My Top 5 Picks – Plugins, Web Apps, Posts & More

After I sent out my first email with my ‘Top 5 Picks’ a couple weeks ago it hit me like a ton of bricks that this needs to be a blog post… not just an email (duh!.. kind of funny considering I’ve been obseessed with content, content strategy and content marketing! Oh well. At least I caught it early).

These posts will include WordPress plugins, web apps, posts, podcasts, graphics… you name it. I have a knack for finding cool things and if I think it might help you, then I’m going to share it! Keep in mind I may also include things I find amusing or bring a smile to my face. Why? Because I can. And it’s fun. 

O.K., let’s get into this weeks Top 5 Picks!

Booking.io (web app):
What it is: A booking tool for your website. You can customize it, link it to Google calendar and create a widget you can embed on your website. I don’t publish a booking calendar on my site and use something else for scheduling appointments, but I love how this looks and how easy it is to use.
[button url=”http://booking.timekit.io/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#e05455″ size=”6″ radius=”5″]Check out Booking.io[/button]

Visual Hunt (web app):
What it is: Another awesome resource for finding great free photos for your content! Blog posts, social media, presentations… you name it. There’s a great collection of photos that you haven’t seen on other sites (some pretty amazing photos… I’ve downloaded some I have no idea what I’ll use them for, but they’re pretty!).
[button url=”http://visualhunt.com/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2f90a1″ size=”6″ radius=”5″]Check out VisualHunt[/button]

Snappa (web app):
What it is: I probably need to do a video to do Snappa justice, but I’ll do my best for you here. Snappa is an online graphic design tool that makes it SUPER easy to create blog posts, social media images… anything you can think of (or need an image for). Snappa has two different pricing plans. Free & $15/a month (you gotta love things that give you the opportunity to use the tool free while you get comfortable with it).
[button url=”https://snappa.io/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#95aa4d” size=”6″ radius=”5″]Try out Snappa[/button]

Ignite Feedback (WordPress Plugin):
What is is: It seems that with every new tool I find there seems to be another cool little pop-up question option (support, customer service, survey, optin) that appears (have you noticed this too? I’ll have to dig a little deeper because there’s one in particular I’ve noticed when I log into some of these tools). Anyways, if you’d like to give a chat option a try on your site, I found this WordPress Survey plugin called ‘Surveys by IgniteFeedback’. I haven’t tested this yet (and I might since I just changed the theme on my site…. get some feedback from people. hmm…).
[button url=”https://wordpress.org/plugins/surveys-by-ignitefeedback/” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#e05455″ size=”6″ radius=”5″]Download IgniteFeedback[/button]

Advertise on Instagram – Complete Guide (Post)
What it is: The title is pretty self explanatory, but this is a post over at Social Media Examiner. There’s no mistaking that as Facebook ad costs are rising, people are looking for additional advertising methods. I think we’re going to see a huge increase in Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter ads in 2016 as people get more comfortable testing these platforms and start getting a return (yes, I have a crystal ball and can predict these things… if only. Just my humble opinion). I know I’ll be testing each of these (one at a time) and will let you know how it goes. Here’s a great article on getting started with Instagram ads.
[button url=”http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-advertise-on-instagram-a-complete-instagram-ads-guide/?” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#2f90a1″ size=”6″ radius=”5″]Read about Instagram Ads[/button]

So, there you have it!

My Top 5 Picks for November 30th!
I’m thinking about doing a monthly roundup of these in a PDF and sent via email, so let me know if this is something you’d be interested in.

If you have something you’d like me to share or submit as a Top 5 Pick, just email me: kim@thewphick.com