As productive bloggers, the time has come for us to evaluate our ever expanding list of blogging tools, and decide which ones we plan to keep and which ones we need to purge. 
Take some time to evaluate the ever-expanding list of blogging tools, and decide which options work best for you.
But there are so many options out there!
In this post I'm going to save you some time by categorizing the key factors you need to address. Now let’s take at look at these 5 important categories of blogging tools.
Goals and a Focused Mindset
There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing the right blogging tools. The best approach is to start by defining your goals and then focus on finding the tools that will help you achieve them. Quality should always be a top priority, so look for tools that will allow you to produce high-quality content. If you're looking to generate leads or sell products, then you'll need to make sure that your blog includes features that support those objectives. Once you have a clear understanding of your needs, the decision will become much easier. mindset matters most of all. If you approach your blog with the right mindset, you'll be well on your way to success. Keep your goals in mind and choose tools that will help you achieve them, and you'll be sure to find success.
Blogging Software and Hardware
- Internet Connection
- Desktop or Laptop Computer
- Cellular Data Plan
- Smart Phone – I recommend getting an iPhone simply because of the early access to more of the apps you’ll need for social media and some other blogging tools. But Android devices can work just fine if you have some patience when it comes to app releases and new features.
- Tablets are a great alternative to Smart Phones but if you can afford it, get both.
- Mobile Apps – there are a ton of free apps that you can download that will help you with your blogging efforts. However, there are a few paid apps that can enhance your social media postings, like WordSwag and other image editing tools.
- Domain Registrar and Web Host – Bloggers who are using free blogging platforms should seriously consider investing in their own domain and web hosting. Owning a self-hosted blog gives you more control over your content. I use HostGator and Site Ground for my 2 self-hosted WordPress blogs and I'm very pleased with their service. For my podcast The Anchor Show I use Podpage.
- Premium Themes – I am currently using the Astra theme on this blog. I shared a review of Astra in this post.
- Premium Plugins – If you have the right theme you can reduce your plugin budget drastically. But in some cases, you will still want to go for extra customizations – just don’t go overboard.
Education and Personal Development
- Books – right now I'm reading Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses
by Joe Pulizzi and Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content
by Ann Handley
- Courses
- Masterminds
- Training/Coaching
- Physical Health and Nutrition
- Work/Life Balance
Content Development Tools
- Copywriters – Will help you with writing text or copy for you.
- Designers and Freelancers – Hire a good designer to help with developing the brand of your blog.
- Idea Generators – My favorite tool for content development is Jarvis. Research tools like these help me find what is currently trending and getting tons of shares on social media.
- Content Curation Platforms – I use Scoop.it to curate interesting and educational content that I share on social media. No one wants to follow people who are constantly pushing and promoting their own content all the time. Curate relevant content and share it with your readers to balance out your promotional posts.
- Graphics Software – You don’t want to have to hire a graphic designer for every little blog post or tweet. In these cases, online software sites like PicMonkey, Canva, or Pixlr are very handy. Gimp is another good one and even Photoshop (if you want to get more advanced) can allow you to do small image projects for your blogs.
- Analytics Tools – Every blogger should be using Google Analytics or check into a tool with heat maps and split testing functionality.
Recommended: Canva Tutorials
Marketing and Advertising
- Email Service Provider – AWeber is my provider and there a lots of others that are popular. Bottom line is that if you are not building your list, you must start now! You can try AWeber for free for 30 days.
- Social Media Management Tools – My favorite is Buffer, I'm sure you have heard about them before but they keep adding new features that are great for power users. Canva Pro has an awesome scheduling tool that you must take a look at too. A relatively new tool called Hypefury, is helpful for building your Twitter following but it's also a great scheduling tool for LinkedIn.
- Advertising – Facebook ads, and Google AdWords are the big players in this space but don't forget you can also buy ad placement on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
- Brand Monitoring – For me, nothing beats Buzzsumo alerts!. Find out almost instantly when someone links to your blogs, or when they mention you in a blog post. TalkWalker alerts are great too and even though Google alerts have let me down in the past, they are free so you might as well sign up for them too.
- Webinar Software
- Survey Tools – You can set up a Google Doc with a survey in it. SurveyMonkey has some free functionality as well.
If you have a question for me or want to be featured on the podcast, use my handy SpeakPipe page to record your question in a voicemail.
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