Ultimate list of content marketing resources and statistics

Sometimes I come across content marketing resources and statistics that are too good not to pass on. (For full disclosure, I may be quoted in a few of them). I thought I’d put the content marketing tips and advice I found most valuable here on one page, so they’d be easy to find. Check back often to see what’s new on my “Not to be missed!” list of content advice!

Content marketing resources

Things to Expect from Content Marketing in 2020
Are you ready?

50 Content Marketing Blogs Every B2B Marketer Should Follow
I can’t personally vouch for all of them, but don’t let that stop you from checking them out!

Why You Need Google My Business…Especially if You’re a Small Biz
Have you done this yet? I’m adding it to my to-do list right now.

What Do You Attribute to Building Brand Awareness? 90 Marketers Weigh In.
Proud to be included in this roundup! It can be tough to build a brand that stands out, especially if you’re a freelancer.

Top Tips for Gig Workers in 2020
I was able to share my favorite piece of advice in this one: Think of yourself as a business owner, not a freelancer. It puts you on even footing with prospective clients, and it forces you to think about the “value added” aspect of your work.

Ten Content Marketing Tactics You Need to Make Your Business Successful
These are all so good it’s hard to pick favorites, but I have to go with #1 and #2; they’re essential.

12 Content Marketing Trends Just Over The Horizon
A forward-looking piece for people who are ready to tackle the next best thing.

The Science and Art of Best Answer B2B Content Marketing
The title doesn’t do this resource justice. It gives a concise explanation of Google’s move toward semantic search and quality information. If you follow the advice in this article, you can improve your ranking by making sure your snippets and metadata descriptions concisely answer specific questions prospective customers may have.

B2B Visual Content Marketing: 10 Examples for Your Own Campaign
A lot of content creators make B2B marketing harder than it has to be. The key is to remember that B2B buyers are still real people with jobs to do, and if your product can make it easier, they’ll probably be open to reading your content. But they’re also “real people” in the sense that it make take visual content to catch their attention.

Top Ten Tech Policy Trends to Watch in 2020
Laws and regulations affecting digital privacy and security are being passed almost as quickly as new technology is rolling out. Make sure you stay ahead of it with these policy resources.

15 Top Marketing Trends That May Affect 2020
Content marketing is always evolving.

7 Ridiculously Useful E-books, Guides, and Courses for Content Marketing
You can always count on nDash to set you up with the very best content marketing resources.

17 Actionable Content Marketing Tips to Drive More Traffic
I’m not a huge Backlinko fan, especially when it comes to research and outreach activities that just aren’t realistic for solopreneurs and small businesses. However, I realize Backlinko is hugely influential, so I wanted to include this article for those who follow their advice. However, it would be irresponsible of me not to express concern over the tips it gives for collecting emails — they don’t seem to be in line with current privacy standards. So please make sure you don’t violate any regulations when you collect email addresses.

The Ideal Length of Everything Online, Backed by Research
From Tweets to titles, check out these tips on how long your content should be.

5 Things You Need to Know About Outsourcing Content Marketing in 2020
Full disclosure — this is one of mine.

3 Ways Your Website Could Be Breaking the Law
Also mine, but it offers an important introduction to the need for developing digital policies. The article also has links to some resources with more specific information.

Content Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
This is long but comprehensive. If you need Content Marketing 101, you’ll appreciate it.

27 Content Distribution Ideas to Promote Primary Research
Conducting primary research can give an organization’s goals a big boost. But you can’t just conduct research; you have to get it in front of people who will care.

Business Reporting: 4 Ways to Report Poor Business to Your Boss or Client:
This is one of my pet peeves, so I’m proud to have my response included in this roundup.

42 Digital Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore for 2020
Lots to absorb here!

16 Things to Avoid When Doing Content Marketing
These are all good, but #2, in particular, resonates with me. As a content strategist, I all too frequently see the costs (in time, effort, and dollars) that pile up when a client doesn’t really know what they’re trying to accomplish.

SEO

130 Social Sharing Sites that Boost SEO and Drive Traffic
I’ve never heard of some of these sites, so I can’t personally endorse them. But I’d rather include the resource and let you decide for yourself!

SEO Tools: The Complete List (2020 Update)
Some of these tools are not for beginners, but if you really want to level up, you’ll find all of the tools you need here.

How to Optimize Your Content for Google’s “People Also Ask” Box
Great tips on increasing your chances to appear in the “People Also Ask” section that shows up at the bottom of each of Google’s SERP pages.

Social media

How Instagram Changed the Way We Shop
Talk about life imitating art! This article describes how Instagram has actually changed the way we shop, like when people buy things just so they can take a picture and post it on Instagram. And restaurants and retailers have even changed their lighting to look better on Instagram.

4 Tips for When You Don’t Know What to Post on Instagram
Full disclosure: This one is mine. But it shares things I learned while trying to figure out how to use this platform, and I hope they’ll be helpful to you, too.

75 Social Media Statistics for 2020
This site goes beyond Instagram to incorporate other social media channels.

Guide to Social Media Image Sizes for 2020 (Infographic)
I can never remember these!

Tools

39 Must-Have Content Creation Tools for Content Marketers (2020)
Great roundup list. Quite a few I’ve never heard of and can’t wait to try!

13 New and Awesome Content Marketing Tools to Try in 2020
The tools are broken down into categories to make it easy to find what’s most relevant.

The Best Productivity Apps for 2020
You can never have too much productivity!

The Top 30 Social Media Automation Tools
You actually can have too much automation, but some marketing automation is a good thing!

20 Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Most Used Hack or Resource
Yes, I’m one of the 20, but the other 19 are pretty great!

8 Content Marketing Plugins You Need for your WordPress Blog
I’ve tried some of these tools and intend to try a few others.

Graphics

Unsplash
I like to use quotes for my featured image. I try to use my own photos (I’m constantly taking pictures of weird things like wet stepping stones) of things that I think would make a good background, but when I don’t have an appropriate photo of my own, I turn to Unsplash. Absolutely gorgeous royalty-free images!

PicMonkey
Once I have the right background photo, I turn to PicMonkey to turn it into something worthy of being a featured image. It’s easy to use and has all of the usual photo editing tools. It also has the “special effects” tools like adding text, additional images, etc. (Disclosure: affiliate link)

Canva
I’ve never used Canva because I’m such a PicMonkey fan, but it’s consistently listed as one of the to image creation tools, so I thought I’d included.

11 Places to Get Free Illustrations for Your Next Project
If you’re tired of using the same stock photos everyone else uses, try these sources for illustrations instead.

Statistics

Because at some point, we all look for statistics to bolster our articles.

50 Visual Content Marketing Statistics You Should Know in 2020
Great info on how important it is to use visual content and to get it right.

The Ultimate List of Content Marketing Statistics for 2020
Just when you think it’s over, there’s more, so keep scrolling!

100+ Video Marketing Stats You Need to Know in 2020
Everything you’d ever need to know about including video in your content marketing strategy.

2020 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
If you’re in the B2B niche, start here!

37 Instagram Stats that Matter to Marketers in 2020
If you’re writing about content and social media marketing and need some good Instagram stats, you’ll find them here!

10 Content Marketing Statistics for 2020
Whether you use them to hone your content strategy or include them in what you’re writing, there’s some great info here.

25 Content Marketing Stats That are Actually Credible
You can always count on Contently!

26 SEO Statistics for 2020 and What You Can Learn From Them
I haven’t met a writer yet who doesn’t need easy access to reliable statistics to quote.

31 Must-Know YouTube Statistics for 2020
If your writing includes research, good sources for statistics are priceless!

14 Visual Content Marketing Statistics to know for 2020
More great statistics!

Compliance

As more and more countries (and several states in the U.S.) pass legislation regarding privacy and data security, everybody who has a website needs to stay on top of new laws and to make sure your site is compliant.

Because of the complexities involved (which starts with just trying to find out which regulations apply to you!) many organizations decide to work with a digital consultant in their journey to compliance.

If you decide to work with a digital consultant, Kristina Podnar (no, we’re not related, although I wish we were!) is the absolute best. She and I have worked together for a few years now, and I have yet to ask her a question about digital policies that she can’t answer off the top of her head. You can reach her at https://www.kpodnar.com/.

But if you choose to do it on your own, here are some good resources:

W3C
The W3C website is a great resource for keeping up with the latest in digital standards.

GDPR
The GDPR is the EU’s sweeping legislation addressing privacy and regulating how business must handle consumers’ personal data.

CCPA
The CCPA is California’s version of the GDPR. It’s important to note, however, that many other states have either passed or are working on similar legislation.