When deciding to create content for your audience, it’s common to feel overwhelmed. With so many things to think about during the process, it can clutter your mind and leave you stunned with what to do.
Well, just like how a mop and broom can clean a messy room so these tools can help clean up your content. And the best part is these tools are all FREE to use so you can start using them right away!
If are looking for a place to organize your content into a structured system, then Trello is a tool that should not be missed! Trello is a work management tool that empowers teams to ideate, plan, manage, and celebrate their work together in a collaborative, productive, and organized way!
The method of organization that Trello uses is a system called Kanban. The Kanban system was developed in the early 1940s by Taiichi Ohno – an industrial engineer and businessman at Toyota in Japan. He developed this system as a solution to the inadequate efficiency and productivity of Toyota compared to their automotive rivals in America.
How it works is that workflow can be divided into three stages: To-Do, Doing, Done
· To-Do: What needs to be done which is determined by your superiors.
· Doing: Indicating that the task is in the progress of being done.
· Done: The task has been completed.
Now that we see the backbone behind Trello, let’s go over the functions of the software.
Boards, Lists, and Cards
When you create your account with Trello you will be presented with the option of starting with either picking a template from their vast library or picking a basic board with just the “To-Do, Doing, and Done” boards.
(1) Board – This is the main hub for your information — often for large projects, teams, or workflows. Whether you are launching a new website, tracking sales, or planning your next office party, a Trello board is the place to organize tasks, all the little details, and most importantly — collaborate with your colleagues.
(2) Lists – This is where you store in the units of info like cards or other pieces of information that you want to place. In the basic board, you have the Kanban trio to start you off with. But you can expand and customize the board to suit your needs. To add a list, simply click “Add Another List” and a new list is made.
(3) Cards – These are the individual units where you can store your ideas, tasks, etc. A card can be something that needs to get done, like a blog post to be written or something that needs to be remembered, like company vacation policies. To add a card, just click “Add a card” at the bottom of any list to create a new card and give it a name like “Hire a new marketing manager” or “Write a blog post.” Additionally, can also add tags to your cards if you need to organize them into separate categories. Moreover, you can also move cards around by dragging and dropping them to other lists.
Menu
Trello’s customization continues further with the menu located on the far-right side of the board. There are minor features that you can work with like changing the cosmetics of your board, but it’s worth highlighting the major features of the menu that sets Trello apart from the rest!
(4) Power-Ups – These are great add-ons to your Trello board! They can add additional features to your board, or you can integrate other software like Google Drive to easily incorporate your files. Although, a power-up that is a must-have for your board is Calendar. This power-up organizes and schedules your content onto a calendar to keep track of important due dates.
(5) Automations – This feature helps you cut the tedium of doing certain actions that you do consistently on Trello. Simply click on “Automations” and there you can establish rules for Trello to perform the tasks you want.
Now that we discussed the main features of Trello, Here is an example of what you can do with your Trello board using my own board.
I put my own spin into a Trello board so I can use it to organize my own content!
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what Trello can do! If you are interested in learning more about Trello, check out their YouTube channel for more tips and tricks.
WATCH: Trello YouTube Channel
Pricing
As we close our discussion about Trello, it’s important to discuss pricing should you choose to use it.
At the base of Trello, you have access to a lot of the features for FREE! Including things like unlimited cards, storage, and power-ups!
Then the upgraded plans like Standard and Premium are at an affordable price a month with $5 and $10 respectively.
As you get more involved with Trello you may want to consider purchasing the higher plans for even more great features! Probably by the time you’re considering upgrading your Trello subscription, you may already have the funds to easily afford it.
With this great system to organize your content as well as your workflow – Trello is definitely one tool that’s worth a try.
For those who are more visual in their thought processes, Milanote is the tool for you!
Unlike Trello that’s has a structured function with the Kanban system, Milanote functions in a pasteboard style interface that holds images, color swatches, links with previews of their web pages, arrows, emoji, and text.
Whether you are a designer, writer, or a startup gathering ideas, Milanote has got you covered!
Let’s take a look at some of the features that Milanote offers:
(1) Menu – This is where all the items you can draw from to put into the main board. The items have a drag-and-drop mechanic so you can easily add new cards to your board. If you want to compartmentalize your notes and images, you can add a new board to manage your content.
(2) Board Trail – The board trail helps you keep track of the path of your boards. You can always know where a card or board is coming from to eliminate confusion.
(3) Collaboration – Here you can collaborate with your team in real-time when working on your projects and adding new members is a snap! Your team can also make comments to communicate any thoughts and receive feedback.
For more information about Milanote and its features, check out their YouTube Channel in the link below:
WATCH: Milanote YouTube Channel
Pricing
Milanote has a free version so you can start using their features right away. However, you are limited to using 100 cards and 10 file uploads which is quite a lot starting out.
If you like using this software enough to warrant using more than the standard version with everything being unlimited will cost $12.99 (or $9.99 if billed annually). I'll admit the price is a bit steep but at least they give you a lot to work within the free version so you can try before you buy.
Milanote is a definite outlet for creative spirits, and you just need to make sense of the chaos that comes with it!
Here is a great tool for the social media manager in mind!
Anyone that uses social media professionally will tell you that planning and scheduling can be and hassle with determining factors like what platforms you want to use, what kind of images would be more attractive, when is the right time to post, tracking your progress, engaging your audience – It can all be a nightmare to handle!
Thankfully, help is on the way with Later!
Later functions like a personal assistant and a teacher to your social media needs. As a personal assistant, Later can help you store your media, engage in conversations with your audience, perform analytics on your posts, and even create a mini website (called a linkin.bio). As a teacher, Later gives you the best times to post along with the analytics so you can be a better content creator in the long run.
Just like before, let’s breakdown some of the features of Later:
Image Source: https://djtechreviews.com/
(1) Calendar – This is where all the posts are going to be scheduled and will eventually be posted onto the social media platforms of your choosing. From Instagram to LinkedIn, Later is compatible with all major platforms and has a feature to add any new platforms that haven’t been listed. There is a section where you can put your media to drag and drop onto the calendar so you can map out your posting schedule.
(2) Media Library – Here, you can put all of your photos, videos, and GIFs in one convenient bank of media. Later also allows you to sync your media with your Dropbox and/or Google Drive account to save time uploading.
(3) Conversations – One of the dilemmas when managing socials is the actual “social” aspect of conversing with your audience. Later organizes your comments and messages so you can respond to them more efficiently.
(4) Analytics – This is where Later stores the data gathered from your posts and puts them into easy-to-read graphs and charts for your to track your progress when you are auditing your social media accounts.
(5) Collect Media – If you need some photos to use for your posts, Later has stock photos for you to use. You can also gather any mentions or tags that are tied to your account. Lastly, you can gather any images and videos from people you invite to contribute.
(6) Linkin.bio – This is a staple feature, especially for those who use Instagram. As mentioned earlier, linkin.bio is like a mini website for your social profile. This feature will alleviate the hassle of having to click through a long path of links by connecting your content with a single link! This is also helpful for those running shops because it will be easier for your viewers to shop what they want and go right back to their socials without leaving the page.
(7) Learning Center – Like the other tools, there is only so much that we can talk about Later, but we cannot cover everything that Later has to offer. Thankfully they have a center full of tutorials, materials, and guides that will help you develop further in your Later journey!
Pricing
You can sign up and use Later for free and can get started right away! However, like the previous tools, the free version is limited to what you can do but they give you a good amount to work with to start you off!
Should you want to invest further into using Later, the starter package is $15/month. While steep, they do offer a free 14-day trial if you want a good idea of what all of Later has to offer. You can cancel this trial at any time if you aren’t ready to purchase a package yet. However, it should be noted that the training that Later provides is completely free no matter what package you have. This tool is one of the few instances that Later is better than sooner!
The last two tools that I will talk about are completely 100% FREE without worrying about a pricing plan. If you’re on a budget, but still want good tools to organize your content, these tools are a definite must!
Image source: Google
This tool is so popular that it doesn’t need an introduction!
Pinterest is one of the top social networks in the world! This is where people can find inspiration and ideas for their interests and hobbies.
Every idea is represented by a Pin, which is an image that is searched and saved by Pinterest users. Pins can also link back to websites, which is why Pinterest is great for driving traffic and sales.
While it’s not as robust on features as the previous tools, Pinterest is a great tool to organize your content! Not only can you collect a myriad of beautiful images from Pinterest, but you can also upload any photos that you have and can put them on boards for your future projects! Moreover, you can use Pinterest for both personal and business use for free!
This one is my personal favorite, so I saved this one for last!
OneNote is a tool for keeping notes, images, checklists, etc. It basically functions as a “Milanote Lite” but with no limit to the number of sections and pages you can have.
This is my go-to for blog planning because it keeps my thoughts in easy-to-manage sections, so my workflow is more organized, therefore less stress to plan!
Here is a brief rundown of how it works using my notebook as an example:
(1) Sections – Here is where you group your pages. Here I have a place where I put all my blog ideas, a “template” I use to plan my articles, and the previous articles that I have worked on. To add a new section, click “Add Section” and a new section is made!
(2) Pages – This is where your info is stored. This is where I put in separate the process of writing the article into separate pages. From where I place my research links, to where I put any graphics on my articles, OneNote keeps them all well-organized.
(3) Ribbon – Just like any Microsoft Office application, there is a ribbon of features that you can use to customize your notes, fonts, lists, etc.
It should be said that OneNote is a part of the Microsoft 365 bundle, however, if you don’t have that bundle you can easily access these tools along with the staple tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint on your browser for free, you just need to create a Microsoft account to gain access.
There you have it! These are 5 FREE tools that can help you declutter your content. I hope these tools help you in your content creation journey and please comment on your experience with these tools. Alternatively, if you know a tool that has helped you but didn’t get listed, let us know also!
Thank you for your time and happy creating!
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