Table of Contents
I personally use these tools unless stated and their effectiveness has helped me tremendously staying connected on social media. My new followers have gained a substantial numbers which has generated an increase of traffic to my website.
There are so many tools out there to schedule our social media Tweets, Posts, Pins, and assist with our Photos to help get our content out to our followers. My goal is to show you 12 Effective Tools to help draw traffic to your website that I have found to work for me.
12 Effective Tools for the Social Travel Blogger
- Computer
- Hootsuite
- Crowdfire
- Tailwind App
- Canva
- Excel spread sheet by CoHost
- Lightroom Photo editing
- Adobe Photoshop
- Pintrest
12 Effect Tools for the Social Travel Blogger
Computer
Computer – There are so many choices out there on computers but chose one that offers what your looking for. I just started using an Apple Mac which I now can have all my information across all my devices for easy access. What a huge help. One can also get the extended technical support which has come very useful. I tend to do all my scheduling and work on my Computer and do individual posts or small posting with my phone or iPad.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite Scheduling Tool offers a free subscription which lets the user set up streams to keep up with 3 Social Media Feeds. The Social Media Feeds are Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pintrest to choose from. You get to decide which ones. Now, Pintrest is an app used with Hootsuite and will talk about later. You are able to schedule your posts with this tool.
I started my use with the free version of Hootsuite for Facebook, Twitter and Pintrest, but you can choose any 3 social media sites that work for you. I now have upgraded my Hootsuite to the paid plan after a 30 day trial. The Social Media used is Twitter, Facebook, Pintrest with the Tailwind App and now Instagram. More about the Tailwind App below.
Crowdfire
Crowdfire is a free subscription which lets you the user see your New Followers and Non Followers. Through this site you can click on the Follower then takes you to their twitter feed and you can decide whether to follow.
Once you decide to follow you have a welcome letter already generated which gets sent out to your new follower. The free subscription also gives you the option to un-follow non followers if you choose.
Tailwind App
Tailwind App is used in association with Hootsuite to schedule Pins on Pintrest.
All you need to do is look for the Tailwind App in the search box of Hootsuite page and then add. You can sign up for the free version which gives you only 100 pins to use and schedule your Pintrest Posts. You can find blogs you want to pin and it will send out at specific times that fits your profile. Once your 100 pins are finished you have the option to buy one of their subscription. (See below how to get a free month of Tailwind to try instead of just 100 pins)
On Pintrest my subscribers have increased since using the Tailwind App. Purchased a subscription and paid for the year in advance which also gave me 4 additional months and unlimited pins. With the paid subscription additional pins can be added to any day which has doubled my followers. I enjoy the ability to set up pins in advance and have the ability to move them around. Whats great is when you go to a blog and you see the pin sign hover around and the schedule box is there and then you schedule that blog for Pintrest.
With the Tailwind App you can log in to their page and sign in and view your analytics. See how your performing and can make changes there and also add more slot times for pinning. It is worth watching the videos on how to use.
*Instead of just the 100 pins to try out the Tailwind App, I can give you 1 free month of Tailwind. Just click the link and follow the directions. I do get a small credit for myself if you do click “Tailwind 1month“ but its a win win for us both. This is a wonderful app and I highly recommend it.
Canva
I just started using Canva to build my logo. It is a great tool and I suggest watching some videos on how to use this tool. I decided to purchase a subscription so I have the ability to download my logo as a transparency so I can use as a watermark on my photos. They have free templates, and free symbols, but If you want a certain logo they offer some for $1 for one use or $10 for multiple uses. You can upload your own but I just choose the multi-use logo and I was very happy with this program.
I was able to save my creations and download in jpeg or ping for transparency. I also use Canva to add some flare to my Pintrest Photos along with my logo to catch peoples attention. Great tool to use. Canva is still wonderful for building Pintrest photos. You do not have to upgrade to a paid subscription. I upgraded to be able to download a Transparency.
Hubspot by Buffer (Media Content Calendar).
I stumbled upon this Free Media Content Spread Sheet by Hubspot and it has been a life saver. I now have the ability to organize and can plan ahead. This is a template that you need to copy and paste then fill in your information. The templates include a montly calendar and template for all your social media outlets. With it being a template you can make your own changes.
Directions:
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- First all thats needed is to answer a few questions then you can Download the Excel Spread Sheet “Free Media Content Spread Sheet by Hubspot.
- I leave the original then copy and paste below it.
- Tabs for each social media with time slots. You can change up your template to what works for you.
- Calander to keep track of what your going to post that day.
- Content Template to keep track of your blogs.
This Hubspot spread sheet has been my lifesaver and has kept me organized and it is Free. All you need to do is answer a few questions then download the spreadsheet from Hubspot.
Lightroom
Lightroom is and image and editing and management tool for photos developed by Adobe which I find to be awesome. It’s not cheap but so worth it. If you’re a photographer you need all the bells and whistles this program has to offer.
Also gives you the chance to add your watermark. This is my go to for photo editing all my photos. Lightroom can be a little intimidating but they have videos on YouTube that I watch and are very helpful.
Adobe Photo Shop
Adobe Photo Shop is an editing and manipulating software for your photos. It has uses that range from full batch editing to creating detailed digital paintings and drawings. The cost is approximately $10 a month using the creative cloud. I have not tried this, if you use this tool please leave me a comment and tell me how you like it.
Pintrest
Pintrest is a place to save your favorite articles, photos, webpages to your home page. Your favorite items you want saved are saved as pins. The user can create multiply boards and have names and categorize the pins you save.
I have read that you pin 80% of others information and 20% of your own. Join Pintrest groups to help give your pins exposure and Facebook groups help too. The Free Business Pintrest Account is a great tool when you sign up that will give you analytics. I use the Tailwind App to schedule my pins to Pintrest on Hootsuite. Pintrest is a great way to draw traffic to your website.
Instagram is another free social media tool to help interact with followers. The key here is to have a good bio, post your photos, and make sure to give them good tags. Good rule of thumb is to follow others and make sure to like and comment.
Instagram is free , but I am now 1 week into using Instagram on my new trial Upgraded Hootsuite App to start setting up my posts. Due to the requirements on Instagram Hootsuite can not post directly. Hootsuite sends a reminder to your phone and then post is done manually. I do notice I am posting more photos and having more interaction, but still this is in my trial stage. Instagram is another Social Media Tool to help draw traffic to your website.
Twitter is also another free social media tool to help interact with other followers. I use Hootsuite to schedule my Tweets at certain times to get the most traffic. Make sure to interact with others on Twitter by re-tweeting their posts and making comments. Remember Twitter is real time live. There is also a Twitter App for your phone.
Lots of us use Facebook. There are different ways to use Facebook for your blogs and I like to keep my Business Facebook separate from my personal account. If you set a separate Business Facebook account it has the same log in as your personal. Also there are a little more bells and whistles and gives you a place to posts others content along with your own. Great way to promote you website. It is also easy to share content from one account to another.
To access my business only account on my iPhone and iPad I downloaded the Pages App which once signed in shows my Facebook Business Page only. I also downloaded the Facebook App for my personal page. Make sure to join Facebook groups that will help promote your website, pins and tweets and you can help others by promoting theirs.
Other – 12 Effective Tools for the Social Travel Blogger
These 12 Effective Tools for the Social Travel Blogger has worked very well for me. My goal is to work on scheduling ahead my tweets, posts and pictures. With these tools all you needs will be accomplished and you will have more time to Explore and Travel. Please make sure to leave me a comment as to your favorite and Effective Travel Blogging Tool.
For other effective tools read more on International Travel using Uber and Free Airport Apps for the traveler. Make sure to visit 1AdventureTraveler for great Travel Locations to visit, Travel Tips, Effective Tools and Adventure Photos.
Remember life is short go out and have an adventure.
Pin this for later!
Please have a look at the link up’s I’m participating in with #FollowMeFriday on Facebook. Here you will find fantastic adventures by other professional bloggers.
Useful list Steph, I do use most of them but do need to look into Hootsuite and Tailwind. I use Crowdfire to schedule tweets and its fine but would like to try the competition out to. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks David,
I agree there are lots of tools out there for travel bloggers. I do love using Hootsuite with the ability to schedule ahead of time. Let me know if you find another great product out there that works.
Happy Travels 🙂
Very useful! I´ve also been using Crowdfire for a while, but thanks for letting me know about Canva and Hootsuite! They could be super handy for us, bloggers!
Thanks Anna,
I find my favorite is Hootsuite so I can schedule my tweets in advance and see the feed of my other followers. Canva is free and very handy for photos to put your logo and get it ready for your blog. Crowdfire is very handy as you know. So many products out there. If you find another great tool please let me know so I can try!
Happy writing 🙂
Thank you for the tips. As a designer, I’ve always used photoshop. But lightroom is great for quick batch processing.
Thanks Siddharth and Shruti,
Hope the tool list is useful. I have yet to try photoshop but would like to try it out. I might break down and go for it to work on my photos.
Happy Travels 🙂
Great list. I use the paid version of Crowdfire for Twitter and am really happy with it. Would be interested in checking out Tailwind as I haven’t really figure out Pinterest yet.
Thanks Barry,
I also use the paid version of Crowdfire for Twitter. What do you use to schedule your tweets? Tailwind is great to schedule your Pintrest photos but it is not free. I do like how I can use it with hootsuite which is free.
Happy writing 🙂
What a great and informative article! Everyone sure seems to like tailwind, I have been thinking about this myself, but until I make money through my blog, I don’t really want to pay for it. I might however try hootsuite and that organising spreadsheet sounds great too! I use photoshop for every photo that has ever gone up on social media and it’s great. Have been experimenting for the last 11 years and PS! Photoshop has made the CS2 version free on their website. It’s the one I first learned on and it’s great for a free program!
Thanks Kreete,
I agree with you it is hard to justify paying for tailwind until you make money through your blog. I do love your idea on the Photoshop CS2 version free on their website. I will have to try that out and see if it worth the money since I have Lightroom. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Thanks so much for the detailed list. So hard to stay organized especially when your traveling. I still need to do Hootsuite though. There is much out there now it’s hard to know how much you should use besides the social media platforms. I pinned this to a Pinterest board for tips/bloggers.
Thanks Lisa,
It is hard to stay organized when traveling and when at home. I do like that most of those tools are free. Great to try out and see if they work. Happy to hear you pinned this to Pintrest. Still looking to see what others are using to stay organized.
Happy Travels 🙂
Hi Stephanie,
great list of tips and recommendations. I really need to automate some of my blogging activity – it takes up so much of my time. I’ll definitely check some of these out. Crowdfire may be what I’m looking for. Nice, informative, helpful post. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Raymond,
Scheduling posts ahead of time really gives you the free time you need. I am happy I started that process. Hootsuite is great for that. I also like my Crowdfire. What is a plus is that they are free.
Happy Writing 🙂
This is a comprehensive list, especially when you are starting out with building your social media presence. It would have been great if I had read this an year back when we were still learning the ropes. But really an effective mix of tools to get the most out of your blog.
I agree…wish I knew all these tools to make scheduling on social media so much easier when I first started travel blogging. Also most of it is free which is great for bloggers starting out. Hope this helps others starting out. 🙂
Happy Travels 🙂
This is brilliant information, Stephanie. Thanks for taking the time to put it in one spot. I’ll be referring back to it. I’ve just started using Hootsuite and it’s been helpful so I’ll get onto some of the others you’ve mentioned. Cheers!
Thanks Shona,
Glad this has helped and what I like it is all in one place. Hootsuite does so much and I’m still learning as I go as with all of these tools.
Happy Travels 🙂
Fab tips here! I really need to use Crowdfire so your information and insight has been really helpful. I should look into tailwind as well 😀 Hootsuite for me is #1, I do not know how I managed before, it’s crazy how much I rely on it! Pinned to my social media board! #feetdotravel
Thanks Angie,
I am with you Hootsuite is my #1 too. Crowdfire is okay but not always necessary. Tailwind is also wonderful and lets me schedule so many posts. Plus it is used with hootsuite. You could always do a trial.
Happy Travels 🙂
This is a really useful post. We use buffer to schedule tweets and it is a lifesaver. Being part of groups to really has helped our followers grow. Thanks for sharing. I have pinned for future reference. #feetdotravel
Thanks Paul and Carole,
I agree being apart of groups has been great and increased my followers. Glad you like Buffer, I almost started using that tool. Does Buffer do other social media outlets besides Twitter?
Happy Travels 🙂
Some great tips and advice there to make the life of a blogger much much easier. Scheduling is so important and becomes a life saver when juggling social media and a day job too! Really useful and I am going to look into Tailwind as well as Hubspot. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Alexei,
Keeping organized has helped alot. Especially with the free template from Hubspot. I hated spending money on Tailwind but I must admit my followers has increased. What I like is that ability to add your own times. I am trying it out for Instagram now but still not sure.
Happy Travels…
I just started using Canva for Pinterest pins, it’s amazing. I’ve been meaning to start on Hootsuite and I’ll be taking a look into Hubspot. I love all the resources available– thank you for sharing!
Thanks Scarlett & family,
Yes, I agree Canva is amazing for Pintrest pins. Free Hootsuite is great as a scheduling tool and the Free Excel Template from Hubspot really keeps me organized. Let me know how you like Hootsuite once you have started…
Happy Travels….
Great post with a lot of useful information. I am using most of the tools that you mentioned, I recently started my free trial with Tailwind which is great but I am not sure if I will upgrade after this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Oana,
Glad to hear you are using some of these free effective tools. As for Tailwind it was hard for me to dish out the money for the upgrade but it helped in scheduling all my pins. Glad your trying it out. Let me know how it works for you.
Happy Travels….
Great tips! We love some of these, especially Lightroom – since we started using it we haven’t used another editing software. Love Adobe capture and draw too!
Thanks UncoverTravel,
I love my Lightroom too. I have yet to use Adobe but that is on my list 🙂
Ooooo I need that spreadsheet in my life!! I also really need to sort a logo to add to my photographs I use canva for Pinterest but will check it out for a logo. Then I will need to take a look at lightroom which has been on my list for a while! Really useful post thank you!!
Thanks Tracy,
Glad you found the list helpful 🙂 Most of them are free which is nice. That spread sheet Excel Template from Hubspot is my life saver. It helped me get organized. Lightroom I am still watching videos so I can use all its functions.
Happy Travels 🙂
Thanks for compiling all of this info! Should be helpful to a lot of us who are just starting out, and probably some old pros, too. 🙂
Thanks Laura,
I am always looking for ways to drive traffic to my blog. Happy to share the things I have found. What I like most is that some of them are Free.
Happy Travels 🙂
Lots of great tips Stephanie, Phil likes Hootsuite too because we can plan lots of things in advance, I do all the photo editing for our blog and love Lightroom for editing and grading raw pics and finally use Photoshop to crop them to size
Thanks Garth,
Hootsuite is my ultimate favorite. I still want to try photoshop but for now using upgraded Canva. Need to get the other half to splurg for Photoshop. 🙂 I do love my Lightroom for editing.
Happy Travels 🙂