Top Marketing Resources

Marketing is core to the success of any business. Building a brand that stands out and that people enjoy means companies can build and maintain long-lasting relationships with their customers, with ease.

As marketing evolves and the different specialisms within it become increasingly complex, it can sometimes feel like there is a lot to keep up with.

The good news is that there are plenty of marketing resources to help you learn new skills or refine your existing ones. Browse through our selection of recommended books, podcasts, courses, events, tools, newsletters and blogs, and start your upskilling journey today.

Top marketing books

Some of the best marketers in the world have written books about their experiences, meaning there’s an excellent opportunity to learn from people who have been in your position before. From practical advice through to the theoretical, these books will help you think differently, discover new skills and, ultimately, become a better marketeer.

So go and get these on your bookshelf (physical or virtual!), because nothing can quite replace a good book.

1. Marketing 4.0: Moving from Traditional to Digital (2017)
   Authors: Philip Kolter, Hermawan Kartajaya, Iwan Setiawan
   Theme: Digital Marketing
   Great general marketing advice to help you navigate the evolving marketing landscape. More advanced than basic guides.
    
2. Copywriting Made Simple: How to write powerful and persuasive copy that sells (2018)
   Author: Tom Albrighton
   Theme: Copywriting
   “Copywriting is writing with purpose. It’s about using words to reach people and change what they think, feel and do.” In this book, Albrighton shares his strategies for effective copywriting.
    
3. They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today′s Digital Consumer (2019)
   Author: Marcus Sheridan
   Theme: Content Marketing
   Sheridan’s guide gets you to think from the perspective of your potential customers. With his guidance, you’ll be able to develop a well-thought-out content strategy to get them the answers they need with your product.
    
4. This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See (2018)
   Author: Seth Godin
   Theme: Marketing insight and upskilling
   Any Seth Godin book is a valuable read for a marketer; this is just one of them. Godin shares the key tools to help you achieve your marketing goals.
    

Top marketing podcasts

Perfect for when you’re on the go, there are some really engaging marketing podcasts for you to listen to. Learn a new skill when you’re at the gym, change your perspective whilst walking the dog, or get inspired when you’re on your commute.

From quick-fire daily podcasts to longer-form discussions, there’s plenty to keep you entertained and informed.

1. Marketing School
   Hosts: Neil Patel and Eric Siu
   Short, daily podcasts from marketing legend Neil Patel and expert Eric Siu, covering various trends in the industry and providing actionable advice.
    
2. Everyone Haters Marketers
   Host: Louis Grenier
   An entertaining podcast that talks about the big topics in digital.
    
3. Copyblogger
   Host: Sonia Simone
   A weekly engaging podcast for those who want that extra help to improve copywriting and content marketing.
    
4. The Digital Marketing Podcast
   Hosts: Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers
   A popular educational podcast covering all things digital.

Top marketing events

Whether they’re virtual or live, events are a great way to develop your marketing skills and connect with like-minded marketers from all over the world. We’ve put together a shortlist of some of the key upcoming annual events that you should explore.

1. BrightonSEO
   The main SEO event in the UK for all marketers interested in the digital world. This hands-on event will get you in front of the world’s best search marketers. This event takes place annually.
   When: September 2021 and April 2022 and September 2022.
   Where: Brighton or online.
   Cost: from free.
   
2. The Marketing MeetUp
   Join the marketing community aiming to help you become a better marketer. This event is for marketers looking to upskill and grow their network. These weekly events from industry leaders cover a wide variety of marketing – educating and connecting over 25,000 marketers globally.
   When: every week.
   Where: online.
   Cost: free.
   
3. Social Day
   If you have an interest in Social Media Marketing, this is the event for you. Learn from the best in social media marketing at this event which will make sure that you’re at the top of your marketing game. Gain access to specialist speakers, a network of likeminded and passionate individuals and a look at tried and tested techniques.
   When: September 2021.
   Where: London.
   Cost: from £125.00.
   
4. Festival of Marketing
   This event is the toolkit for success for marketing managers. This festival will provide you with actionable advice through content on best practices, engaging debates, insightful workshops and interactive sessions.
   When: October 2021
   Where: online.
   Cost: from £199.
   
5. Digital Marketing World Forum Europe:
   Running for over 12 years, this event will delve into the latest digital trends and strategies, with exclusive virtual workshops, interactive panels, inspirational keynotes and more. Perfect for marketers interested in digital trends.
   When: December 2021.
   where: online.
   Cost: from €100.
    

Top online marketing courses

With the marketing landscape constantly changing, it’s important to keep up with current trends. There are several free courses available for you to either learn new skills, brush up on existing ones, or just stay abreast of the latest changes and best practices.

1. Google Digital Garage
   Completely free training, from analytics and segmentation to courses on Google’s own products such as Google Tag Manager and Google Ads.
    
2. Click Minded
   Seven comprehensive training courses covering SEO, email marketing, paid advertising and more.
    
3. Hubspot Academy
   Hubspot’s leading academy provides marketers with a good overview of the basics of marketing, all completely free.
    
4. SEMrush Academy
   The search engine specialists at SEMrush have put together courses focusing on digital marketing, and once again, they’re – free!
    

Top marketing blogs and newsletters

Your daily digest starts here. From career planning advice to keeping up with the current trends – these are the key newsletters you want hitting your inbox.

1. The Moz Top 10
   Get 10 hand-picked valuable SEO articles straight into your inbox, twice a month, from the experts at Moz.
    
2. eConsultancy
   Frequent high-level theoretical marketing news from around the globe by analysts and experts
    
3. Buffer
   The people behind the social media toolkit send their pick of the best social media trends, content and experiments weekly to help you improve your social strategy.
    
4. Forbes
   Scroll to subscribe to the CMO newsletters, where seasoned professionals share their advice and content on marketing leadership and brand strategy.
    
5. Hubspot Newsletter
   HubSpot’s newsletter delivers easy to digest, practical advice from all the different aspects of marketing.
    

Top marketing tools

Probably the most useful section for marketers – these tools are truly effective for streamlining your workday, with many of them offering their product for free (or free for a short period of time)!

1. Icon Monstr
   An extensive collection of professional and fun icons, available in different formats.
   Cost: Free
    
2. Clarity
   This Microsoft product allows you to replay user journeys on your website and explore heatmaps to help better optimise your website.
   Cost: Free
    
3. Screaming Frog
   Creators of the popular website crawler ‘SEO Spider’ which extracts and audits SEO data and provides a log file analysing tool.
   Cost: Free SEO audits and Log File Analyser. Other paid services.
    
4. Snazzy Ai
   Not the most confident copywriter? Create different types of content – fast – using different templates with this AI copywriting tool.
   Cost: 5 free credits daily
    

Top places for marketing inspiration

Sometimes, we all need a dash of inspiration. We’ve compiled a selection of thought-provoking content and blogs written by some of the big names in marketing.

1. Seth’s Blog
   One of marketing’s rock stars, Seth Godin posts thought-provoking, short pieces, daily – for the past 18 years!
    
2. Neil Patel’s Blog
   Analytics guru Neil Patel shares his expertise with instructional digital pieces and ‘how-to’ guides
    
3. Really Good Emails
   The clue is in the URL – create really good emails using this website, which gives you both design and code from nearly 10,000 emails.
    
4. The Ahrefs Blog
   Enhance your SEO and digital knowledge with tutorials and opinion pieces from specialists.
    
5. Moz
   Insightful SEO content for beginners to experts, straight from the mouths of leading marketers.
    

Top places for marketing career growth

At Carter Murray, we work with leading marketing, sales and communications talent to further their careers, locally and internationally.

Whether you’re just starting your marketing journey or you’re ready for the next big step, reach out to one of our consultants to find out how you can develop your marketing career, or explore new marketing opportunities.

See more career advice, or view our other blog posts.