SWIPEFILE.IO

This web-based tool can be used as inspiration for your social media posts, and so much more.

It’s based on the idea of a swipe file, which is basically a folder collection of marketing examples that you want to save as inspiration - whether it’s because you like the look, design, text, etc.

This app has samples you can use for quotes, about pages, sales fliers, direct email, etc. Some really good inspiration here!

Link - https://swipefile.io/

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REFIND

I stumbled upon this free tool called Refind. It is VERY cool! Basically it is a tool that finds articles on the internet of topics you are interested in, and displays those articles in your Refind activity feed. It is similar to Apple News and Google Newsstand, but seems to find articles that neither of those services find.

There are a couple of ways I am using this tool:

• To find interesting articles that I want to share on my social media platforms (articles I think my followers would be interested in)
• To find articles that I am interested in - topics that I want to learn more about.

Refind is by invitation only. If you are interested, click the link in this post and you will be able to create your own Refind list of the kinds of articles you want to see.

Link - https://refind.com/ThirdShift3?invite=56753bc605

I have to tell you, I have been using Apple News and Google Newsstand for several years. I use both of these tools twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. I ALWAYS find interesting articles on both, and both are customized to the types of articles I like to see. I often see the same stories on both platforms (these platforms know me well). When I started using Refind, I have been discovering articles that neither of the other platforms have. I can't seem to get enough of these Refind articles!

Refind is an app you can use on your tablet or phone, or you can access Refind on your computer. If you use Refind on your computer, you can also have articles appear on a browser tab when you open your browser. There is also a tool you can add to your browser's toolbar to click when you find an article on the internet that you want to save to your Refind activity feed.

If you're looking for great articles to share on your social media platforms, I recommend checking this out!

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POST CREATOR

With this free tool, you can upload images, insert messages and add your logo to make more engaging branded content that you can post to your social media platforms. And you don’t need to be a design pro to use it. Check it out - it's really cool!

Link - https://www.postcreator.com/

156

I've written articles about quite a few free tools and how you can use them with your shop. The articles also include extra tips and tricks you can use.

Link - https://www.thedrawingboard3.com/category/free-tools/

BUZZSUMO

Posting engaging content on your social media sites is what keeps your followers interested. But finding engaging content can be somewhat difficult... unless you use BuzzSumo!

Find content based on the keywords you use - keywords that target your audience. When you do a search on BuzzSumo, you'll find content and will be able to see how popular the content is across various social media outlets.

For example, do a search for "vintage home decor" and check out all the articles that pop up - lots to choose from!

I hope this tip helps you find content for your social media!

Link - http://buzzsumo.com/

155

WEBSITE GRADER

Do you wonder whether all of the time, energy, and money you invest into marketing your business online is even working?

Use Hubspot’s free marketing grader tool to find out how well your blog, social media, and other digital efforts are generating leads, and see how you stack up to the competition.

Link - https://website.grader.com/

154

GOOGLE KEEP

I've been using Evernote for quite some time (you can find a link to that tool here in the Free Tools forum), but I just recently discovered Google Keep.

I've been using this free note-taking tool to jot notes when planning social media, adding quick reminder notes, to do lists, and more. It's a really slick tool - and it's free!

I like the "Send to Panel" option that keeps your notes open in a separate panel (versus a browser tab). It's a very quick and easy tool to use, good for someone who doesn't want to take the time to learn Evernote or OneNote.

Give it a try!

Link - https://www.google.com/keep/

And the Chrome Extension - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/panel-view-for-keep/jccocffecajimkdjgfpjhlpiimcnadhb

153

INSTAGRAM ON YOUR COMPUTER

If you're like me who would prefer using my computer versus my phone for most things, you're going to love this new app I found! It is VERY simple to use and works on Windows or Mac computers. It's called Windowed.

Yes, there ARE ways to make your computer emulate a phone and you can use Instagram that way (I wrote an article about how to do that - you can find it on TheDrawingBoard3 website under Free Tools), but this app basically makes doing what I wrote about even easier!

You download the app, install it, and can then start using it right away.

When you click the Camera icon in the upper left corner, it opens your File Manager and you can choose photos from your computer.

This app ALSO lets you add multiple accounts and switch between them.

This app is VERY similar to the Windows Store Instagram App (I also mentioned that here in our group), BUT that app cannot upload photos from your computer. THIS new app, can!

Here is a link to the app - https://windowed.io/ - just download either the Windows version or the Mac version and you'll be up and running in no time!

P.S. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that you can tag products from your store using this app. For that, you'll still have to use your phone. Bummer.

152

INTERACT QUIZ CREATOR

I found a new free tool yesterday called Interact. It's a tool that allows you to easily create a quiz that you can embed into your blog or share on social media.

Personally, I think quizzes are a lot of fun to take and they have the potential of going "viral" on social media. When they do, that helps spread YOUR website around even more.

Link - https://www.tryinteract.com/

147

I quickly created this quiz yesterday - https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/5bd9fd6a142dbb0013c03785 (give it a try so you can see how it works).

I chose to just share the quiz on Facebook yesterday versus putting it in my blog just because it was a last minute idea, but you CAN embed the quizzes directly into a blog, as well as share on social media.

Just throwing this out there in case anyone wants to use this tool - give it a try!