Whether you're a pro- or newbie- blogger, there are always new tools popping into the blog-o-sphere that can make a huge difference in your online writing strategy. And then there are the tried and true methods that are simply a must.
Here's a go-to list of essential blogging tools that you should consider making a staple in your blogging game:
Hatchbuck
Want to mass-email your readership? Hatchbuck makes it easy for you. You can create snazzy email templates, easily schedule emails to go out to your followers, track your open-rate and manage the email marketing of your blog.
PicMonkey
This awesome photo-editing website allows you to easily transform your pictures into epic graphic creations, worthy of all of the Insta likes. Or design an original piece; the tools are simple and easy to navigate, so you'll whip something up in no time!
Canva
Easily design eye-catching graphics to share across social media platforms and to accompany your blog posts with this online design website. When you have easy-to-read and creative graphics, blog readers and social media users are more likely to click on the image and link up with your website. And, you can save your work, so if you're cut short on design time, you can return to it later!
DropBox
DropBox gives you the space to store all of your media images, videos and documents for easy access and sharing with your blog friends and or team members. It's a must -have to keep your computer storage at bay!
Social Media:
Are you an Insta-genius? Or a Twitter-bird? Do you want to be? No matter what online platforms you're on, it's important to make the most of those accounts and connections. Be sure to always engage with your followers, building a mutually worthwhile relationship. A strong followership on social media makes it easier to develop a solid readership for your blog.
And there are many different programs and online websites that can help you maximize your social media presence. Check out the following:
CoSchedule:
Outlining your publications schedule is crucial when trying to maintain a solid blogger audience. In order to keep your readership engaged and coming back to your blog, you must regularly publish new posts about relevant, interesting topics.
That's why it's a good idea to take advantage of a scheduling plug-in, like Co-Schedule, which allows you to view your past and currently scheduled posts, while also linking up to your social media accounts so you can schedule out tweets, FB and G+ posts for the same time/day as a particular article.
Hootsuite:
And if you're really looking to transform your social media A-game, check out Hootsuite, an online social media management platform that lets you monitor all of your media accounts from one convenient dashboard. You'll be so organized on Twitter and Facebook, scheduling and managing social interactions, that you'll become a social media guru.
Zapier:
Automate everything! This cool tool allows you to connect your web apps together, linking them up for automatic functions that will save you time on the busy-work tasks, letting you get back to the really fun part of blogging.
SquareSized:
Gone are the frustrating days of trying to resize your image into a square for Instagram sharing. SquareSized is an app that allows you to crop and export an entire picture and video without cropping (genius!).
PSExpress:
PS Express is basically Photoshop in your pocket. You can use it to edit photos with premium filters and advanced photo corrective features. You can either use the free version (tons of cool filters and editing tools available) or upgrade to a premium version (more filters than you'll know what to do with).
Hyperlapse:
Hyperlapse turns your videos into slow motion masterpieces or super-charged segments. I love using Hyperlapse to show off a quick workout segment (speeding it up so you can nail all the important parts in just 15 seconds!).
Buffer:
This online scheduling tool lets you schedule out multiple posts to a variety of web apps, while providing analytics so you can keep improving your outreach on social media.
With so many different tools out there on the web catered to a variety of different apps, media platforms, etc., there's no end to choices! Try them out, see what works, and then get back to blogging!