Digital marketing is a skill, and one that takes effort to develop. But it doesn't have to be intimidating. With a couple of days worth of work, it's possible to learn the basics and start improving your online presence. Here are some great introductions to to the world of marketing to get you started on your journey.
Initial Learning
These resources will get you up and running quickly.
The Beginners Guide to SEO, by Moz
This guide is one of the first things to read when starting to explore SEO, and we whole-heartedly recommend it. It starts off on the very basics of how search engines work, and it eventually covers basic design and development issues that affect SEO, and topics like link building and analysis. If you can only read one resource on SEO, this should be it.
Inbound Course & Certification, by HubSpot
HubSpot is all about inbound marketing–marketing that brings clients to your site. Their certification is very in-depth, and will teach you how to create content that potential customers will engage with, and how to nurture those leads into clients. We consider this an essential course for anyone interested in marketing, and highly recommend it.
Analytics Academy, by Google
All of the courses offered in the academy are great, but Digital Analytics Fundementals and Ecommerce Analytics: From Data to Decisions were our favorites. These courses will help you understand how to measure your marketing efforts, which is essential. If you can't measure the results of your marketing, you can't improve things. Take these courses.
Ongoing Training
If you're not a professional marketer, there's no reason to be obsessive about reading industry news. However, digital marketing does change rapidly, so occasionally visiting the following resources will help you stay on top of things.
Search Engine Land
This is our go-to blog for industry news and updates. The site covers SEO, marketing and paid advertising in very informative articles. The articles to tend to be a little lengthy, but they're worth it, and as Frank Clark said: “The more you learn the more you earn.”
Duct Tape Marketing
We love this blog. They cover many aspects of marketing, and occasionally explore other areas of business like leadership and motivation. The articles don't tend to be super long, so it's good for reading with your morning coffee. Check it out.
Copyblogger
Creating relevant content is hard, and Copyblogger is a great place to get ideas for improvement. This is a fun site that explores not only written content, but podcasting and video production as well. Check it out for ideas on creating valuable resources for your own site.
Of course, there are many other outstanding resources available, but theses are a great start. Happy marketing!
Need help marketing? At Anchor Wave, we understand that your marketing should work for your company in terms of brand development, outreach and lead generation. If you’d like to learn more about maintaining a successful marketing campaign for your business, call Anchor Wave today at (520) 622-3731 in Tucson or (480) 331-8920 in Phoenix.
