Since becoming a full-time blogger a year and a half ago, I’ve gone through my fair share of products and services to keep my business running smoothly. Some products were complete duds, while others were totally worth the money! I’ve come up with a list of products that I use that help me stay organized and professional. Without these items, I’d seriously be lost! Here are some tips and items I’ve picked up along the way and absolutely swear by! If you’re a money making blogger or want to be one, you need these products!
1. Don’t Spend a Fortune on Web Hosting. If you’re just starting out, and don’t plan on posting multiple times a day, you can opt for simple website hosting from Bluehost. It costs as little as $3.95 a month! You’ll get a free domain, free site builders, 1-click WordPress installation, and 24/7 support. It’s a no-brainer. There are plenty of costly things to spend money on when it comes to your blogging business, but this doesn’t have to be one of them.
2. But DO Know when it’s time to upgrade! When I first started out, I had contributors. About a year into running my blog, I had outgrown my shared server and needed a dedicated one! Panicked about how much more expensive it would become, I did a ton of research and finally opted for IOZoom. They’re customer service is so responsive, and trust me I email them all the time for help. If you’re posting at least five to seven times a week or you have contributors, it’s time to get your own hosted server for about $43 at IOZoom. If your site goes down or performs slowly, it’ll mean a loss in profits for you.
3. Know When Your Pitches are Being Read with SalesHandy. If you’re slightly OCD like me and want to know if the emails you’re sending to brands and marketers for collaborations are actually being read, than SalesHandy is for you! I use it to track when the emails I send are opened. It tells you the location of where the email is being read, how many times it was open and what browser they’re using. I have push notifications set up too. It also allows you to attach your media kit as a link and will notify you whenever that link is clicked, how long they looked at it and what page they stopped on. If you don’t hear a response, you can have it auto-send follow ups for you as well! In short, this communication and analytics tool has made my emails stronger and has helped me figure out what does and doesn’t work when reaching out to brands.
4. Look Super Professional and Up your email and storage game with Gsuite. Time is money! Stay organized with G Suite. It’s especially valuable when working with a team. Have virtual assistants giving you a hand? This service is a must-have! It gives you professional email for you and your team, plus unlimited space in Google Drive and Gmail so you can store, access and share files from any device. Collaborate more efficiently using integrated online calendars, online documents with real-time editing, and video conferencing. Set alerts to know when people share, edit or delete files in Drive, including when they share files inside or outside your domain. And you’ll get enhanced security features with Google Vault. Get 20% off your first year with this discount code: XAJQYJ9R6CKHVWF
BONUS TIP: For bloggers who want to start making money, like, yesterday… sign up for Advowire for free! Read all about my first PAID press trip campaign from them here.
Are you a blogger? How do you make it work? What are your top tips for making money as a blogger?
