Blogging Resources For Increased Traffic
Have you finally gotten your blog up and running?
Here are some great resources to get you organized so your content can really take off. Whether you blog for fun or are looking to make some profit, expanding your audience will have a positive impact on your blog. Here are some things to increase your productivity and your creativity.
1. Wordpress
Obviously this can be a great resource if you aren't already using this free software. One thing that can be particularly useful is the ability to schedule future posts. If you are running multiple blogs this could be a huge time saver. Here are ways to put this into action.
a) Schedule a time once a week to do all of your postings for that week (or month) all at one time
b) Have a certain number of "Piller" posts that are info packed and evergreen. Schedule those to hit between your regular time sensitive posts.
c) Shift your writing time. Do you like to write at night, but want to catch your readers on the commute to work? Schedule your posts to hit the next morning.
d) The final one I think everyone could use at least schedule during holidays, family time, and weekends. I used to be amazed when some of my favorite bloggers would still post on important holidays and weekends at the same time everyday well I don't wonder anymore.
2. Dropbox
I love this resource and recommend it to anyone, with or without a blog. This is a great way to sync all the devices you may be writing on. I currently go between a laptop, desktop, smart phone and now tablet device and because of Dropbox it doesn't matter where I am or what I have, I can work on pieces I'm writing. They also have a site where all your saved work is available, so I don't even have to be on my own computer.
I got used to writing in a basic text editor to maintain compatibility across platforms.
Here are some good uses for Dropbox: If you work with clients, sign each client up for Dropbox. That way all forms they sign and need to refer to are constantly updated and available. Keep a folder of works in progress, so you can always go back and edit things that aren't quite done yet. And finally, if you're working on projects with multiple people, this is a perfect way to make sure everyone who needs access has it, and those who don't- can't view the document. You can add many folders and limit who sees what. So instead of having just one account everyone logs into or one central website, they each get their own account with limited access.
3. Mailchimp
This is a must for any bloggers who are looking to make money from their blog. Regardless of their monetizaton model, there will be an email campaign involved at some point. Mailchimp provides a free autoresponder that allows you to hold 1,000 contacts and make 6,000 sends a month- for free!
They have all the features of some of the more costly email senders, including custom forms, HTML templates and unlimited lists and groups.
This could be key for a blogger looking to build their email list. They can devote their blog to content, and only send offers and promotions for products through email- to people who want to receive them. A blogger could also use Mailchimp to send posts via email, to people who would rather read blogs in their email inbox.
4. iPad/iPhone
This is obviously a higher cost tool, so I won't spend too much time here on these, but they have helped me with my blogging by keeping me mobile. Also, there are many apps that are free once you have made the investment, apps that bring a return multiple times over. Combined with the tools above- these devices really change the landscape of publishing for writers and bloggers alike.
They also allow me to keep up with friends from social media sites easily with mobility. If you're an on-the-go person, a good smartphone and/or tablet could be a worthwhile investment.
5. YouTube
First benefit of YouTube for bloggers is the ability to post free videos. You can work on an article or post and then discuss (with someone else or by yourself) with video. not only does this expose you on the YouTube search engine, but it also gives you extra content for your blog.
Secondly, that extra content can be easily embedded to your blog, without you having to pay for more space. It is quite amazing the software and storage that YouTube gives you for free. Adding Youtube videos to your site will increase the amount of consumable content, and if people are just skimming it will keep people on your site longer. That is good for relationship building and search engine optimization.
Third, Watching Youtube. Don't forget that Youtube isn't just for kids showing off stunts and people ranting in their webcam. It is also a lush resource of how-to videos and screen captures for almost any software or other problem. Next time you're looking for help, ask Youtube if there are any good videos on the subject.
Even though I have to conclude my list here- I will give you the final resource which is a free seven day course available at blog writers academy dot com. This is a site I run and manage and where I update bloggers on the latest tips and gadgets that will help them advance their site. Our free 7 day course will start you off with some more resources plus advice on getting your blog read more and profitable.
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