With 2016 right around the corner, why are so many brands still pushing their less-than-stellar content out onto the internet?
Around this time last year, Brooke wrote a post describing how businesses must change their content marketing style in order to make a positive impact on their audience in 2015.
Rather than continuing to create and share the same “hum-drum” content, businesses must create and share content that is meaningful and relevant if they want their business to stand out from the rest.
Fortunately, business owners and marketers now have plenty of content tools available that can help them create and distribute high-quality content for their audiences.
Here are 26 different content tools, from A-Z, that you’ll want to use
A: Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer
I don’t know about you, but I find that coming up with a headline is the hardest part of writing. Why? Because the title of your posts can either entice readers to click or to skip on to something that sounds more interesting to them.
This tool analyzes the titles as you enter them and provides results as a percentage.
B: BuzzSumo
If you’re looking for all-in-one content tools, this one makes a good choice. BuzzSumo allows users to monitor others’ content, identify well-performing content based on keywords, search for influencers, and curate content.
C: Canva
This tool lets you easily design and create all kinds of attractive visual content for social media, blog posts, resumes, and more.
D: DrumUp
This is one of several content tools that I personally use for discovering and curating content to share with various social media audiences. I especially like how it finds content that is relevant (based on keywords) and fresh.
E: EverNote
This tool is super for jotting down your thoughts and storing them online in one place. You can also share with others, which makes it great for virtual brainstorming.
F: Feedly
This is another site that makes content curation easy.
G: Grammarly
If you write, then you really need this app. Grammarly not only points out grammar errors, but it also lets you quickly fix them. Plus it tells you why your error is an error. Hard to argue with an app, right?
This proofreading app lets you “kill your darlings.” In other words, this app helps you write clearly and concisely.
I: IFTTT
IFTTT is short for “If this, then that.” With the help of “recipes,” you can automate your social sharing activities through connecting various platforms — like sharing your newest blog post right to Twitter (with your preferred image!).
This is a free plugin for WordPress websites. It’s used to help you easily manage your WordPress site “by giving you visitor stats, security services, speeding up images, and helping you get more traffic.”
K: KWFinder
This nifty tool makes researching for hidden keywords with low SEO difficulty a breeze.
L: LastPass
This one is a security app, rather than a true content tool. It’s truly a lifesaver for those who have a hard time remembering passwords. If you’re looking for a password manager, this one comes highly recommended.
M: MailChimp
Email is content, too. Although there are plenty of email automation tools available, MailChimp is trusted by many people and businesses. Its features and integrations allow users “to send marketing emails, automated messages, and targeted campaigns.”
N: (I)Nfog.ram
Do you need to make attractive charts and/or infographics? Infogr.am is an online tool that lets you do so quickly and easily.
O: Outbrain
A unique tool which provides users with the options of both content discovery and content amplification.
P: PowerPoint
This is one of several versatile content tools that the Microsoft Suite provides. PowerPoint has everything you need for creating professional, digital presentations.
Q: Quora
When you have questions about any topic whatsoever, then this is truly a site you’ll want to check out. There are people who share their answers and advice about nearly every subject you can think of. I’ve found plenty of blog fodder here, too.
R: (The) Readability Test Tool
This tool lets you test how readable your written content is.
S: Scoop.it
This is one of my long-time favorite content tools I use for discovering and curating content. This tool scrapes the internet for content from a variety of sources, based on the keywords you choose.
T: Triberr
This site is home to dozens of different blogging communities. If you enjoy blogging and sharing others’ content, then this site is for you. As part of a “tribe,” you will share each other’s posts, and this can definitely help increase the number of people who read your content.
U: Übersuggest
With this free tool, you can instantly research and obtain keyword suggestions which are based on real queries.
V: Visual.ly
Does your business have plenty of funding allocated for content marketing? If you’re lacking the time and/or resources to create quality content, then you may consider finding someone who can do it for you through Visual.ly.
W: WordPress
Whether you need a business website or a personal blogging site, WordPress is one of the most popular and versatile CMS (content management system) platforms.
X: (Pi)Xabay
People love images. However, finding good ones that are free and that won’t get you into copyright infringement trouble can be difficult. Pixabay is a great place to start when you’re looking for images because they have you covered in both of those areas.
Y: Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress
This WordPress plugin is a must-have for boosting your content’s SEO (search engine optimization).
Z: ZenPen
This site provides you with an online “blank slate” where you can write without distractions. It’s especially useful for those of us who tend to fall into the pattern of editing while writing, rather than letting the words just flow.
What Content Tools Did We Miss?
Many of the content tools on this list are free, but not all of them.
These 26 tools will take your content marketing to the next level in 2016.Click To TweetDid we miss any of your favorites?
We’d love to hear about them – please feel free to leave a comment below with a link to your awesome sauce content tool of choice.
Jennifer Hanford
Latest posts by Jennifer Hanford (see all)
- Do You Need a New Look? Here are 3 Fabulous Ideas for Logo Designs - February 17, 2016
- How To Combine Video Content With Social Media Marketing - January 13, 2016
- Do Startups and Solopreneurs Need Branding? - December 16, 2015
2 Comments. Leave new
[…] Business owners and marketers now have plenty of content tools available that can help them create and distribute high-quality content for their audiences. […]
[…] The A – Z List of Content Tools You’ll Want to Use By Jennifer Hanford […]