I am always being asked about the products & services I use for all things social including: creating videos, taking selfies & going live! I thought I'd share the Social Success Resources here with you.
I have tried many products & services & have only listed the very best here. As I continue to test new products the list may change.
To be completely transparent with you, some of the links are affiliate links. This means I have partnered with the company because I believe in the product & proudly endorse them, so I may receive a small fee if you buy the product or service. Of course, this is at no cost to you. 😉
If you have questions about any of these resources feel free to email me (erin@sociallypowered.com) or reach out on your favorite social media platform.
Email Marketing & List Building
AWeber: Run your business – leave the email marketing to AWeber.Powerfully-simple email marketing designed to help your small business grow – now for free. Price: FREE
GetResponse – This allows you to send an email newsletter, campaigns, online surveys, auto-responders, & host webinars! I've used other providers & GetResponse offers so much more for the price. Plus, if you use my link we both get $30 credit! It's a WIN-WIN! Price: $15/mo starting (FREE 30 day trial)
LeadPages – Create high-quality landing pages to help you convert viewers into subscribers or buyers. Best of all, it works with WordPress & non-WordPress sites. Price: $25/mo starting
Website & Blogging
WordPress: Every one of my sites is on WordPress at this point. What used to be just a great platform to write an online journal has grown up into a full-fledged content management system. Price: FREE!
OptimizePress: OptimizePress is amazing for internet marketers. The theme, which gives you ultimate control of building landing pages, sales pages, squeeze pages, etc. Price: $97
Google Adwords Tool: The basic tool for researching keywords for your AdWords campaigns. Price: FREE!
Google Analytics: Shows you everything you need to know about who visits your website, what they were viewing, where they came from, how long they stayed there, etc. Industry-standard. Price: FREE!
Google Optimizer: Imagine this: You have two identical pages. One with a green button. One with a red button. This will tell you which one people liked more. It's invaluable! Price: FREE!
Hostgator: A great option if you must pay monthly. They are the largest web hosting provider in the world. Make sure you get at least the “baby” or “business” plan, as the “hatchling” plan won't serve our purposes. (Business preferred. It's got everything we need for 12 bucks a month.) 1 Click WordPress Installs, 24/7/365 support, and their new Cloud Hosting makes them the best choice for your small?business. Price: $2.78/mo starting
Recommended Social Media Training
Social Media Manager School:Â If you have ever considered becoming a social media manager you will want to check out this school created by my friends Andrea Vahl & Phyllis Khare. School only opens 2 times per year in the Spring & Fall.
Andrea Vahl's Facebook Ads: Your step-by-step system for mastering Facebook Advertising. Facebook Advertising Secrets takes away the mystery and the magic and gives you a no-nonsense, zero-fluff step-by-step course to make sure you know:
- How to design a successful campaign (tailored to your business goals)
- How to design a great ad
- How to use the tools to the best of their capability
- How to bid competitively
The following courses are offered by my coaches: John & Nadya Melton! Learn from some of the best in the business!
Social Network Marketing Academy – Social Network Marketing Academy is a 5-module online course for new and experienced Network Marketers who want to build their business leveraging Facebook. Price: $197
Video Marketing Mastery – You'll Never Be Terrified Of Shooting Videos Again When You Discover This Tested And Proven Video Marketing Strategy That Will Build Your Audience Of Hungry Buyers. Price:?$67
Live Broadcasting Mastery – If you are a network marketer or an entrepreneur and you find yourself chasing prospects, convincing people to get started with your business or your product and you are ready to elevate your results, you must dress up your marketing! Price: $47
Social Media Management Tools
Agorapulse Managing social media has never been easier. Schedule your content, get reports, and engage followers with one simple tool. Check out Agorapulse today to grab those 2-free months after your initial 15-day trial with discount code erin2free Pricing: Starts at $79/mo
Planoly We’re free forever. Upgrade, downgrade or cancel any time. Find your perfect plan today! Spend less time scheduling posts & spend more time growing your business with Later. Join 3+ million users. 30 free posts a month. Build your brand. Track your efforts. Pricing: FREE
Lately – Be a Marketing Hero! Get hours of work done in less than 60 seconds. Say goodbye to spreadsheets, forever. Lately wrangles together social media scheduling, publishing, tasks, analytics and more across all your channels. Pricing: Starts at $229
Crowdfire – lets you manage your Twitter and Instagram accounts far more effectively by:
- Finding inactive users and your unfollowers – unfollow them if you wish to
- Finding relevant users to follow using our insightful Copy Followers feature
- Keeping track of how your social media updates affect your follower/unfollower stats
- Checking the relationship between any two Twitter/Instagram accounts and doing a whole lot more.
- PRICE: $9.99/mo
Trello – I use Trello as my content calendar for myself & clients. Makes it easy to share images & posts for approval. I also use Trello to keep track of links, branding colors, to-do's, & more. Price: FREE
Facebook – I recommend scheduling your posts directly on Facebook to reach more people versus using a management tool. All other platforms it's ok to use scheduling tools. Price: FREE
Virtual Assistants & Outsourcing Tools
Upwork – You can find people to help you with anything you need in your business virtual assistants, web designers, graphic design, & more!?Price: FREE to hire, but varies by freelancer
99Designs: Find and work with talented freelance designers online. I use 99Designs for logo & graphic design creation. It's important to find people you trust to do a good job & keep working with them. I recommend starting with a few small jobs to test them out & go from there. Price: FREE to hire, but varies by freelancer
Pixel Studio FX: Instantly create professional high converting eCovers in moments! Seriously, this is simplest drag & drop product I've found for creating eBook covers, software, & Kindle. Price: $67 for lifetime access the next few days, but then the price goes up to $47/month
Camtasia– I primarily use this to record my screen & provide instruction for processes, procedures, & training to my team & clients. Price: $99
Snagit – I use Snagit all day, every day for capturing images & adding comments, notes, etc. Price: $49.95
Dropbox – Great file sharing with team and clients Price: FREE
Google Drive – Another resource for sharing files with team and clients Price: FREE
Skype – Great way to communicate with people all over the world face-to-face. Plus you can screen share to show them exactly what you are talking about. Price: FREE
LastPass – This is great for storing & sharing passwords for your own business & for clients. Price: FREE
Business Tools
17Hats This software runs my business! I couldn't do it without 17Hats. I am able to meet with a potential new client, send them a proposal if they accept the proposal it automatically sends a contract to be signed & invoices with the option to pay immediately. In addition, it connects to your bank account for categorizing income & expenses & even exports to Quickbooks for your accountant. This software saves my life! Price: Varies based on pre-payment length
MileIQ Automatic detection. One-swipe classification. Mileage logging has never been easier. Make sure you are getting the most out of your tax deductions. Price: FREE
Storage:Â If you have an online business storing your digital information can be a challenge. Here is a great comparison list of cloud storage. Choose wisely!
Live Streaming Tools?
ATR2100 Microphone If you are new to live video & not ready to spend a fortune on the high-dollar microphones then this is what you want! For approximately $80 you can have a great sound when you are broadcasting. This has been recommended to me by many of the pros in the industry. It comes with a stand, but you may want to grab the stand below to make it easier to position the mic close to your mouth. Price: $79.99 approx
Microphone Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand – This stand attaches to your desk & allows you to position the mic where it needs to be – close to your mouth. The mic above comes with a stand, but you may find yourself bending over uncomfortably to get close enough to be heard. Price: $13.50
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 Self-expression knows no bounds with C920. Live Stream & Video chat on Skype in full HD 1080p or record vibrant true-to-life full HD 1080p video blogs. You can game stream, share, rant, rap, sing & dance live in high-definition 720p. Dual microphones ensure natural stereo sound, while a five-element glass lens and a precisely tuned autofocus allow you to be seen in amazing clarity and detail. Price: $55
Phone Accessories
Arkon 11″ Tripod Mount – I use an iPhone 11 PRO, but you can get an Arkon Tripod for any model of phone. I have tried other mounts & they have broken or fallen over or just plain failed. This is the best mount I've found. Plus, their VP at Arkon has a great name! Say hi to Aaron over there if you decide to order. Price: $19.95
Arkon TW Dual Tablet & Phone Broadcaster 29″ – This is the bomb dot com! Seriously – if you plan on live streaming from multiple devices this is a must-have. I use this with my iPhone & iPad Pro for Live Streaming to Facebook Live & Periscope. Arkon will also do custom if you need something else. Price: $99.95
Selfie Stick – The reason I love this is the Bluetooth capability. I had another one that was pretty flimsy & you had to plug it into the phone which was limiting & the button didn't always work. This selfie stick seems sturdier & the button works great. You may hate the selfie stick, but you have to admit it is nice to have one! Price: $11.99
Mini Lapel Microphone – Movo PM10 Deluxe Lavalier Lapel Clip-On Microphone – This is a must-have if you plan to record videos in the real world. You may get away with not using one if you are at home & it's quiet, but if you are outside, in a noisy place, in the public you really want a microphone. Just be sure you grab the adapter to make it work! Price: $17.95
Interview Microphone – Grab this Movo Interview Microphone if you plan on doing interviews with others. Saves you from passing the mic back & forth. Price: $39.95
Snappy Buddy – Let's you snap hands free! Must have if you want to be creative with your snap stories! Price: $17.95
Selfie LED Clip-on Ring Light?- Let's just say I LOVE this light! It has a variety of settings & the brightness is adjustable. Also, recharges using a USB dongle – which means no batteries! This light attaches to your phone & makes a huge difference if you are trying to take photos or videos at night. Price: $14.95 (discount if you use code ‘erincell')
On the Go!
External Portable Power Charger – USB Power Bank Charger – 7800mAh Ultra Slim – Two USB ports enable 2 devices to be charged simultaneously & can charge most large capacity devices 3 times! LED light sin indicates remaining power levels & a built-in flashlight. Though I haven't found a use for this yet! Price: $24.77
Anker PowerCore+ mini – I love this because it's Lipstick-Sized! So, it fits in my little purse for a night out with friends. Never end your night again wondering how you will call for Uber or Lyft because your phone is about to die. Price: $9.99
Car Mount – Easily mount your device to your air-vent. This has a thin heavy-duty magnet that slips behind your phone case & then connects magnetically to the air-vent using Magna-Snap technology. I have used other mounting devices & this is the best because you don't have to attach anything permanently to your phone or case. Price: $11.99
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