Word on the street is that inbound marketing is the new black in the marketing world. Problem is, inbound marketing wasn’t (and still isn't) taught in school. So how can you learn this great, fantastic, cool, lead generating, innovative marketing style?
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of the top 20 best resources on the internet that will help you learn the ins and outs of inbound marketing.
You can find the resources grouped together by:
- Courses
- Videos
- Blogs
- E-books.
Courses
1. Hubspot Inbound Certification
If you haven’t heard about Hubspot’s Inbound Certification Program, you’ve been missing out. It’s a great, free introduction to inbound marketing for the experienced or the novice. The classes are easy to understand and cover all the basics you will need to know about inbound marketing.
Once you’ve watched all the videos, you can take a test to receive your very own inbound certification. The certification is good for 13 months…and did I mention that it’s free? I would highly recommend this resource to anyone wanting to expand their knowledge about online marketing.
2. Unbounce
If you’re looking for a 6 month guided course to becoming an expert internet marketer, we have just the resource for you. Unbounce put together a 62 page PDF that will show you the ins and outs of inbound marketing.
I know 62 pages seems a little daunting, but they have divided the workload up by months, allowing you to improve your business step by step. But wait, it gets better. You can download the e-book for free if you tweet about it!
If you want more information, check out the SEOmoz post, which basically contains the entire e-book in blog format.
3. Marketing Motive
What do you think about being certified in content marketing? What about SEO? Mobile marketing? Marketing Motive is a self-paced training program that offers courses to help you prepare for a certification in the subject of your choice.
You can apply for the OMCP (Online Marketing Certified Professional) certification upon completion of the training program…in fact, Marketing Motive is one of the official training providers for the certification test. Or, maybe you just want to take the training course for your own knowledge. That’s cool too.
Their memberships are $299/month and give you access to 8 certification courses, moderated forums, weekly live webinars and more. Learn more about OMCP and their certifications here.
4. General Assembly
General Assembly is all about educating people and showing them the way to turn their ideas into actions. Through General Assembly you can take in-person and online 8-12 week courses. But what really excites me about this resource is their Front Row subscription.
For only $49 a month, you get unlimited access to upcoming live streams, on-demand streaming classes and their video library. They have an array of topics to choos from business foundations to digital marketing to web development. It's up to you!
5. Udemy
Udemy is an easy to use resource that allows you to search for on-demand courses based on the topics that you’re interested in. You can filter your search by price and instruction level, and see how many other students are tuning into that course too. This resource gives you the freedom to take control of your learning based on what interests you.
6. Moz Academy
Check out the lessons on Moz Academy and learn from the pros all there is to know about content marketing. Moz created this resource to be comprehensive and easy to learn. Rand Fishkin and his team present the material in an uncomplicated way and the videos actually keep you engaged. You’ll feel like you’re in a real classroom.
There’s no need to enroll, but you do need to be a Moz Pro subscriber to take advantage of Moz Academy.
7. Knowledge.ly
Knowledge.ly is a marketing academy that provides online courses for those eager to learn about the online marketing world. You can read about the course, the professor and how long each video segment it before you purchase the course.
They range from $0-$500, so make sure you check out which one will be relevant to what you want to learn. At worst, you can subscribe to the free class before you purchase.
Videos
8. Distilled U
DistilledU is an online search marketing site designed to teach you the core skills necessary for SEO. Start with the basics and work your way down to more advanced lessons. For only $40 a month you get unlimited access to 83 hours worth of modules and 133 hours of videos. Not a bad deal.
9. Online Marketing Institute
The Online Marketing Institute is another great (and affordable) resource for learning online marketing. For $27 a month you get unlimited access to all the video classes they offer. Browse their video library to check out classes by topic, by channel or by their starter series. Watch the videos yourself or open it up to your entire team, do what’s right for you.
10. MozCon Video Bundle
Missed MozCon 2014? Don’t want to wait until 2015? This video bundle will make you feel like you were there. Watch presentations from the best in the industry about SEO, content creation, analytics and more.
Use this information to apply to your brand and increase your online marketing expertise. Prices are $299 for Moz Pro Subscribers and $399 for non-Subscribers.
11. QuickSprout
Learn online marketing from QuickSprout’s University page. Sign up to be a member for $47/month and you get unlimited access to all their videos, which also include transcripts, which is pretty cool.
They have a variety of categories to choose from, and the videos are also grouped based on beginner, intermediate or advanced learners. Also, check out their blog for some supplemental learning.
Blogs
12. Unbounce Blog
Unbounce is a landing page builder for marketers, but also has a great blog that you should check out. They organize their posts based on subjects, so you can search specifically for landing pages, conversion, social media or any other topic you are curious about.
Reading blogs is a great supplement to any learning you’re doing. It will show you what inbound tactics other people are already using and how you can apply it to your own marketing ideas.
13. Inbound.org
Inbound.org is an online marketing community where inbound marketers, and those interested in being inbound experienced, are able to pose questions, enter discussions and learn what marketers are doing now to benefit their business.
You can create your account through Google+ or Twitter to start learning. Search specific subjects or search what’s trending. Stay in the loop.
14. B2C
B2C is an online community where you can read about all the latest news in marketing, social media, PR and more. Specifically, their articles on SEO, inbound marketing and content marketing will give you the supplemental knowledge you need on your quest to being an inbound marketing specialist.
15. Mashable
Mashable’s online community is a great place to stay connected with the digital innovations and online marketing practices that are being used by professionals worldwide. Search “inbound marketing” for engaging articles that take marketing terms and put them into a simple, easy to understand format. From there, branch out to other topics that are relevant to you.
16. ConversionXL
ConversionXL has a really helpful blog where you can find articles on topics affecting your conversion of strangers visiting your page into leads. The articles are grouped by topic, so it makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.
E-books
17. Moz
Here’s another great resource from Moz (see the pattern?) They offer 3 free online downloadable guides: The Beginner’s Guide to SEO, The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media and The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building.
These guides are 10, 12, and 6 chapters, respectively. Take it from the leaders of the industry and pick up some really useful tips to improving your business.
18. Weidert Group
Here are the resources that this full-service inbound marketing agency offers: tip sheets, guides, overviews and e-books. And guess what? It’s all free and downloadable. I’m impressed by their 42 page Step by Step Guide to Inbound Marketing. While you’re there, peruse their blog too.
19. Content Marketing Institute
The Content Marketing Institute offers webinars that you can sign up for and tune in to. I especially like that if you register, you have access to their webinar archives so you can watch all the webinars you’ve missed. Check out their research page too, where you can download e-books on content marketing.
20. Marketo
This resource prides their free, downloadable and easy to understand e-books that will help you get a hold on inbound marketing. Some e-books to check out include The Inbound Marketers Guide to SEO and PPC, Solved Mysteries: Tracking Your Content Marketing ROI and many more.
Did you find these resources useful? Did we miss any that are important to you? Let us know in the comments below!