Blogging is becoming an increasingly popular component of many companies’ marketing strategies. Blogs are a great platform to increase brand awareness, share your vision and values, position you as an expert, and generate leads. For some it may be a struggle to create blogs often; running out of blog topics, procrastination, lack of motivation and inspiration, etc. are usually the prime culprits. I’ll be honest and say that there are times that I wish my blog could write itself! I have often wondered if there was anything that existed to assist me with my blogging process. I decided to conduct some research and I found a few great tools to help you become a better blogger!

1. Evernote: If you’re someone who enjoys writing on-the-go or likes to jot down random ideas, this is the program for you. Evernote essentially allows you to create virtual notebooks that can be synced and accessed across devices. I use Evernote on my iPhone primarily to store blog topic ideas/titles and then categorize them using Evernote’s tagging system. Evernote is much more advanced than the common note apps available on mobile devices as you can create sub notebooks, add photos, scan and categorize business cards, and more. Best of all, the basic version of the program is free!
2. HubSpot Blog Topic Generator: I’ve only recently stumbled upon this tool, but it is excellent for when you’re having difficulty thinking of new blog topics. Simply visit the website, enter up to 3 keywords, and the algorithm generates a week’s worth of blog topics for you.
3. Twitter Trending Topics: If you ever want to blog about a current #trending topic, then login to Twitter and view the “Trending” section on your homepage. If you want to write about a topic closer to home, simply press “change” to display Trending topics by a geographical area of your choosing.
4. WordCounter.net: Everyone at the office uses this helpful little tool. You can either copy/paste your blog to get some stats about your post (number of words, reading level, reading time, etc.), or simply type your blog directly on the website. Personally, I would choose the former to ensure that you save your blog as you write. One of my favourite features on this website is the ability to set writing goals for yourself based on time or number of words. Sometimes it’s just easier to clear your mind and power write in small bursts without worrying about spelling or grammar. You’ll be notified on your screen once your goal has been met.
5. Hemingway: Another great alternative to WordCounter.net is Hemingway Editor. This proofreading tool will highlight/colour-code any complex words or phrases, run-on sentences, and instances where you have used a passive voice or adverbs too many times. Hemingway won’t necessarily give you suggestions on how to edit all types of errors, but it is great practice to rework your text in order to improve upon your writing style.
6. Keyword Planner: Once you’re done creating your blog, it’s important that people actually find and read it! To use this tool, simply visit the website, and enter a few keywords that relate to your blog. The results will indicate how popular these keywords are according to Google, and even provide you with suggestions of related keywords.

I hope these tools can help you overcome any challenges you may face when blogging. If you have any suggestions or tips that help you when writing, feel free to share them in a comment below!