The C/A Media List: 22 Sources of Marketing Inspiration
The websites, newsletters, podcasts and videos you should be consuming to up your game.
By Rebecca Au-Mullaney
We’ve all had those times when we’re feeling creatively stuck. Luckily, there are plenty of places to go for a jolt of inspiration — if you know where to look. We surveyed our team to find out which blogs, newsletters, sites and more they turn to to stay invigorated and that spark new ways of thinking. Here’s a sampling of the marketing resources our team consumes to stay sharp.
Marketing News, Insights and Tech Tools
1. Follow the evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science with Christopher Penn’s “Almost Timely” newsletter.
2. Tune into Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast or page through his marketing strategy book, This is Marketing.
3. Watch the Emmy-nominated Abstract: The Art of Design docuseries on Netflix to glean lessons from creatives across different industries, such as Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler and Tinker Hatfield.
4. Stay on top of Google updates and algorithm changes with easy-to-digest content from Search Engine Journal.
5. Read the Search Engine Land blog, with coverage ranging from SEO to social media. Where to start? We recommend the SMX Advanced series, which gives you the chance to pick the brains of other marketers adapting to the same challenges.
6. Sign up for daily roundups from Think with Google to get consumer insights and useful tools delivered right to your inbox.
7. Keep your ideas fresh with Marketing Brew’s snappy, skimmable newsletter — full of trends, tactics, tech updates and success stories.
8. Discover the latest tech tools at Product Hunt — we’re talking browser extensions, web apps, creative/graphics repositories and a lot more.
Website Design
9. Prepare to be wowed by the website showcases at Awwwards and Siteinspire.
10. Test-drive website animations and interactions at Codrops.
11. Explore best practices for user experience at Laws of UX.
12. Get schooled on landing pages with HubSpot’s Ultimate Landing Page Guide
or Unbounce’s landing page resource. For over 100 action-oriented examples, peep this roundup by Instapage.
Email
13. Stay abreast of the email landscape at Really Good Emails (and subscribe to the newsletter for thoughtful, relevant tidbits!).
14. Try the drag-and-drop mobile responsive software tool at Bee, or browse the site’s content hub for email design examples.
15. Go back to basics with a free email marketing course from HubSpot or this timeless Email Design Guide from Mailchimp.
16. Feast your eyes on the email designs in Canva’s how-to guide.
Digital Advertising
17. See social ads from other brands with the searchable Meta Ad Library, where you can access all ads running across Facebook and Instagram. See Meta’s hand-selected exemplars in its inspiration collection.
18. Learn social media basics with HubSpot Academy’s free online social media marketing certification course (just one of its many free online marketing resources).
19. If you learn best through video, visit Creatopy’s blog for oh-so-helpful videos and webinars.
20. Dig into Hootsuite’s comprehensive guide to social media advertising.
21. Peruse even more social media hacks at LaterBlog and Sprout Social Blog.
22. Focus on display ads with Wordstream’s insightful design principles and Bannerflow’s ultimate guide to display advertising.
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Rebecca has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit, healthcare and higher education marketing, with roles ranging from alumni magazine editor-in-chief to director of strategic communications. At C/A, she spearheads content programs for clients such as the Osteosarcoma Institute and Rutgers University.
When she’s not working, Rebecca can be found exploring every park in a 30-minute radius with her two young daughters. She enjoys journaling, painting and talking big ideas with her husband and friends.