10 Must Have Online Tools for Content Creators
If you're a writer, blogger, content creator or social media manager, there are some online tools that you should have in your arsenal.
These tools will help you manage your time and project planning better, make sure you're posting consistently to social media platforms and get the most out of your online presence.
Google Keyword Planner
The Keyword Planner is a free tool by Google that helps you discover the most relevant keywords for your business. It also allows you to find potential long-tail keywords and determine their search volume (how often people are searching for them), difficulty score (how difficult it is to rank for that term), and suggested bid amount (how much money you should pay if you want to rank on the first page of results). The keyword planner will also tell you which keywords have high search volume but low competition, so they’re easier to rank in.
This information can be invaluable when creating content because it helps ensure that everything relates back to what people are actually looking for—and not just what someone wants a piece of content about. And don’t worry if there aren’t enough results; just remember that less competition can mean more opportunity!
Feedly
Feedly is a great tool for writers, as it allows you to read news and content from all over the web in one place so you can stay up-to-date on trending topics.
You can also save articles that are particularly helpful or interesting so they're easy to access later. If you want to create your own blog, Feedly has its own publishing platform where you can post your content directly from the app. It's also a great way for content creators to build an audience.
If you want to start your own blog, Feedly can help you get started with its blogging platform. You can use it as your own personal publishing tool, or use it to promote your articles on other platforms like WordPress or Medium.
Buffer
Buffer is a social media scheduling tool that allows you to schedule posts for Facebook, Twitter and Google+. You can also use it to schedule posts for Instagram and Pinterest.
This is great because if you plan on using one of these platforms in the future, Buffer has got you covered! The best part about Buffer is that it’s free for up to 3 social media accounts.
If you want to use Buffer for more than 3 accounts, then it’s $10/month. You can also upgrade to Pro for $50/month which allows you unlimited accounts, team management and support.
Google Analytics
A tool you will use every day, Google Analytics is a powerful website that allows you to track your website visitors.
You can also see the performance of your content, marketing campaigns, social media posts, email campaigns and paid ads. In addition to this it also lets you monitor how people find your site (organic search results).
It’s free to use, but there is a premium version called Google Analytics 360 which offers more advanced features and support.
WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins are a great way to extend the functionality of your website. You can use them to add features, or fix problems with your site. There are thousands of WordPress plugins available, so it’s easy to find ones that fit your needs.
The best way to search for a plugin is through the WordPress Plugin Directory – they have an excellent search feature and also allow users to leave reviews on each plugin which will help you know if it’s worth installing or not.
There are many different types of WordPress plugins available. You can choose from:
Security plugins (to help protect your site from hackers)
Performance plugins (to make your site load faster)
SEO plugins (to help you get found online)
Canva
Canva is every content creator's favorite platform. It's free to use, has over 1 million templates and tons of editing tools that make it easy for anyone to create beautiful graphics. You can also download your designs as PNG files or PDFs so you can use them anywhere on the web.
Canva is a fantastic tool for creating social media posts, blog graphics and more. It's also a great resource for finding inspiration and learning how to use their design tools. In addition to their free platform, Canva also offers an online course that teaches users how to create their own designs from scratch.
Canva is an amazing tool that will help you to create beautiful and professional designs, whether you're a beginner or expert. You can use it for free with their pre-made templates or create your own from scratch.
FollowerWonk
Followerwonk is a social media analytics tool that can help you find out who your most influential followers are, who your most engaged followers are, and more.
You can use Followerwonk to see what people are saying about you, your competitors, and other topics of interest. You can also use it to find new influencers on Twitter that you might want to connect with.
When you choose the question, "who are my top influencers?":
You will see the list of names of people who have usually been retweeted by others (or mentioned in tweets) at least twice as often as they have been mentioned themselves.
These users tend to be popular thought leaders or experts in their fields of expertise. You may want to reach out to them and see if they'd be interested in collaborating with you on a project or offering advice on something related to your business/industry.
You could also do some research on what topics they tend to tweet about so that way when you message them later on down the road (or right now), you'll have something interesting going into the conversation right away rather than just saying "Hi!" without any context whatsoever!
When you choose the question, "who are my most engaged followers?":
You will see which users engage with content from other accounts more frequently than average based off certain metrics such as retweets vs mentions ratio or follower growth rate over time. It's important for marketers because these metrics indicate whether someone might be interested enough about what we're sharing online without having even met us yet!
So if we were wondering why some people would follow us back but not engage with us much besides just liking our posts then maybe those folks aren't really worth keeping around unless there's another reason behind why they're following us like perhaps being friends outside Twitter or something. However if there isn't then we should probably unfollow those folks since they don't seem like good prospects anyway ;)
Trello
Trello is a great tool for marketers because it allows us to organize and track what we're doing online. It's also great for project management and team collaboration since it can be accessed by any number of people at once via their own accounts just like Twitter does.
Since it's so useful for marketers, I highly recommend that you sign up for a Trello account. You can use it to keep track of all the different things you're doing online and when they're due plus it'll help you stay organized so you don't forget anything!
You can also use it to collaborate with other marketers on your team or even with clients. Trello is a great tool for any business owner to have in their arsenal so get started using it today!
Google Docs and Sheets
Not all tools are created equal. A lot of the ones that are meant to help you create content are either too complicated or too expensive. But Google Docs and Sheets? They're totally free, easy to use, compatible with other Google products (like Drive), and available on mobile devices, so you can access them anywhere!
Determine what type of document you'll need before getting started:
Formats include .xlsx (Excel), .oxt (OpenOffice), .csv (Comma Separated Value File) and .ods (OpenDocument Spreadsheet).
You can import images from your computer or from Google Photos into your spreadsheet.
Dropbox and Skype
You might not think of them as tools for content creators, but Dropbox and Skype can be indispensable.
Dropbox is a file hosting service that allows users to easily share files across all of their devices.
Skype is an online video calling service which allows users to talk to each other over the internet.
Both are free to use and have versions available on almost every device and operating system, including Mac OS X, Windows, iOS (iPhone / iPad), Android phones & tablets, etc.
Conclusion
I hope these tools have helped you find some new ways to create better content and reach more readers. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to schedule a free consult with me! I will help you create a content strategy that will help you reach your goals.