Don’t Blog Unless You Use These 11 Tools

by NEIL PATEL on DECEMBER 29, 2014

Are you having a hard time blogging? I know I did when I first started out.

Over the years, blogging has evolved, and many new platforms and tools have been created. Most of the tools aren’t very useful, but a few are.

Here are the 11 tools that have helped make my blogging journey a bit easier and more successful:

Tool #1: Buzzsumo

Coming up with topics to write about isn’t easy. Luckily, Buzzsumo helps with the task.

All you have to do is head over to their homepage and type in a keyword related to your industry. For this example, let’s use the phrase “content marketing.”

Once you click on the “go” button, you’ll see a results’ table that looks like this:

Buzzsumo crawls the web for blog posts and indexes them all… kind of like Google. It then sorts the results by social shares and shows the posts with the highest share count at the top.

You will see what type of content has done well in the past. You can then come up with article ideas based on the list.

For example, I found that one of the most shared titles was “An Internet Marketing Education in 16 Ebooks and 20 Emails. No Charge.”

I then came up with my own variation called “Get Your MBA in Internet Marketing with These 12 Guides and 2 Courses.” People enjoyed the post, and it did fairly well. It received 285 Facebook shares and 455 tweets. That’s not too shabby for an article that took me only 30 minutes to write.

Tool #2: Quick Sprout

Did you know there is a content marketing tool on Quick Sprout? Best of all, it’s free.

To start, simply enter your URL or your competitor’s URL here. You’ll see a report that looks like this:

When you click on the “social media tab,” you’ll see a table that looks like this:

This table shows all the pages on any given domain and sorts them by social shares. This is useful because if you want to see what blog posts are working well for your competition, just put in their URLs into the tool. The table will show you their popular posts.

By analyzing your competition with the Quick Sprout tool, you’ll gain insights into what is working for your competitors and the type of content you should be producing on your blog.

Tool #3: Open Site Explorer

Do you want more search traffic? Of course, you do.

Open Site Explorer is a useful tool because it sorts all the URLs within a domain by backlinks. And as you know, the more backlinks a website has, the more search traffic it will typically receive.

This will help you get a good understanding of the blog posts on your site that are bringing you more backlinks. You should be writing more posts like those.

The tool also shows you the-most-linked-to posts on your competitors’ blogs. See what is working for them, and try to replicate that on your blog.

When doing this, make sure you don’t copy your competitor. The goal is to one up them and create a better blog post. This way, you can email all the people that link to your competitor and ask them to also link to your post.

And if you need email templates when reaching out to the sites that link to your competitor, check out this blog post.

Tool #4: Emails

Do you know what the best traffic source for Quick Sprout, Smart Passive Income, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, and Social Triggers is?

It’s email!

That’s why we all have tons of email opt-ins all over our blogs. You can use tools like Bounce Exchange and OptinMonster to create your own opt-ins.

Once you have a list, you can then email your subscribers through a service provider such as GetResponse, MailChimp, or Aweber.

If your blog makes money, you can always use a solution like Maropost. They charge a lot more, but their deliverability is noticeably higher.

As a general rule of thumb, you want to notify your list of each blog post you release. But if you release more than three posts a week, you should consider a weekly blast to avoid flooding people’s inboxes and angering them.

Tool #5: Yoast SEO

If you are going to take the time to write a blog post, you’d better take the time to ensure your blog is optimized for search engines.

Luckily for you, SEO is pretty easy when you have a WordPress blog. All you have to do is install this plugin and follow the instructions in the video below.

The cool part about the Yoast SEO plugin is that it has everything you need. From allowing you to adjust your meta tags to creating an XML sitemap, the plugin does everything for you. It is great… and best of all, it is free.

Tool #6: W3 Total Cache

Did you know the faster your website loads, the more traffic you will receive? By improving the load time on Quick Sprout, I was able to increase my traffic from 121,311 to 244,923 visitors a month.

I achieved those results back in February 2013, and my traffic since then has continually risen as I’ve improved my load time.

You can improve your load time in a few ways. One of the main ways is to pick a good host. Using WP Engine or Rackspace is a great start.

Setting up a CDN can also help. If you aren’t familiar with CDN, it’s technology that replicates your website across multiple servers across the world. That way, when someone from India comes to visit your website, they are pulling it from a server in India versus the US.

Both Rackspace and WP Engine offer CDN solutions with a click of a button, which is great.

But in addition to picking the right host, you need to ensure your website is optimized. A messy website will decrease your load times.

By using W3 Total Cache, you can optimize your blog’s code with a few clicks of a button. Just make sure you follow these instructions or the ones in the video below… and don’t worry—you don’t have to be technical to use it.

Tool #7: Google Analytics

Yes, you already know about Google Analytics, but have you directly increased your search traffic because of it?

Chances are you haven’t.

So how do you use Google Analytics to increase your search traffic? There are three specific reports you need to use. Based on those reports, you can increase your click-through rates and rankings with a few small tweaks.

Just follow the steps in this blog post.

Tool #8: Crazy Egg

Have you wondered how many people actually read your blog posts? With Quick Sprout, it used to be 40%…until I started using Crazy Egg.

With a few simple Crazy Egg tests, I was able to see how many of you scrolled down and actually read each blog post. With a bit of testing, I was able to increase the number of people who read each post by 62.5%.

How? I followed the 6 principles in this post.

Tool #9: Hello Bar

It doesn’t matter what kind of a blog you have, there is a goal you are trying to achieve. And it doesn’t have to be a financial transaction either…

From getting people to give you their email addresses to gaining more social media followers or bringing more awareness to your brand or a specific message… the possibilities are endless.

Through the use of Hello Bar, you can achieve all of the above goals plus more. How so? Well, Hello Bar places a fully customizable bar at the top of your website.

Sign up for a free account, pick your goals, and Hellobar will help you achieve them.

My favorite part about the tool is that it has A/B testing built in. So you can test different goals and see which one is yielding the best results.

Tool #10: Qualaroo

Do you want to avoid writer’s block? Qualaroo is a great tool to help you generate ideas.

It creates an unobtrusive box that allows you to ask your readers a question. You can ask, for example,

“What else would you like me to blog about?”

Your readers will tell you their opinions. The cool part about Qualaroo is that it will analyze all the responses and show you the commonalities in them. It will tell you which topic is in demand so you can blog about it.

Tool #11: Simply Measured

Simply Measured has a handful of tools, and my favorite ones are their free tools.

You can put in your social media handle in one of them, and the tool will tell you the best times for you to send a tweet or share a post on Facebook.

Their reports will break down data such as:

• The words and phrases your users want to see in social media posts.
• The time of day they use these social media platforms. This way you know when to post.
• The top users that follow you and the times when they log in.

The reason you want to use these tools is because you don’t want to tweet at 8 a.m. when all of your followers are on Twitter at 4 p.m.

Conclusion

Blogging doesn’t have to be hard. There are a ton of free tools out there that can help you generate ideas and increase your readership.

The 11 tools I mentioned above are the main ones I use on my blog. Give them a shot. They’ll change your blogging experience.

What other tools do you use when blogging?

How to Get Fans Creating and Sharing Content for You

by NEIL PATEL on MAY 30, 2014

Wouldn’t you love to get your fans to generate content for your company, brand, products, or campaigns and share it? Not only would user-generated content save you money, but it would also produce revenue for you.

The more you get your fans engaged with your business, the more trust you will build, and the greater your reach will be. You’ll also see SEO benefits.

To show you how you can engage your visitors so that they start creating and sharing content for you, I’ve put together an infographic that explains the process.

Click on the image below to see a larger view:

Click here to view an enlarged version of this infographic.

Conclusion

User-generated content is something that you should never take for granted as a marketer. Just look at how popular sites like Tumblr and Wikipedia are. They got to where they are due to user-generated content.

15 Types of Content That Will Drive You More Traffic

by NEIL PATEL on APRIL 14, 2014

Content marketing is more than writing blogs. Way more.

If you’re just getting involved in content marketing, the first thing you need to do is launch your blog and start writing.

Then, when your blog is established and purring along, try throwing in a new type of content. I predict that you’ll immediately see a difference — fresh traffic, targeted visitors, higher conversion rates, and better SEO.

But before I share the 15 types of content that will drive you more traffic, there are a few things you need to know:

• You don’t need to try all of these examples – different content types suit different brands in different ways. If you don’t think that a certain type of content will serve you, no problem. This list isn’t about must-haves. It’s about maybes.
• Don’t be afraid to try new stuff – I’ve found that some people shy away from new types of content because they think it will take too long, be too hard, or fall flat. I understand your apprehension, but I encourage you to try it anyway. Want to get started with a video? You don’t need to buy a green screen, editing software, or a pro-grade camera. Use your iPhone and your YouTube account. Start small and work your way up.
• Pick one and put it in your schedule – if you use a content marketing schedule, slot one or two of these into the editorial calendar for the next month. If you don’t plan it, you probably won’t do it. I challenge you to pick one and give it a try sometime in the next four weeks.
• This list is not exhaustive – I encourage you to think of content not in terms of types but ideas. The form that the content takes is secondary. The idea is primary. First, develop your idea. Then, determine what it’s going to look like. The variety of content is endless. Heck, you may even want to invent your own type of content.

So, let’s get started…

Content type #1: Infographics

An infographic is the presentation of information or data in a visual way. Its name sums it up — info + graphic.

Infographics get shared more, viewed more, and loved more than most other content types. They are a powerful way to get your information out there in an explosively visual format. One study found that infographics were liked and shared on social media up to three times more often than other content. The viral potential is there.

How to do it

If you have a graphic designer in your professional network, tap him or her to make an infographic for you. Some graphic artists specialize in infographics. If you have it in your budget, you can use a service likeVisual.ly. Infographics typically start at $1,000.

When to use it

Infographics are perfect for communicating almost any idea or concept. Data, research, statistics, and findings work especially well.

Things to keep in mind

• Infographics can be expensive. The amount cited above — a thousand dollars — is pretty close to the standard price.
• Infographics used to go viral just by virtue of being an infographic. That doesn’t work anymore. Everyone is making infographics. Today, you have to make it really good to make it shareable.
• Make a gifographic. Gifographics use the infographic model but feature animated gifs instead of the static images of a conventional infographic. You can check out an example here.

Content type #2: Meme

You’ve seen memes. They’re easy to make. They’re viral. They’re hilarious.

That’s one of the great benefits of memes — their humor. People love something that they can laugh at, share, and get a kick out of.

How to do it

• Memes don’t require graphic design skills. Meme Generator andQuick Meme are sites that allow you to add your own text to popular meme images.
• Memes may not be the best type of content to share on your blog, but they’re primed for social media outlets. Twitter, Stumbleupon, Pinterest, Reddit, and Tumblr (especially Tumblr) will help your meme to spread.
• Memes are just-because content. When the mood hits or a funny idea strikes you, go ahead and meme it.

Things to keep in mind

• They are adaptable. The great thing about memes is that they can be adapted for use in any niche. Your niche is neither too narrow nor abstruse to warrant its own meme.
• Memes can be low value, so don’t overuse them. When misused, they can devalue the message or brand that you’re trying to promote.

Content type #3: Videos

There’s a world of variety within videos. I could write a whole separate post on different types of videos. No matter what type it is, however, a good video communicates a message in a succinct and memorable way. Done well, a video can be extraordinarily persuasive. This video on Crazy Egg helps to bring in $21k every month.

How to do it

• Whether you create a video of an office tour, an explainer video, or a music video (it’s been done), you’ve got to get the script right. A video isn’t only about the moving picture; it’s about the words that you say or display. Check out a few more tips for making an explainer video.
• Put the video on YouTube and Vimeo. Both of these video sharing sites are great ways to garner social signals for SEO and improved results for video search itself.

Things to keep in mind

• Making a good video is not cheap. You can start small, of course, but contracting a video specialist or a camera crew can cost quite a bit.
• Videos aren’t supposed to be long. Two to three minutes is a good length.

Content type #4: Guides

A guide is a detailed and fairly long piece of content. Think of it as an epic blog post. It goes beyond the length, style, and approach of an ordinary blog post. My Advanced Guide series are some of the most popular types of content I’ve ever created. When you check them out, you’ll discover that they have more visual flair and are much longer than my blog articles.

How to do it

Writing a guide requires a good writer, a good designer, and a good idea. The writer needs to produce top-tier content. The designer needs to know how to present that content in an attractive way. And the idea has to be something that your audience wants. You may wish to present the guide as a downloadable PDF.

Things to keep in mind

• Guides can be a helpful bait for harvesting email addresses: “I’ll give you this awesome guide if you register your email address.”
• A guide needs to look good. Make sure you recruit the services of a capable designer as well as a writer. Readability has as much to do with layout and presentation as it does with great writing style.

Content type #5: Book reviews

A book review is a simple discussion of a book plus your take on it. You recommend good ones, critique not-so-good ones, and share the value that you glean from them. Book reviews are great because they help to position you as a thought leader.

How to do it

A book review can be as complicated or as simple as you want. I suggest a short-and-simple 7-point format:

1. Introduce the book: 1-5 sentences.
2. Introduce the author: 1-5 sentences.
3. Summarize the book’s major points: 1-3 sentences per point.
4. Share what you liked in the book: 1-5 sentences.
5. Share what you didn’t like about the book: 1-5 sentences.
6. Recommend it (or not) to your readers: 1-3 sentences.
7. Provide a call to action: Link to the book.

Things to keep in mind

• Book review content works best if you have a readership that is inclined to read books.
• Book reviews are especially helpful for thought leadership if you’re able to review new releases or pre-releases or interview the author.

Content type #6: Opinion post (a.k.a. “Rant”)

This style of post is substantially different from your typical blog post, mostly due to its tone. You may be used to publishing a careful and researched discussion of a topic. The rant or opinion, by contrast, may be stronger and more expressive. The more vociferous your position, the more it’s going to get read and shared.

How to do it

Occasionally, write a strong first-person take on a hot topic or big issue. It could be your opinion on a major industry change. I did this when Matt Cutts announced the demise of guest blogging. When you address popular topics, you’re able to get stronger search potential and shareability.

Things to keep in mind

• This should not be a daily thing. Someone who is constantly sharing his or her opinions or ranting about a topic can become odious. Use with caution.
• Be civil. Don’t let your opinions degenerate into people bashing. “Rant” does not equal “angry.”
• Be clear about what you’re doing — that this is your opinion, your take, your position — and be humble about it.

Content type #7: Product reviews

Like the book review, a product review can help establish authority and leadership in your industry. Every industry has its unique array of products, software, and services. When you engage key developers, manufacturers, or service providers, you gain recognition and respect. All you need to do is share your experience with the product and provide your recommendation.

How to do it

Here’s a pattern for the product review:

• Introduce the product
• Introduce the producer
• Describe the product
• Share what you like
• Share what you don’t like
• Provide your recommendation
• Provide a call to action

Things to keep in mind

If the product is a physical item, you may want to have a video component to the review. A video allows you to take a hands-on approach to the product as you review it.

Content type #8: How-to

The how-to is one of the most popular types of content, especially in my niche. On my blog, I write a lot of how-to guides. How-to articles have awesome long tail search potential due to these popular long tail query introductions: “How to…” and “How do I…?”

How to do it

First, identify a common problem. Then, come up with a solution. The model is simple:

• Introduce the problem
• Introduce the solution
• Discuss each step of the solution
• Summarize the discussion
• Provide a conclusion

Things to keep in mind

• The options for how-tos are inexhaustible. Think of one topic that reflects something you do on a daily basis. Next, write a how-to article based on that one issue. It could be industry specific or more general: “How to reply to every email in one minute or less” or “How to optimize your robots.txt for search engines.”
• The more thorough your explanation is, the better. Diagrams, videos, and pictures can all help enhance the how-to blog.

Content type #9: Lists

Lists have endless appeal. We’re wired to love them. Chance are you’re going to see or read an article today that involves some sort of a list — “5 Security Breaches You Need to Know about,” “17 Ways to Rank Higher in Google in One Month.” Hey, you’re already reading an article with the title “15 Types.”

From the ancient Ten Commandments to modern lists of everything, numbered ideas are as popular as ever. You can’t go wrong with this content type. Even popular magazines use list appeal to sell issues:

How to do it

• Pick a topic, then pick a number. You’re halfway to creating a list. A good example of this is this post on 7 ways to increase your rankings without leveraging content marketing.
• When you write your list, use this simple format: introduce the topic, list your points, and provide a conclusion.

Things to keep in mind

• The more detailed your list is, the better.
• Long lists are good too.
• There’s no magic number for an awesome list. Odd numbers, round numbers, any types of numbers — they all work equally well.

Content type #10: Link pages

A link page is simply a post that provides links to great resources around the web. The great thing about link posts is that they spread link love to other sites, provide your own site with authoritative SEO signals, and assert your thought leadership within your field.

How to do it

A link page, often called a link roundup, is simply a list of links. Write down the title of the article, hyperlink it, and number it. Done.

Things to keep in mind

It’s helpful to add your own blurb or introduction for each link you provide. Although not necessary, it’s a good way to put your own spin on a topic or add a bit of value to the discussion. Besides, if a post is particularly good (or bad), you may want to point this out.

Content type #11: Ebook

An ebook is long content packaged in a different format, usually as a PDF. Ebooks are often a downloadable product, available for free in exchange for joining a mailing list. Producing an ebook helps to strengthen your authority within a field, and it makes for a powerful method of sharing your knowledge with others.

How to do it

• If you choose to produce an ebook, you have to produce enough content to make it book-worthy. Ten thousand words is a good benchmark.
• Books have chapters. Be sure to subdivide the book into manageable, topic-oriented chunks.

Things to keep in mind

• A good ebook has a really good title. Spend time curating the best title in order to garner more readers.
• Design is clutch. Ebooks without colors, graphics, and great formatting are considered not worth reading.
• I suggest creating both a PDF version and an HTML version of the ebook. An HTML version allows you to embed video, audio, and other resources.

Content type #12: Case Study

A case study explains what your product or service is and how it helped a client. The case study basically says, “here’s what we do, how we do it, and the results we get.”

How to do it

To create a case study, follow this model:

• Write a summary of the study and a preview of the outcome.
• Explain the challenges that you had to overcome or the problem that the client was facing.
• Write out the solution you provided. Make it clear and explain it in a step-by-step way.
• Discuss the results of your solution and the ways in which it was successful.
• Provide a conclusion and a call to action.

Things to keep in mind

• Write your case study in such a way that it doesn’t come off as pure marketing.
• Make it a story. “Case study” sounds pretty bland, but a good case study is really an inspiring “success story.”

Content type #13: Podcast

Podcasts had their phase of popularity, and they’re still a great form of content. Plus, they’re not hard to create. Many people listen to podcasts during their commute or exercise. You have a chance to spread your message farther and better using this format than a lot of other formats.

How to do it

Creating a podcast is simple, provided you have a decent microphone and some technical knowledge. You can check out Apple’s guide.

Things to keep in mind

As with any media publication, be sure to accompany the podcast with content. For example, announce it on your blog with a bit of a discussion. Share information about new podcast releases and provide an overview of the topic. You may even wish to publish the transcript of the podcast. This helps to add SEO value.

Content type #14: Interview

Every field has its leaders. When you’re able to interview a leader, you can garner a lot of respect from others in the field, not to mention huge amounts of traffic. Interviews are unique. No one else has this information — only you.

How to do it

First, you’ve got to invite the interviewee and set up a time to talk. Once you’ve done that, here’s a good format for conducting the interview:

• Introduce the interviewee. Generate excitement and anticipation.
• Ask a question. Let the interviewee answer.
• Continue with the question and answer format until conclusion. If intriguing points come up during the discussion (and you’re adept at thinking on your feet), you may wish to chase down the point with further questions.
• Conclusion. Be sure to thank the interviewee and provide a call to action for your audience.

Things to keep in mind

If your interview is audio or video, be sure to provide a written summary or an overview of the interview.

Content type #15: Research and original data

Most of us work in data-intensive fields, where numbers and metrics hold a lot of value. Sharing your findings with others is a powerful way to drive traffic, build trust, and establish your authority. When you do the research, which is hard work, people respect that. What’s more, people share it.

How to do it

• Obviously, you’ve got to do the research. This takes finding a good topic and investing time and quite a bit of effort into researching it.
• Present your data in an engaging way. Share concrete numbers, percentages, and other details that engage a user’s interest.

Things to keep in mind

• Professional research studies can be expensive.
• Take the customary reporting that you do on a regular basis and convert it into content. For example, if you’re compiling information on your most shared content, the most clicked titles, or the longest view-times of pages, turn this data into a “study” on your blog.
• Package your research as an infographic. You can get double the mileage from research by writing about it and posting an infographic about it.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen from this list, there are plenty of content options. The more types of content you use, the more powerful your content marketing efforts become. Content, regardless of its form, speaks to an audience. That audience, in turn, listens, shares, learns, and converts.

There’s a wealth of potential here — the kind of potential that your brand needs in order to advance to the next level. Now, you have a plan to get there.

The Content Marketer’s Toolkit: 35 Tools You Can’t Blog Without

by NEIL PATEL on OCTOBER 6, 2014

Don’t you wish there was an easier way to blog? From coming up with ideas to writing and promoting, there is a lot that goes into content marketing.

So, how can you facilitate the whole process?

You can use a number of tools that can help you generate ideas, make the writing process easier, and even market your content for you.

Here are 35 of them:

Tools for content discovery

Before you can start writing, you need to come up with ideas, ideally ones that will be popular.

1. Quick Sprout – if you put in a competitor URL on the home page of Quick Sprout and then click on the “social media” tab, you will see a breakdown of the most popular content your competitor has written. This should help you generate some ideas.
2. Buzzsumo – type in a word or a phrase, and Buzzsumo will show you the most popular posts around the web that contain that phrase.
3. Portent – if you are struggling to come up with a cool idea or title, just type in a keyword on Portent, and it will generate catchy titles for you.
4. Quora – this is a great place to look if you need some inspiration. People ask questions in every industry, and Quora will help you spot the hot ones.
5. Google Trends – the last thing you want to do is blog on a topic that isn’t popular. Google Trends will point you in the right direction as it shows search volume for different keywords and phrases.
6. Alltop – not every blog is worth following. Alltop ranks and organizes the top blogs around the web so you can see what others are writing about.
7. Twitter – most people use Twitter for distribution, but I also use it to see what’s trending.
8. Pulse – LinkedIn created a product that is like an RSS feed. It allows you to subscribe to specific topics and interests so that you know what is being discussed.
9. Evernote – as a blogger, you’ll eventually have more ideas than time. With Evernote, you can keep track of all your ideas.
10. Trello – the more organized you are, the smoother the content marketing process will be. Trello is a great place to organize all of your ideas.

Once you have figured out what to blog on, the next step is for you to start writing.

Tools for writing

If you use the tools below, you’ll find that not only will you write better but you’ll also be able to create content faster.

11. Google Docs – instead of blogging in WordPress, consider writing your content first in Google Docs. It will help you spot grammar and spelling issues, plus you can collaborate with others when you need help.
12. Wunderlist – if you want to write list-based posts, check out Wunderlist. It makes it easy for you to create lists on everything.
13. Meme Generator – who said creating funny images is hard? With a few mouse clicks and keyboard strokes, you can start generating memes in minutes on Meme Generator.
14. Visual.ly – infographics don’t have to be expensive. Visual.ly will help you create your own.
15. Infogr.am – graphs and pie charts don’t have to be ugly anymore. You can now create pretty ones that generate social shares.
16. Skitch – from screen captures to quick photo edits, Skitch is a simple photo editing tool. It may not have as many features as Photoshop, but it is much easier to use.
17. Uberflip – sometimes you’ll want to create ebooks or PDFs on your blog. Uberflip is a simple tool that will allow you to do so, plus it gives you stats that show you how popular your content is.
18. TinyMCE – if you prefer blogging within WordPress, this tool will ensure you are using correct grammar and spelling.
19. Text Broker – ideally, you should be writing your own content, but if you don’t have the time, Text Broker can take care of the writing process for you.
20. Problogger Job Board – similarly to finding help on Text Broker, you can find freelance writers on Problogger.
21. Shareist – from capturing content around the web to embedding links and videos, Shareist helps with the whole content marketing cycle. It’s a platform made for small and medium businesses.
22. Kapost – if you want a tool that does everything, Kapost is worth checking out. It’s worth using if you need help with scheduling and writing, but it can do much more than that.
23. Editorial calendar – once you get the hang of blogging, you’ll want to use a content calendar to organize publishing of your posts. This will help you spot holes and figure out how often and when you should be blogging.

Now that you’ve nailed down the writing process, it’s time to focus on distribution.

Tools for distribution

Promoting your content doesn’t have to be hard. There are a lot of tools you can use to help you out.

24. Yoast – search engines are a great source of traffic. Yoast will optimize your blog for you so that you can maximize your rankings.
25. Buffer – pushing out your content to all of the social sites can be a pain. But with Buffer, you can do so with just one click.
26. Click to tweet – by making quotes and phrases within your content tweetable, you will get more social traffic. When I tested this out on Quick Sprout, I was able to generate 26% more tweets.
27. Tweroid – your followers may not be online when you are tweeting. Tweroid will help you determine the optimal twitting time to get the most exposure.
28. Slideshare – why not turn your content into a presentation? Submitting your content to Slideshare in a presentation format is a great way to get extra traffic and more branding.
29. Outbrain – if you want to generate more traffic, Outbrain is a good source for cheap traffic. For a few cents a click, you can get more people reading your blog.
30. Flare – social sharing buttons don’t have to be ugly. Flare lets you take control of the way your sharing buttons look, plus it tells you the number of clicks they get.
31. GetResponse – email is the best way to generate traffic to your blog. Through GetResponse, you can start collecting emails on your blog and then do an email blast to your list every time you publish a new piece of content.
32. Google Webmaster Tools – if you want to know where you rank in the search engine results, this is the only tool you need. You can then take the keywords that rank on page one, build some links to them, and increase your rankings.
33. LinkedIn Groups – one of the simplest ways to get more traffic is to submit your content to LinkedIn groups. Join groups that have over 100,000 members and are in spaces related to yours. Submit your content, and watch your social traffic grow.
34. Audience Bloom – these guys have an internal tool that helps companies get guest posts. They only charge you when their tool helps you land a guest post from relevant sites. It’s a great way to increase your referral traffic and gain new readers to your blog.
35. Google Blog Search – through Google’s blog search, you can find relevant blogs within your industry. Once you find a handful of blogs, read their content, and start commenting, providing great information. This will help drive people back to your blog, which will increase your readership.

Conclusion

Content marketing isn’t rocket science. The tools I mentioned above will make it easier for you to generate ideas, write articles, and promote your content.