10 Resources To Help You Be A Queen On Digital

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One of the questions that I’ve gotten since quitting my full time job to dive into entrepreneurship is, “How do you keep up with digital trends and the marketing space, now that you’re not immersed in it every day?”

It’s funny, because I have a much different perception on that very question. I actually feel like I am immersed in it every day, just in a different way.

Actually, scratch that. A hugely different way.

Corporate vs. Entrepreneurship. It’s a totally different (marketing) world.

In my prior role — the Digital Marketing Manager for one of the world’s top brands, where I helped to head up the content and strategy for their social channels — I would guide and review creative assets and strategy, which was typically brought forward by the advertising or PR agencies we worked with.  In my new role, I’m the one creating all of those things.

Before, I had lots of people behind me, with big resources and budgets involved. Now, I’m a scrappy, one-woman shop.

When I worked in corporate, agencies brought thought leadership. It was my job to be in the know, sure, but often their ideas were turnkey; they’d bring forward applications of platforms that we’d never seen before. In addition, I learned content best practices from recap reports and campaign analysis that often involved high profile data analysis from companies like Nielsen. Because I worked closely with the teams at companies like Facebook and Google, I was often the first to know of platform updates before others in the industry. Sometimes I was even a part of the testing of new platform updates before they rolled out! (Fun fact: I was actually behind one of the first food advertising campaigns on Instagram.)

Drastic mentality shift, let me tell ya.

With all that said, it’s been an adjustment in terms of keeping up with digital trends, information, how I learn it, and even how I use it. I’ve been humbled by how much I don’t know if I miss a beat, now that I’m out of the corporate environment. It’s up to me, and me alone, to continue learning, evolving, and applying insights garnered to my work.

I know a lot of you are in that same boat. Or, maybe you’re just interested in learning more/keeping up with digital. You’ve come to the right place! When I was working in corporate, I had a list of favorite sites that I’d visit on the regular. They helped me to stay on top of the ever-evolving industry. Which, truth be had, if you’re not keeping up with it then you’re already behind. 

Below, I’ve provided my go-to sites for learning and keeping up with the digital space. Many, I’ve found particularly helpful as an entrepreneur.

These sites are great to reference on the regular. Some are specifically helpful for when you’re creating content, so that you’re creating content with purpose. (Something I will write more about in the future.)

So…Bookmark this! I hope this can serve as a great resource list for you, to help to take your personal marketing and brand building from good to great.

10 Online Resources For Bloggers

Mashable

This site is a mecca of information, and is always one of my morning reads while sipping on coffee. I like that they serve up culture/trend pieces in addition to platform updates. I find this reliable to keep up with the latest/greatest, and best of all, it’s a reliable resource to take in how people are engaging with/reacting to these updates.

Digital Trends

Another great resource for trends and general platform updates. I specifically find their social media section helpful — they do a great job showcasing big industry trends (i.e. The one event that topped Facebook’s activity for two years in a row) which I find helpful for future content planning purposes.

Fohr’s YouTube Channel

This is one of my favorite YouTube channels and resources in general as a blogger. (I actually feel like this is a hugely under tapped resource in the space.) James is the Fohr CEO, and he regularly provides insight into the industry — he addresses questions submitted by influencers, and provides insights he’s learned through working with the best of the best. (From the perspective of both brands and influencers.)

I always find his insight spot on and so helpful. Not just because he’s smart, but because he’s also a total straight-shooter. (The best kind of people, in my opinion.) For example: Watch this video on “Unboxing”. I have done unboxing Instagram Stories, and after I watched this I was like, “WOW great points, never thought of that before, and also likely not doing that again…”

I also think this is an underrated resource on the brand side, because you can begin to understand the concerns and trends of the influencer space that will help you do your job better.

TechCrunch

This, for me, is basically a newsfeed of platform updates in regards to apps specifically. I also love that they have a start-up section, which is often filled with lots of great insights for entrepreneurs.

E-Marketer

This was always helpful for information/trend gathering when I was in corporate!

If your job pays for this service, take advantage. The downside of this resource is that they do charge a huge amount of money for information and reports, which is sad (but understandable, due to the quality) because as small businesses we could really use more accessibility! However, I will say that even the snippets of reports they do give to the public are helpful and can be used smartly. So, don’t give up on this resource if you’re like me and can’t afford the subscription — sign up for their newsletters and continue to read their high-level report recaps, because there’s still a lot of insight they provide. (Even if it’s like, 2%, of the data that’s actually included in the robust report. Whomp whomp.)

Your Own, First Party Data

I’m putting this in here as a reminder that there is nothing — nothing — more valuable than your own data. First party data is essentially data that you collect and own — it’s your site’s Google Analytics, or your Instagram/Facebook account’s analytics if you have a business account. (If you are running a professional brand or blog, you should absolutely have a business account, by the way.)

Why is this so valuable? It’s where you’ll be able to see what trends your specific audience is showcasing. What pages are they most interested in on your site? How did they get there? (Referred to as “Referrals”) Where are they located? What times of day are they coming? How long are they staying?

All other data sources on this list would be considered third party data sources — publications who are sharing data they’ve either collected or have learned about. This is hugely valuable, of course, but it’s not as specific to your actual audience. You need to be able to use both effectively to really kill it on digital. 

The Facebook Newsroom & Instagram Business Blog

Different sites, but housing this under one title because they’re the same company.

Remember when I noted first party data above? It’s important to recognize that the actual platforms you’re on are collecting it, analyzing it, and putting together insights and even product advances based upon it.

The Facebook Newsroom is where you’ll get product updates straight from the source, as well as lots of great trend information.

The Instagram Business Blog is great for insights on the platform, specifically as it relates to a business. They also feature lots of great accounts that may serve as inspiration for your content!

New York Times – Technology Section

I love the New York Times in general, and I think their technology section is really impactful because it offers up a lot of pieces about the implication of digital in our society. This is my go-to for information about digital as an ecosystem — not just social or search but rather digital as a part of life and broader notion. It’s a great place to go in order to understand technology and digital as it relates to our culture.

Google Trends

What are people searching for? What are they interested in? Also, what are some topics you can cover that people are seeking content on? This will help you answer all those questions! 

The Pinterest Business Blog

If you’re not actively using Pinterest to drive web traffic, you’re doing it wrong! The Pinterest business blog can help you do it right. I specifically love their insights section, which highlights great things like monthly trend reports.

Go forth, learn, and be amazing my friend Queen!

Before you go, I’d love to hear if you have other resources you love! Share them in the comments below, so that myself and other readers can check them out.