by Lillian Leon
If you’ve been following this blog you’ll know that I read tons of articles every day. I follow about 50 different blogs/websites and come across more on a daily basis.
The good articles I share with my Twitter, Facebook and Linked In followers. But when I find exceptionally helpful articles, I’ll not only share them, but clip them to my Evernote as well. To save for later.
In a recent article I read by @PatFlynn (whose blog, Smart Passive Income, is one of my faves), Pat made the suggestion of blogging other people’s posts as a content idea. And what a great idea!
So today I’m going to open my Evernote and share with you some of the awesome articles I’ve found. They range from helpful tips and advice on blogging and social media, to link building and mentoring. Basically it’s the stuff I’m interested in, and stuff I’m sure most other online marketing rookies would find helpful too!
So here goes – in no particular order. Grab a coffee or wine, sit back and enjoy!
13 Awesome Articles Every Online Marketer Must Read
1. 10 Ways to Convert More Customers Using Psychology
Knowing how your customers tick can greatly help to turn your prospects into sales. And it’s been proven time and time again that as humans, we’re pretty predictable when it comes to being sold to.
This great infographic by Help Scout and @gregoryciotti highlights 10 different ways you can shape your products, business or services to convert prospects into sales. And if you sign up to their email list you also get a free e-book that expands on this very interesting and relevant topic.
View “10 Ways to Convert More Customers Using Psychology”
2. 24 Must-Have Social Media Marketing Tools
Social media is full on! So as social media marketers we need to utilise a range of tools to make our jobs easier and more efficient.
This excellent article by Social Media Examiner lists 24 different social media tools recommended by the pros. Within it are recommendations for social media scheduling, analytics tools, social media sharing tools, and even branding tools. I already use a few of these tools, such as my faves, Commun.it and BufferApp, and have also picked up a few other goodies from this article.
View “24 Must-Have Social Media Marketing Tools”
3. 15 Useful, Little-Known WordPress Plug-Ins to Add to your Collection
Not long after starting this blog I wrote a post about the 10 Cool WordPress Plug-Ins that Rock My Blog. I still use these plug-ins now, but have also acquired a few more since then – including some from this article.
The thing is, there are so many different WordPress plug-ins out there that you’re probably not going to come across a lot of them – unless someone has recommended them. Well this article, by @RYPMarketing, has some useful plug-ins you’re unlikely to think of, like the Broken Link Checker, Smiley Face Remover and 404 Redirect. Very cool!
View “15 Useful, Little-Known WordPress Plug-Ins to Add to your Collection”
4. The Ultimate, Complete, Final Social Media Sizing Cheat Sheet
Okay, I get it already! This is really the Ultimate, Complete, Final, Exhaustive, Absolute, Full, Total Cheat Sheet!
Overused synonyms aside, this infographic by @LunaMetrics and Dan Wilkerson (@notdanwilkerson) is an awesome guide that sets out all the image sizing requirements for the different social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. Incredibly helpful for maximising the effect of your images in social media.
View “The Ultimate, Complete, Final Social Media Sizing Cheat Sheet”
5. How to Make an Infographic Online: Five Essential Free Tools
As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Which may also explain why infographics are so popular these days.
If you’re new to infographics, like I am, this article by @EConsultancy contains five free online tools you can use to create your own infographics – basic templates included. How cool is that? And did I say ‘Free’?
View “How to Make an Infographic Online: five Essential Free Tools”
6. 50 Essential Tools I use for Blogging and Freelance Writing
Kristi Hines (@kikolani) does an amazing job of creating lists of helpful resources. And this is just one of them.
As a blogger and freelance copywriter myself, I found this list to be really helpful. Kristi provides a quick description of each tool and even includes the prices of paid services – which is really handy. You’ll no doubt find some gems in this list.
View “50 Essential Tools I use for Blogging and Freelance Writing”
7. How to Sex Up Your Google Search Results with Authorship Info
Love this article by @PamelaVaughan from @Hubspot. Have you noticed in Google search results that some searches include photos and a bio of the author? Well this article shows you how to do just that.
Not only is Google Authorship a great way to build brand awareness; more importantly, it’s like a magnet to eyeballs in Google search. What’s more, the bio is linked to your Google+ profile, making it easy for people to connect with you. I’ve just applied for my own Google Authorship so we’ll see how that goes.
View “How to Sex Up Your Google Search Results with Authorship Info”
8. 6 Timeless Ways to Tackle Link Building in 2013
Link building. Yawn! But yes, I know how important it is for getting found through search engines.
This article, by @Josh_Patterson of Steamloft, makes the whole link-building bizzo so much more palatable for me. Josh sets out six different ways to build links – in plain English (yay!) – without being at the mercy of Google.
View “6 Timeless Ways to Tackle Link Building in 2013″
9. The Link Builder’s Guide to Email Outreac
Yep, another link-building article. But this one, by @NeilPatel of QuickSprout – and of KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg fame – contains some great ideas on how to use email to build links to your blog or website.
But the gold of this article is contained in the email examples/templates Neil used himself to solicit links. And while you probably wouldn’t use these templates yourself (as no doubt every Tom, Dick and Harry has used them) they give you some insight into the style of email that works, so you can create your own.
View “The Link Builder’s Guide to Email Outreach”
10. Does Optimization Ever End? How We Grew Crazy Egg’s Revenue by 510
This is an excellent case study we can learn from – from the good guys at Conversion Rate Experts, whose clients also include SEOmoz. (awesome huh?)
This article takes you on step-by-step journey into how the guys at Conversion Rate Experts helped Crazy Egg (co-owned by @NeilPatel above) boost its conversion rate by a whopping 510% – from the evaluation process right through to the strategies they used. It’s a pretty full-on article, but there are some real pearls in it.
View “Does Optimization Ever End? How We Grew Crazy Egg’s Revenue by 510%”
11. 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
This is a great article by SEOmoz founder, Rand Fishkin (@RandFish), that sets out in detail 21 different ways to drive traffic to your blog.
If you’re new to blogging, this is a Must-Read. And even if you’ve been blogging awhile, the article can serve as a motivational tool and a good reminder of the sorts of things you need to do to continue growing your business.
View “21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic”
13 Awesome Articles Every Online Marketer Should Read ==> Tweet this Now!
12. Mastermind Groups and Mentors – Why You Need Them and How to Find Them
It isn’t easy starting a new business, especially when you’re on your own – with no-one to bounce ideas off or to steer you in the right direction. So when I got into a rut a few weeks back, I started looking around for options.
I recently came across this great article by @JaimeTardy via @PatFlynn about getting support through “mastermind” groups and/or mentors.
Mastermind groups – what a great concept! I’ll be looking to set up a Mastermind Group in the new year, so if you’re keen let me know! Otherwise, read this article for ideas on how to set up your own group.
View “Mastermind Groups and Mentors – Why You Need Them and How to Find Them”
13. The 10 Commandments of Using Pinterest for Business
Did you know, Pinterest has over 10 million users and is capable of driving more traffic to your website than Twitter? How cool is that?
Well Pinterest is the social media tool I want to learn about next. And this excellent article, by Donna Moritz of @SociallySorted via Amy Porterfield, is one of the best how-to articles on Pinterest for beginners. It not includes a step-by-step guide, but real examples and infographics you can use and/or share.
View “The 10 Commandments of Using Pinterest for Business”
Over to You…
So has any of these articles been helpful for you? Or perhaps one stood out more than others? I’d love to know your thoughts so please leave me a comment below. And if you liked this post, please share with your friends…
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Thanks for visiting.
Until next time,
– The Rookie