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How to Add a Contact-Us Form to Your Site

September 4, 2018 by Jessy Troy Leave a Comment

The last three times I have gone to contact someone through a website, there has been no contact page. I am not joking or exaggerating, there was no contact page at all. One of the three had a little, tiny blurb mixed into too much text providing an email address, which was a very strange choice in design. But otherwise I would have had to go through their social media accounts to speak to them.

I was very disappointed with this turn of events, because at least one of the blogs I contacted barely used their Twitter and I never got a response, and another still hasn’t read their Facebook message. Why wouldn’t they be more concerned with connecting to their readers? And why wouldn’t they take the five minutes it requires to install a plugin (these were all WordPress sites), and create a Contact Page?

After all, implementing ways to hear back from your site users is one of the most important elements of any landing page.

Create an Awesome Contact Page Fast

I don’t want anyone else to make this very pointless mistake. Not when it can be rectified so easily.

First of all, the Internet is full of free tempates and tutorials for you to handle almost everything at home. If you are looking for beautiful forms, here’s a great selection of free HTML5 and CSS3 contact form templates for you to choose from. There’s also a great tutorial on how to edit those here.

If your site is not on WordPress, here’s a good selection of other available content management systems and useful resources to learn using them.

Here are six WordPress plugins for making a contact page that is fast, easy and effective.

1. WP Forms (or WP Forms Lite)

When someone who has no website building experience first gets the more advanced version of WordPress, they can feel a bit intimidated. Getting the plugins down can be hard, and there is a learning curve associated with any new software. WP Forms was made to cater to those beginners, and is probably the easiest form builder around.

You can use one of their many contact page templates with drag and drop functionality, and fully customize it to fit your needs. It is compatible with responsive websites, and they offer instant notifications of contact so you never miss a message. There is a free version also available, if you don’t mind skipping some of the advanced features.

2. Formidable Pro

If in addition to your contact form you want to be able to display data, you may prefer Formidable. It is a great tool for extendable forms and information that will be posted across your website.

I have seen it used to great effect on joint Contact and About pages that sim to show the person why they should contact them. Something that I personally like very much. They are a bit more costly, but effective.

3. Ninja Forms

Looking for something totally free that just creates great looking forms for you to use? Then Ninja Forms is your best bet. It provides easily adjustable settings that customize the form, and leads you through every step of the way.

They provide widgets and shortcodes to integrate into WP seamlessly. Plus, they are translation ready.

4. Contact Forms 7

This is an oldie but a goodie, and one that is still being supported by the developer in spite of its age. It is very basic, just a fill out form from the plugin’s dashboard.

There are no bells or whistles at all, which can be considered a good thing. The results are a very clean, functional contact form.

5. Pirate Forms

Want to make your contact form more feedback based? You may like Pirate Forms, then. It gives you full control over customization, and has the option of sending emails via SMTP.

It has a recaptcha generator, so you can try and limit spam.

Manage Your Leads Like a Pro

Putting up a form is just the first step. Don’t forget that as your site is going to become more popular, you’ll be receiving hundreds of email requests and pitches. You need to manage and organize those properly.

One good way to keep an eye on your mail is Cyfe. It connects to Gmail, your CRM or anything else under the sun. Put simply, Cyfe lets you keep a lot of pieces of your marketing under one roof.

Cyfe leads

Different Forms for Different Purposes

I am a firm believer in cold contacts for guest blogging. I have sent out my fair share of unsolicited offers and while they don’t all work, about a third of the time they do. The ones that almost always succeed? Those that come from sites with a Write For Us page.

To attract guest bloggers, some of them quite well established, put up a Write For Us page yourself with a set policy on posts. You should get some interesting pitches and offers from people of varying talent and influence.

Filed Under: Blogging Tips

Give Your Brand More Punch by Adding Blogging

June 2, 2017 by Thomas 1 Comment

bar-621033_640Is your brand kind of stuck in a rut at the moment? If so, what plans do you have to change that moving forward?

For many business owners, their brands are not where they’d like them to be right now. In fact, some are in trouble of dipping into the red when it comes to their finances. If that happens, getting out of that mess can prove quite cumbersome.

That said what are you doing to give your brand more punch?

For some, this means more marketing and advertising initiatives. Others, meantime, will turn to their products and services to see if they need improvement.

No matter how you deliver more bang for your dollar, it is important that you. With all the competition you are facing, standing pat oftentimes is a recipe for disaster.

Look at Your Website

One of the first areas of attention when looking to give your brand more punch is turning to your website.

In reviewing it, go over the following areas:

  • Credible and relevant information – How informative is your website? Does it provide consumers with all the details they would want to know about your business? If the answer is no, this is one area that demands your attention. One way to give out more information is having a credible blog (see more below). If blogging has been non-existent with your brand up to now, change that detail moving ahead.
  • Ease of use – How easy would you say your website is to use for visitors? If they feel like they’re traipsing through a maze more times than not, they’re likely not coming back. Doing regular reviews of your website is not only a good idea, it is a necessity. By doing your best to find cracks in its armor, you will lessen the odds of visitors being one-and-done guests.
  • Proper contact information – Do you make it simple for your online visitors to contact you? Make sure your company contact info is in an easy area to find. By doing so, you won’t have consumers jumping through hoops trying to reach out to you.
  • Google ranking – Finally, do you know where your company’s website ranks in online searches? If not, you should get up to speed on this all-important ranking. A strong ranking helps bring more consumers when they search for the products you offer. It can be easy to work your way up the rankings with sound search engine optimization (SEO) practices.

Blogging Your Way to Success

In mentioning blogging a little earlier, it is important to keep in mind how big of a deal your blog is.

For instance, are you doing any guest blogging on other sites? What about having guest bloggers write for your site? By reviewing guest blogging prospects, you can open up a new world of brand opportunities.

While many stick to writing all their own material, it never hurts to allow guest bloggers. In fact having some different bloggers on your site helps in several ways.

First, you bring a different tone and style to the writing on your blog. Second, those guest writers could be some of the top experts in your particular industry. Third, they are more apt to share their posts they write for you with others. By using social media, they can open your business up to countless other B2C and B2B customers.

So, don’t be afraid to blog your way to success before you know it.

As a business owner, are you doing all you can to bring more punch to your brand?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web

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Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Web Design Tagged With: Blog, brand, business, SEO, social-media

10 insider tips for the traveling blogger

January 12, 2017 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

The traveling blogger is a fish out of water.

Away from the comforts of the home coffee maker, fluffy bunny slippers, and reliable wifi, they must be prepared for anything.

Of course it’s great to step out of your comfort zone and see humans face to face. It’s fantastic to get out your passport and see the world. It’s even better if you can continue to run your business without skipping a beat.

This blog post is a handy dandy roundup of my 10 best insider tips for the traveling blogger.

Use these as a starting point, and you won’t end up in the fetal position in your hotel hallway, begging passers-by for their Mophie chargers (see Tip #1).

Tip #1 – Be All Powerful

It’s more important to pack your charging cords than to pack your underwear. Seriously. But here’s a great tip I received from my sister-in-law (who travels frequently). If you forget your charger, ask at the hotel front desk; often they have a pile of cords that have been left behind by your fellow travelers. Away from my hotel, I always maintain my charge with my Mophie, the greatest invention since sliced bread. Throw a power strip in your suitcase for bonus points.

Tip #2 – Stay Connected (but Securely)

You know not to go on sensitive sites or apps using hotel free WiFi, right? It’s a little better if it’s password protected, but you still need to be cautious. The pros use a VPN to be completely secure while traveling. If you’re concerned, you can even buy a temporary VPN service, which simply encrypts your activity to keep the bad guys away.

Tip #3 – Leave Your Room

Writers need to fill their brains with new ideas, new viewpoints, and fresh air. Don’t go into your hotel room, close the blackout curtains, and eat room service. Be sure you keep up your healthy routines, use the fitness center or go for a jog outside! You might find yourself full of blogging inspiration from your new location.

Tip #4 – Be Prepared

At some point in your travels, you may find yourself in an unfamiliar conference room, in a long tunnel, or stuck in the middle of nowhere. Some things that will ease your panic: a USB stick with your presentation or work-in-progress on it, pre-loaded Google Maps, Band-Aids (for the blisters from your new shoes), and a granola bar (in case they’re serving Haggis).

Tip #5 – When in Rome…

If you’re traveling out of the country, don’t forget to check your data plans for overseas travel (some phone carriers have amazing roaming deals now). Do yourself a favor and buy a plug adaptor (American plugs won’t work in Europe). Appreciate the cultural differences and educate yourself about them before you go (in some countries, you are expected to sit in front with a taxi driver, rather than in the back). Pack a washcloth/facecloth if those are important to your routine, as they won’t be provided in most European hotels.

Tip #6 – Fly in Style

If you travel frequently, invest a little bit of time and money into TSA Precheck, you’ll thank me later. Take advantage of curbside check in (bring $2 per bag for the expected tip) and wave at the long line of people who inexplicably always wait in the inside queues. Take a screenshot of your digital boarding pass to access it quicker on your phone. While we’re talking about phones, download the airline’s app if they have one, and get details like gate change alerts and delay notifications early.

It goes without saying (hopefully), but it’s always a good idea to dress nicely and be respectful to the airline personnel, giving you both good karma and a better chance at being upgraded.

Tip #7 – Get Ahead of the Curve

Use your blogging platform to queue up some posts in advance of your trip. Use any downtime during the year to stockpile some great posts that are evergreen and can go live when you’re traveling. Queue up your blog post social promotion as well, while you’re at it.

Tip #8 – Don’t Forget to Bring Back Content

Take pictures, do some video interviews, do some travel journaling…make sure that you come back with content you can use for the rest of the year. You might want to bring a fresh notebook so you can jot down ideas on the road.

Tip #9 – Be Suitcase Savvy

Put something weird or colorful on your suitcase handle so you can identify it at baggage claim. Put a plastic trash bag in the suitcase for your wet swimsuit or dirty laundry. Pack like a flight attendant by rolling everything; you can fit twice the number of outfits. When your dentist gives you that little packet with a toothbrush and toothpaste, put it in your suitcase and just leave it in there for your next trip.

Tip #10 – Consider Unplugging Completely

This goes against all of the previous “bring your cords” advice, but if you’re able, consider taking a digital break. If you’re traveling because you’re supposed to be on vacation, prep some content in advance, let your audience know that you’re going away for a week or two, and take a deep breath. It’s important to be consistent, but it’s even more important to maintain your sanity.

What’s your best travel tip for the road-weary blogger?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Filed Under: Blogging Tips Tagged With: blogging while traveling, travel

How To Get Paid For Sharing Your Travel Stories

August 9, 2016 by Jessy Troy Leave a Comment

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about the realistic expectations of travel writing and blogging. For many travelers it is a dream to eventually get paid to traverse the globe. Some people manage that goal, and blogs everywhere claim that anyone can do it and have their trips covered entirely. But is this true?

Yes, and no. It is possible to get paid for an entire trip as a writer, but it is incredibly rare. Most people will be experienced journalists, or bloggers who have managed to score deals with companies that sponsor their traveling. The truth is, this isn’t a feasible expectation for the average writer, especially not in the beginning.

That doesn’t mean you can’t earn money with travel stories. Actually, there are plenty of places that are willing to pay for that. Plus, you can earn more cash by dipping into other niches in your freelancing, which can help to recoup costs or fund the smaller expenses of your travels.

I have done this myself, and have often worked while away traveling in order to pay for things along the way. A friend of mine traveled through Europe, relying on his travel stories for everything from food to hostel fees. Which should show you the more realistic side of travel writing: it can be a good way to make some money while you are traveling anyway.

Selling Your Travel Stories

How do you do this? There are quite a few options, such as finding individual clients who are looking for travel writers on their blogs on in their magazines. They usually pay per word, and are a good option for more steady work.

Marketing your photos through stock photos sites is another option: You can get very popular there quite easily but don’t expect too much from that.

You can also go to travel sites that pay per story. Most travel blogs have this option, but the more popular are established sites like the Matador Network or Lonely Planet. These will usually get you around $25 per story, which isn’t great but also not terrible for occasional work.

This Writer’s Opinion

If you want an opinion from someone who has been doing this kind of thing for a living for awhile now, branch out. Write your travel stories and sell them where you can, under your byline. Use those to help push you into other avenues, padding your resume and portfolio for higher paying positions in other industries. This blog has a huge lists of ways you can make money with your blog!

There is a ton of freelance work out there for every niche. If you can be adaptable and show your worth in various areas, you can get a lot more work. I wouldn’t suggest working while traveling in these areas, because you run the risk of not enjoying your trip. But before and after you go off on your adventure, it can provide a much more stable income or even fund your next escapade.

Have you been lucky enough to sell your travel stories? Let us know how, and where, in the comments.

Filed Under: Blogging Tips

Make your blog worth bingeing like House of Cards

April 7, 2016 by Rosemary 1 Comment

My husband and I recently finished an epic binge of Breaking Bad (yes, I miss Jessy already). Next we’ve queued up House of Cards’ most recent season for the next binge marathon.

Now that quality shows are available in an instant, on any screen you choose, we can soak in three or four years worth of episodes over a few weeks.

No more waiting for the cliff-hanger resolution, no more slow reveal of the “will they or won’t they.”

When you binge, you are marinating in the characters, settings, and stories in a very intense way, and it increases your sense of closeness to the characters and the show.

Wouldn’t it be cool if your blog was like that? Maybe your bounce rate would be 10% instead of 75%.

Here are some ideas that will make your blog worth bingeing

Make it easy to binge

Give your readers easy cues for entering and browsing your site, like “start here if you’re new” pages, or boxes that highlight your most popular posts.

Put it all out there at once

Think about creating a blog series, and tease it in advance. Release the whole series at one time instead of one post per week. I know that I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve the night before a new season of Orange is the New Black arrives on Netflix.

Open a new window for links

This is a simple but often-overlooked technique. When someone clicks a link or image on your site, make it pop open a new tab or window. You don’t want people to be leaving your site and letting the screen door shut behind them. You want them to briefly check out the additional information and then resume the binge.

Include a call to action at end of content

What do you want your reader to do? Why does your blog exist? Make sure that you are telling them often. Give them a homework assignment, put a link to your latest book, or ask for comments/shares, but don’t just leave them hanging.

Promote, promote, promote

The House of Cards ads and promos were ubiquitous before the last season appeared. Teaser videos, interviews, and traditional ads were part of the PR blitz. When is the last time you thought about the way your promote your blog? Could you do an interview with a fellow blogger in your industry? Try a Facebook ad?

Surprise & delight to encourage word of mouth/sharing

Remember that time the major character was tossed in front of a speeding Metro train? You don’t have to go to that extreme, but your blog should include moments of surprise that make readers want to talk about it.

Make it easy to share

I can’t count the number of times I find a great blog, get very enthusiastic about a particular post, and can’t find the social sharing buttons (or even a subscribe button, sometimes). Once you’ve got me excited, don’t leave me hanging. Show me the buttons! (Apologies to Jerry Maguire.)

Tap into emotions

Emotion is the most direct way into someone’s world. Your blog should share (judiciously) personal tidbits that give your readers insight and attachment to your point of view. When Frank Underwood speaks directly to the camera, breaking the “fourth wall,” it brings us directly into the show.

Now I’ve confessed to some of the shows I’m bingeing. What is in your queue right now? Share your binge-worthiest shows and/or blogs with the rest of us!

If you have tips about how to make your blog worth bingeing, please share those too.

 

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

 

Filed Under: Blogging Tips Tagged With: blog-promotion

10 Mac Apps for Blogging Productivity

April 6, 2016 by Jessy Troy 1 Comment

mac-apps-bloggingRunning a blog is so much more work than people assume. The assumption is the bigger it gets, the more work is involved. But that isn’t close to being true; building it to a point where people are regularly visiting is just as much work as maintaining it once it gets there.

For some people it becomes a full time job, and one that doesn’t pay nearly enough for the first couple of years.

You have to squeeze everything you can out of every single moment spent working on your blog. Not just on the content, but general management such as social, reader engagement, research, outreach, SEO, marketing, hosting issues, backups, and more. For Mac users, these tools can help make the process of running a blog infinitely easier to handle, and save a lot of time.

WriteRoom

WriteRoom

Writing is easy. Writing without distractions if you are like me is next to impossible without help. There is so much waiting just in a browser window to pull our attention away, and before long a post that should have taken thirty minutes is verging on ninety. WriteRoom creates a fullscreen writing page that is sparse, simple, and made to force your brain to behave.

It has a black screen with green text to reduce eye strain, and nothing else that might cause you to look away from the words you are writing. It costs $9.99, but it practically pays for itself with the time you save. And time is money, as they say.

First Site Guide lists more writing tools you can find handy! That list is pretty impressive!

Writer

Want something a bit more thorough? Writer is another MacOS application that is also compatible with Apple and Android mobile and tablet devices.

It creates a clean, white page with black text, and has additional features like Night Mode and an integrated document library. It costs more as a consequence, at $19.99. But if you want Swipe Preview controls and device syncing on their own cloud, it is a great deal.

Blogo

Blogo

If you have WordPress and want to knock a few bucks off the price, Blogo is $14.99 and has many of the same features. You can moderate, reply to and delete comments, create shortcuts, and manage multiple blogs at once.

Plus the post scheduling, and image resizing/editing that could give it a real edge over other apps. It might still be a little too basic for some, but if you want a clean blogging platform that has plenty of functions, this should fit the bill nicely.

Todoist

Todoist is the tool I use most in both my personal and professional life. At first sight it is a basic to do list. But if you look deeper, it is a whole organizational system. Create projects and build task lists, giving them deadline, recurring dates, and priority. Set reminders, and sync across all devices.

I have a project set for content ideas, and build my editorial calendar right in the app so I can keep it organized with all other tasks. It is a real lifesaver, and the premium cost annually is peanuts.

SnagIt

SnagIt

This is one of my new favorite tools, even if it comes with a bit more of a price tag than I am used to paying. SnagIt is a screenshot and screencast capture app that lets you effortlessly create visual content to share with your readers. I make screencaps, infographics and tutorial videos, which can be edited and enhanced right there in the app.

It costs $49.95, with additional S&H if you choose to get a boxed copy as well as the digital download. But it is more advanced than free to cheaper screencapture tools, and more appropriate if you want to keep content at a pro level.

You can backup all your screenshots and screencasts either locally or in the cloud. The latter option is recommended by me personally because I am a fan of storing all my work in the cloud and access the database from my business trips, home, work, etc. You can learn more about cloud storage here.

Canva

Infographics are amazing, and they to this day provide me with the greatest traffic and social engagement of any other form of visual content I use. But man are they time consuming to create! I can spend literally weeks trying to create a thorough and high quality infographic with a lot of information, especially when presenting case studies alongside statistics.

At least it used to take that long, until I gave in and tried Canva. Originally I had thought all generator tools were pointless because they made cookie cutter content that would be less effective. But I was wrong; Canva is a fantastic tool that makes infographic creation faster and the results even higher quality.

You can even use it to create posters to decorate your workplace for more motivation and inspiration.

Toggl

Toggl

Finally, the most important way to remain productive is to properly manage your time. That means managing your breaks, as well. Toggl is a super simple time tracking tool that works on the Pomodoro technique.

You work for a stretch, then take a break. Work for another stretch, then take another break. It will make you more productive, and keep you from burning out.

Leechblock

If you need to write in a browser but want to block distracting websites, Leechblock is a pretty good option. It provides customizable controls that let you either block sites like Facebook and YouTube during times you should be working, or blocks them after you have spent a certain amount of time there.

As a self confessed addict who can get lost down the Reddit and YouTube rabbit holes on a daily basis, this has been an important productivity tool in my own life. It is available as a Firefox addon

StayFocusd

Similar to Leechblock, this is an extension for Chrome that works in much the same way. What makes it handy on its own is the ability to set the “Nuclear Option”. This will block all sites you have listed as restricted for a period of one or more hours, depending on your preferences.

You can also set it to not allow you to switch it off until the end of the block time, by not letting you access the extensions menu in your settings.

Desk PM

Desk PM won the Best App of 2014 award, and for good reason. You can write from the first note taking process to the publishing and monitoring step right from the app, with compatibility with several blogging platforms.

They have basic tools like word and character count that you would expect from any word processing tool, but with greater features such as post scheduling. At $19.99 it is a really impressive blogging tool. Especially given the high price tag for platforms dealing with high volume blogs.

Any tools to add to the list? Let us know in the comments!

Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Business Life, management

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