Tag: Wordpress Plugins

Digital Marketer, AI Consultant, Published Author, ClickFunnels and Kit Specialist

5 Must Have Social Media Plugins for WordPress Blogs

October 1, 2010

With the explosion of Social Media many bloggers are discovering the power of sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and LinkedIn to name a few.  With WordPress plugins you or your readers can share your blog postings with others just with a click of the mouse.  Here are 5 plugins for Social Media that I think are the must haves if you are serious about promoting your business or cause. Update: Some of these plugins have been discontinued or have not been updated by their developers. WP FB Like With the exploding popularity of Facebook this is a must have plugin because it post to the king of social media.  WP FB Like is easy to setup and will add the Facebook “Like” Button at the top and bottom of all your post or pages.  When your reader clicks on the button a link to your blog post is added to their Facebook wall.  If their friends click on the link they are sent to your blog and directly to the post. Update: This plugin hasn’t been updated in over 2 years. It may no longer be maintained or supported and may have compatibility issues when used with more recent versions of WordPress. Sexy Bookmarks Here is a WordPress plugin that does it all when it comes to sharing out your blog post.  Sexy Bookmarks lets you pick and choice the social media networks you’d like your readers to share to.  Plus you can drag and drop them into the position you’d like them to display on your page.  You can display the social media networks at the top or bottom of your post.  There over 80 social networks to choose from but I would suggest that you keep it under 20 so as not to overwhelm your readers. WP Google-Buzz With all the buzz about Google Buzz and Google’s jump into the social media arena you’ll want this plugin for sure.  If you prefer to keep a minimalist look to your blog you might want to consider going with just a few buttons.  Facebook, Twitter, Digg and maybe even MySpace depending on the demographics of your readers.  WP Google-Buzz is easy to configure and has several customization choices to fit any bloggers needs. Update: This plugin has been discontinued Disqus Comment System This plugin replaces the default WordPress commenting system by adding elements that will drive more traffic to your blog.  Both new and repeat traffic can be generated from the use of this popular plugin.  Most major newspapers and news organizations use Disqus on their websites.  Readers can check a like button just like the FB like button and can post their comments to Facebook and Twitter.  Readers can also subscribe by email or RSS and get notified when someone replies to their comment.  What’s not to like about this plugin? PostRank PostRank shows off the top post on your blog and is updated automatically as the rankings change.  The look and feel of the widget can be set to match the color of your WordPress theme.  Monitor your PostRank scores and social media analytic metrics right from the WordPress dashboard.  The PostRank plugin is easy to install and setup is a breeze.  Keep in mind that it might take a few hours for the top post to start displaying. Wibya The ultimate social media plugin for your WordPress blog is the Wibya Toolbar.  Integrate both your Twitter and Facebook Fan Page feeds into your blog along with a host of other choices.  Show off your YouTube videos or pick what videos you’d like displayed.  Customize the look and feel of the toolbar to match your WordPress theme. Do you use any of the above plugins with your WordPress blog?  Have something else that’s a favorite?  Please feel free to leave a comment below and add to this list by letting others know your recommendations. Interested in other WordPress Plugins?  Check out this post from the blog ““ How To Make My Blog Best WordPress plugins ““ 18 most downloaded WordPress plugins ever If you know someone who could benefit from the information above please feel free to share with others.  I appreciate it and hope you’ll return again.  Thanks!

Expose your WordPress blog postings with a little Facebook “Like”

September 29, 2010

Now you can get some “Like” on Facebook for your WordPress blog post with a simple plugin.  You don’t have to know anything about programming code like HTML.  While in your WordPress Dashboard go to Plugins on the left-hand menu.  Click the “Add New” button and type in “Facebook Like Button Plugin for WordPress” (current version is 0.4a).  There’s also WP FB Like which is easy to setup with a few clicks of the options.  Pick whatever one you feel comfortable with but don’t delay on adding this must have plugin. The screenshot above shows you some of the options for one of the FB Like Button plugins.  I recommend displaying the button before and after an article for maximum benefit.  When a reader “Recommends” or “Likes” your posting a link is posted to their Facebook profile.  This is an excellent way to drive traffic from your friends Facebook page to your blog. Do you have a favorite plugin you’d like to recommend to other readers?  What do you “Like”?  Feel free to comment below and click “Recommend” to recommend this article to your Facebook friends.

Promote Your Digital Product and Fatten Your Wallet With ClickBank

August 21, 2010

Looking for a way to promote your product or promote the product of others?  Want to make money while you’re at it?  With ClickBank you can promote your own products or promote the products of others and make money.  ClickBank is based in Boise, Idaho and started back in 1998.  There are thousands of digital product vendors on ClickBank and over 110,000 active affiliate marketers. You only need to create an account to get started and can either sell your own product or promote someone else’s product and get paid. Sell Digital Products Online “I earned about $250,000 during my senior year in college and within a year of graduation had crossed the million dollar mark.” Russell Brunson, Idaho, USA Do you have an e-Book you’ve written?  How about computer software or a how-to guide?  With ClickBank you can promote your product without a lot of overhead.  The company will process orders for you via a secured and fraud proof system.  You choose the price you want to sell your product for and pay them a one-time activation fee.  All you have to do is create a landing page(web page) promoting your product and create some banner ads for affiliates.  Affiliates are other people who are willing to promote your product for you by placing a hop link or banner ad on their website.  Affiliates get a cut of your profits in the form of a commission when you make a sell. You can find lots of helpful information on selling basics here: ClickBank Selling Basics Promote Products in the ClickBank Marketplace “For anyone wanting to get started in affiliate marketing, ClickBank is the place to go. There are thousands of products to choose from and commission can be as high as 75%; you just won’t find that anywhere else.” Byron Walker, Colorado, USA If you don’t have product to sell but have a blog or a website you can still make money with ClickBank.  Affiliate Marketing has been around for years and a great way to supplement your income.  Once you have a ClickBank account you can promote any product in the ClickBank Marketplace.  There’s thousands of products to choose from and something for everyone.  Just find the product you like and generate a hop link to add to your blog or website.  The hop link is coded so ClickBank knows who to pay commission if product is sold.  Now you can share product with your Facebook friends using SocialPromote.  Just click the “Like” button and ClickBank will create a hop and add it to your Facebook Stream.  Make sure you are always signed in to your account when generating links or sharing out to Facebook.  You can search the marketplace for products that will complement your blog or website. If you have a WordPress blog there are ClickBank plug-ins available that let you add ClickBank product to your blog with ease. Ready to get your feet wet with affiliate marketing or selling your own digital product?  Head over to the ClickBank website and get your account ad get started today.  Already using ClickBank?  Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts with others. Sign Up for ClickBank CJM Marketing Specialties Content By Dennis J. Smith

10 must have WordPress Plugins

July 22, 2010

Being the most popular blogging platform in the world has its advantages.  There are millions of individuals and businesses that are using a WordPress blog.  Those blogs are the stepping stones to promoting a business or a cause.  Plugins make those blogs even more powerful and there are over 10,000 to choose from.  The best thing is they are all free and install in just minutes! We’ll cover some of the best plugins out there that make your blog more attractive to search engines, one that let you send a newsletter and others that will keep your readers on your site longer and some get you “Liked” on Facebook. All in One SEO Pack If you don’t have this plugin installed you should download it today.  It is the most downloaded plugin for WordPress blogs.  This plugin is used to assist in the search engine optimization of your WordPress blog.  Installation only takes a moment and set-up is fairly simple.  Find more information here on how to use it once you have the plugin installed. Akismet This plugin prevents spam from being posted to the comments section of your post.  The plugin checks your comments against the Akismet server to see if they look like spam.  The “Comments”" admin screen lets you review spam comments before they display below your post. Contact Form 7 Those looking for a way to gather customer information need to look no further.  The plugin Contact Form 7 uses CAPTCHA in order to prevent non-humans from submitting a form.  This plugin even uses Akismet to filter out any spam.  It can help you manage multiple contact forms and is customizable for those with a little more experience with code. Contextual Related Posts Keep your readers around longer with a plugin that displays related stories.  This plugin will display a list of related post at the end of the post the reader is viewing.  The plugin looks at the tags or the current article to match it with similar post the reader might like.  Therefore keeping them around longer on your site instead of reading one article and moving on. fbLikeButton Let your readers “Recommend” or “Like” your blog post and share them with one-click to their Facebook friends.  The plugin is customizable in look and feel depending on your blogs theme.  The button can be displayed before or after your post.  This is a great way to draw traffic to your blog from Facebook. Google Analytics for WordPress This plugin bills itself as the most complete Google Analytics plugin for WordPress.  Track where your readers are coming from, how long they are staying around on your blog and more.  The newest version promises to be faster when loading the tracking code. Newsletter Keep your readers coming back to your blog with a newsletter you compose.  It can be sent out on whatever frequency you like.  Your readers can opt-in to your newsletter with just a name and email address.  This is a very powerful plugin and you can read more information here. WP-DB-Backup Must have plugin to give you piece of mind that your hard work is protected.  This plugin is able to backup your core WordPress database on a schedule or when ever you need.  You can save it to the server, your PC or have it sent via email to protect your blog post.  It also allows you to backup other tables that are related to your WordPress blog. WP Google-buzz Facebook and Twitter still reign when it comes to social media sites.  Google might be the powerful search giant but its entry into social media with Google Buzz kind of fizzled.  However there is rumor that Google has something new coming down the pipeline. WPtouch iPhone Theme Give your blog that iPhone look and feel for your readers on the go.  WPtouch gives your WordPress blog an iPod/iPhone app look.  The admin controls for the plug-in give you lots of customization.  Viewer can toggle to the normal view for your blog with a flip of a switch. More information”¦ More Resources: WordPress Plugin Directory Affordable WordPress Hosting from GreenHostUSA ““ Starting at less than $10 a month!

Have your blog speak to your readers with Odiogo

July 18, 2010

If you are looking for a new way to promote your business or cause you might consider a WordPress blog.  It is a great way to get high search engine results when tied to your organizations website.  Many of the plug-ins offered for WordPress are designed to share your blog with with others on Facebook, Twitter, other social media sites and are easy to add. Odiogo is one of those plug-ins that makes your blog stand out from others.  It gives your readers the ability to listen to your articles by the push of a “listen now” button.  If your followers don’t have time to read your current post they can take it with them on the go.  Odiogo turns your blog into a portable podcast. You install plugins by going to the Dashboard for your WordPress Blog and selecting “Plugins” from the menu on the left.  That will bring you to the screen below when you can search from hundreds of available plug-ins.  You can pick from Featured, Popular, Newest and Recently Updated.  If you know the name of the plug-in just type it into the search box.  Type in “odiogo” to install the Odiogo plug-in on your blog. Once you have the Odiogo plug-in installed you will need to register your blogs RSS feed.  You only need to submit your email address and the address of your RSS feed.  It is free to register and this how Odiogo monitors your blogs for any new post.  Your new blog post is then turned into an MP3 file that also your readers to listen to your post.  It can take a few minutes for the process to complete.  Readers just click the “Listen Now” button and the player automatically launches.  It also gives them the choice to load a podcast onto their iPod/iPhone or an MP3 for any MP3 player.  Try it out today by clicking the “Listen Now” button on the top of this article.  I think you’ll be impressed at the quality of translation.  Let me know what you think! If you know of any other WordPress plug-ins that are unique or help make a blog standout from others, please let me know. Get the podcast for this blog here!  

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