Gone are the days of letterbox drops, unsolicited spam and cold-calling. The marketing game has undergone rapid change in recent years, and digital, or inbound marketing, has forged new ways for connecting with customers. If you’re still unfamiliar with inbound strategies and the terminology it entails, you may be wondering where to begin. Here are our top resources for newbies looking to learn what inbound marketing means and how it can transform any business.

Indispensable Resources for Beginners to Inbound

1. HubSpot Library

The entire HubSpot website is an incredible resource for beginners. In particular, the HubSpot Academy offers a free online certification in inbound methodology, open to the public. Alongside this killer resource, you'll discover an entire catalogue of knowledge, sorted by topic — from analytics to blogging and content creation. There's everything from ebooks and checklists to webinars and white papers! 

2. Buyer Persona template

Cornerstone to any inbound marketing campaign, buyer personas provide a framework for defining and analysing your customers before you begin to communicate with them.
Think of a buyer persona as a fictional character that represents your typical target customer.

• What is their age, location and income bracket?
• What is their job title?
• What does their role involve on a day to day basis?
• What obstacles or hesitations may they face in responding to your product or service?

This trusty persona builder approaches these questions systematically, prompting you to think more deeply about who your customers are and what motivates them.

3. Moz

What began as a family SEO consultancy company ten years ago is now one of the leading discussion forums of inbound marketing information available. Many of their online resources are available for free, including the Moz Academy and learning page.

Once you're more familiar with the inbound basics, you'll find the Moz Blog will flesh out those initial building blocks and take your education to the next level. Enjoy extensive resource of valuable tips and tricks of the trade for online marketing and web professionals.

4. Copyhackers

The Copyhackers blog reall is ideal for entrepreneurs, small business founders, copywriters and marketers (or anyone keen to enhance their skills in content creation). Regular articles provide tips on how to use copy to maximise your inbound marketing potential through written work. The wealth of information will bring you to scratch on everything from conversion copywriting to content strategy, all in the name of driving more visitor to customer conversions!

5. Business 2 Community

Think of this as light reading on the topic for beginners. There are brief snippets, lists and news items that provide little info-bytes to enjoy at your desk. You'll love this snackable resource! It's super practical content aimed at those with limited background in online marketing, or those who simply have a keen interest in industry trends.

6. Google Analytics

As far as online marketing campaign tools go, Google Analytics provides an invaluable — and free — platform. You can analyse market segments and discover untapped customer potential. Applicable to the entire, expanding spectrum of mobile devices, it allows you to begin understanding the pathways your customers take to find your website, and what parts they click on most frequently. It’s essential intel for anyone running or managing their online business presence.

7. Ubersuggest

Without incorporating searchable keywords in your copy, there's a limited chance of your customers ever finding your website. In order to be picked up by search engines, it's imperative to plan your content around the search terms and phrases that potential customers are using.

Ubersuggest enables you to submit any term to generate associated keywords that people have previously searched for. Its simple interface makes it ideal for the novice inbound enthusiast. However, it's just one example of an online keyword search tool, of which there are many! Google AdWords, Keyword Spy, SEM Rush and Keywordtool.io are all great tools to check out as well.

8. KISSmetrics

KISSmetrics features a sizeable back-catalogue of articles across all facets of online marketing, including blogging, design, conversion, testing and ecommerce. Their easy-to-navigate library of webinars, marketing guides and infographics offer some fascinating topics to get stuck into.

You'll dive into more unique territory than many of the current inbound-centric blogs out there. Try using the Psychology of Colour to increase website conversions, as well as the more technical Bounce Rate Demystified infographic to begin your explorations.

9. Marketing Land

The content marketing section of online publication Marketing Land features daily news, discussion pieces and analytical reports covering all corners of the industry. Expect advice on issues such as how to achieve your inbound goals when facing limited resources, as well as surveys on social media-generated traffic. Heard something in the news about Google's algorithm updates, and are unsure what it means for you? Come here to search for answers to those questions you're too confused to ask a human about.

10. Inbound.org

Inbound.org should be bookmarked on the browser of every marketer and inbound enthusiast keen to hone their craft. It's a professional community designed to share tips, teachings and industry developments. Founded by the brains behind HubSpot, the inbound.org community ( which includes 141,022 members and counting!) have access to a goldmine of resources including videos, discussions, quotes, statistics, questions and events, all laid out in easy-to-navigate categories.

11. Growth Hackers

Growth Hackers is another notable online community for the inbound afficionado. It's a composite site which collects daily posts on modern marketing strategy and news from around the web. Everything from general tips to personal Q&A discussions are covered here; expect topics such as "What are your priorities for 2015?" or "How are you capturing emails today?" to flood the daily forums. It’s geared towards ethical marketing techniques, so don’t expect to stumble upon black hat SEO strategy here. Growth Hackers are all about contributing useful, constructive content. They’ve got an enormous choice of content/reading material available, and it’s updated continually via email and social channels.

12. Copyblogger

Brian Clark has been involved in online marketing since 1998. Before it was even a thing, he built his empire through inbound alone! Smart content. No advertising. No outbound strategy. He shares his experiences through the blog, that features practice content you'll be excited to implemented straightaway into your content strategy or inbound process.

Where to now?

That's the lot! This handpicked selection really is the cream of the crop when it comes to becoming an inbound-enthusiast. You've got hours and hours of quality content to sink your teeth into. Now, you may be wondering, why are there only 12 and the title says 13? That's because we've saved the best (if we do say so ourselves) for last!

Enjoy our own offering: the Inbound 101 Ebook. Grab a cuppa, grab your free copy below, and dive in! You'll be inbound-certified in no time...