5 Must-Have Sources to Raise Your Marketing IQ

by Jordan-Ann Powell | Feb 13, 2018

Do you ever wish you could stop the world from moving so fast? Every day there’s new technology, new systems, new processes — sometimes it feels like a never-ending race. The same is true in the world of marketing; there is always something new or changing. And the changes can drastically impact your business. Sometimes these changes can be scary and intimidating because your business could either benefit greatly by taking advantage of new opportunities, or you might have to adapt quickly to survive.

The challenge of staying ahead is a priority when you share the responsibility of helping businesses succeed in this ever-evolving world. As competitive in nature as we are at Syrup, we’re always seeking to learn and raise our own marketing IQ. I’m proud to say we have a team of experts – the folks here work to hone their crafts by always continuing to learn and evolve.

I wanted to expand my own set of IQ-drivers, so I surveyed our team for their top knowledge and inspiration sources. Here’s our top 5:

1. Perpetual Traffic  – Led by the team at Digital Marketer, Perpetual Traffic is a weekly podcast focused on giving actionable advice for generating more leads and sales for your business. Try listening to one of the podcasts and not walking away with one new idea for your business. The podcasts always pull in expertise and experiences from people working in marketing every day. I must say, this is one of the most insightful and applicable podcasts I’ve ever listened to.

Listen to the podcast through iOS Podcast or get the archives here. New episodes are published every Tuesday.

2. Intercom – The folks at Intercom create messaging products for sales, marketing, and customer service to help companies better connect and communicate with customers. They take first-hand experiences to write digestible content for design, sales &  marketing, product management, and more. Their focus on how companies can better communicate with their customers shines through their blog across many different topics – always with the audience and communication at the forefront.

Read the blog and subscribe to the weekly newsletter here.

3. Gary Vaynerchuk – Gary V is a well-known name and you might have seen the billboards from his recent tour with Tony Robbins. Don’t let the mainstream hype throw you off; Gary V and his team of writers earned the love from our own content team with consistent articles for the social media novice and seasoned veteran alike.

Read the blog, listen to the podcast, and subscribe to his Monday Morning updates here.

4. Contently – Contently blends the creative art of storytelling with strategic, value-driven writing. Read for enjoyment, inspiration, or even help jumping out of your own writer’s block. Contently brings content strategy back to the heart of conversation — listening, knowing, and communicating with your unique audience.

Check out the blog here or subscribe to daily or weekly (your choice!) updates to your inbox as well.

5. Web Designer Depot – Curated content on design, user experience, and freelancing from everyday designers working with real clients. Web Designer Depot provides inspiration as well as insights from relatable experience. What I love most is how every article has comments enabled. I often learn more from the Reddit-style conversation as a continuation of the blog post.

See the posts here – you’ll feel part of the community just by browsing the content (or the comments).

Whether you’re into following the trends or setting your own, there’s always something new to learn. Gandhi said it best: “learn as if you were to live forever.”  I’d love to know your favorite blogs and sources for learning! Shoot me a message on LinkedIn here and let’s stay connected.