Social media can sometimes be a popularity contest. Everyone is screaming for attention and there is strength in numbers. The influence of a social media profile can be measured by its number of followers. A huge number of followers implies credibility and certain social media “Influencers” even make money from their popularity via product endorsements. There has been a race to build followers and some people have found a shortcut, but at what cost?

Updated: February 15, 2016

Inbound marketing is, simply put, quite popular these days. If you have any doubt about that just look at HubSpot, a leader in inbound marketing. Founded in 2006, it went public last year, is valued at over 1 billion dollars and has over 15,000 customers. That goes to show the popularity of this approach to marketing. If you are unfamiliar with the definition, read about inbound marketing on our blog. You don’t want to miss out on this massive internet marketing shift.

While all of this is fascinating, we know you really clicked to see our recommendations on blogs, so here are the top 7 inbound marketing blogs we recommend you keep up with:

Let’s start at the beginning. You started a small business. You marketed your small business by developing assets and using traditional tactics such as TV commercials, radio ads, print ads, sponsorships, even a billboard here and there. Then you built a website as the logical next step because that’s what everyone was doing.

It’s a fairly decent website. It’s bringing you some business. You know this because there’s a coupon that people bring in that can only be retrieved from the website, and a contact form that is periodically filled out. Don’t sell yourself short. Your website could be working for you 24/7. Do you know how to increase website traffic? By blogging.

With all of the new technology that exists in marketing nowadays, it’s easy to overlook one of the most effective marketing tools around: email. While many have passed email off as outdated and on its way out, an email marketing strategy is more important than ever – in fact, 76 percent of marketers say they use email more now than they did three years ago.

If you’re the creative type, you probably like the idea of coming up with a content strategy and creating content to promote your business. Maybe the strategy part appeals to you or you just love to come up with new ideas and you enjoy writing, creating videos and other content in general. It’s also quite possible that those things sound taxing and are things you would move to the bottom of your to-do list, and leave them there forever if possible. Either way, if you're a marketing manager or business owner who understands the value of content marketing, you know you only have so much time, ability and energy. That being the case, you may be considering hiring an agency to do the content marketing services for your business. The following are some common parts of content marketing to consider when deciding what your life will be like with and without content marketing services:

Blogging is an essential part of inbound marketing and is a staple of any content marketing strategy. While blogs started as more personal accounts, they have come to take an increasingly large role in the professional realm as well. Blogs serve to inform and, when done correctly, give you an opportunity to stand out within your field as an informer and an opinion leader.

“Content is king” is not a new concept, but it seems to be one that many marketers easily forget. It shouldn’t be. Quality content is one of the most important aspects in marketing, especially from an inbound perspective. Content is the driving force behind the inbound method of Attract, Convert, Close, and Delight; quality content is what moves a prospect across each step.

Are you evaluating your business marketing strategies and planning for the next quarter or the next year? Taking a good look at your current strategies and campaigns is always wise - then it may be time to look at how to further your business with new strategies.

So you want to develop an online marketing presence and get your site noticed. You want customers to start coming to your site in droves. You want to make sales from those website visits too so that you’re not spending all of those marketing dollars for nothing.

All of this sounds nice, but it won’t just happen on its own. If you're trying to build your online marketing presence, a blog is a great place to start. It can take the form of written content, infographics, images, or videos (or a mix of these). It can be “how-to” in nature, a checklist, or any kind of helpful information.