Strategic Marketing Resources

I thought it would be helpful to create a strategic marketing resources page that you can always come back to for reference. I’ll add to it as I learn, so I encourage you to come back every once and awhile to check for updates. Enjoy!

Building a Website

• WordPress – Hands down the best platform if you’re looking to create a website for the first time. All my sites are built on WordPress. It’s silly not to use it.
• ThemeForest –  The best resource for premium WordPress themes, in my opinion. I’ve looked at other theme repository sites out there, but 9 times out of 10 I come back to ThemeForest because they have the selection. This site is built using the Sentence theme.
• Fiverr -  Solutions for things like logo designs, simple blog posts, etc. for only five bucks! Lots of possibilities, but be sure to check the seller ratings and comments before ordering anything.

Email

• MailChimp –  MailChimp is a super easy way to create professional looking email marketing programs, including the registration forms. It’s nice because it basically forces you to use email best practices and ensures you follow CAN SPAM rules—it’s really foolproof. If you sign up for my email updates you can see it in action.

Search Engine Optimization

• Unique Article Wizard – I’ve been using this tool for creating massive amounts of backlinks for my other websites. The technique of creating backlinks is a touchy subject, but if you’re a believer, there really isn’t a better tool than this.
• Google PageSpeed Tools – Great free way to check what specifically is slowing down your site. Unbelievably detailed analysis.
• Spin Rewriter -  The best article spinner I’ve found for Mac.
• The Best Spinner – I haven’t used this because it’s only for PC, but it’s considered the industry standard when it comes to spinning your articles. A lot of bloggers I know swear by it, so it must be pretty good.
• SEORCH – Check out your on-page SEO. This tool analyzes your site for free and spits back recommendations on how to make it better.

Social Media

• Bottlenose – Find trending articles and topics in your area of interest. I use this site to not only learn so much but to gather Tweet-ready content for my Twitter feed.
• Buffer – Easily space out your Tweets throughout the day. Make sure to get the most out of it by installing the Buffer extension/plugin for you browser. This will put an awesome little button on your browser window so you can just add a Tweet to your queue with one or two clicks. Signing up through my link gives us both some free extra space in our Buffer queue. I use this constantly.
• HootSuite – If you need to manage multiple social media accounts, e.g., multiple Twitter handles, HootSuite is your best bet. Some features I like include bulk Tweet uploads via an excel sheet, a user friendly dashboard for managing accounts and analytics, and a button for your browser. It’s fairly affordable and powerful. It’s definitely worth checking it out to know what’s out there. I use HootSuite at the agency I work for.

Web

• GoDaddy – The best place to get your domain name. Their backend dashboards are great and GoDaddy is so common that you’ll be able to find tutorials on how to do anything.
• HostGator –  All my sites right now are hosted by HostGator. With one-click WordPress install, they are a great option for anyone just starting out. There are tons of tutorials out there for using HostGator which is why I chose them when I started. Their customer service is ridiculously good too and they were willing to help me out when I didn’t know anything. I recommend the Baby plan so you can add unlimited domains to your account and because upgrading your site from the Hatchling is a huge pain.