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Surf around the web and you'll find yourself gravitating to sites that are multimedia rich and full of life. Keeping your visitor engaged is easier than you might think. By using the tools discussed below you can have your BLOG start looking like an authority blog. Today, you'll leave this post with 8+ powerful tools for text, images, audio and video that you can use to jazz up your blog.
Remember, striving for perfection is the greatest time waster. Take action and tweak along the way.
Sorry MAC lovers...this article is for PC users. I don't have experience on MACs so it doesn't make sense for me to write about right?;)
Here are the 8+ tools you need to elevate your blog/website to the next level:
ONE - GET YOUR MIND STRAIGHT
In the past I used doodle on a paper note pad or sketch out on a white board a mind map or a process. You no longer have to do this...if you get Freemind. Freemind is an intuitive piece of software that helps you map out your thoughts.It's a FREE download. Try it you'll find it easy to use find it at: sourceforge.net/projects/freemind/
TWO - EDIT AND FORMAT YOUR TEXT
In terms of writing out text I use either Windows Live Writer and/or Notepad. Notepad comes with Windows and it's better to use because it doesn't ADD funny formatting code that Microsoft Word does. The only time this is an issue is when you're doing a post to your Blog. You can always post directly to your Blog from the WordPress admin panel but I find that working from a full screen is easier for me. Windows Live Writer is a cool tool because it works like a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor. It allows you to format text, insert video, links etc directly into the post. It can also be synchronized with your BLOG...so when you're done you can upload it directly to your blog along with all the images, video and links etc. Best of all...they are FREE too!
THREE - ADD VALUE BY GIVING AWAY SOMETHING
PDF (short for Portable Data Format) is mostly associated with ADOBE as I believe they were the creators. Again, why shell out dollars if you can get something that works perfectly fine for FREE. Check out: dopdf.com you can download free software that basically installs a PDF Print Driver to your computer. Now you can create a great looking document using WORD or POWERPOINT and instead of printing to your printer you choose "doPDF" as your printer and VOILA! You now have a PDF document that you can sell on Clickbank or give away as incentive for signing up to your email list. Another great feature of doPDF is that it preserves the links in the document so if your give-a-way goes viral people can easily get back to your site by clicking on the link.
FOUR - CREATE TRAFFIC BY SHARING YOUR PRESENTATIONS
It's similar to YouTube but specifically designed for POWERPOINT presentations (slideshare.net). Once uploaded you can create embed codes for sharing on your BLOG or on other sites. IF you learn how to make proper presentations this could be a solid traffic generator for you.
FIVE - GIVE YOUR BLOG SOME LIFE WITH SOME IMAGES
Images are what invoke emotion in your readers. Combine the right images with text and you can create urges to buy or hold reader interest. Bigstockphoto.com is a site that will offer you the right image to give you the proper look and feel.
SIX - EDIT YOUR IMAGES TO GET YOUR DESIRED LOOK AND FEEL
A tilt here, a crop there, converting to black and white. You can use Microsoft Picture Manager to change up some of your photos. Couple of other FREE options are: IrfanView and if you're interested in getting PHOTOSHOP quality software at a bargain basement price of ZERO I suggest GIMP. You can do the edits as discussed above or create images from scratch. It's truly an amazing piece of software go get it at: gimp.org.
Another tool that can add life to your site is called Animoto, and it helps you create simple slide show presentations with music that you can stream straight from your blog. It's super easy: upload a bunch of your images or photos or short videos...upload music...bada bing bada boom the rest is taken care of. You then grab the embed code and paste it into your blog or Facebook page with a link back to your blog etc.
You can access Animoto here: animoto.com
SEVEN - ADD SOME SOUND FOR ANOTHER DIMENSION
Adding sound will enhance your reader's experience and keep them coming back for more. Here are a couple of audio tools and ideas on how to incorporate: Instead of typing out a blog post record yourself. You can record audio using software included with windows save it as an MP3 clip and upload it to your blog for your readers to download. You can create interview by doing over the phone interviews with experts in your niche by using a service called Skype - skype.com. Before you do the interview...download recording software to record the call at pamela.biz. If you want to be like the cool cats....stream you audio directly from your blog. To do this get the Audio Player WordPress Plugin 1pixelout.net/code/audio-player-wordpress-plugin/. For easy install, search for it from your WordPress Admin Panel in the Plugins section. REMEMBER: it needs to be in MP3 format to work. Just make sure you export your final audio production to an mp3 file format for this to work.
EIGHT - INCORPORATE VIDEO FOR THE FINAL FRONTIER
Incorporate video and your blog will scream QUALITY. After all, that's the name of the game right? Keep your visitors coming back for more by offering great valuable and FREE content. It's called developing a relationship my friend. Windows Movie Maker is preinstalled on your computer already and it's really easy to use. Record some video or import some still images or even slide shows and you can cut n' paste edit your way to an Academy Award Winning spectacle. Okay....maybe not but with some practice you'll be able add the trust element to your blog especially if you video tape yourself...people ALWAYS like to see who they are reading...it's gives them a connection to you.
Another way to add value to your reader is by giving video tutorials on how to do things. Personally, I'd rather read instructions as it allows me to do things faster and jot notes along the way.
You can capture screen flow by using a piece of FREE software called CAM STUDIO camstudio.org. It's pretty easy to use. Basically start it up and it records everything that you are doing on screen.
Import to Windows Movie Maker for some edits and you have another piece of creative content to add to your blog.
Ever see those clickable links find within YouTube Videos? You can do that too...upload your VIDS to YouTube then use LinkedTube.com to add clickable links to your Videos. This is great for adding affiliate links or links back to your blog or sales pages.
By now you've probably suffering from information overload...don't worry! You don't need to rush out and incorporate everything discussed above all in one day! ROME - wasn't built in a day either;). Your site or Blog should be an evolution of you. What I hope to have accomplished for you today is shorten the amount of time it will take you to get your Blog to the vision you want it to be. And hopefully, stimulate your creative juices to really make your site stand out
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For more insightful Tipz, resources and cool ideas on how to become a better Online or Offline Marketer be sure to visit http://www.quiktipz.com
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