamp! The company’s blog has been around for a long time. Its simple layout belies the awesome mix of content here, from quotes on management to new tech product info and reviews. If you’re looking for a pleasant content marketing read that’s not aggressive, look no further.
My take:
I definitely have heard of Basecamp, though not their blog. I like the mix of content from this blog. It will go to the second round.
This awesome language consultancy has the perfect blog for learning how to be a clear, personality-filled, and overall non-sucky writer. Whether the writing is related to pitches, contracts, client management, sales, or full-on creative, this one’s gonna help you do it well (and maybe even ENJOY it).
My take:
I enjoyed several of the articles, but too specialized for what I am looking for.
Do you love you some decks? Jonathan Colman of Facebook’s content strategy team’s got them, as well as a host of information on subjects like UX, getting views, and how to not blow your annual review.
My take:
Jonathon has an interesting combination of experiences, which leads to some unique topics. But not a clear match to my marketing interests.
Data, data, data. Content marketing ROI and numbers in general are having a hot year, and this blog from Edison Research’s Tom Webster is full of stats on business and marketing. This is also an awesome example of a particularly well-designed personal/professional blog in the content marketing space.
My take:
This blogs lean to interesting insights takes it to the second round.
Another amazing blog that writes on the intersection of tech and marketing broadly, and how these two are coming together to create content marketing. Scott Brinker’s perspective as a Chief Marketing Technologist gives him a fresh, unique perspective to share. Most miraculous of all, perhaps: it’s not too technical for pretty much all of us to understand.
My take:
From just what NewsCred says, I would select this blog. But after review, will move to second round due to my worry about too much technology bent.
Content marketing runs in the family, apparently. Brothers Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg are among the luckiest of content marketers, who can brag that at least one member of their family understands digital. These guys are speakers and experts on online marketing, and their blog is chock full of ways to do everything well, including niche subjects like mobile and search.
My take:
The diversity and breadth of content marketing blogs make this blog a winner for me. This one definitely will be added to my list.
The bottom line
Well my selection process did not work out exactly as I had planned. I wanted to use two iterations of review to find 3 blogs to add to my weekly review schedule. But after one review, I found 3 to add. I also selected 4 that were to go to the second round. So I decided to add these to a monthly review for 6 months and see where to go from there. Note I eliminated 4 of the 11 blogs in the initial round.
So deciding to keep 7 of the 11 I had never heard of speaks highly of NewsCred’s article and list of 30, don’t you think?
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Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Quora, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
