The Small Business Administration (SBA) blog has great, timely content aimed at its target market and hits the bulls-eye every time. The content is grounded, actionable and written from the perspective of people who have been in the trenches and have come back to tell the tale. It’s a great example of content that offers value. How? The blog writers don’t waste time on things that don’t affect your bottom line. They focus on key aspects of growing a successful business such as financing, obtaining federal contracts, organizing trade shows and the all-important marketing of goods and services. And best of all, their content is always updated.
Another go-to blog for small business owners and startups is the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) blog, which takes a bigger-picture view of business, and ties in national events such as the presidential election and how it may affect small companies in the future. But what’s really useful about the blog is that it doesn’t ignore the realities of small business struggles, so you’ll get analyses such as the old-school vs. new-age marketing methods, social media engagement methods, and how new overtime regulations may affect your productivity.
Intergeek is another blog I read every day, and it’s got a slightly different vibe than the SBA or NFIB blog. How? Well Intergeek is a U.K.-based blog and its writers communicate in a more conversational, slang-filled tone that makes you feel as if they are partners in whatever goal you are trying to accomplish. You probably won’t find too many articles on SBA or NFIB titled “Badass Blogging Tips,” or “How To Steal Other Bloggers’ Success (No, Seriously),” but that’s what makes Intergeek work. The content is a bit edgier and direct than the other two blogs, but I really like reading content from a European perspective and discovering that the digital language is the same no matter where you live. The only downside to Intergeek is that it’s not as frequently updated as I would like.
Top Rank Marketing is another winner, which has a wider scope than the other blogs, in that it breaks down into categories such as content marketing, influencer marketing, social media, SEO, blogging strategy and mobile marketing. That makes it very easy for me to just click on whatever specialty I’m interested in without having to browse through content that doesn’t apply. The content is varied and interesting, and guest bloggers abound. And it’s updated like crazy, so the blog always feels relevant.
About the Author
Tabitha Jean Naylor is a free content writer with over 8 years of experience crafting everything from ad copy and articles to white papers and case studies. Her intimate knowledge of how sales and marketing go hand-in-hand has resulted in a variety of successful campaigns for start-ups through publicly traded companies, including Adobe and Microsoft. Ms. Naylor holds a dual bachelor degree in Political Science and International Business from West Virginia University, where she graduated magna cum laude.
