Jennifer Auer is talking to us today about how to use If This Then That in order to get more traffic to our blogs while also saving us time.
What is IFTTT?
Recipes on IFTTT are the easy way to automate your world.
Channels
- 363 channels (Jennifer has 22, but the possibilities are endless)
- bit.ly (for shortening your links)
- Google Drive (for saving data in files and spreadsheets)
- Date & Time
- Gmail
- Social media channels
- Weather
Date & Time Options
- Every day at a specific time
- Every hour at :00, :15, :30, or :45
- Every day(s) of the week at a specific time (super helpful to use hashtags on posts for this)
- Every month on the (1-28 & last day of the month) at a specific time.
- Every year on a specific date and time. (This is great for holiday-related posts.)
Gmail
- 6 different options for incoming email
- 1 option for sending out emails to up to 5 email addresses at one time
- clients
- writers & VAs
SMS / Texting
- 2 different options for sending IFTTT per message
- 1 option for sending you a text message
- blog maintenance
- media kit
- blogger networks
- self care/personal (every night at 10:30 to get off the computer?)
- kids
Social Media
If Actions
- Facebook & Facebook Pages – 10 options based on your use of your FB profile, 6 for FB pages (links, posts, hashtags)
- Instagram – 5 options based on your postings (pics, videos, hashtags)
- Pinterest – you like a pin or there’s a new pin on your board
- Twitter – 10 options based on your actions or others
Then Actions
- Facebook & Facebook Pages – text, text with pictures, etc.
Weather (her favorite)
- 15 difference options for IF actions
- Today’s and tomorrow’s weather
- Temperature above or below
- Current condition: rain, snow, cloudy, clear
- Sunrise/sunset
- Wind speed
- UV/humidity
- Pollen count
How to IFTTT
Choose your trigger channel for your IF. Choose a THEN channel and a specific action.
One example I use is: IF I post something on Instagram, THEN it gets shared on my Twitter & FB profiles.
I also have one set up where IF I post something on Instagram with the hashtag #WELLinTHIShouse, THEN it gets shared on my FB page for WELLinTHIShouse.
Keeping Your IFTTT Recipes Organized
- turning on and off
- recipe log
- each recipe has a unique URL
- co-schedule
- spreadsheet
- pen & paper