Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 5, 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

If you think that content marketing is just about blogging or creating attractive visuals, then you might want to review your overall digital strategy.

It may seem easy; but it’s in fact, one of the most challenging and demanding aspects of online Marketing. Crafting quality content is just the beginning. Next you need to publish, promote, adjust, observe, and measure. Similar to SEO, Content Marketing is a continuous process, wherein results won’t be noticeable until after several weeks.

Good thing that you don’t have to go through this alone.

I’ve gathered ten of my favorite – as well as a few of the best – content marketing blogs where I learn about the ins and outs of the business. Pick your favorite, or add to my list! Here they are in no particular order:

The CoSchedule Blog

Whether you’re a content marketing wiz or a novice, CoSchedule’s blog is chockfull of insightful information, step-by-step guides, and even downloadable goodies to make your stay worthwhile. They regularly produce articles, but not so much as to crowd your inbox (about twice a week).

Just because they’re not big on quantity doesn’t mean they scrimp out on quality. Their blog posts are comprehensive – usually 1,200 words or more – and include content marketing blog ideas you can easily share on your favorite Social Media platforms. They love image quotes that you can Tweet or Pin, which makes reading their content highly fun and interactive.

Best Feature: One of the things that will catch your eye is a Headline Score on the lower right corner of every post title. That number is from their Headline Analyzer, a free tool where you can check how effective your blog title is going to be. Don’t be shy and try it for yourself!

Content Marketing Institute Blog

One of the top content marketing blogs in the world, CMI boasts of in-depth articles from industry and in-house experts. I’m always amazed each time I visit their blog. Even as a digital marketing expert, there’s still plenty of stuff to learn and take in. But if you want to have more fun – and maybe meet important folks in the trade – CMI hosts a Content Marketing World event every September in Cleveland, Ohio and an Intelligent Content Conference each Spring.

Although their staff is busy year round, they still welcome qualified contributors to bring new knowledge on the table. If you’ve got fresh information or perhaps you just want to thank them for their hard work, don’t hesitate to contact them.

Best Feature: Looking for content marketing examples you can try for yourself? Look no further than their white paper library. You can also have a free copy of their monthly magazine, Chief Content Officer (CCO), available in print and digital formats.

Boost Blog Traffic Blog

If you’re a blogger who’s down on his luck, you’ll love to stumble upon Boost Blog Traffic.

Featuring a no-nonsense, thorough approach to writing and earning from your blog, you will fall in love with their content. However, as their editorial team is highly strict about what they put out (making sure each article is topnotch and practical), they don’t publish as often as other blogs. But when they do, you can be confident that it’s a post so informative that you’d either comment right away, or share it with your fellow content marketing bloggers.

Boost Blog Traffic has a personal tone that makes you feel like the author is talking in front of you. It’s one of their styles that make their work so appealing to readers like me. Now you’ll probably feel overwhelmed with all this blogging information at your fingertips. So if you want to learn at your own pace, BBT offers programs and courses specially designed for bloggers. Go ahead and get your feet wet.

Best Feature: Blog articles are not my only source of knowledge for content marketing. Believe it or not, the comments section is a gold mine of ideas. Each BBT post has active engagement where I usually take inspiration from. If I’m not lurking, I also enjoy participating in some good-natured conversation with the BBT community.

BuzzSumo Blog

Looking for data-rich articles to drive the point home? Then you’ll like BuzzSumo’s blog – and their new look. Whenever I don’t clearly understand a concept about content marketing, their blog is my go-to site. Aside from their main product, which is the Influencer Marketing Tool, their blog posts offer insights backed by numbers. It definitely puts a different perspective when you see an idea that’s been tested and measured.

Best Feature: I personally enjoy putting screenshots in my articles for visual impact. But I learned this content marketing strategy first from BuzzSumo. If they’re not using screenshots, they split the walls of text with relevant images and moving GIFs. I like that they sometimes insert funny or clever pictures, just to break the ice. Reading their blog posts are always a joy.

Contently Blog

Whenever I’m after the latest news about content marketing, Contently’s blog is my first choice. Their posts always make me question my original theories or beliefs when it comes to the subject. After reading their articles, you might feel doubtful, restless, and even find yourself frowning (which usually what happens to me). That’s a good thing! It means their content has made you thirsty for truth and further knowledge.

Some of their posts are not going to as comprehensive as other blogs, but there’s usually no need for that if you’re reporting news or opinion pieces. In fact, I find that their articles save me time thanks to its length – but I still learn a lot. Think of their style as cost-effective. It’s going to be long when it needs to be, but otherwise, you get just the right amount of information to feed your mind.

Best Feature: Contently offers insight not only for digital marketing experts or content marketers, but also for travel companies, people in the finance industry, as well as firms in the entertainment, and retail sections. When you visit their blog, you can pick a category and sector to read articles from. They make it easy for online users to find content that matters to them.

The Write Life Blog

Writing plays a huge role in content marketing. Yes visuals are the trend – but content marketing bloggers out there understand that you’ll need something powerful to back up those beautiful images. That’s where the right words come in. Nowadays, if you want to succeed in your content marketing campaign, having a great writer on your side is a necessity. This leaves you with two options: hire one OR be one.

If you choose the latter, The Write Life offers amazing tips on how to maximize your talent. From beating writer’s block, finding ideas, marketing your stories, to being a freelancer, you’ll find everything you need right here. You can say it’s a one-stop resource for writers everywhere. Do you have bloggers on your team? Share the blog to help them improve their craft. After all, writing should also be a continuous process.

Best Feature: The Write Life boasts two fantastic features: the first is their step-by-step guide on starting a blog. This is perfect not only for bloggers, but also for businesses who are thinking of creating their own company blog. Second is their section on Self-Publishing. It contains valuable tips and guides from industry experts for those who want to publish their own books. From publishing on Amazon to responding to negative critiques, The Write Life has got you covered.

Write To Done

Here’s another wonderful blog for writers. If you’ve ever felt scared of publishing your first blog post or you’re wondering why your guest post pitches always get rejected, here’s where you’ll find answers. Write to Done is managed by Chief Editor and published author, Mary Jaksch.

This is on my list of the best content marketing blogs because they offer creative writing exercises. Before you say that content marketers don’t need these, go ahead and check out a few of them yourself. You’ll see that learning how to let your creative juices flowing will come in handy for your storytelling strategy. As experts would tell us, stories stick more with audiences because they arouse emotions, evoke memories, and compel people to action. Don’t know where or how to begin? Let Write to Done articles show you how!

Best Feature: Aside from their creative writing exercises, this blog also offers critiquing services to assist bloggers and writers. Why would content marketers or bloggers need this? For one, you’ll benefit more from hearing professional recommendations from an expert. Second, there’s nothing like being evaluated for inconsistencies such as grammar, context, spelling, and style.

Buffer Blog

Buffer is a popular online tool for managing social media – but what some digital marketers don’t know is that their blog is a goldmine of content marketing ideas and strategies. After all, how would you know that you’re crafting amazing content if you don’t test it using social media? Think of their blog as an excellent complement to your writing skills.

Although I don’t usually visit their blog as often as the others, I do include their compositions into my own articles. That’s because their write-ups are in-depth: filled with facts, figures, expert tricks, and actionable advice. Mind you, their content may not be reader-friendly if you’re tight on time. So before diving into their content, make sure you allocate several minutes of your day so you really get the full benefits.

Best Feature: Of course, don’t forget to try their online tool for smarter social media sharing. They have other services you can try as well, such as Pablo, a FREE photo-editing tool that lets you create social media-friendly images in just 30 seconds (or less!). This is one of our favorites and my team has Pablo bookmarked on their browsers.

Social Media Examiner

There’s a saying that goes: “if content is king, then social media marketing is queen”. Although its validity can be argued, there’s no doubt that content marketing would be extremely difficult – if not impossible – without social media. That’s why you need to check out Social Media Examiner’s articles on this topic. They explore not only strategies that tie with various social media platforms, they also look at practical content marketing examples, stories on teamwork, as well as building a business from content.

Social Media Examiner employs only the best experts so their readers receive only quality recommendations. Plus, their content is super shareable and interactive in that they feature audios, videos, and Pinterest-friendly images into their blog posts. I love that I have several choices on how to enjoy their content.

Best Feature: Social Media Examiner understands that as digital marketers, we’re often busy to read blog posts (even though we love them!). That’s why they created multiple methods for people to learn about social media marketing while on the go. Don’t forget to check out their podcasts, available on iTunes, Stitcher, or through their RSS feed. You can also catch SME’s founder, Michael A. Stelzner, on his Morning Social Media Marketing Talk on Blab.

Kissmetrics

If there’s ONE important thing I learned about creating a content marketing strategy, it’s this: quality content alone is not enough. Aside from social media, today’s content marketers also need to become experts at analytics, SEO, and testing. Good thing Kissmetrics is here to lend a hand.

Whenever I need to connect the dots between content and other aspects of digital marketing, this is the blog I visit. Packed with the latest information and actionable articles from analytics, online marketing, SEO, social media, and content, you’re sure to discover something new from their select experts.

Best Feature: Itching to apply what you learned in real life? Kissmetrics lets you try out their service for FREE for 14 days. Simply signup and you can get access to exclusive reports and other special features. Another amazing thing you want to check out is their infographics collection. They also have marketing guides you can download anytime. How cool is that?

Which of These Top Content Marketing Blogs are You Going To Follow?

Don’t just take my word for it, visit these blogs and see for yourself.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to content marketing or you’re a pro, each day is an opportunity to learn something precious. Take advantage of every chance you get to learn from experts. Although they should be earning a profit from their works, I’m happy that they willingly share their knowledge freely.

So how about you – are YOU ready to take content marketing seriously this year?

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