8 Business Blogs that every small business owner should know about in 2021
It is an indisputable fact that you can learn pretty much anything online. With millions of pieces of content being uploaded every single minute around the globe, it figures that you’re going to get a wide spectrum of quality.
So if you’re looking for high quality sources to help you grow your business, we’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a list of 8 excellent, useful and relevant blogs that you can trust. Check out the list below and have a peruse of their content to get some inspiration for your business.
Think with Google
Data, trends and consumer insights from the biggest data source on the internet
Might as well start at the source, right? If you weren’t already aware, Google produces a TON of research and data. It makes a bit of sense, given that they’re the portal to the internet for billions of people around the globe.
Think with Google has a bunch of themed reports which provide insights into the enormous depth of data that they have at their fingertips. It’s an unparalleled resource for understanding consumer and industry trends with an emphasis on online behaviour.
Check out this report on re-thinking above/below the line marketing.
Neil Patel
All things organic for growing your online presence - it's basically free marketing stuff!
Neil Patel is a household name in Search Engine Optimisation and grass-roots digital marketing. The thing that makes his content so useful is the emphasis on doing it yourself with virtually no budget (sounds appealing, right?) Organic digital marketing is his jam, and he’s not just about websites. You’ll find lots of content about social media, content marketing and more on this gem of a blog.
You can also check out his free keyword planning tool Ubersuggest to get an idea of what your customers are searching for online.
Check out his article on writing the perfect Facebook post.
The Hustle
A balance of news, opinion and advice for entrepreneurs and business owners
As a business owner you need to have your finger on the pulse – and that’s where The Hustle comes in. This blog is super popular in the world of entrepreneurs and for good reason. Recently acquired by Hubspot, this is part news site, part business advice blog.
Small disclaimer that it has a decidedly North American centric perspective, but that doesn’t make the content any less relevant and useful (for the most part). Even more useful is their daily brief which you can subscribe to via email. It will give you a daily bulletin of the top things going on in the world of business to keep you in the loop.
Check out this short, sharp piece on Amazon’s drone delivery service.
Social Media Examiner
It's hard to get much clearer than their tagline for this one: this is your guide to the social media jungle
If you’re going to put effort into your social media channels, then you might as well do it properly. Social Media Examiner is arguably the only place to go for all things social media marketing. Be it paid or organic, video or text based, they’ve got the answers to all your questions.
There are two things that set this blog apart. First, they work with a bunch of different social media experts from outside the organisation to give you access to real life experts who are out there getting results for their clients right now. Secondly, they focus on actionable insights. You won’t find a fluffy list of principles here – instead you’ll find a succinct, clear list of steps that you can implement for your business.
To further prove we’re not making this stuff up, here’s their guide to email marketing which we used to structure our Little Big Business newsletter.
7 Ways Pharmacists Can Save Time
We've made a guide on how to save time in your business, so you can focus on growing your customer relationships. Get savvy on everything from easy-to-use platforms to streamlining your supply chain processes
Profitwell
All things pricing come together in this blog from a pricing analysis and optimisation company
This company isn’t so well known, but they make a fantastic point in one of their ebooks. Pricing is a massively influential part of your business strategy – and yet it tends to get a fraction of the attention that most other areas receive.
Another disclaimer here; their focus is largely on subscription revenue models, but the principles, insights and tips in their posts are worth checking out whatever your business model.
Here’s an article on the pros and cons of a price leadership strategy
Content Marketing Institute
If you're producing content of any kind for your customers, or if you want to, this is the blog you should be reading.
You’ve probably heard of content marketing – but for those in the back we’ll briefly recap. In short, it’s the practice of creating media that your audience finds useful – be it social posts, videos, blogs, articles or any other format. It has captured the imaginations of many a cash-strapped business owner thanks to its potential to capture attention, build loyalty and inspire action with minimal capital investment.
That said, it is a fine balance of art and science which is why having some expert guidance is never a bad idea. The Content Marketing Institute takes the concept to a meta level and produces content about producing content. It’s always useful and insightful and definitely worth a browse if you’re creating your own content to promote your business.
Check out this fun article about how to pique curiosity amongst your audience.
Vend Retail Blog
Insights and information about building a standout retail offering - both on and offline
We couldn’t have a list of blogs for small retailers and not include one that focuses on the art of retail itself. Vend’s blog is a shining light in the space. They produce regular articles that explore the nuances of running a retail business – whether that’s online or in store.
Check out their write up about sales promotions that you can implement in your own business.
Tyler J Koenig
A world class copy writer shares his strategy based tips for writing stuff that makes you more money
Tyler J Koenig is a wildly successful copywriter and his blog is a fantastic source of writing tips. If you want to get bang for your buck, then crafting the right words in all of your comms efforts is a great place to invest some effort.
Whether you’re writing an email to encourage people to buy something, or telling your brand story through a radio ad – Tyler can help you get it right. He comes from a successful corporate background and always brings his tips back to connecting your writing with strategy, your goals and connecting with your customers.
Check out this post (and bonus video) about identifying your customer’s pain points.
Bonus: Little Big Business
Tips and tricks to help your little business be big.
If you’ve made it this far, then I’m hoping you’ll forgive a bit of a shameless plug. After all, you just read about 1000 words from this blog, so it must be at least a little interesting, right? Little Big Business is all about helping your little business be big and we’re stoked to have you here. So if you enjoyed this post, join our mailing list below. We’ll email you every other week with more useful content like this.
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