Resources

Awesome Content Strategy Resources

A curated list of awesome tools, resources, and insights for anyone promoting a business, or helping someone who is.

Awesome Content Strategy Resources

Are you making content for yourself or your clients? Are you having a hard time deciding which tools are best for you, your clients, and your budgets? Finding good tools that are also affordable has only gotten harder as "the market" has become more saturated. To help with that, I've put together this curated list of tools I've used over the years and still like for one reason or another, inspired by a similar list compiled by the /r/selfhosted community on Reddit.

At some point, I'd like to elaborate on why each item made my list, but for now I think it's more useful to get this into the hands of people who might benefit from being aware of just how many options there are at their disposal for each of the categories below.

Not sure where you should start based on where you are in your business? Shoot me a message and, in the spirit of the old internet where people actually helped each other, I'll do my best to point you in the direction that's best for you!

Contents

Analytics Tools

  1. Google Analytics - Track and report website traffic.
  2. Hotjar - Visualize how users interact with your site.
  3. Tableau Public - Free version of Tableau for advanced analytics and visualization.
  4. Mixpanel - User analytics for mobile and web.
  5. Heap - Automatically captures every user action.
  6. Matomo - Open-source web analytics platform.
  7. Simple Analytics - Privacy-friendly analytics tool.
  8. Clicky - Real-time web analytics.
  9. Fathom - Simple, privacy-focused website analytics.
  10. GoAccess - Open-source web log analyzer and viewer.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

  1. WordPress - Highly customizable platform with numerous plugins.
  2. Joomla - User-friendly CMS with powerful extensions.
  3. Drupal - Great for complex, advanced, and versatile sites.
  4. Ghost - Minimalist CMS designed for simplicity and speed.
  5. Hugo - Fast and flexible static site generator.
  6. Jekyll - Simple, blog-aware static site generator.

SEO Tools

  1. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools - Free SEO tools for website analysis.
  2. Ubersuggest - Free keyword research tool.
  3. SEMrush - Comprehensive toolkit for digital marketers.
  4. Yoast SEO - Plugin to optimize your WordPress SEO.
  5. Moz - SEO software for smarter marketing.
  6. Screaming Frog - SEO spider for advanced SEO audits.
  7. Google Search Console - Free tool to monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results.
  8. SERPstat - Growth hacking tool for SEO, PPC, and content marketing.
  9. AnswerThePublic - Free visual keyword research and content ideas tool.
  10. Keyword Tool - Free keyword research tool.

Content Writing and Creation Tools

  1. Grammarly - Enhance your writing quality.
  2. Hemingway Editor - Make your writing bold and clear.
  3. Scrivener - A powerful tool for long writing projects.
  4. Evernote - Organize your work and declutter your life.
  5. Notion - All-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases.
  6. Cliché Finder - Find and replace clichés in your writing.
  7. ProWritingAid - Grammar checker and style editor.
  8. WriteFreely - Open-source platform for creating and sharing writing.
  9. Typora - A minimalist Markdown editor.

Graphic Design Tools

  1. Canva - User-friendly graphic design tool with templates.
  2. GIMP - Open-source image editor.
  3. Inkscape - Free and open-source vector graphics editor.
  4. Krita - Open-source painting and sketching tool.
  5. Vectr - Free graphics editor.
  6. Piktochart - Create infographics, presentations, and prints.
  7. Snappa - Create online graphics in a snap.
  8. Gravit Designer - Free vector design app.
  9. Lunacy - Free graphic design software for UI/UX.
  10. SVG-Edit - Open-source SVG editor.

Video Creation Tools

  1. OpenShot - Open-source video editor.
  2. Shotcut - Open-source, cross-platform video editor.
  3. DaVinci Resolve - Color correction and non-linear video editing.
  4. Kdenlive - Open-source video editor.
  5. Avidemux - Free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering, and encoding tasks.
  6. Blender - Open-source 3D creation suite.
  7. Lightworks - Professional video editing software with a free version.
  8. HitFilm Express - Free video editing and VFX software.
  9. OBS Studio - Open-source software for video recording and live streaming (EposVox Tutorials).
  10. VLC Media Player - Free and open-source multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files.

Social Media Management Tools

  1. Hootsuite - Manage all your social media in one place.
  2. Buffer - Simplify your social media posting.
  3. TweetDeck - Manage and monitor Twitter timelines.
  4. Later - Plan and schedule your Instagram posts.
  5. SocialBee - Social media management tools to help you save time.
  6. MeetEdgar - Schedule and automate your social media posts.
  7. SocialOomph - Productivity tool for social media management.
  8. Zoho Social - Social media management platform for growing businesses.

Educational Resources

  1. HubSpot Academy - Free online training for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service professionals.
  2. Copyblogger - Content marketing and copywriting courses.
  3. Content Marketing Institute - Offers training programs, online events, and a variety of resources.
  4. MarketMuse - AI content research and optimization platform.

Blogs and Newsletters

  1. Contently’s Strategist - Insights on content strategy, storytelling, and brand health.
  2. Neil Patel’s Blog - Digital marketing and content hacks.
  3. The Moz Blog - SEO and marketing blogs by industry experts.
  4. Animalz Blog - High-quality content marketing insights.
  5. The Copyhackers Blog - All about copywriting and conversion rate optimization.
  6. Content Marketing Institute Blog - The latest in content marketing and strategy.
  7. HubSpot Blog - Marketing, sales, agency, and customer success content.
  8. Orbit Media Studios Blog - Content marketing, SEO, web design, and analytics.
  9. MarketingProfs Blog - Marketing advice and insights.
  10. Convince & Convert Blog - Digital marketing advice and insights.

Books

  1. "The Marketing Agency Blueprint" by Paul Roetzer - The handbook for building hybrid, performance-driven agencies. The handbook for building hybrid, performance-driven agencies. If I could only recommend one "business" book to creative business owners of all shapes and sizes, this is the one.
  2. "Killing Marketing" by Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose
  3. "Content Strategy at Work" by Margot Bloomstein - Real-world stories and activities for building a successful content strategy.

Communities

  1. Reddit’s r/content_marketing - Discussions about content marketing and strategy.
  2. Content Marketing World - The largest content marketing event in the world.
  3. Indie Hackers - Community of developers and entrepreneurs sharing insights.
  4. Women in Content Strategy - Facebook group supporting women in content strategy. I'm not there for obvious reasons but I hear good things.