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The Top 10 Must-Read Newsletters for Digital Marketers

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If you’re looking to stay on top of the latest trends in digital marketing, these newsletters will help you do that. Here are some of the best ones.

As a digital marketer, you face the dilemma of needing to stay on top of the latest industry trends and innovations, but also not having the time to dive into rabbit holes researching every trend.

Marketing newsletters are a handy solution to this problem. They bring marketing information straight to your inbox in an easily digestible format, saving you time and energy. However, since several such newsletters are in circulation, how do you know which one to choose? To help you pick, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best digital marketing newsletters you should subscribe to immediately.

1. Convince and Convert ON

Screen of webpage from Convince&Convert

Convince and Convert describes its newsletter as “marketing’s most relevant email.” Its 90,000-plus subscribers are proof enough to back up this claim. New issues are released every two weeks, each containing trends and insights hand-selected by the Convince & Convert team to help you stay on top of the marketing industry.

The newsletter primarily focuses on content marketing, social media, email, amplification, word-of-mouth marketing, customer service/experience, and analytics. It also contains advice from a Convince and Convert expert on what trends to watch, as well as fun surprises in each issue.

2. The Daily Carnage

Screenshot of webpage of Daily Carnage

Don’t be thrown off by its questionable name. The Daily Carnage is one of the industry’s most relevant and beloved marketing newsletters. It is the brainchild of the folks at Carney—a digital marketing, design, and development agency. Subscribing will ensure that you are always the sharpest marketer in the room.

Every day, you’ll receive a hand-picked list of content useful for all the best digital marketing careers that will help you learn about your field in a fun and relevant way. You can also rely on the Daily Carnage for motivation, affirmation, and inspiration to start your day strong.

3. Buffer–Social Media for Business Newsletter

Screenshot of Buffer webpage

Buffer is a popular social media management app that helps marketers build their brands and grow their businesses on social media. They also have a newsletter with more than 45,000 subscribers, which is still growing.

Through this newsletter, the Buffer team shares blog posts, tips, trends, experiments, and news that will help you succeed in social media marketing. You can also get inspiration for your next idea from stories of businesses that are leveraging social media to grow their presence.

4. Marketing Dive

Screen of Marketing Dive webpage

Marketing Dive covers various topics, including marketing technology, advertising, social media, video marketing, and analytics. It also takes things a step further by providing in-depth journalistic insight into the day’s marketing headlines, news, and trends.

By devoting just 10 minutes in the morning and evening to Marketing Dive, you can stay on top of all the developments in the marketing industry. There are three subscription options for marketing dive: Daily Dive, which publishes daily; Mobile Weekly, which publishes every Thursday; and Agencies Weekly, which releases on Mondays.

5. Sketchalytics

Screenshot of Sketchalytics webpage

If you’re more of a visual rather than verbal learner, then Sketchalytics is the perfect marketing newsletter for you. Instead of reading lengthy articles, you’ll receive a marketing micro-lesson in the form of a sketch each week. By pairing the sketch with the brief explanation accompanying it, you can learn and be entertained simultaneously.

There is no sales pitch, fluff, or unnecessary content. Each issue is just pure marketing lessons on new topics presented in a fun and easy-to-understand format.

6. Search Engine Land Daily Brief

Screenshot of Search Engine Land webpage

In the ever-changing landscape of search marketing, there’s no better newsletter than Search Engine Land’s Daily Brief. The newsletter is published every weekday and gives you daily recaps of the latest news, analysis, and insights on search marketing topics.

Its conversational format and up-to-date content have already captured the interest of thousands of marketers, and many testify that it has helped them grow as digital marketers and gain confidence in their skills.

7. Think With Google

Screenshot of Think with google webpage

Digital innovation is changing how we do marketing, transforming it into a data-based industry. Think With Google helps you adapt by putting Google research and data behind your thinking.

This fortnightly newsletter is your free resource for consumer insights, marketing strategies, and useful tools. You’ll find within it data and trends, forward-looking perspectives, and behind-the-scenes looks at successful marketing campaigns to guide your own marketing efforts.

8. Neil Patel

Screenshot Neil Patel and a bio of him

Neil Patel is one of the most recognizable names in digital marketing. He’s founded multimillion-dollar companies such as CrazyEgg and Kissmetrics, runs his own agency (NP Digital), and has been featured in top magazines like Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur.

In his many years exploring digital marketing, he’s developed unique insights and proven marketing tactics unknown to your competition. He shares this as well as tips for becoming a successful content writer, creating better-paid campaigns, SEO, and social media, in his newsletter.

9. Product Hunt Daily Digest

Screenshot of Product Hunt webpage

Sometimes, marketing success boils down to finding the right tool, and Product Hunt can help with that. It is a curation of the best new products across several industries, including email, social media, and influencer marketing. You can use it to find the best chrome extensions for digital marketing or unreleased apps with promising new features.

Additionally, by following your favourite topics and subscribing to its newsletter, you can receive mail alerts on all the newest and best digital marketing product arrivals before anyone else.

10. Really Good Emails

Screenshot of Really Good emails webpage

Email marketing is still one of the most potent advertising channels, and Really Good Emails ensures you do it right. It is a showcase of over 10,000 hand-picked email designs and resources to help you understand the ins and outs of product email and customer email cycles.

You can browse its categories, designs, and resources when you need tips for making beautiful email newsletters. When you subscribe to its newsletter, you can get all of this inspiration straight to your inbox every week.

Which Marketing Newsletter Is Best for You?

There is no one-size-fits-all marketing newsletter. Each one has a unique selling point and caters to a specific need. Instead, try out several newsletters and stick with the ones that are most useful to you. You’ll discover, as you cycle through these newsletters, that you are always in the loop on industry happenings without needing to sacrifice too much of your time.

Who knows, eventually, you may become a marketing expert and start publishing your newsletters. If that’s the case, look for tips to ensure your newsletter succeeds and makes the list of must-read newsletters.

By Joshua Adegoke

Joshua Adegoke is a talented writer with a year of professional writing, editing, and optimizing internet content experience. As a tech enthusiast, Joshua is passionate about the dynamism technology is bringing to the future of work.

Sourced from MUO

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The 8 Best Careers for Extroverts

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If you’re an extrovert, you probably love being around people and interacting with others. Here are some careers which are best suited for extroverts.

Your personality trait plays a significant role in your career choice. Being extroverted or introverted determines, to a large extent, the job that suits you and how well you will thrive in it. If you are often described as energetic, charismatic, outgoing, and a social butterfly, you are most likely an extrovert.

Extroverts have amazing qualities that, if channelled in the right direction, can help them attain excellence. However, the issue lies in identifying a career that suits you in the job industry. We have put together eight high-paying careers that are great fits for extroverts. Let’s discuss them below.

1. Social Media Influencer

Social media apps on a smartphone

Social media influencer is one of the next big careers in the entertainment industry. As a social butterfly and one who loves being in the spotlight, you can build large, organic followership. This could consist of different audiences on several social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

You can also use your natural charisma to influence your audiences’ buying power and build trust. Of course, this attracts brands to utilize your social engagements and promote their products and services that appeal to your audience. Furthermore, the average annual pay for a social media influencer is $41,047 per year, according to ZipRecruiter.

Nonetheless, you can still set your own fees and terms of engagement by yourself. In addition, you can simultaneously leverage more than one niche, such as fashion, travel, education, and lifestyle. However, if you are diving into the lifestyle industry, which requires you to use your life as content, take note of things you should never share on social media for content’s sake.

2. Customer Support Specialist

A person in black blazers with a microphone headset.

A customer support specialist is a direct link between a company and its customers. This position requires social and people skills, which makes it suitable for extroverts. In the face of conflict, you can use your interpersonal skills, like quick decision-making and problem-solving, to resolve issues before they escalate.

You can work as front desk personnel, call centre agent, or concierge. Meanwhile, the average salary for a customer support specialist is $47,400 per year, according to Payscale.

3. Public Relations Manager

A man in a gray suit holding a microphone

Extroverts are naturally more given to public relations than their introverted counterparts. They can steer discussions physically and virtually. And being a PR personnel might be the best choice for you. A public relations manager is responsible for internal and external communications, public affairs, and all forms of media coverage in a company.

In other words, your primary responsibility is to improve a brand’s image and oversee campaigns for products/services. You can be part of an organization’s workforce (profit or non-profit) or an independent PR specialist. According to Payscale, public relations managers earn an average of $72,604 annually.

4. Sales or Marketing Manager

Being a sales or marketing manager is one of the best careers for extroverts because it involves a lot of socializing and networking. As a sales manager, your major role is to oversee the sales team in a company, organize training, and ensure your team meets the sales quota for a period.

You will also continuously have to engage in small talk and use your natural enthusiastic charm to propel people to purchase a product or service. Meanwhile, you can major in business-to-business sales (B2B), business-to-consumer sales (B2C), direct, SaaS, or affiliate sales. Besides, you can expect to earn up to $63,359 annually, according to Payscale.

5. Counsellor or Coach

A person talking to a counselor.

Typically, an extrovert is compassionate, a great communicator, and loves being involved in other people’s lives. This makes counselling a suitable career path for one. Counsellors help people achieve positive changes in different aspects of their life, such as careers, relationships, and academics.

While you still need to acquire specific counselling techniques and certifications, your natural extrovert traits already give you solid grounds to flourish in the industry. You can render your services independently or work with a psychotherapy company. Meanwhile, the average annual salary for a licensed professional counsellor is $50,298—according to Payscale.

6. Human Resource Manager

Human resource managers act as a liaison between employees and employers. They often oversee the hiring of new employees, alongside staff training and management. In addition, they help organizations develop their work culture and benefits, payroll, and handle workplace disputes.

These responsibilities and more require high-level people skills to enable you to connect with diverse personalities on different levels, making it a great fit for extroverts. According to Payscale, human resource managers earn up to $74,000 annually.

However, your pay can be above or below, depending on your skills and certifications. You can work as a freelance human resource consultant or limit your services to one company.

7. Event Planner

A woman in a brown suit jacket standing and looking at a laptop on a table.

Event planning involves creating and developing small and large-scale personal or corporate events, such as weddings, conferences, concerts, and festivals. Having the innate ability to manage interactions with a variety of people—including clients, vendors, and the event workforce—gives you an edge in pulling off successful events.

You can also leverage different mobile apps for event management to streamline your responsibilities. Moreover, you can be a contractor and set your own rates or work for an interior decoration firm. According to Payscale, the average annual salary for event planners is $51,596. The demand for event planners is on the rise. So whichever path you choose, you can be confident of earning well.

8. UX Designer

A man scribbling on white paper.

UX designing is a people-oriented career that involves developing and managing a digital product’s user experience. Most times, the role requires you to work directly with the marketing team in an organization to understand customer needs and demands and integrate the brand message into the product.

Besides, it’s a versatile profession, not limited to one industry. In other words, you can work in the health, finance, education, or blockchain industry. You can also work as a freelancer or a full-time on-site employee. According to Payscale, the average salary for a UX designer is $76,341 per year.

Know Your Personality Type Before Choosing Your Career

Choosing your target industry and career path can be challenging. Therefore, we suggest you first analyze your personality and identify your interests, strengths, and weaknesses to help you make rational decisions about your career. You can see a psychologist or use apps to learn about your personality type to erase every iota of uncertainty.

By Joshua Adegoke

Sourced from MUO

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‘Work won’t love you back’: adland workers share why they are quiet quitting

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By Ellen Ormesher

‘Quiet quitting’ has become the labour market’s latest buzzword. We hear the stories of advertising industry employees rethinking their work-life balance.

The premise of quiet quitting is straightforward. A somewhat updated version of the work-to-rule form of industrial action in which employees perform their duties to the letter in order to slow productivity, quiet quitters no longer go above and beyond their pay grade, instead maintaining firm boundaries when it comes to their work-life balance.

Many of the people The Drum spoke to say it has helped them to sustain their mental health and wellbeing in the face of what has been a turbulent few years. However, others say the phenomenon is merely a reassertion of healthy work-life boundaries.

But moreover, is quiet quitting really the answer to poor working conditions? Or does advertising’s insidious toxic culture require more organized, radical action?

The root causes

Emma* had four years of experience under her belt when she was the first marketing hire at a startup, where she was offered a £23,000 ($28,000) salary.

“I was then promoted to head up the marketing team of three and became a line manager after about 18 months at the company, and my salary increased to £30,000 ($35,000). I pushed for a raise in line with my expectations as I had been solely responsible for the marketing strategy and execution for over six months but due to working in a pre-revenue startup, it didn’t happen. I had also been promised shares in the business (one of the key benefits of joining a startup) since I joined, but nothing materialized.”

Her frustrations meant she was forced to reassess how much effort she was putting in for little reward, she says. “I spent the following few months logging on and logging off when contracted and taking my full hour lunch break. In a startup they want people to grind, but being underpaid with no shares – there was no way I was doing this. I became unmotivated and unexcited, and I no longer bought into the company’s mission. After about four months of quiet quitting, I decided to start looking elsewhere and then two months later signed a contract for a new company.”

But tales of high expectations met with low pay and gruelling hours are common throughout the advertising and marketing industry. Sarah* says the last several months in her marketing role have been “extremely demanding.”

“I have a broad and challenging remit – covering both internal and external communications. I work at least 15 hours over my contracted hours every week, rarely take proper breaks and struggle to switch off at weekends and even on holiday. There has been little to no let up from the pandemic period when things were even more challenging. Warning bells rang for me when, during what should’ve been a totally relaxing holiday, I was waking up plagued with anxious work thoughts; worries about the pile of emails and build-up of demands awaiting me on my return.”

‘Quiet quitting’ is just refusing to be exploited

Sarah explains she sees her decision to quiet quit as more of a reassertion of boundaries, of resetting and prioritizing self-care “rather than ‘slacking off’ or being unprofessional.”

“I’ve taken a conscious decision to change how I operate. I’ll never stop caring about doing a good job, but I’m taking steps to break the cycle of stress before it leads to burnout or worse. I’ll be logging on and off at reasonable times, taking daily breaks, declining non-essential meetings, blocking focus time in my diary and reclaiming headspace for the things that matter, rather than being all-consumed by work.”

Similarly, Simon* says: “Constantly going above and beyond in terms of workload and hours, despite receiving a salary far lower than the standard of pay in other professions and below what you really need to live a reasonably comfortable life in or around London, solidified the idea in my mind that work will never love you back.”

Another factor was the Covid-19 pandemic, he says. “Daily death-toll announcements, creaking public services and ongoing economic impacts really put everything in perspective. Brands and campaigns no longer felt like a big deal, and I started to resist the idea that I should spend any time beyond my working hours thinking about them.”

However, Simon says it is all these factors combined that have left him resolved to think of his job as just that. “A means of making money to feed my family, pay my bills and fund my lifestyle.”

He says: “I now strongly resist the idea that one’s job should be the sole avenue for self-actualization – life is finite and I don’t want to spend it caught up in the stress of work. Is this quiet quitting or just refusing to be exploited and manipulated?

”Has it cost me in terms of advancement, my relationship with management or my daily passion and motivation? Probably. But these are a price worth paying for a balanced life and a slightly freer existence.”

Work-to-rule

For some adland workers, however, the phenomenon of quiet quitting has its limitations. Frankie* says it’s a privilege to be able to act in this way because many marginalized groups have to go above and beyond to prove themselves within the workplace. “This is why in pop culture the coaster archetype is often a suburban white guy,” they say.

“At the start of my career [across journalism and marketing], I often worked nights and weekends for years. It took getting to director level to be able to quiet quit.“

Frankie says it’s also an unfulfilling position to be in. They describe quiet quitting as “an individual rebellion that doesn’t change anything.“

“For it to have real impact it needs to be organized and collective. This would also be more inclusive of those that just can’t afford to work to rule. In fact, in organizing circles, work-to-rule is an established tactic, so perhaps the future of this trend is in coordinating and organizing it.”

*Names have been changed to protect identities

Feature Image Credit: AdobeStock

By Ellen Ormesher

Sourced from The Drum

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10 MINDFUL TIPS FOR ACHIEVING BIG THINGS AT WORK

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By STEPHEN J. BRONNER

When you feel like you’ve hit your stride at work, achieving a state of pure focus and creativity, that’s flow. The term was coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who described it as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.”

Sounds ideal for accomplishing big things at work, right? Read on for how 10 entrepreneurs achieve a state of flow.

10. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

“The most important factor that I control for in order to ‘get lost’ in my work is to remove distractions,” said Tony Mariotti, owner and realtor at Great Vancouver Homes. “That might mean turning off my computer and sketching an outline for an upcoming blog post with old-fashioned paper and pen. Often, I have to be separated from my computer, phone, or any other device that will deliver interruptions like texts, emails, or calls. The second controlled factor, which is a little harder to pull off, is to clear my schedule for the first two hours of my workday. That’s not often possible, but getting into a state of flow is a little easier in the morning when my head is still relatively free of distractions.”

9. PLAN EACH PROJECT

“I achieve a state of flow at work by making myself a visual roadmap of each step that I need to take to get from point A to point B before starting a project,” said David Morneau, CEO of inBeat Agency. “While having a mental roadmap helps, I prefer to have it visible by printing it and keeping it in front of me while I am working. It keeps me aware of what is next, and I stay focused and engaged. I have daily feedback sessions with myself or with one of my mentors to know how well I am doing and how far I am from my goal.”

8. REPEAT CERTAIN ACTIONS

“Repetition is the key to achieving a state of flow,” said Adem Selita, CEO at The Debt Relief Company. “I achieve this via positive reinforcement supplemented by repetitive cognitive behaviors. Whenever I am scheduled to speak with a significant client or potential partner, I press my chest twice (similar to how Tony Robbins does), and my mind is naturally conditioned to experience a change in state due to this. After years of this simple repetition, my brain helps me shift my state and achieve a state of high energy and accelerated output.”

7. DO SOMETHING THAT INVITES FLOW

“Let curiosity be the ticket to flow when it comes to work,” said Linda Clark, CEO and founder of Linda Clark Consulting LLC. “Do what takes you into flow, and then transition to work. I may hoop for a few minutes, and then tackle a project that needs creativity. You might run or meditate. Flow is more sustainable with breaks, but don’t take that too far into fracturing your attention span. Come up for air, grab a snack, and go back into the moment. When you’re in flow, or working to get there, create a space for that with minimal interruptions. Close your office door. Go somewhere new, even if it is your patio.”

“FIND WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT — OR WILLING TO GET BETTER AT — AND MAKE IT A CORNERSTONE OF YOUR WORK.”

6. TIME YOURSELF IN A CREATIVE WAY

“I use a modified version of the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes on, five minutes off) to help me get into a good work flow,” said Dan Gower, owner of Buddy Gardner Advertising. “Breaks help keep me energized for longer, plus the knowledge that I’ll have to take a break in 25 minutes forces me into a groove right away. I use albums to time myself, as one side of most vinyl records is about 25 minutes. When it’s time to flip the record or put a new one on, I take my break and remember what time I’m supposed to go back to work.”

5. PLAN FOR FLOW

“Before attempting a flow session, you should block out enough time on your schedule,” said Micah McGuire, founder and program strategist at The Mind Redesign. “Most experts recommend somewhere between 90 to 120 minutes. This will allow enough time for you to reach flow state (which can take up to 45 minutes) and remain there without the stress of an impending deadline. Then, set a highly specific goal of what you’ll work on during the flow session before starting. You should define the boundaries of your flow session work and what counts as completion. Finally, check the challenge level of your goal to ensure you’ll stay in the flow channel (illustrated in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow” diagram). You want the challenge to push your skills by roughly four percent. This may be a concrete goal (such as increasing your target word count on a blog post draft) or a more abstract goal (like brainstorming until you feel you’re mentally challenged).”

4. KNOW WHAT ACTIVITIES AREN’T FLOW COMPATIBLE

“There are a lot of tasks that are ‘flow resistant,’” said Matthew Burke, editorial director at The Complete Guide to Archery. “It could be answering calls from angry customers, dealing with difficult co-workers, or anything that you truly dislike. There are some tasks where it’s not worth finding flow, so hammer down these tasks, get them done, and then get back to the activities that let you focus. Mastery is an important element of flow. Find what you’re good at — or willing to get better at — and make it a cornerstone of your work.”

3. FIND THE RIGHT MUSIC

“What’s worked for me is to put on noise-canceling headphones and listen to ambient music or techno depending on what I’m trying to achieve,” said Ron Stefanski, founder of OneHourProfessor.com. “In the mornings, while I have coffee and try to get through most of my work, electronic music at 140+ BPM is what gets me in flow state. In this state, I can multitask and cut through my more mundane and time-consuming tasks with more efficiency. In the afternoons, when I’m writing, I prefer more ambient and chilled-out music to get me in the mood to write. With no vocals, my mind can drift through my thoughts as I write and think in perfect synchronicity. Music is the rhythm of life, and using it correctly can definitely help you achieve flow state once you’ve trained your mind.”

2. ACCOMPLISH SMALL THINGS FIRST

“To get into a state of flow, start with a ‘quick win list’ — a list of tasks that can be done in five to 15 minutes,” said Trevor Lohrbeer, founder of Day Optimizer. “Checking off these wins will spike your dopamine, helping you increase your focus and motivation. To set yourself up for success, before you end your day or when you are wrapping up a specific type of task, take five minutes to create a quick win list for your next work session. This will help you quickly get back into a state of flow next time.”

1. ACTIVATE ALPHA BRAIN WAVES

“There are quick steps to activate your alpha brain waves and hit that optimal state of flow where focus is interrupted and time flies,” said Tessa Hull, success and optimization coach at No Right Way Ltd. “Green tea holds L-theanine, which has been shown to significantly increase activities in the alpha frequency band without causing drowsiness, and 30 minutes of exercise has also been shown to help. If you could get meditation, a quick workout, and a cup of tea into your morning routine, you’re on the right track to achieve flow state more effectively.”

By STEPHEN J. BRONNER

Sourced from Inverse

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Majority of Workers Feel Distracted at Work, Blame Technology

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More than a third of millennials use their phones for personal activities up to 2 hours during the workday.

By MediaStreet Staff Writers

Technology is now on the verge of making us utterly unproductive. This is according to a new report from Udemy.

The study measured how distracted employees are during work hours, how they’re responding to distractions, and the price of distraction for employers and the economy at large. The research found a strong correlation between increased levels of distraction, decreased productivity, and a lack of proper training at work.

Workers can’t resist the pull of social media
Most survey respondents (58%) said they don’t need social media to do their jobs, but they still can’t make it through the day without it. When asked to rank various social media sites and communication tools by degree of distraction, Facebook came in first (65%), followed distantly by Instagram (9%), Snapchat (7%), and Twitter (7%).

In addition to recognising how workplace distraction can hurt productivity and diminish quality of work, companies need to be aware of the very real damage to employee morale and retention. Among millennials and Gen Z, 22% feel distractions prevent them from reaching their full potential and advancing in their careers, and overall, 34% say they like their jobs less as a result.

When people are engaged, they report being more motivated, confident, and happy, and feel they deliver higher quality work. And, based on the survey, opportunities around learning and development are the top drivers of engagement.

 

Workers want training but are reluctant to ask for it
Though 69% of full-time employees surveyed report being distracted at work and 70% agree that training could help them learn to focus and manage their time better, 66% have never brought this up to their managers. Younger workers, in particular, are also having trouble balancing work and personal activities on devices they use for both; 78% of millennials/Gen Z say using technology for personal activity is more distracting than work-related tools like email and chat.

Let’s face it, we are all suckers for social media. The good news for marketers is that with highly engaged audiences comes a lot of places to put targeting advertising and reach these audiences.

 

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