It’s 2012 and time to focus on a new year of business expansion and skyrocketing profits!
I wanted to prepare you for the New Year by arming you with some top resources to help you expand and grow your internet business. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned marketer, the power of expert advice from those who have “been there, done that” is a priceless commodity.
Because the internet can be overwhelming to say the least, I compiled some of my top blog picks, some from personal experience and some from recommendations. This list is by no means the “end all, be all” for top blogs on the internet, but it is a great list to get you started.
Social Media
The first few choices are social media related. If you do not have a presence in social media, I admonish you to research the potential. Unless you sell ball bearings to car manufacturers, social media will be a great addition to your internet marketing campaign.
1. Social Media Examiner
With nearly half a million visitors monthly, Social Media Examiner has now become one of the world’s largest social media magazines. The blog publishes daily posts comprising case studies, reviews, articles and videos that explore the world of social media from many different viewpoints and angles. The magazine is positioned to help you generate more brand awareness by using the most popular social media sites on the internet (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+).
2. Mari Smith
Besides being a great example of personal branding, Mari Smith is famous for bringing her readers the top news and updates in social media right when they occur. She also publishes detailed posts and makes complex social media topics easy to digest and apply. She readily interacts with her followers and tries to help them whenever she is able. Mari gets two thumbs up in my book.
Content/Copy/Blogging
3. Problogger
If you have a blog or are planning to run a blog (I suggest you do), Problogger is full of incredible resources, from posts and workbooks to a private, members only forum. The founder, Darren Rowse, has successfully taken the most complex blogging topics and made them come to life for his readers.
4. Nick James
Nick James is one of my newest finds and since his blog focuses on copywriting, his information has been invaluable to me. Nick James was a star copywriter who has bottled up his knowledge and offered it to his followers. If you write copy of any kind, whether for your website, email list, press releases, etc., I urge you to take a look at this blog. Recently, he gave away a sales letter template for free which he could have sold.
Comprehensive Internet Marketing/SEO
5. Michelle Macphearson
I started with Michelle when her blog was primarily a social media blog. I was impressed by the free social media checklist she gave away a few years ago. Her blog has since expanded into a full-fledged internet marketing resource. She routinely gives away useful information and always makes the information interesting.
6. Eric Ward
Eric Ward should be called the “king of link building” if he isn’t already. With past clients like Amazon and Disney, he has been offering stellar services to his clients for nearly 20 years. He is so highly sought after that he charges $500+ just for a consultation.
Eric Ward doesn’t have a blog but he does offer an affordable private monthly newsletter where he writes 20+ posts a month that include high value link opportunities for varying industries. He also scours the internet marketing industry and sends you the most valuable posts he believes will give you the most impact. The service is only $8 and in my opinion is way under-priced.
7. SEOMoz
SEOMoz is one of the most popular SEO blogs on the internet. Founder Rand Fishkin, on his “whiteboard Fridays”, takes out his whiteboard and offers explanations to complex SEO topics and guides his readers to a better understanding of search engine optimization..
8. Matt Cutts
Matt Cutts is a software engineer at Google and the head of Google’s webspam team. He runs a blog where, in addition to some personal posts, offers advice and also answers reader’s questions about Google’s practices. He also interacts with readers via comments.
9. Google Blog
The Google blog brings you the latest improvements, changes and updates to Google+ along with the most recent algorithm changes. During PubCon 2011, Matt Cutts announced that Google would emphasize transparency going forward which was evident with the Google blog’s recent post detailing the most recent updates to the algorithm. I would stay tuned to this blog if you want to stay abreast of any Google changes.
10. Marketing Resource Index
OK, so this may be a plug, but… Marketing Resource Index is dedicated to bringing you the latest trends and principles and a vast range of internet marketing knowledge that will come in handy if you want to grow your internet business. Our current and future goal is to help you grow your business whether you are just launching or already in the process of expansion. We have some exciting stuff coming for 2012. Stay tuned!
Do you have any favorite blogs for 2012? Please share with our readers so they can benefit also!
Jenna Scaglione is a content writer, internet marketer, and a lover of family, friends and life. Jenna enjoys learning, growing and discovering the newest and latest trends on the internet. Known as "Lady Content", she lives in sunny Socal where she helps her clients around the world increase brand awareness on the internet through content writing and social media.
This was a great article and the blogs that you mentioned, I have read some of and they are great blogs. I also noticed your Marketing Resource Index blog earlier with all the helpful links. I am checking some of those out right now and look forward to commenting on them as soon as I can. You have given all of us some great information to ponder, thanks.
I have saved these blog links in my favorites. I intend to visit them and take full advantage of those as information sources. After all, when you operate a web site or blog you need to keep informed of all the latest trends and methods for driving traffic to your site. The landscape of social media and web development technology evolve so often, you can’t possibly stay up to date without the help of blogs that specialize in information syndication.
As a busy business person striving to run numerous ventures which multiply my work load, it feels relieving to have someone provide a list of recommended sources for internet marketing related information. This is invaluable to me as it saves me from sifting through much of the junk data that exists in cyberspace. I’ll check out the blogs that interest me the most first. The publishers of this blog really know how to create value for their readers.
I will be sure to check out these web sites. I am particularly interested in the number one pick, Social media Examiner. Keeping yourself privy to the latest in the ever changing virtual world of social media is important in order to maximize the functionality and exposure for your web site. I also like to hear from a more personal perspective which is why the Mari Smith blog sounds like an interesting read. I’ll make these favorites.
I am adding this particular page to my bookmarks along with each of your top ten recommended marketing blogs. It is great to have a condensed list of the better blogs about marketing. Internet marketing is a subject that changes so rapidly, you need to stay informed with as many valuable sources as you can keep up with. I like to keep myself updated on the latest traffic generating plug ins and strategies so I can keep the traffic flowing to my sites.
I have to take note of these lists. Some of the lists looks familiar to me. Very interesting.