4 Recommended Content Writing Apps for the Home Business

Here are my recommended writing apps for the home-based business. There are many good writing apps available for creating good content. In this article, I want to emphasize that I am writing with a home-based business in mind. If you have a home-based business, the odds are that you are the only employee. You are the owner, CEO, CFO, copywriter, secretary, and a few of your titles. The point is that writing content may not be one of your primary skills. But content writing is a must for any business. Writing website content, promoting products, or writing proposals are examples. And yet, if you are like me, writing clear and grammatically correct sentences is not in the skill set.

So what are you to do? No doubt you will do as I did - go looking for help. So I am sharing with you some of the fruit of my effort. Two of the apps I'm recommending in this blog are apps found in my toolbelt of necessary apps. Others come from research results.

Grammarly:

Grammarly is my primary writing tool. As its name suggests, it monitors grammar. The free version scans grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If you step up to the Premium version, for $12 per month, you will also get:

- Clarity-focused sentence rewrites - Automatically rewrite hard-to-read sentences.- Tone adjustments- Eliminates unnecessary qualifiers to sound more confident.- Inclusive language - Assure your words are respectful and current- Word choice - Find vivid words to enliven each message- Formality level - Write with the appropriate tone (formal, informal, casual, and so on)- Fluency - Ensure your word choice sounds natural and fluent

My writing puts each of these features to work. Giving Grammarly a whirl was a no-brainer for me. I started with the free version and soon recognized I needed extra help. So I upgraded to Premium.

You can work online with Grammarly or install the desktop version. The desktop version will work inside your writing apps. As you use your word processors or email clients, Grammarly is there to help.

The Premium version uses a browser plugin known as the editor. The editor gives a more comprehensive experience. I will use the desktop version in my first draft when I'm writing a publication. Next, I copy and paste the content into the editor to check clarity, engagement, and plagiarism.

If content writing is not a natural skill for you, this is hard work. But the outcome will be worth it. The more you use it, the more you begin to recognize your errors on your own.

As a disclaimer, I should add that Grammarly will not create engaging content. That is on you.

Check Out Grammarly

Hemingway App:

Some think of Hemingway App as a competitor to Grammarly. I have seen some reviews arguing about which is best. Such approaches miss the point of each app, though. Whether one app is better depends more on the user's needs. Each app has different emphases. I have already described Grammarly as having grammar, spelling, and punctuation emphases. The Premium version expands to include clarity, tone, word choice, and other features.

In contrast, Hemingway App concentrates on readability. It will rate your use of adverbs, passive voice, and simple phrases and sentences. Since I need considerable help in writing, I use Hemingway App alongside Grammarly. So I start by writing a draft in Evernote using Grammarly. I allow it to check my grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Then I copy the draft into Grammarly Editor to pick up on clarity, tone, word choice, and fluency. Before I found Hemingway App, my writing task was complete at that point.

I copied a finished text into the editor when I first tried Hemingway. Remember, this text had already been through two drafts with Grammarly. The result shocked me. My writing masterpiece was full of adverbs, passive voice, and complex sentences. I had some hard work ahead determining how to reword these complex sentences. How was I to remove the unwanted wording? At a one-time cost of only $19.99, adding Hemingway Desktop to my toolbelt was well worth the price.

Hemingway includes more than writing features. It also has HTML formatting such as bold, italic, H1, H2, quote, bullets, and links. So after cleaning up your content, you can prepare it for viewing in four different formats. Or you can publish it to WordPress.

What are your writing needs? Is it related to grammar or readability? Knowing this will help you know which app is best for you. Both apps are available for use without cost. You can take trial runs without making a commitment.

I hope this information will help you in choosing.

Check Out Hemingway App

Verblio:

Another content writing resource for you is Verblio. It is a much different alternative from the two already discussed. Verblio's self-description says, "On-demand content creation to power digital marketing and SEO." As this description suggests, Verblio is an on-demand content creation service. This on-demand service can be an excellent solution for the home-based business owner. If you don't have the time or don't like to write, you can have a writer on retainer at less cost.

So how does this work? There is a monthly fee based on the size and number of content pieces you want each month. First, decide the length of content pieces you want. Do you want a microblog post or website content with no more than 300 words per piece? Your cost per piece will be $34.95. But what if you wish to have content for short blog posts, newsletters, or website Content? You could need as many as 600 words at $69.95 per piece. Should your need be for Blog Posts, eBook Chapters, or even more Website content, you could be up to 1,000 words per piece. Your cost will be $119.95 per piece.

Verblio has content categories of up to 2,000 words per piece and beyond that, check for custom lengths. You get the point. It is more affordable than having a content writer on staff.

But that's not all. You can also sign on for extra services. It breaks down like this:

- Basic - This level of service is for content only. There is no regular monthly fee. You are paying for each content piece.- Photo - Photo service adds $19.95 to the cost of your content piece. For this, you receive two hand-selected stock photos per content piece.- Optimize - Optimize gives you proofreading, CMS formatting, and SEO optimization. This service costs $39.95, and the cost of your content piece.- Verblio Complete - Verblio Complete moves you into a completely new dimension. You will pay $149.95 for this service and the cost of your piece. The bottom line is that Verblio will pair you with a "Hubspot," who is your account manager. This person will manage the whole project for you.

There is one more option. The list above is for pay-by-the-piece services. But if you need regular monthly content of a more lengthy nature, you can choose to pay a monthly fee. For https://www.verblio.com/ instance, you can get four 1,000-word pieces with optimization included. This cost is $639.60 per month. Pay by the year, and you will save over $1,200.

Check Out Verblio

Sqribble:

As I introduce you to Sqribble, I will take you in another direction from where I started in this blog. We haven't left the topic of content writing. But we are no longer suggesting apps or services that help you write with clarity or to use correct grammar. Sqribble is about how to deliver your content. This app is an eBook creator. As a home-based business owner, you may have never considered producing an eBook. So I should start with why you might want to do so.

As business owners, we are always trying to expand our customer base. Why do you create content even though you may not enjoy it?

Is it not because of your need to reach out to new and old customers? Publishing an eBook is another way to do this with effectiveness. Here are a few reasons why:

- You might want to publish an ebook because it effectively promotes your product(s). How are you doing it now? An attractive flyer? A brochure? A webpage? Email? An eBook can contain the same content, be as attractive, and you can share it with ease. Offer it with a link in an email promotion or on a webpage. Once it is in the hands of a potential customer, they can open it on any mobile device for viewing.- eBooks can help attract new leads. Offer it in an email or website as a free item in exchange for a person's email address. Besides building your contact list, you add contacts interested in what you sell.- An eBook can be a marketable product. Add it to your products for sale. The use of eBooks is on the rise.

In the world of eBook creation, I am recommending Sqribble. If you do an internet search for eBook designers, you will get many results. A large number of these will say they are free. But when you go to their website, you will see a menu tab for pricing - a good clue that they are not free. Sure enough, they are not. A free version is available but with limited options. Then there will be 3-4 paid versions with monthly charges. Often a free version of an app will give you all you need for a particular tool. You must ask yourself if a free version of one of these eBook designers will provide all you need.

Next, you will want to determine what end product you will get with a particular designer. Often the 'designer' converts your PDF file to a flipbook or EPUB file. Is this what you want? And is it the outcome for which you are paying?

In your internet search results, you will see comparisons between Designrr and Sqribble. Why these two? Designrr has been the leading eBook designer for the past 2 to 3 years. Sqribble has arrived on the scene with competing features and values. In these comparison articles or videos, writers have drawn different conclusions. Some prefer Designrr, and others prefer Sqribble. Here are the main reasons I recommend Sqribble:

• Better template design choices: Designrr and Sqribble use templates for their eBook designs. Select a template, import your content, click create, and your eBook is born. It is a simple, straightforward approach. I find Sqribble's templates to offer a wider variety and more attractive selection.
• Free Content: Both eBook creators give several options to import content. These include file upload, copy/paste, and import from web pages. Only Sqribble has the option to provide ready-made content. This content comes from various topics and is free without copyright issues. They have researched for you.
• Better Value: The reason I find most compelling in favor of Sqribble is its value. Designrr has four plans starting at $29 per month and going up to $99 per month. Each has a seven-day free trial period. Sqribble offers a one-time fee of $67. While there is no trial period, the risk is low. You can find sale prices for less. Once you sign up for Sqribble, you will see extra features, but each will have a one-time cost. After a year of Designrr on the $29 plan, you will have paid $348. You may not need to design an eBook every month, but you still pay for the service.

Check Out Sqribble

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5 Social Media Manager Apps for Small Businesses

As a home business owner, you know that staying connected with your community is critical. But with so many moving parts to your marketing campaigns, it can be tough to keep up. That’s where social media management apps come in.

We’ve rounded up five social media management apps you can rely on to keep you engaged and connected with your community.

1. TweetDeck

TweetDeck is a third-party platform that streams tweets according to the way you want them. If you’re unaware of Tweetdeck, it is a free scheduling tool specifically for Twitter. Originally an independent app, TweetDeck was subsequently acquired by Twitter Inc. and integrated into Twitter’s interface.

As you can imagine from the name and that Twitter owns it, TweetDeck is primarily an app for Twitter. But it does have a limited number of Facebook functions. These include being able to post to your Facebook Page, but it doesn’t offer tools for managing any of the content or making any changes to your account. The same can be said for TweetDeck and LinkedIn.

To use TweetDeck, log into your Twitter account and navigate to https://tweetdeck.twitter.com. The app will load with your Twitter content filling four columns: Home, Notifications, Messages, and Trending. Additional columns such as List, Collections, Likes, Mentions, Followers, etc., can be set.

Using various columns, you can track what others are saying about you, providing updates through links, videos, sharing photos, and tweeting.

2. HootSuite

Hootsuite is one of the market’s most popular social media management apps. With it, you can manage all your social media accounts in one place, track brand mentions, schedule posts, and more. It’s an excellent tool for busy home business owners who want to stay connected with their followers and customers.

Through HootSuite’s dashboard, groups may collaboratively schedule updates to WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks through mobile, desktop, or web platforms. Teams additionally may track industry trends and campaign results.

HootSuite is fully integrated with most social networks, allowing you to manage your activities on a simple dashboard for your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn accounts. The app has a simple, intuitive dashboard with advanced workplace filters. Some other features of Hootsuite include:

- A Wise guide. It shows you how to schedule a post, add a social network, check keywords/mentions, and share content using Hootlet and social media networks.- Social media courses where you can learn the basics of social media marketing.- Hootsuite forums allow one to connect your Facebook or Twitter page to this forum.

Pricing Plans:

- Free Plan - You can monitor two social media accounts with this plan. It allows one user, five scheduled messages, and a publishing calendar.- Professional Plan - Cost is $49/month. Allows one user, ten social accounts, unlimited scheduled messages, plus several additional features.- Team Plan - Cost is $179/month. This plan adds several features, but the main details you will notice are the number of users and social accounts that are allowed. This plan enables three users and 20 social accounts.- Business Plan - Cost is $739/month. Allows five users, 35 social accounts, and several additional

 features.

3. Audiense

The Audiense platform makes it easy to analyze your community and take actions that will help you grow. You can clearly understand what’s going on in the Twitterverse and manage communities more effectively than ever with actionable data at every turn - all while saving valuable time!

If you want a tool that will help grow your following and keep people engaged, then Audiense is the perfect social media management application. Key features include targeting individuals based on their interests or demographics; crafting engaging content for those interested in specific topics that matter most to them - all while monitoring analytics so Twitter can give feedback about how well it’s working!

The Audiense tool can be used with your Hootsuite or Buffer account to offer analytic reports that will help you tailor SM campaigns. Here are eight favorite features of Audiense:

• - Famous Followers – With Audiense, you can tap into the robust social networks of your “famous” followers.
• - New Followers – There are many ways to sort through your new follower list, but one of the most useful is by followdate. Find out when they were favored or active last and start following them then!
• - Inactive Friends – Why are you still following that person? They haven’t posted anything in ages! Unfollow and start following people who share your interests.
• - Search All Twitter when List Building – You can now search through your followers, friends, or all of Twitter to build lists more efficiently than ever!-
•   Not Following You Back– If your new friends don’t follow back after two weeks, it’s time to ditch them. But keep in mind that Twitter monitors your follower: friend ratio by limiting the number of “friends” on an account and will ban anyone who has too many followers yet doesn’t engage with those following them regularly enough!
• - Follower Bio Tag Cloud – You can use this technique to find the keywords that appear most frequently in your followers’ bios. This will make it easier to stay on top of what people care about!
• - Advanced Search Among Friends or Followers – The advanced search feature will allow you to determine who is connected with your account. You can use keywords, locations, or friends and family members’ names to learn more about them!
• - Analyze Your Lists – This is a big-time saver. No more clicking through one connection after another, just bulk actions to eliminate useless stuff instantly!

Pricing Plans:

• - Free 
• - Basic analytics and community search.
• - Twitter Marketing 
• - $39/month. Advanced Community Analytics, Tweet Analytics, Data Exports, Advanced Audience Manager, community search, Broadcasting DM Campaigns, Twitter Ads
• - Audience Insights - $696/month. I will not list the features of this plan since it is not likely of interest to the home business owner.

4. Sprout Social

Sprout Social is yet another social media management tool much like Hootsuite. It offers the ability to manage multiple channels all in one place. An important feature that sets this social media tool apart is the inbox. All your messages and opportunities for engagement will arrive in one place, whereas Hootsuite displays messages in columns.

Here is a further comparison of Sprout Social with Hootsuite:

• - Bulk Scheduling 
• - Offered by both
• - Platform Certification & Training 
• - Offered only by Hootsuite
• - Social CRM 
• - Offered only by Sprout Social
• - Chatbots 
• - Offered only by Sprout Social
• - Optimize Send Times 
• - Offered by both

The Add Keyword option is another powerful feature. Adding your keyword here lets you keep track of all your brand mentions. Sprout Social also offers excellent analytics service. In the report section, you can monitor and create reports on engagement, team performance, trends, etc.

Sprout Social has three membership tiers to choose from. You can start with a free 30-day trial and later upgrade to one of the following:

• - Standard 
• - $89/user/month (when paid annually). You get:
• - 5 social profiles
• - All-in-one social inbox
• - Monitor and engage with messages across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
• - Publish, schedule, draft, and queue posts
• - Social content calendar
• - Review management
• - Profiles, keywords, and locations monitoring
• - Tasking and social CRM tools
• - Group, profile, and post-level reporting
• - Paid promotion tools to boost Facebook posts
• - Professional 
• - $149/user/month (when paid annually). 

You get:

- 10 social profiles

- Everything in Standard, in addition to:- Competitive reports for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter- Incoming and outgoing message content tagging- Custom workflows for multiple approvers and steps- Scheduling for optimal send times- Response rate and time analysis reports- Trend analysis for Twitter keywords and hashtags- Paid social reporting for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn- Advanced - $249/user/month (when paid annually). You get:- 10 social profiles- Everything in Professional, in addition to:- Message Spike Alerts for increased message activity- Digital asset and content library- Chatbots with automation tools- Saved and suggested replies- Inbox rule builder for automated actions- Automated Link Tracking- Set up rules to automatically add link tracking to links posted in Sprout, helping you better identify your social traffic.

5. Buffer

How would you like to manage five social platforms with just one tool? With Buffer, this is possible. You can schedule posts and share content on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, and App.net as if it’s child’s play.

Buffer is a social media management tool that makes sharing content across your social media channels easy. You can create a schedule for sharing content, and Buffer will automatically post it at the right time. Buffer also offers a variety of tools to help you analyze your social media performance and track how well your content is performing.

You can run your marketing campaigns using Buffer’s scheduling tool from a centralized dashboard. Then measure your social media performance in real-time and adjust your key performance indicators on the go. 

According to Buffer users, the best thing about the app is the visual content plan editor, which allows you to add images with custom URLs. Its analytics feature also gets high marks.

There is more than one way to use this tool. You can share and post content by adding a browser extension or using a tablet or Smartphone application. You can also visit their site to schedule the content.

Pricing Plans:

- Free:- Manage up to three channels. - Basic publishing tools- Landing page builder- Essentials: $5/mon/per channel- Planning & publishing tools- Analytics tools- Engagement tools- Landing page builder
- Team: $10/mon/per channel- Essentials features, plus:- Unlimited team members & clients- Draft collaboration tools- Easy, clear exportable reports- Agency: $100/month/10 channels- Team features, plus:- Custom access & permissions- Agency-friendly pricing

Conclusion:

Whether you’re looking for a more streamlined way to manage your social media or want to get more involved with your online community, these five social media management apps will help keep you connected. Have you tried any of them? What was your experience? Let us know in the comments below!

Let us know of other topics you wish we would address. While you’re at it, why not sign up to receive our blog in your inbox?

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6 Steps to Building A Website for Your Small Business

Introduction

You need a website to promote your business but can't afford to pay someone to build it for you. What are you to do? Your first option is to recognize it is unnecessary to be an expert web developer to build your website. Read on to learn six critical steps to building a website. We will point you toward some of the needed resources along the way.

Research the type of website and features you need 

When you're ready to build a website, the first step is to do your research. There are many different types of websites, and it's crucial to pick the one that's right for you. You'll need an eCommerce website to sell products or services. If you're a blogger or writer, you'll need a site that's easy to update and add new content. And if you're promoting a brand or business, you'll need a professional site that's easy to navigate.

Once you've figured out what website you need, the next step is determining what features are important to you. Do you need a shopping cart? A contact form? A blog? A newsletter sign-up? Take some time to figure out what you need, and then start looking for a web builder with all the features you need.

Select a Web Builder and Web Host

Once you have determined the type of website you need and some of its requirements, the next step will be to assess your web builder. Here I'm referring to the application you will use to build the site. Knowing what web builder you will use will help you decide on a web host.

A web host is a service that leases storage space on its servers. Web servers have software specific for connecting or broadcasting websites to the internet. You will need a web host to make your website available on the internet. The amount of storage space and bandwidth required will determine the service's cost. 

As suggested above, a site with a shopping cart will be more data-driven than one primarily used for blogging. Therefore, the shopping cart will use more bandwidth than the blog.

While storage and bandwidth are factors to consider when selecting a web host, your web builder will be another factor.

In its article, "10 Best Website Builders for Small Business: Compared for 2022," WebsiteBuilderExpert recommends these five web builders for small businesses:

- Wix– Best small business website builder.- Squarespace– Best for building your brand.- GoDaddy– Best for businesses that need to get online quickly.- Weebly– Best for value for money.- Zyro– Best for business basics.

Each of these five builders comes as part of a web hosting service package. Each is respected, and each is drag-N-drop in functionality, and thus easy to use. Using Wix as an example, Wix is a hosting service. For $22 per month, you get a free domain and free SSL certificate for one year, plus the web builder. You also get 5 GB of storage and one hour of video play. The video play is their way of limiting bandwidth.

WebsiteBuilderExpert gives Wix the top ranking in this list of builders, so it is a quality builder, as are the others.

I will discuss WordPress in a different category, which is not on the list but is one of the most popular platforms for building websites. WordPress is independent of any web hosting service. That said, some hosting services cater specifically to WordPress. Two of these are Siteground and Bluehost. These two services are special WordPress tools included in their service.

Pick a domain name

A domain name is what identifies your website on the internet. The name must be registered with a domain service and configured to locate your website when entered into a browser. A fee is required to register the domain name and is due annually to remain active. While specific sought-after names can be expensive, the typical cost is around $15 annually.

Choosing the right domain name for your business is vital for several reasons.

• First, it's one of the first things potential customers will see when looking for your site. Therefore, you want to ensure that it's easy to remember and relevant to your work.
• Second, the domain name is a crucial part of your branding. It should be unique and reflect the image that you want to project.
• Third, you'll want to choose an available domain name.
• Finally, you will want a domain name with good keyword value.

What is a keyword? A keyword is a term that best describes the content on your page or post. It's what you want to rank for when people search for that keyword or phrase in Google or other search engines. So, when they search, your page should come up. Several keywords may describe a page's content. In this case, you will want to use multiple keywords. Multiple keywords will broaden the search possibilities for finding your content.

Based on the name and nature of your business, there will be words that best describe your business and perform well in search engine search results. Therefore, it could be profitable to do some keyword research to find a good keyword on which to base your domain name. Some services offering free keyword research are Keywords Everywhere and Ubersuggest.

Create your website content

Creating your website content can be a fun and rewarding experience or a real chore. It will depend on your skills and interests. Even if you know what you want to say, you may be at a loss for how to say it. How can you say it using good grammar and sentence structure while capturing the attention of your audience?

How to say what I want to say is where it becomes a chore for me. But I have discovered some tools that do much of the hard work for me and allow me to post content confidently:

• Jasper ai - Jasper uses artificial intelligence to generate content and word it clearly and engagingly.
• Grammarly - As its name suggests, Grammarly addresses spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. If you subscribe to the Jasper service, Grammarly will come with it. I subscribe to Grammarly separately, allowing me to use it wherever I write. Even in email. As I write, it is there offering corrections and making suggestions. When I complete an article, I don't need a proofreader to catch what I have missed. Grammarly has my back.
• Ubersuggest - When it comes to writing content, Jasper and Grammarly are adequate. Ubersuggest is a multi-tasker. As I mentioned above, it does keyword research. But it also does website analysis and offers SEO help to increase traffic to your website. It has yet another feature for which I suggest it in this context. It, too, has an AI writer. Though it is not as robust as Jasper, it is beneficial in giving help with content. If I need a boost to start writing on a topic, I go there first to 'prime the pump.'

Add Images

A website without images can be a very dull site, indeed! At least visually. But where can you find images, photos, or videos that are free or inexpensive, about which you can be confident you have permission to use?

We all know about Google images, a rich storehouse of graphic content. But which images can you use on a website, and which are prohibited? Sure, you can contact the content owner, but that takes time, and you may or may not receive a prompt reply. So I rely on four services:

• Graphic River - A combination of free and paid downloads.
• Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/ - Also a combination of free and paid downloads.
• Pond5 - Pond5 offers both a subscription and a pay-per-use approach. I usually pay, at most, $2.50 for an image.
• Canva - Canva is an excellent source for downloading images, but I use it primarily for graphic design. There is a free version that has some limitations. The principal limit is the inability to download a high-quality version of the image I want. Higher-resolution downloads require a fee. I use the Pro version, which gives me every advantage I want. It costs $119.99 annually.

Launch your website!

So you've built your website and are ready to show it to the world. Congratulations! Publishing your site can be daunting, but with some preparation, you can make it go smoothly. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you launch your website:

•  First, Double-check your site for any broken links or errors. Nothing is more frustrating for a visitor than clicking on a link and getting an error message. Before you go live, test your links to ensure they work.
• Next, take a look at your site's design and layout. Is everything easy to find and navigate? Is the overall look and feel professional and polished? If not, make some changes before you launch.- 
• Finally, once your site is up and running, promote it! Let people know where they can find your site and what they can expect to see there. Use social media, email marketing, and other strategies to get the word out. Launching a successful website takes effort and planning, but it's ultimately worth it. With these tips in mind, you're on your way to a successful launch!

Conclusion

So there you have it - a simple guide to creating your website. Do the research, choose the right web host and domain name, and produce quality content. You will then be well on your way to having a successful website that reflects your business in the best possible light.

Have questions or comments? Leave them for us in the comment section below or use our contact form.

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5 Free Email Marketing Tools to Help You Grow Your Business

(We independently select these products — if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.)

If you're looking for ways to grow your small business, email marketing is a great place to give attention. With the free email marketing tools we will highlight in this blog, you can create beautiful newsletters, schedule automated emails, and track conversions. But first, let's discuss the question of why use email marketing.

Why Use Email Marketing

If you are not currently using email marketing with your home business, take a minute to read further and consider or re-consider adding it to the arsenal of marketing tools for cultivating active customers. You may have already considered using email marketing and rejected it in favor of social media or another venue. Allow me to suggest that you may not be properly framing the use of email versus another approach. The argument should not be one of either/or. It is not email versus social media or some other form, but email AND social media or another format. The two are not competing for marketing methods but complementary techniques.

Social media and SEO strategies are methods for driving traffic to your business site or page, but they are not necessarily the best methods for making customers of those who show up at your site or on your page. That is where email marketing can contribute. Campaign Monitor published data comparing email with social media. According to their statistics, the average click-through rate on social media is roughly 2.5%. Meaning that out of every 100 visitors to your content, 2-3 people will click on the item you are pitching to them. Even then, they are not yet customers. So far they have just decided to check further. They have not yet decided to buy or do whatever you're asking them to do.

Email, on the other hand, has an open rate of between 15-25%. In other words, 6-10 times greater than the response rate of social media. This is not such a head-scratcher when you consider that the email is going to people who have chosen to receive your emails. They already have a positive impression of your product or content. You have at least a slight relationship with them and none with most of those coming to your site. The longer someone remains on your email list and receives contact from you, the greater your relationship. So they are already predisposed to open a link in your email.

Another interesting data from Campaign Monitor is that email generates $38 for every $1 spent on it. An amazing 3800% ROI. So maybe it is worth rethinking your use of email marketing.

As you consider using email, your challenge will be determining how to glean those potential emails from people who appear at your site or page. Consider this. Your advertising dollars on Facebook or Twitter will only benefit you if you continue paying them. Whatever activity you generate with an ad campaign will not be repetitious once the campaign is finished. At least, for the most part. Another ad campaign will be required to get another uptick in activity that is similar. But you can send emails regularly with little cost and gain 6-10 times the results of your ad campaign. Might the wise thing be to put some or even most of your advertising money into building your email list without spending nearly as much overall on advertising?

I would say that email marketing is an essential consideration for any business. It's the best way to keep in touch with your customers and tell them about new products, services, or discounts. But it's more than just sending out mass emails. With the services described below, you can personalize your messages, making them more relevant for each email list segment.

Email campaigns allow you to:

• Target a specific audience
• Reach a large number of people
• Spend less to produce and send
• Customize them to fit the needs of each recipient

Should You Use An Email Marketing Service?

So if it is a good idea to use email marketing to enhance customer relations, is it also a good idea to use an email marketing service to manage your email marketing? My answer to this is yes. Here are some reasons why I think it to be a good idea. But after reading the reasons, I believe it to be a good idea; I will also suggest a hybrid approach in which you might use a combination. In other words, combine the use of a marketing service with the help of an SMTP relay service.

Case for Using An Email Marketing Service:

Arguably the best reason to use a marketing service is to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. This was an act of congress attempting to cut down on the onslaught of spam emails. The act established compliance standards for authentic bulk email practices instead of SPAM emails. By using a service, there is the assurance of complying with these standards. All of the services operate in strict compliance since their business relies on them. 

Another side to this issue is working with standards established by email and internet service providers to avoid spam filters. Working with marketing services will give confidence that your emails will make their way to your recipients' inboxes. Besides knowing how to navigate the filters set up by these providers, the providers also recognize reputable marketing services. They are less likely to mark emails coming through as spam.

Other advantages -

• Templates - Each service has pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop design tools to edit the templates. This provides a simple but quality email design that complies with CAN-SPAM and Email & Internet Service Provider standards. The designs are also aimed at higher open rates. Just as important is that these templates will work with all email clients and software. You can be assured it will work in Outlook, Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, or any other client.
• List Management - Another great reason to use a marketing service is that you don't have to give thought to managing your email list, regardless of its size. Connect your website opt-in forms to the service, and each new address is added automatically. And if a person chooses to be removed from the list, it goes through the service, and you receive a notice.
• Analytics - A third important reason to use a marketing service is analytics. All the essential information you need is available. Who opened that last email? Who clicked on the links, and which links did they choose? While you can pay little attention to list management, leaving it all up to the service, you will want to pay close attention to analytics. Using this information you will know better what works and what doesn't.

Use of A Hybrid Marketing Approach:

By hybrid marketing approach, I'm referring primarily to a combination between a marketing service and an SMPT relay service. First I need to explain what an SMPT relay is.

SMTP stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol."Email servers use these protocols to transfer e-mail messages and attachments over the internet. Whether using your private email server or a public one such as Gmail, SMTP is a secure connection between that server and the internet. While you can set up your server, you will not be able to send emails securely without SMTP. 

It is possible to send email from a private server using the SMTP settings of a personal email account you may have with Gmail or another email provider, but there will be restrictions. Only a certain number of emails can be sent per hour or per day. If you try to send more emails than the number permitted, your account will be blocked.

Using your email server to send a secure email to thousands of recipients is impossible. And if you attempt to send an unsecured email, bypassing SMTP, recipients will block it, and your domain will likely be blacklisted. This is where SMTP relays come in. You can use your email server to send to thousands of recipients by using the SMTP settings of the relay. And the cost will be less than that of the marketing services. But neither are you getting all the features of the marketing service.

  Using a relay is not for everyone. For many, the technical requirements of setting up a personal email server by coding your server would be too great. And even if you use a software package ready to go out of the box, too much time and effort are required. Additionally, unless you have an email list of more than 2,000, it just doesn't make sense. The free marketing services will adequately meet your needs.

So why might you want to use an SMPT relay service?

There are savings with an SMPT relay service, but you will not have campaign management tools essential to carry out a marketing campaign. But these campaign tools are not as necessary with your highly engaged recipients as with those less engaged. More engaged recipients could be routed through an SMTP relay, while those needing more encouragement could be assigned to the campaign management service.

Using this approach, you are saving with those who are more engaged and paying for the more expensive management tools to reach the less involved. Again, this makes the most sense when you have large numbers in your email list. For example, using a relay service such as Sendgrid, for $19.95, you can send up to 50,000 emails per month. This could be one mailing to 50,000 recipients, five mailings to 10,000 recipients, or another combination that equals 50,000 for the month.

By comparison, MailChimp charges are based on the number of contacts in your mailing list. With 10,000 contacts, the lowest cost plan would charge $87 per month and allow ten mailings. While this provides 100,000 emails per month, the cost is the same even if you send only one mailing. So a list of 10,000 contacts costs $87 per month with MailChimp and $19.95 per month with Sendgrid.

A Comparison of 5 Email Marketing Services

About Free Plans

All five email marketing services listed in this blog have a free plan with additional plans available to accommodate more extensive, more extensive lists and more advanced features. This is an excellent approach for small home businesses allowing them to start free in the early days when their mailing lists are small and progress to paid plans as they grow.  When your business has grown to need a paid plan, you know whether that service is a good fit for your business.

As you read through each service below, be on the lookout for those that offer full features in their free plans. Thus, the main difference between free and paid will be the number of emails you send.

MailChimp

MailChimp is an easy-to-use email marketing service that allows you to easily manage your contacts, build campaigns, and automate your business processes. It also offers a variety of features that make it easier than ever to design and deliver high-quality emails.  Business News Daily has chosen MailChimp as the best email marketing software for beginners. 

Mailchimp's free plan includes:

• Up to 500 contacts, with 10,000 sends per month
• A daily limit of 2,000.- 1-step automation - This feature allows you to place sign-up forms on your website that are automatically stored in your Mailchimp account and tagged as you indicate.
• Marketing CRM - Customer relationship management (CRM) helps to create stronger connections with your customers. An audience dashboard enables you to learn the individual preferences of those in your list, making it possible to address specific preferences in subsequent mailings.
• Landing Pages - The free account includes free website and landing page hosting. In addition, free landing page templates are provided, allowing a tight integration for CRM.
• Social posting - Enables posting on your social accounts.
• Facebook & Instagram ads - An ad tool for Facebook & Instagram to help design and optimize ads.
• Postcards - Allows sending physical postcards

With a list of 500 contacts, you could send 20 emails per month to your list. You are also limited to one audience, meaning one contact list. This will place some limitations on personalizing your emails. But since you can add tags to those in your list, you still have some segmentation options.

Design Tools include:

• Creative Assistant
• Content Studio
• Basic email templates

MailChimp Integrations:

• WordPress
• QuickBooks
• Shopify
• Stripe
• Zendesk Activity
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Formstack
• SurveyMonkey
• Many more

Benchmark

Business News Daily designated Benchmark as the best email marketing software for "Ease of Use." It, too, has a free plan that:

Benchmark's free plan includes:

• Up to 500 contacts
• 3,500 emails per month
• Basic Email Marketing
• Lite Marketing Automation
• Simple Lead Generation
• Basic Reporting

Email Marketing:

• Drag & Drop Email Builder
• Responsive Email Templates
• Smart Content
• RSS Email Campaigns
• List Management
• Basic Segmentation
• Responsive Templates
• Signup Forms
• Basic Drip Campaigns

Additional Features:

• Email Delivery Management
• Basic Drip Campaigns
• Sign-Up Forms
• Polls & Surveys
• Live Engagement Reports
• Opens by Hour Reports

Given the limited number of contacts and monthly emails, Benchmark's free plan is definitely for the small business just getting started. Should these limitations be too restrictive, the first step into a paid plan costs $13 per month for 500 contacts, but an unlimited number of emails sent p

If the size of your contact list and the number of emails allowed each month is your primary concern, MailChimp will be the obvious choice compared to Benchmark. If not, your concerns will lie more with the marketing, design, or other features offered. I have listed most of those features here for both services, but you will want to go to the sites to get more into the details.

Another feature you may be interested in is the integrations with services outside Benchmark. Here are just a few of the Benchmark integrations, but there are many more:

• WordPress
• Google
• Facebook
• Flickr
• Zapier
• PayPal
• Shopify
• ZOHO
• many more

• AWeber

AWeber's free plan is similar to MailChimp and Benchmark. It allows up to 500 contacts and 3,000 emails per month. AWeber has only two plans, Free and Pro. The Pro plan gives all features the service has to offer and starts at $16.15 per month with a limit of 500 contacts or subscribers. Once you subscribe to the Pro plan, you are on a sliding scale based on the number of subscribers. Everything else remains the same. This includes an unlimited number of emails each month. When the number of subscribers exceeds 500, you begin paying $26.15 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers.

With the focus of this blog on free plans, I will list only those features that come with the free plan:

Usage:

• Subscriber limit - 500  
• Email sends - 3,000/mo
• List profiles - 1

Email:

• Create and send newsletters
• Email automation
• RSS to email
• Drag-and-drop email builder
• 100s of email templates
• HTML emails
• Dynamic content
• AMP emails
• Hosted broadcast archive
• Thousands of professional images

Landing Pages:

• Sell Products and Services with AWeber Ecommerce
• Unlimited landing pages
• Beautiful landing page templates for a variety of goals
• Thousands of professional images
• Video landing pages
• Buy and connect domains
• Google Analytics

List Building:

• Sign up forms
• WordPress plugin

Segmentation:

• Tagging subscribers
• Send to basic segments

Reporting:

• Simple subscriber and message analytics

AWeber Ecommerce:

• Sell products and services
• Subscriptions and payment plans
• Sales tracking
• Purchase tagging

Integrations:

• Facebook
• PayPal
• WordPress
• Shopify
• WooCommerce
• Hundreds more integrations

iContact

Again, I will start with the number of contacts and emails with the free plan. iContact looks very similar to the previous services:

• Up to 500 Contacts
• Up to 2,000 Sends per month

iContact has only one other plan beyond the free plan,, the Advanced one. As with aWeber services, once you are in this Advanced plan, you receive every feature the service offers and pay based on the number of contacts in your list. So when your list exceeds 500, you move into the advanced plan, starting with a limit of 1,500 contacts and unlimited emails. At this level, the plan costs $23 per month.

Features included in the free plan include:

Email Marketing:

• Drag & Drop Editor
• HTML Editor
• Template Library
• Stock Image Library
• In-line Photo Editing
• A/B Split Testing

Automation:

• Automation Editor
• Targeted Automation Follow Ups

Landing pages:

• Landing Page Creation & Hosting 
• 1 Page

Real-time Campaign Reporting:

• Email Reporting
• Automation Reporting
• Landing Page Reporting

Contact Management:

• Sign-up Forms
• List Segmentation 
• 1 Segment

Integrations:

• Custom API
• Integrations Directory

HubSpot

HubSpot is difficult to compare to the other email marketing services listed here. Business News Daily tagged HubSpot as the best "Bundled Marketing Solution." This is an apt description - a bundled marketing solution. But this refers to only one Hub of HubSpot. The Marketing Hub. There is also a Sales Hub, a Service Hub, a CMS Hub, and an Operations Hub. But we will concentrate only on the Marketing Hub.

Registering for a HubSpot free account gives you lifetime access to a whole array of free features. These features are promoted as "scalable for scaling companies."

https://digitalchowder.com/5-free-email-marketing-tools-to-help-you-grow-your-business/

Transform Your Writing With Jasper, The AI Writing Assistant

Content creation is vital in promoting businesses and individuals in today's digital age. Writing engaging and creative content can be a challenging task. Still, with the help of artificial intelligence, this chore has been made more accessible than ever before. One such AI-powered tool that has been making waves in the writing world is Jasper, the AI writing assistant.

If you are tired of struggling with writer's block or spending hours editing your work, you will find Jasper, the AI writing assistant, a big help. Jasper can help you streamline your writing process and improve the quality of your work. With Jasper's advanced technology and user-friendly interface, you can take your writing to the next level.

What is Jasper, and how does it work?

Jasper is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users create engaging and creative content. Designed to make content creation more manageable, it utilizes natural language processing (NLP) models and machine learning algorithms.

Jasper works by analyzing and interpreting user input requests. It utilizes various data sources to understand the context of the user's request and generate a creative and engaging response. It understands the user's intent, and through its NLP models, Jasper can generate content for a specific tone or style.

Jasper's algorithms learn over time through machine learning, developing more intelligent responses as it accumulates more data. Its technology constantly evolves, meaning its capabilities will only continue to expand. This changing nature of technology makes Jasper AI a valuable tool for content creators, writers, and businesses.

Using Jasper is simple. The user can input their request using natural language, and Jasper will generate a response in a matter of seconds. Users can then edit or modify the content to fit their requirements.

Jasper can help users create content for various purposes, such as social media, blog posts, email marketing campaigns, product descriptions, etc. Using Jasper can produce high-quality content faster, improve their writing skills, and boost their online presence.

How can Jasper improve your writing process?

Jasper is an AI writing assistant that can help improve your writing process in several ways. Here are a few examples:

- Increased productivity: With Jasper's help, you can generate ideas, outlines, and even complete drafts more quickly than working alone. So you can create more content in less time, freeing you to focus on other aspects of your job or business.- Enhanced creativity: Sometimes, getting your creative juices flowing takes a little inspiration. Jasper can provide that inspiration by suggesting topics, throwing out new ideas, or even playing around with different writing prompts.- Improved quality: Jasper's AI models help you write more effectively by catching errors, improving sentence structure, and suggesting alternative words or phrases. So you can produce higher-quality content that will resonate with your readers.- More efficient editing: Jasper can also help you with editing, making catching and correcting mistakes easier. Whether you're working on a blog post or a social media update, Jasper can help ensure everything is accurate, polished, and ready to share.

Overall, Jasper is a valuable tool that can save time, boost creativity, and help you produce higher-quality content. Whether you're a writer, marketer, or business owner, Jasper can help take your writing process to the next level.

Features and benefits of using Jasper.

Here are some of the key features and benefits of using Jasper:

• Creative Writing:
  Jasper can help you write creatively. Whether it's social media posts or blog articles, Jasper can assist you in generating attention-grabbing headlines, memorable captions, and compelling content.
• Speed:
  Jasper is fast. Say goodbye to writer's block and endless hours crafting the perfect sentence. With Jasper, you can quickly generate high-quality content and move on to your next task.
• Flexibility:
  Jasper is flexible. Whether you need help with a blog post, a social media post, or even a short story, Jasper can assist you with all types of writing.
• - Easy to Use:
  Jasper is simple to use. With just a few clicks, you can start creating engaging content. You don't need to have any writing expertise to use Jasper.

Benefits:

• Improved Productivity:
  With Jasper's help, you can double or even triple your productivity. By reducing the time it takes to create content, you will have more time to focus on other tasks.
• Improved Engagement:
  Jasper can help you make your content more engaging. Using Jasper's creative writing abilities, you can capture your audience's attention and keep them interested.
• Increased Traffic:
  Jasper can also help you generate more traffic to your website or social media platforms. Creating captivating content can attract more visitors and increase your following.
• Cost Effective:
  Jasper is cost-effective compared to hiring a full-time writer. Jasper's fees are considerably lower than that of an experienced content writer, making it an affordable solution for small businesses and startups.

How to integrate Jasper into your writing workflow.

Integrating Jasper into your writing workflow can be a game-changer for content creation. Jasper saves time and effort, and it also lends a helping hand in coming up with creative and engaging content. Here are some steps to integrate Jasper into your writing workflow:

• Set up Jasper:  To get started, you must set up your device's Jasper interface. You can access Jasper through an online platform to communicate seamlessly with the AI writing assistant.
• Define the scope of work: Clearly define the writing task or content requirements you want Jasper to help you with. Jasper can help you with various content needs, such as social media posts, blog articles, short stories, etc.
• Provide Jasper with the necessary inputs: To ensure that Jasper provides accurate and relevant content, you must give it the required inputs, such as keywords, topic, tone of voice, target audience, and other relevant information.
• Review the content provided by Jasper: Once you have provided Jasper with the necessary inputs, it will provide you with the output based on its AI models. Review the content provided by Jasper and make any necessary edits or suggestions.
• Use the content provided by Jasper: After reviewing and making any necessary edits to the content provided by Jasper, you can use the content productively. Jasper can help speed up your writing workflow and make producing quality content easier in less time.

Integrating Jasper into your writing workflow can greatly benefit content creators. From saving time and effort to producing quality content seamlessly, Jasper is a fantastic AI writing assistant.

Success stories and testimonials from Jasper users.

Many writers have already experienced the benefits of using Jasper in their writing process. From saving time to improving the quality of their writing, Jasper has helped writers of all levels achieve their goals. Here are just a few success stories and testimonials from Jasper users:

• "Jasper has completely transformed the way I write. Its AI-powered suggestions have helped me improve my writing style and catch errors I would have otherwise missed." - Sarah, freelance writer.
• "As a non-native English speaker, Jasper has been a game-changer for me. Its grammar and spelling suggestions have helped me write more confidently and effectively." - Juan, content marketer.
• "Jasper has saved me so much time in the editing process. Its automated suggestions have helped me quickly identify and fix errors, allowing me to focus on the creative aspects of writing." - Emily, novelist.

What is the cost of using Jasper?

Jasper AI has three subscription plans, Starter, Boss Mode, and Business. The Business plan is a custom plan with a custom price. As for the Starter and Boss Mode plans, each has a 5-day free trial along with a monthly or yearly payment plan.

Starter Plan:

Cost - $49 per month on the monthly plan and $40 yearly.

Features Include:

• Jasper Chat - Interact with AI in a natural dialog with an easy-to-use interface to generate content quickly.
• 50+ AI templates - AI that helps you write short-form content like product descriptions, paragraphs, ads, and so much more.
• Browser extension - Add Jasper to your Google Chrome browser to write better everywhere.
• Support for 30+ languages - Need to write content in another language? Jasper can read inputs in your language and write quality content in 30+ languages.
• Email support - Contact a human in less than 10 minutes during business hours M-F 9am - 5pm CST.
• Words Per Month - 20,000 Words- Up to 5 users

Boss Mode Plan:

Cost - $99 monthly on the monthly plan and $82 yearly.

Features Include all features of the Starter Plan plus these:

• Up to 5 users- Automated workflows
• Google Docs style editor- Compose & command features
• Live chat support 
• 50,000 Words
• Up to 5 users
• Jasper Art
• Documents
• Commands
• Jasper Chat
• Recipes
• 30+ Languages

Video Demonstration

View the video below to demonstrate some of the Jasper AI features.

Conclusion

Try Jasper today and join the growing community of writers who have improved their writing process with the help of AI technology. Click on the graphic below and get more information and a free trial.

https://digitalchowder.com/transform-your-writing-with-jasper/

Unlocking the Power of Nicepage: My Personal Guide - Part 4

Introduction

This article is my final installment in a four-part series about one of the best web builders: Nicepage. It's not an instructional set of videos. Still, instead, I'm focusing on some of the fantastic features that make this builder a standout for me.

• In video number one, I discuss why NICE pages, subscription plans, and the accompanying desktop app are so effective in helping you design both offline and online. It's one of the features that has made it my go-to choice for all my web development projects.
• In video two, you'll witness the fantastic design features that Nice Page offers, many of which are exclusive to this platform.
• Then in the previous video, I presented the diverse publishing choices that come with a Nicepage desktop app. These include WordPress, HTML, and Joomla. Publishing directly to the Nicepage servers is another choice.- In this final video, we'll be exploring Nicepage within WordPress. I will show you how to use the plugin that comes with it to get your website up and running in no time. And as a bonus, I'll also share tips on customizing your site online and offline. So let's get started.

Installing the Nicepage Theme

In the last video, I demonstrated the installation of the Nicepage website design in WordPress that I created in the desktop app. I installed it the same way as any other WordPress theme.

We exported the website design to a WordPress zip file from the desktop app. Then, going to WordPress, we select "Appearance" in the menu and "Themes." We then click on "Add New" followed by clicking on "Upload Theme." We locate and install the zip file we exported from our desktop app. Once installed, we need to activate our theme and customize it. Now, notice in the main menu on the left the addition of the Nicepage plugin.

Using Nicepage Editor

Now, let's go to "Pages" from the main menu. Hover over the page you want to edit and click "Edit with Nicepage."

The first thing I want to point out in the editor is that you can do everything within the page editor without leaving it, including:

• Switching to another page
• Creating a new page
• Editing the menu

The image's arrows indicate "Pages" and "Menu Items." I can do it all right here.

Also, if you don't use an SEO plugin, you can add meta information from the page editor. Notice the image highlighting page settings. I decided to use SEO plugins because they have additional features not included with Nicepage.

You can view all these features demonstrated in the video further down the page.

Browser View of Page

In the second video, I demonstrated several design features in Nicepage. With the page loaded in the browser, we can view those features.

• Animation - View the video and notice the animation in the first two blocks of the page. Trigger these instances by scrolling. Animation can also be triggered by hovering. In either case, there are numerous animations from which to select.
• Grid - A grid in Nicepage is similar to a table in which you can create multiple cells. Each cell can contain images, text, or any other type of content. A significant advantage of the grid is to tie content units together as the page responds to various devices. Otherwise, as a responsive page adjusts for multiple devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone), the content can become unstable in its positioning.
• Modal - A modal is a popup that overlays the page. It can have a transparent background that allows the page to show through. You can create any content in a modal. I like to use image slide shows. Create a single image or button as a hyperlink to launch the modal. The modal can display other images.

Modals can be triggered, as mentioned, with a link, timed to launch after the page has loaded, or set to launch when a view shows intent to leave the page.

• Accordion - An accordion is a series of labels with content that 'accordions' out when you click the label. (Also on the video)
• Tabs - Tabs are similar to accordions. Whereas accordion labels are vertical, tab labels are horizontal, revealing additional content when clicked. (On the video)

Resizing Images

Resizing images is simple on Nicepage. Drag any side or corner of the image and drag it; the image will respond while keeping its aspect ratio. This feature is probably true in any web builder. However, occasionally I will need help sizing an image to fit a particular spot without losing portions of the image I want. I often get around this problem by using HTML.

To use the HTML image tag for an image, I insert an HTML element in the cell or box where I want the picture. I enter a simple image tag in the HTML code, including the image file's location and the width I want. I do not include the height. By doing this, the browser will automatically use the correct height to keep the aspect ratio. The same effect will work by using only the height. I use a percentage rather than a fixed width. In this way, the image will be responsive for different devices. In this way, the image will be in full view.

Editing Between Online and Offline

The last feature I will highlight is the ability to work online and offline with Nicepage. When I speak of working offline, it refers to using the desktop app. The ability to work offline is my favorite feature of Nicepage.

You may wonder why I want to edit offline when I can do everything I need online. I can do everything online, but every change I save will be public once I have published a page. If I make a significant change to a page, I may save the changes at several stages, so I keep them should something go wrong. Each time I make a save, my incomplete work becomes public. Not a very positive image to portray!

Instead, I will make sure the desktop app has the current version of the page and will make my changes in the app. Once the changes are complete, I will export them from the app and import them online. So how do I do that?

Notice where the location of the cursor in the nearby image and the popup menu next to it. This menu is related to the selected block with a blue border. The popup menu lists "Export Block." Select this and export that particular block to your computer. Then go to the desktop app and open the same page. Select a block and click on the three dots on the left side of the block. Choose to import block and locate the block you just exported from online.

You will need to do this for each block in the desktop app that is not up-to-date. If the same block was already present on the desktop but is outdated, you must delete the obsolete version.

There may be several applications you can make to this feature. Another application would be when you have a block of information on a website page that you want temporarily removed. Using this feature, you could store it on the desktop and then move it back online when you want to display it again.

Conclusion

This article and series conclude. Please use the comment box below if you have questions or comments. Is there a topic you would like me to address in a future article? Share that in the comments.

Be sure to download a free copy of Nicepage and try these features yourself.

https://digitalchowder.com/unlocking-the-power-of-nicepage/

My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage - Part 3

This is my third article in a four-part series about my favorite web builder, Nicepage. In the first article, "My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1," we discussed the Nicepage subscription plans. We also mentioned its desktop app for Windows and Mac allows you to design and edit your website offline. Then, in my second article, "My Personal Guide to The Best Features in Nicepage Part 2," I highlighted special design features in Nicepage that I especially like. Some are even unique to Nicepage.

In this third article, we will discuss the options available on Nicepage, allowing you to publish your site to your website from the desktop app.

Publication Options

I have provided screenshots to help you visualize the comments, but there is also a video further down you can view.

Nicepage 

Publishing Options

So let's go to the desktop app for Nicepage. In this case, it is in Windows, but there is also a version for Mac computers. The website showing on the desktop is one I have been working on in the second video for demonstration purposes. We demonstrated some animation, grids, and how they contribute to a responsive website. We also presented a modal, accordion, and tab feature.

Assuming that we are ready to publish our website on the internet, let's look at our publication options. These methods export the site from our desktop app to our online website. So we go to the publication feature, where you can see the following options:

• Website. This option uploads the site directly to the Nicepage server. This is a simple way to post the site online and allow clients to view it before launching it publicly.
• HTML. For those who prefer a simple, straightforward website rather than a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla.
• WordPress. This is the most popular website option, and Nicepage is a leading theme builder for WordPress.
• Joomla. Though less popular than WordPress, Joomla offers another CMS option.- Image. Publish a one-page image of the site.
• Website project. This packages the website project for transfer to another computer.

Website Publication

Website Publish option

Starting with the first option, we will publish to a website. The subdomain to which it will be posted is shown in the window. Use this URL to view the site once it's published. A custom domain name that you have registered can also be configured to direct viewers to the Nicepage subdomain. A few other options can also be selected in the window, but we will skip them and go straight to "Publish Website."

Now we can use the subdomain URL to view the site. As you scroll down the home page, you can observe the animation in action with the various page elements as they zoom out or slide in. Click on the button for the modal to have it pop up with the photo slider. And then, you can see how the accordion and tab look and operate. Both are good options for offering viewers an opportunity to view the data or not.

HTML Publication

HTML Publish option

With the option to publish to HTML, we can export the site to a folder, a zip file, or directly to our website using FTP. I use my FTP client, so I take the Folder option and select where to export it.

I will go over to Filezilla, connect to the export folder, and then to my website folder online. I will select all files and folders in the export folder, then drag and drop them into the online folder on my hosting site.

There is no further configuration necessary. I can go to my browser, enter the URL of my website, and immediately view the site. This assumes that my domain is set up with the hosting site and has propagated across the internet.

WordPress Publication

WordPress Publish option

Finally, we will choose the WordPress option for publishing. Again, we can export to a folder, zip file, or FTP. Selecting the zip file option is the most straightforward choice. You will need a more advanced understanding of WordPress to use the folder or FTP approach.

By choosing to export to a zip file, I will install the site on my WordPress website as with any other theme. The only difference will be the import of content and installation of a plugin. The Nicepage plugin will serve as your editor in WordPress to work with your Nicepage web pages.

Before exporting the WordPress zip file, choose which features you want to export to your website. You will want to include the Theme along with pages and Editor Plugin. If you are planning an eCommerce site, retain the templates. If you want to export your site to the desktop app, choose to have the Nicepage Project. Now we are ready to export.

Next, we will go to the wp-admin section of our WordPress website to install the zip file. Once you are in the wp-admin area, select "Appearance" from the left menu and select themes. At the top of the page, click on "add new" and then on "upload theme." You will locate the exported zip file on your computer and click "install."

Now that we have installed our website, we need to activate it. Having done that, click on customize, and you will need to go to self-identity. In this section, you will insert your logo and Favicon from your media library or upload them from your computer. Then go further down to insert the site icon.

Now click the back arrow, then go down to the menus. Under menus, you will need to select the menu you will be using. Most likely, it will already be set.

Next, click the back arrow and go to "Homepage settings." Here you will choose whether the homepage will use the latest post or will be a static page. Although posting is a significant function of my Digital Chowder website, I use a static homepage with links to posts.

At this point, you're ready to click publish and view your WordPress website online.

In my fourth and final Nicepage-oriented article, I will discuss working with your Nicepage-generated website within WordPress. In addition, I will show how to go back and forth between your online and offline versions of the site. You can view all four articles on YouTube for a better visual demonstration of this presentation.

Website Building and Repair

Elite Web Presence

Do you find all this a bit overwhelming, or do you not have the time to work with a site? Let me make a suggestion. Go over to Elite Web Presence for some help. Whether you need a complete website build and update, or some cleanup and maintenance, they can do the job for you. They can also help with SEO, along with website backup and security.

Conclusion

Has this series been helpful? Building a website with Nicepage is an easy and efficient way to get your site up and running quickly. Using the tools it offers, you can create an attractive design that drives traffic to your pages and gives customers what they need.

Finally, does all of this sound too daunting or time-consuming? In that case, Elite Web Presence can help build, update or maintain your website to optimize it for success.

Have questions or comments? Please leave them in the comment section below.

https://digitalchowder.com/guide-to-all-the-best-features-in-nicepage-part-3/

My Personal Guide to The Best Features in Nicepage Part 2

Welcome to the Digital Chowder blog! It is part two of my guide to all of Nice Page's most impressive features. 

I talked about the Nicepage subscription plans and desktop app in the first video. The app is available for both Windows and Mac. The app allows you to do your design work offline on your computer and do as much as you want online. Just an excellent feature that I have not seen with any other web builder in part two.

In this video, we'll talk about some of the design features of Nice Page that I like. This article will not be a how-to but will highlight features I like about Nicepage.

Nicepage App Dashboard:

So here we are at the dashboard for the Nice Page app. I use the Windows version. You can see on the left side a list of the websites I am working with on Nicepage. I will select this site I set up as a demo site. So click on it, and we go to the front page of the website design.

Simple Format:

From here, we will talk about the simple Nicepage design format. With some builders, I need clarification on the format and help to know what to do. Also, with some builders, I feel locked into a structure that only sometimes works best for what I want to do. But Nicepage is different.

Websites these days are being built using blocks of content. And that is the case with Nicepage. You can see two blocks in this design in the image above, in addition to the header and footer.

Adding and Designing A Block:

Adding a block is a simple matter of clicking on the add block link and then choosing a design template from the library or adding elements of my choice for a preferred design.

We can see in this first block that an image is in the block as an independent element. Behind it is another separate element called a shape. To the right is a list element comprised of three items called cells.

On the right is a box element. And within the box are a heading, text, and a button. And all of these are in the box. The box ties these elements together. The components within the box move with it, going where it goes. This functionality is essential for a responsive website. We are working within a desktop view, but we also want these elements to remain aligned in a phone view.

Another feature that helps to tie elements together for a responsive website is the grid. We can use 2, 3, or more cells in a grid. These cells can be independent of each other or can duplicate one another. 

And here is what the grid looks like with images in desktop view.

And here is what the grid looks like with images in mobile view.

Modal:

Next, we will look at the modal. I am still looking for the modal in other builders, but it is a feature I like to use. It is one of several ways to offer more information but allows the viewer to choose whether to view it. This feature helps keep a more straightforward and cleaner page rather than cramming in information viewers may want to avoid seeing. By so doing, we can prevent losing visitors who become impatient wading through content they don't want to get to the content they do want.

Here is what a modal might look like, but view the video below to demonstrate how it functions.

Three choices are available for launching a modal:

- Button: Launch the modal by clicking a button.- Timer: Schedule the modal to pop up a certain number of seconds after the page opens.- Exit: Set the modal to pop up when the visitor intends to exit the page.

Modal Plus Slider:

A modal will allow the use of any element. I like to use the slider in modals. I suggest using an image linked to a modal so the viewer can click the image and have a slide show pop-up of other related images.

Animation:

Another neat feature of Nicepage is animation. You will need to view the video to see this in action. Two blocks in the sample web page utilize animation, activated by scrolling. As the block emerges on the screen, the animation is triggered. Scrolling triggers the main image in the block shown below to zoom in. Each cell in the grid also uses zoom animation.

Accordion:

The next feature to highlight is the accordion. If you are unsure what the accordion feature is, you may have seen one without realizing it was an accordion. The modal is often used for FAQs, though that is only one use for them. Shown below is a FAQ accordion.

Reordering Blocks:

Web page blocks serve as units of related content. As such, blocks can serve as visual highlights of their content by using different backgrounds and other graphic design features. An excellent quality of Nicpage is the ease with which you can reorder blocks. Without moving individual elements on the page, you merely need to click an up or down arrow on the block to reorder it above or below the surrounding blocks. Moving a block can amount to significant page editing with the click of an arrow.

Additionally, there may be a block with content that is temporarily unwanted. Will you delete that block you have spent time designing? After all, you will eventually want to include it on the page again. No problem. Hide the block so it does not appear publicly.

Tab:

A similar feature to the accordion is the tab. The tab, like the accordion, allows information to remain hidden until a visitor chooses to view it. So as the example below shows, the tabs identify the data contained under that tab. It is much like a file folder. Clicking the tab reveals its contents.

Menu:

The last feature to highlight is the menu. The unique and convenient factor of the menu feature in Nicepage is that it is unnecessary to leave the page you are working on to edit the menu. No need to go to the WordPress widget and menu section to make menu changes.

Items on the menu can be added, removed, or reordered within the page design. Same with design elements such as hover, active, background, font, etc.

Conclusion:

I hope this article has been helpful. If you haven't already seen the video or article for part one of this series, I encourage you to read, "My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1."

Also, I hope you will use this link for a free download of Nicepage and check it out yourself.

If you have found this article to be helpful, please leave a comment below.

My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1

My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage - Part 3

This is my third article in a four-part series about my favorite web builder, Nicepage. In the first article, "My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1," we discussed the Nicepage subscription plans. We also mentioned its desktop app for Windows and Mac allows you to design and edit your website offline. Then, in my second article, "My Personal Guide to The Best Features in Nicepage Part 2," I highlighted special design features in Nicepage that I especially like. Some are even unique to Nicepage.

In this third article, we will discuss the options available on Nicepage, allowing you to publish your site to your website from the desktop app.

Publication Options

I have provided screenshots to help you visualize the comments, but there is also a video further down you can view.

Nicepage Publishing Options

So let's go to the desktop app for Nicepage. In this case, it is in Windows, but there is also a version for Mac computers. The website showing on the desktop is one I have been working on in the second video for demonstration purposes. We demonstrated some animation, grids, and how they contribute to a responsive website. We also presented a modal, accordion, and tab feature.

Assuming that we are ready to publish our website on the internet, let's look at our publication options. These methods export the site from our desktop app to our online website. So we go to the publication feature, where you can see the following options:

- Website. This option uploads the site directly to the Nicepage server. This is a simple way to post the site online and allow clients to view it before launching it publicly.- HTML. For those who prefer a simple, straightforward website rather than a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla.- WordPress. This is the most popular website option, and Nicepage is a leading theme builder for WordPress.- Joomla. Though less popular than WordPress, Joomla offers another CMS option.- Image. Publish a one-page image of the site.- Website project. This packages the website project for transfer to another computer.

Website Publication

Website Publish option

Starting with the first option, we will publish to a website. The subdomain to which it will be posted is shown in the window. Use this URL to view the site once it's published. A custom domain name that you have registered can also be configured to direct viewers to the Nicepage subdomain. A few other options can also be selected in the window, but we will skip them and go straight to "Publish Website."

Now we can use the subdomain URL to view the site. As you scroll down the home page, you can observe the animation in action with the various page elements as they zoom out or slide in. Click on the button for the modal to have it pop up with the photo slider. And then, you can see how the accordion and tab look and operate. Both are good options for offering viewers an opportunity to view the data or not.

HTML Publication

HTML Publish option

With the option to publish to HTML, we can export the site to a folder, a zip file, or directly to our website using FTP. I use my FTP client, so I take the Folder option and select where to export it.

I will go over to Filezilla, connect to the export folder, and then to my website folder online. I will select all files and folders in the export folder, then drag and drop them into the online folder on my hosting site.

There is no further configuration necessary. I can go to my browser, enter the URL of my website, and immediately view the site. This assumes that my domain is set up with the hosting site and has propagated across the internet.

WordPress Publication

WordPress Publish option

Finally, we will choose the WordPress option for publishing. Again, we can export to a folder, zip file, or FTP. Selecting the zip file option is the most straightforward choice. You will need a more advanced understanding of WordPress to use the folder or FTP approach.

By choosing to export to a zip file, I will install the site on my WordPress website as with any other theme. The only difference will be the import of content and installation of a plugin. The Nicepage plugin will serve as your editor in WordPress to work with your Nicepage web pages.

Before exporting the WordPress zip file, choose which features you want to export to your website. You will want to include the Theme along with pages and Editor Plugin. If you are planning an eCommerce site, retain the templates. If you want to export your site to the desktop app, choose to have the Nicepage Project. Now we are ready to export.

Next, we will go to the wp-admin section of our WordPress website to install the zip file. Once you are in the wp-admin area, select "Appearance" from the left menu and select themes. At the top of the page, click on "add new" and then on "upload theme." You will locate the exported zip file on your computer and click "install."

Now that we have installed our website, we need to activate it. Having done that, click on customize, and you will need to go to self-identity. In this section, you will insert your logo and Favicon from your media library or upload them from your computer. Then go further down to insert the site icon.

Now click the back arrow, then go down to the menus. Under menus, you will need to select the menu you will be using. Most likely, it will already be set.

Next, click the back arrow and go to "Homepage settings." Here you will choose whether the homepage will use the latest post or will be a static page. Although posting is a significant function of my Digital Chowder website, I use a static homepage with links to posts.

At this point, you're ready to click publish and view your WordPress website online.

In my fourth and final Nicepage-oriented article, I will discuss working with your Nicepage-generated website within WordPress. In addition, I will show how to go back and forth between your online and offline versions of the site. You can view all four articles on YouTube for a better visual demonstration of this presentation.

Website Building and Repair

Elite Web Presence

Do you find all this a bit overwhelming, or do you not have the time to work with a site? Let me make a suggestion. Go over to Elite Web Presence for some help. Whether you need a complete website build and update, or some cleanup and maintenance, they can do the job for you. They can also help with SEO, along with website backup and security.

Conclusion

Has this series been helpful? Building a website with Nicepage is an easy and efficient way to get your site up and running quickly. Using the tools it offers, you can create an attractive design that drives traffic to your pages and gives customers what they need.

Finally, does all of this sound too daunting or time-consuming? In that case, Elite Web Presence can help build, update or maintain your website to optimize it for success.

Have questions or comments? Please leave them in the comment section below.

Top Posts

As an affiliate marketer, Digital Chowder earns from qualifying purchases.

https://digitalchowder.com/guide-to-all-the-best-features-in-nicepage-part-3/

My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the Digital Chowder blog. I'm Wayne, and this is the first of four posts and videos I will be doing about All the Best Features of Nicepage, my favorite website builder. This post will not be a how-to about how to use Nicepage. Nor will it be a review comparing Nicepage alongside other web builders. Instead, I will highlight some of my favorite features found in Nicepage.

This first post/video will address the Nicepage subscription plan, why I like it, and why it is a good fit for me. Then I will touch on the desktop app with Nicepage, giving an overview. Finally, I will discuss the options for publishing your website after designing it in the desktop app.

Nicepage Subscription Plans:

If you go to the Nice Page website and then to their premium page, you will see four subscription plans outlined. Each plan has two options: a subscription and a license. So what is the difference? With the license, you're paying a one-time fee to purchase the software; with that, you're getting one year of updates for the software. But beyond the first year, there will be an additional fee if you want any updates. I have chosen the subscription approach. With the subscription, you pay an annual fee and receive the software and all updates during the year. And it is ongoing.

When I started with Nice Page, I used the Personal plan since I only needed one website for my business plus a personal site. With the Personal plan, I could have as many as five websites. So that was quite adequate. But now I design websites for other businesses besides my own. So I need to use Nicepage for more than five websites. However, I don't need an unlimited number of sites.

So, let's jump over to the Elementor website and look at their plans to understand why the Nicepage subscription is a good fit for me. With Elementor, three plans start with the Essential plan, which is $59 a year. This plan allows you one website. If you jump to the Expert Plan, which is $199 a year, you are allowed 25 websites.

Now let's go back to the Nicepage website. Back there, the Business plan offers a middle ground between the Personal and Pro plans, which Elementor does not have. The Business plan for $129 a year allows me 50 websites and additional features. This is just right for me. I need more than the Personal plan offers, but I don't need all that the Pro plan provides. So the Business plan is the one I use. I would pay $199 annually at Elementor and only get 25 sites.

Desktop App:

The next feature I want to highlight is the desktop app with Nicepage. There is a desktop app for both Windows and Mac computers. If you're building a WordPress website, you also get a WordPress plugin; if you're doing a Joomla site, you get that one.

You can do the whole website on your computer before you import it to your WordPress website. But it is not required. Creating the site layout is the only portion of building a website that requires the desktop app. Once you have created a layout for your website, you can export the site to a zip file and install it as a WordPress theme. You can do the remainder of the design online. Or not! You can also build the complete site on your desktop before installing it online.

Once you have installed the design theme on your WordPress site, you can work back and forth between online and offline.

Once your site is online, you can edit it on the desktop or do it online, whichever you choose. I do both. I like to be able to do major edits on my desktop, knowing that when I do a save, it's not going to go public.

Next, let's look more closely at the desktop app.

You can check the video above to see what I'm talking about in the following comments.

As you view the desktop application listed in the left-hand column, you will see a list of your websites. Click the appropriate icon to open the site you want to work with. You can also delete a website you are no longer working with from this page. To create a new website, use the "New Site" button.

If you are creating a new website, you can start with a blank website and build the site from scratch, adding elements as you go. Or, you can use your graphics to form the bases of the site. Yet another option is to select a design template from the various categories listed. Once you choose a template, you can stay close to the template design or use it only as a starting point.

Publishing The Website:

When you are ready to export my website to an online host, I can click the "Publish" button. You can publish a temporary Nicepage-hosted site, an HTML format, or a WordPress theme.

The temporary "Website" option is quick and easy. Press the publish button to install the site on the Nicepage server. Then share the subdomain with a client for their review of the site. There is no configuration or installation or uploads to do to have a site looking like the one on your desktop.

Another option is an HTML site. This choice requires an FTP app to upload to the host server.

If you publish a WordPress site, use the output zip file to install in WordPress as you do with any other theme.

Conclusion

In this post, I have given an overview of Nicepage. In the next post, I will detail some of my favorite design features in Nicepage. Meanwhile, I encourage you to get a free Nicepage download and try it. Then come back to the other posts for further help.

Top Posts

https://digitalchowder.com/all-the-best-features-of-nicepage/