03.25.2010

Small Business Marketing Blogs and Sites You Should Visit

In a perfect world, you would have time to sit down and read books about marketing for your small business. You’d have the time and money to attend small business conferences and connect with other small business owners and expert advisors from around the globe.

Instead you find yourself glancing through this magazine after yet another 16-hour day. One way to increase your knowledge and connect with other small business owners is to use social media. The granddaddy of all social media platforms is the blog, and we’ve pulled together a list of leading small business blogs for you to check out. It’s our hope that you’ll find at least a few to be inspirational and, best of all, useful as you continue to grow.

Chris Brogan
Author (Trust Agents) and Social Media Consultant
 www.chrisbrogan.com – @chrisbrogan
If you’re just getting started with using social media for business, www.chrisbrogan.com should be one of the first places you visit. Insights range from the basics of Twitter to blogging tips and ways you can build a strong community around your business. You can find Chris on Twitter as @chrisbrogan, where he’s available for conversation at all hours of the day.

Brian Halligan
Author (Inbound Marketing) and Marketing Consultant
www.hubspot.com – @bhalligan
Are you looking for ways to improve your Web site and implement effective social media campaigns for your business? Brian Halligan and his coworkers at Hubspot share techniques, tips and ideas to help you build and monitor a successful Web presence. They also offer a range of free tools you can use to gauge how well you’ve staged your Web site and social media activities for success.

Anita Campbell
Small Business Consultant
www.smallbiztrends.com – @smallbiztrends
For tips, tricks and information to keep you up to date on what’s happening in small business across the world, www.smallbiztrends.com is a great place to begin. Regular contributions from experts in both online and “brick and mortar” small business development offer insights that will help you grow your business today. If you’d like to connect with other small business owners without leaving your office, check out the Small Business Trends online community.

Naomi Dunford
Small Business Marketing Consultant
www.ittybiz.com – @IttyBiz
Naomi describes herself as a “microbusiness marketing consultant, helping businesses with fewer than five employees create dynamic marketing campaigns on the cheap.” While the IttyBiz blog focuses primarily on Internet marketing, Naomi’s candid approach to the rigors of running a small business makes for a good read no matter what your industry is. Her irreverent tone and appreciation for the unexpected will keep you laughing between tips on writing better copy and dreaming up better marketing plans.

Seth Godin
Author (Purple Cow, Linchpin and many more) and Marketing Consultant
www.sethgodin.com – @ThisIsSethsBlog
When you visit www.sethgodin.com, you’ll be prompted to “click on Seth’s head” in order to visit his blog. That bit of whimsy carries through to daily articles on effective marketing practices, customer service and the occasional inspiring story. If you’re already familiar with marketing basics, Seth’s blog will help keep you in “learning gear” as you look to build your business. You’ll know you’ve made it when your business is featured as an example on Seth’s blog!