7 Non-Negotiable Blogging Tools I Couldn’t Do Without
A profitable blog doesn’t run itself and behind every successful blog are a handful of non-negotiable blogging tools that make it all work together.
After a few years blogging, two blogs, two kids, and a million other things going on, it is thanks to those tools that I can scale and grow my blog.
They help me automate tasks, create content with ease, and sell products and collect payments.
Next, I will share with you 7 important blogging tools I use in my blog to automate my business.
All of the following blogging resources play a vital part in the big scheme of things because they serve the most important role: make money blogging!
They are all part of 3 main profitable categories:
- Email Marketing
- eProducts
7 Non-Negotiable Blogging Tools
Blogging Tool #1: Tailwind
As you probably already know, Pinterest is the number one traffic referrer for many bloggers, including myself.
Although it is a powerhouse platform with the potential of getting you free and fast traffic, it doesn’t happen with the flip of a switch.
In fact, it takes a solid strategy and continuous pinning, and by continuous, I mean daily.
Now I don’t know about you, but I do not have the time a day to not only create pins for two blogs every single day but also pin them manually to relevant group and personal boards.
Now if you don’t have the slightest idea what I am talking about, you might want to learn all about Pinterest. Or look into the best blogging Pinterest Courses for bloggers to get you going.
But if you use Pinterest you know exactly what I mean.
And that is where Tailwind comes in.
Tailwind is the best (and approved) Pinterest and Instagram scheduler for bloggers. It allows you to schedule Pins to be pinned to the boards of your choice on the days of your choice, for weeks even months in advance.
That kind of automation service is a lifesaver! Once I set it up, Tailwind will pin on my behalf anywhere between 50-75 pins a day (for both blogs).
Using Tailwind along with Pinterest Templates allows me to save hours of work every week.
In turn, it leaves me more time to do other important things to grow my blog such as content creation and eProduct creation.
>> Click here to receive a 30-day free trial of Tailwind <<
Blogging Tool #2: Canva
Another Pinterest must is Canva.
Canva is a graphic design app that allows you to create beautiful digital graphics in minutes.
It is where I create all my blogging and social media graphics.
You can create a free account and you also have the option of upgrading to the pro account for additional perks.
Blogging Tool #3: DepositPhotos
The last blogging tool in the Pinterest department I couldn’t do without is DepositPhotos.
DepositPhotos is the paid stock photo membership site of my choice.
A BIG aspect of blogging, or anything digital for that matter, is the use of images.
Visual appeal is one of the biggest factors that will determine if a potential reader/customer/client will engage with your content.
With that said, it is important to note that downloading free images comes with a risk.
There has been a lot of talk in the blogging community about legal issues with images bloggers have downloaded “free of charge”.
Other downsides of free images is that they don’t always have optimal quality and because so many people download them, it might be harder for your pins to stand out.
Premium stock photos serve multiple purposes:
- Paid stock images help you stand out from the crowd
- You are granted the photo license to use them, avoiding any potential legal issues
- High-quality images are imperative for website optimization (especially speed)
You can refer to Lovely Momhood (my mom blog) to see the quality of DepositPhotos in action. All images used in the featured images, in-content, and on the Pins within the content are from DepositPhoto.
>> For high-quality stock photos for any niche checkout DepositPhotos, here <<
Blogging Tool #4: Convertkit
Next, is my email marketing provider.
If you have been blogging for a while you know the importance that email marketing has on a profitable blog.
That is why it was so important for me to ensure that I had the very best (and affordable), email marketing tool out there.
After much market research I opted for Convertkit by popular demand.
Convertkit is currently one of the most popular email marketing companies for bloggers.
After all, it was specifically built by bloggers, for bloggers. It is incredibly user-friendly and they have a great customer service and support team.
Some of my favorite Convertkit features include:
Automations
Automations are one of my favorite Convertkit features. It allows me to set up automated processes and let them do all the work after that.
For instance, I can set automation that looks as follows: some signs up through a my “5-Day Detox Detox Challenge”> then, they are tagged as “Detox Challenge”> they will be enrolled in 5-Day Detox Diet Email Sequence (one email a day).
Forms and Landing Pages
These allow you to create customizable forms that you can easily embed on your site. You can create a single sign-up form to put in your content OR you can create a full-blown landing page for that form instead.
Sequences
With email sequences you can create a story line and program it to send to your readers at the frequency of your choice (one email a day, one a week, etc).
For instance, you can create a sequence of 2 emails to your new subscribers (a “welcome” email the day after subscription, and a “come join us” email on the third day after subscription inviting them to your Facebook Group). Sequences are perfect for email challenges, email courses, lead magnet funnels, and much more.
Once you are ready to take your email marketing to the next level consider this incredible blogging tool!
>> For a FREE 30-day Convertkit trial, click here <<
Blogging Tool #5: Thrive Architect
Thrive Architect is a page and layout builder plugin for WordPress.
With Thrive Architect I have been able to create beautiful landing pages with drag-and-drop features.
Here are some examples:
Pinterest Pins Template Bundle Sales Page
Thrive Architect has plenty of templates to choose from so you don’t have to worry about having to create anything from scratch. You can also save pages you have already created as templates to use them again for other projects.
My favorite part is that you purchase the program with a one-time fee and that’s it. After that, Thrive Architect is yours for the life of your blog and you can create as many beautiful pages and posts that don’t require code.
Thrive Architect integrates beautifully with WordPress. So, whenever you would like to create a page or post simply click on the big, green button titled “Launch Thrive Architect” on your page/post editor and voila!
They also have a fabulous video tutorial database for their customers, so trust me, “user-friendly” is their goal.
>> To give Thrive Architect a go for a one time fee, click here <<
Blogging Tool #6: SendOwl
SendOwl has been imperative in the process of selling my eProducts!
From selling and delivering my digital products to helping me set up and manage my affiliate program.
Sendowl connects to most payment providers so that you get paid promptly and it automatically delivers the files to your customers once the payment has completed.
It also has great integrations with other important apps such as ConvertKit and PayPal, and it allows for easy affiliate program sign-up from both the seller and the buyer.
>> To start selling your eProducts using SendOwl, click here <<
Blogging Tool #7: PayPal
PayPal is a service that enables you to pay, send money, and accept payments.
I started a free Paypal Business account almost immediately after I started my first blog about two and a half years ago.
It allows me to receive payments from all my customers and affiliate partners. As well as to send payments to my affiliates, easily and pain free with their Mass Payment feature.
Sendowl sends me a handy affiliate report every month and all I have to do is upload that report to my Mass Payment section in Paypal and it pays multiple people in minutes!
In addition, PayPal allows you to save credit/debit card information so that you can make online payment conveniently without having to input your credit card information every time.
Anyone can send you a payment by simply providing them with your PayPal email. In fact, most affiliate companies require that you have a PayPal account.
>> To create a free Paypal Bussiness account, click here <<
So, how do these Indispensable Blogging Tools Work Together?
The integration and combination of these must-have blogging tools has made all the difference in the world for my business.
Let me walk you through a few blogging processes so that you can see how these 7 indispensable blogging tools all work together.
Product Sales Process
- Someone lands on my Thrive Architect Pinterest Template Bundle Page
- They check out through my SendOwl Payment gateway
- I receive the money through Paypal
- SendOwl send my customer a copy of their electronic product
- Convertkit tags that person as a “Pinterest Templates Customer”
- Converkit starts the “Pinterest Template Customer” email sequence
Traffic from Pinterest Process
- I create a Blogcabulary Plus Pin using Canva
- Then, I use a DepositPhotos image
- Once done I download the file and upload the new Pin to Pinterest
- Once on Pinterest I schedule it out using Tailwind to all my related personal boards and group boards
- Someone clicks on that pin and is redirected to my Thrive Architect Blogcabulary Plus sales page and if they decide to buy, then the above “Product Sale Process” will follow.
Tripwire Offer Process
- Someone signs up through one of my Converkit opt in forms.
- Convertkit automations will trigger the subscriber to be forwarded to a Thrive architect landing page with special limited time offer
- If they decide to take advantage of that limited time sale the “Product Sale Process” will follow.
Related: 50+ Blogging Resources to Grow Your Blog
Final Thoughts
There you have it my friend!
Those are the top 7 blogging tools and resources that I couldn’t to without to run a profitable blog.
Some of the above blogging resources are free and some are paid… however, they are all indispensable to the success of my blog.
I suggest you make a list of your non-negotiable blogging tools and make a budget for them.
After all, investing in the right blogging resources will allow you to automate, scale, grow, and ultimately help you make more money from your blog.
What non-negotiable blogging tools you couldn’t do without?
Don’t forget to Pin for later….
