My 5 Essential Tools for Blogging
"A blog is neither a diary nor a journal. Many people think of blogging in relation to those two things, confessional or practical. It is neither but includes elements of both."
As many of you know, I started blogging because I wanted a way to document the skills and knowledge I was acquiring, hoping to help young people and/or career transitioners entering digital marketing learn from my journey. I started writing about the certifications I was taking, digital marketing tools and software, essential topics in the field, and my personal favorite, features of marketers. I couldn't have produced and shared this content without the awesome people I have crossed paths with and the blogging tools I have picked up along the way. So today, I want to share some of these tools with you.
Here are my 5 go-to blogging tools, plus a couple of additional tools that cover the basics of content planning and creation, design, copywriting and editing, and promotion. I have added a bonus tool at the end!
1. Blogger for Content Management
I’ve used Blogger as my content management system (CMS) for the past two years to store and publish blog content. It also hosts my website. When I decided to start the blog, I chose a template, personalized it, picked a domain, and bought it through Google Domains for $12 a year.
Blogger lets you preview your posts to make sure everything looks right. You can write posts and save them for later, schedule posts to publish on a specific day at a particular time, or tag them as part of a series. You can add photos and link to other blog posts on your site or external sites. You also have access to stats showing how many times each post was read, your readers' geographic locations, how they found your site, and what device they used.
Blogger is easy to use, and I recommend it for people starting out with blogging. If you know how to code, or have someone who can help you with code, you can access more layout and template options. Other content management systems for blogging and building websites include WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly.
2. Canva for Images and Graphics
Early on, I learned that every blog post needs strong images and graphics to attract readers and communicate ideas. Without the budget to pay for some of the other products I have heard people use, I researched low-cost or free options for image editing and graphic design. I came across Canva, and the rest is history. As a D.I.Y blogger, I design a lot of my own graphics and edit my own images. If you create (or are interested in creating) your own images and graphics, Canva is an excellent choice, for both novices and experienced designers.
Canva is easy to use. It comes with existing designs and templates, and you can also design your own graphics from scratch. You can use photos and icons from Canva's image bank or upload your own. You can use most features for free, but the paid version gives you access to more photos and lets you save pictures in .png format with no background. Learn more about Canva in this blog post.
3. Excel for Content Planning and Wunderlist for Project Management
I use Microsoft Excel to create an editorial calendar to plan content for each post. I tend to plan for about 5 weeks of material at a time and aim to fit in one to two posts a week. I think through potential titles, topics, keywords, target audience or personas, links to include, the elements needed to complete the post, the publish date, and how I will promote the blog post. I use a modified version of a free calendar I found on HubSpot's website. They offer advice on how to use it, along with additional tools and calendars.
Once I plan the content out, I use a free project management tool called Wunderlist to track my progress. Wunderlist lets you create project lists, add to-dos to each list, and add subtasks to each to-do. In addition to subtasks, you can also add a due date, a reminder, and notes, comments, or files under each to-do. You can check off subtasks as you finish them and/or mark a to-do as complete when a project is done. You can invite others to collaborate with you on projects. It has a freemium model, so you can choose the plan that works best for you and your team. You learn more in this post I wrote about Wunderlist.
4. Grammarly for Copyediting and Spellcheck
I think we could all use a little help with grammar and making sure we don't drop a word here or there. I am fortunate enough to have a writer and editor for a sister, who helps me with my writing when she can. Before she looks at my work, I like to send her the best version I can, which is why Grammarly is so helpful.
Grammarly is an application that acts as a grammar and spell checker. Many people agree that it corrects more errors than most word processors and can help you avoid embarrassing mistakes in emails and on social media. Grammarly includes a grammar checker, spell checker, plagiarism checker, and proofreading tool. The app can help you eliminate errors, enhance clarity and meaning, and become a better writer. The app's algorithms find mistakes and suggest changes, propose synonyms for overused words, and question your use of the passive voice, among other grammar issues. The company also operates on a freemium model, and you can learn more about Grammarly in this blog post.
5. Social Media Platforms for Promotion
In addition to the email notifications, I use various social media platforms to promote new posts. I use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Instagram to varying degrees. For Facebook, I use both my private account and the Facebook Page I created for the blog. It lets me reach a broader audience, especially when I feature someone friends know or when I discuss a marketing topic they’re interested in learning more about. LinkedIn helps me connect with my professional network and share the content I create. I can also tag the marketers I feature or the companies I write about, which helps me appear in more feeds.
A lot of my Twitter followers are marketers and small business owners, so my articles tend to get a lot of traction there as well. Relevant hashtags and tagging companies on this platform help expand my blog's reach.
I use Instagram the least for article promotion, but if I have a really catchy feature photo or think an article will resonate with my followers there, I'll post it on Instagram. It is a great platform for bloggers with strong photo content and relevant hashtags for the topic.
Facebook has a publishing tool, but the other platforms don't at the moment. If you can plan your promotional posts in advance, you can use publishing software like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule them. They offer both free and paid options, depending on your monthly post volume and any added features you need.
Bonus: Title Capitalization or Capitalize My Title
Use Capitalize My Title to ensure your blog titles and subheadings are capitalized correctly. It offers four main title capitalization styles: Chicago, APA, MLA, and AP. You can also set it to Title Case, Sentence case, UPPER CASE, lower case, or First Letter case.
So there you have it. These tools help me keep things together and produce content for my blog. Do you use any of these tools? What other tools would you recommend? Let me know what you think in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
