Marketing is an ever-evolving industry and staying up to date can be challenging, especially when you’re not in a formal education program and are focused on doing your job. Instead of feeling like you’re treading water, try to schedule 10-15 minutes a day to read, watch, and listen to marketing trends, even those about tools you don’t think you need to know. If AI has taught us anything, it’s that change not only happens, it comes at you fast, and you don’t want to be left behind.

Here are five of my current favorite marketing resources that I rely on for updates and trends in our field!

Mark Schaefer’s blog

Mark kicks ass. I’ll be honest with you – almost everything I live by as a marketer, I’ve learned through his books and resources. I follow Mark on LinkedIn and he posts new content daily, with all his takes on the latest trends and industry buzz. Following him, listening to his podcast, joining his community RISE on Discord … however you best consume new information, Mark is the person to follow. The best part? He actually looks at and responds to comments and messages. I’ve even had the pleasure of meeting him when he was giving a keynote address in Reno while I was teaching Personal Branding at the University of Nevada, Reno.

The American Marketing Association

I’ve linked the main website for the national organization but I am more actively following the Reno-AMA. I highly encourage you to find and join or at least follow your own local organization. Each chapter puts together a yearly calendar of events, which usually include local and national speakers. During those events, you’ll get to learn about challenges and solutions from others who are on the ground with you, and it’s awesome for local networking.

Katie Steckly’s YouTube channel

Video content is king. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Katie is an expert YouTuber who’s most successful channel teaches folks how to do what she’s done – create awesome YouTube videos. She is an incredible content creator and in her YouTube videos she goes over everything you’ve ever wanted to know about content creation, which you can apply for your business or organization if you don’t have your own personal brand. (BTW, if you don’t have a personal brand, you need one.)

Good ‘ol HubSpot – the HubSpot Blog

This giant organization is massive for a reason – they know what they’re doing. This is my go-to resource for current metrics, comparative stats, and forecasted trends. Plus, they delve into every kind of marketing, sales, and branding you could think of. An oldie but a goodie.

Ali Abdaal’s YouTube

OK, so this one is not a marketing resource, per se, but Ali is a highly successful content creator, MD, and author. His main focus is productivity, but he also goes into topics about content creation, love, happiness, and everything else you can think of. He’s inspiring and his videos are easy to watch. Even when the topic isn’t about content creation or how to increase your productivity at work, the videos are inspirational and you can mimic some of his techniques to fit your own brand.

Bonus: The Hot Ones from First We Feast

If you haven’t seen this show, you should jump over and check it out. I am obsessed with the questions that Sean Evans asks his celebrity guests. The concept of the show is genius – he makes his guests eat spicier and spicier hot wings and eventually the sauces they are trying inevitably make the guests’ eyes water and make them cough uncontrollably, all the while, Sean interviews them about their careers and lives. Going through something difficult with someone tends to make you like them more (trauma bond!) but what really sets Sean apart is the questions he and his team create for the show. I have yet to watch an episode where his guest doesn’t at some point say “Wow! That’s a really great question,” and genuinely mean it because Sean isn’t asking regular questions. He clearly has done his research and puts his own spin on the questions he’s asking to get more to the heart of what makes each artist passionate. Watching his interviews inspires the way I try and write my own interview questions through my work as a writer.

I am constantly finding and looking for new inspiration. Are you familiar with any of these resources? Do you have other go-to favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading – please be sure to “like” this post to help me learn what kind of content you enjoy!

Angie