A Social Media Manager's 3 Favorite Social Media Marketing Resources
Here are my 3 favorite social media marketing resources that I think anyone working in marketing or social media will love and appreciate!
Social Media Marketing Resources
The social media landscape is constantly changing. As a social media manager at a social media marketing agency, my clients turn to me as a resource to keep them informed on these changes. But where do I turn to stay informed? You’re about to find out.
1. Social Media Marketing Society
The Social Media Marketing Society is a community made up of marketers and Social Media Examiner staff and experts that bring their knowledge exclusively to Society members.
The Society offers online workshops and monthly live video chats each month, but I get the most value out of the private Facebook Group. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a Facebook group that is so active…and amazing.
It’s constantly updated with breaking social media news so I’m always in the know. If I ever have a question about something or want to run an idea by people, I simply post it to the group and always get so many thoughtful and detailed responses.
Of course, I also try to regularly check in and answers other members’ questions and share things I’ve learned over the years too.
I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of an online community that feels so much like, well, a community. Tapping directly into this network definitely feels like a “secret weapon” and it’s worth every penny.
Cost: $697 annually
Learn more: society.socialmediaexaminer.com
2. SMW Insider
SMW Insider is Social Media Week‘s video platform with over 300 hours of talks, interviews and presentations from leading industry experts.
Unable to travel to one of Social Media Week’s annual conferences in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, or New York? No worries! You can join in from the comfort of your laptop via their conference live streams. Each presentation is also uploaded after each conference so you can watch on your own time.
Since joining, I try to watch or listen to at least one video a day. Recent favorites include:
• Beyond The Meme: How to Develop Breakthrough Social Content that Matters
• Why The Influencer Bubble Will Soon Burst…And How To Prepare For It
• The Data Whisperers: Tips For Turning Data Insights Into Action
SMW Insider is a great way to get all of the “good stuff” from a conference without having to deal with the travel hassles, hangovers and overeager networkers.
Cost: $395 annually
Learn more: socialmediaweek.org/insider
3. Sprout Social Insights Blog
There are a lot of social media marketing blogs out there (including ours!) but if I’m going to read just one, it’s Sprout Social’s Insights blog. I love Sprout. We’ve used it at our office for years and Firebelly is a Sprout Agency Partner. One of the reasons we became a partner was because of the value Sprout provides.
If I clicked and read every social media “breaking news” link I saw in my Twitter feed, I’d go into information overload. To keep myself sane, I often wait until Sprout publishes a post about whatever just occurred and how it will affect our efforts for clients. I know the post will be timely, detailed, and backed with good data.
Some favorite posts from just this past week include:
• 12 Clever Social Media Promotion Ideas You’re Not Using
• How to Not Suck at Instagram Hashtags in 2018
• 7-Step Social Media Advertising Strategy to Better Performing Ads
If you’re like me and don’t have time to read every social media blog on the internet because you’re busy writing your own blog posts, count on Sprout to keep you up-to-date and in the know.
Cost: FREE
Learn more: sproutsocial.com/insights
Of course, Firebelly is a valuable resource too. We’ve been leading brands—big and small, B2B and B2C, for-profit and nonprofit, to social media marketing success since the Myspace days.