Thursday, December 17, 2009
Posted by
Cathy Belk
With the end of the year approaching, ‘tis the season for looking back and thinking forward, so I'm going to write a series of blogs that address this topic. Numero uno: my 5 favorite blogs that I actually read with some frequency to help evolve my thinking on marketing. (Of course, these are in addition to JumpStart's IdeaExchange blog. Like you all, I don't see anyone else's blogs until they are up, but I read them religiously! But it's not a marketing blog, and these are focused on that).
- PR2.0 by Brian Solis. He just won 2009 Blogger of the Year from PRNews, so this is a terribly unoriginal choice. That said, he won for a reason. Brian's written about all the questions that marketing people have (particularly about social media and impact of various evolutions on PR), and he doesn't feel constrained by the "400 words or less" direction so common for bloggers. His analysis therefore is actually thorough! And insightful! Only note of caution: his self-promotion can be distracting, and every time I see the picture of his book (notice me not mentioning it here), I leave his blog immediately. Note of caution v2: He's a great self-promoter, and I am terribly aware of that book. A girl's gotta respect that.
- socialmediatoday. They call themselves "The Web's Best Thinkers on Social Media and Web 2.0" and I think they are. As opposed to one voice, this site collects blogs from experts across a variety of topics. Some of the topics are more practical than opinion -- social media monitoring and measurement, for example -- and I like the way they mix it up.
- Cheskin's Fresh Perspectives. I've never worked with these guys, but I think they help businesses uncover insights which can lead to meaningful innovation. I read the blog to keep on top of consumer insight and trends which represent opportunities for all marketers. Usually, nothing here is rocket science, but I also think that you can never be too immersed on consumer behavior.
- Seth Godin. Everyone needs to follow one marketing strategy thought leader, and I like his blog. He posts frequently (seems to be every day, not that I've double-checked) and his topics are very broad so can be less relevant on a daily basis, but all are thought-provoking (little and big marketing thoughts). And while I like that Brian Solis will go in-depth on a topic, some of Seth's are blissfully short (e.g. <100 words).
- peHub. No, this is not a marketing blog, so I guess technically, it shouldn't fit. That said, I am constantly reminded as a marketer of the importance of establishing a relevant, entertaining brand voice and this blog is the King Daddy of entertaining, relevant voices. A lot of the content is only peripherally related to what I need to consider in my job, but I read it every day anyway. Every day. Check it out at least once to see what I mean. (And by the way, it includes a lot of breaking news too. So it's more like a newsletter perhaps, than a blog -- for this industry, Bloomberg with attitude).
Next couple of blogs: 5 biggest things that have changed this year, and then, 5 things I'd like to do more of next year (in marketing...)
Cathy Belk is the Chief Marketing Officer of JumpStart. She specializes in branding, marketing communications, and business management. She brings 16+ years of experience in a variety of marketing and business roles, but gets her energy from working daily with entrepreneurs and their growing companies.