10 Digital Marketing Tools For Small Businesses17 min read

Digital Marketing is now increasingly being used as the primary form of marketing used by small businesses (and large) due to its many benefits and feasibility.

Digital marketing can be easier to set up and start getting results right away- however, the hard part lies in learning how to handle, run and analyze your different digital marketing techniques.

Not to mention, even if you are successful in implementing your digital marketing campaigns, in order to run a successful business you must also do this efficiently and with minimum costs, efforts and time.

This is possible and is done with the help of Digital Marketing tools- both paid and free, simple and complicated. Hopefully this guide will be enough to get you up and running.

1. Google Analytics (Free)

Google Analytics allows you to keep track of your key metrics- the ones which are important in your marketing campaigns.

It keeps a track of the trafficking on your sites in order to understand who is visiting them, for how long and what they find most interesting. Knowing all this can definitely be useful to help you improve your strategies and also to better target your audience.

You don’t necessarily have to know all the in’s and out’s to get started, all you have to know is that the sooner you activate this tool, the better it is for your business.

2. Mailchimp (Both Free and Paid)

Mailchimp does have a paid version with more features, however if you’re a small business looking to run email marketing campaigns, the free version will do just fine.

WIth Mailchimp, you can create and send customized emails along with simple-to-use email templates along with a load of other awesome features such as building landing pages, automation tools and designing digital ads, etc.

Till you have 2000 prospects in your email list, Mailchimp is an excellent free marketing tool that you can use to help scale your business.

3. Hootsuite (Both Free and Paid)

Hootsuite was created as a social media management program to help you do more with your social media. From here, as you are able to support multiple social network integrations, meaning you can manage various profiles and networks at once. Its key functions include helping with planning, scheduling, and syndicating social posts. It supports Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and more.

4. BuzzSumo (Both free and paid)

BuzzSumo is claimed to be the “World’s #1 Content Marketing Platform” as it helps you to discover the best opportunities in terms of outreach, content and engagement throughout social media as well as search. BuzzSumo offers a limited free plan for users as well as a more resourceful paid version. With their content insights, you will be able to generate ideas, create some high-performing content, monitor your own performance as well as identify influencers.

5. KWFinder (Both free and paid)

KWFinder is a Keyword Research and Analysis tool used for search marketing that is insanely effective at finding you a bunch of keywords in any niche that are easy to rank. Your keyword research will be reliable with KWFinder as its keyword difficulty is among the most accurate in the market.

With the 10-day Free trial you get to have a maximum of 5 lookups, 50 relevant keyword suggestions and 3 SERP lookups per day. WIth a premium subscription, you can look up as many words as you want per day!

6. HubSpot (Both free and paid)

Hubspot is a leading cloud based CRM company which helps you to align your sales and marketing teams, promote sales enablement, increase ROI, as well as making your inbound marketing more optimized. In brief, this is a platform that helps businesses attract their leads, convert them and of course, closing customers.

HubSpot’s free CRM functionality can be used at no cost- it is completely free without an expiration date. A premium HubSpot subscription offers more advanced CRM functionality to users.

7. Canva (Both free and paid)

I think everyone’s heard of this one. Canva is a free graphic design tools platform which is used to create a range of different things such as posters, projects. Social media posts, presentations, documents, as well as other graphic content. While Canva is free-to-use, you can upgrade to Canva Pro to access the premium content and tools which I personally think is very worth it.

8. Ahrefs (Paid)

This is a tool that’s all about SEO. With a paid subscription, Ahrefs lets you view some very important key metrics. It contains tools for a range of things such as link building, keyword research, as well as competitor analysis and rank tracking – all extremely important for SEO.

To put it briefly, people use Ahrefs to help them rank better on Google.

A free SEO tool that is very valuable from Ahrefs is the Ahrefs Webmaster Tool.

9. Slack (Both Free and Paid)

Slack, the workplace communication tool, is actually a messaging app created so that organizations may be able to communicate and thus work more efficiently and effectively. It’s really a game-changer when it comes to how teams in a company fall under one roof and get their goals across and communicated.

The free version of Slack is available with some limitations, and the paid plans open up the full experience of the app.

10. Yoast (Mainly Free)

Yoast SEO is one of the best and most popular when it comes to WordPress plugins as it actively helps websites perform better on search engines such as Google. It also provides you with all the tools needed for your content to be of the highest standards in terms of SEO and readability.

Yoast is mainly free. And by that I mean, there is an option to upgrade for premium, however most of the important functions of Yoast are already free.

What Are Some Must-Have Digital Marketing Tools?

Email Marketing Tools-

Email marketing is increasing gradually as many businesses now know how important its impact can be for their sales. Some of the best tools out there are-

1. HubSpot Email Marketing–

HubSpot has been around for a while, and their launch of their email marketing tool was a success. Not only is it reliable, it is professional, free and easy-to-use. You can also connect with HubSpot CRM in order to tailor and personalize emails based on any information or details you may have about the recipient such as their first and last name. This tool is free upto 2000 email sends per month, and after that you have to upgrade for a fee of $50.

2. Mailchimp-

Mailchimp is one of the leading email marketing tools out there that most marketers have already heard of. Its free plan is limited to email creation and scheduling, but what makes it so great is its “smart recommendations feature” which helps to optimize your marketing efforts by actually providing valuable audience insights. Mailchimp has a customizable buyer journey that makes it easy to send out welcome emails, abandoned cart reminder emails and much more.

CRM Tools for SMBs-

CRM Tools usually come with a multitude of features but the main function is to streamline and improve processes and services that your company has to offer. Some of the best CRM tools include-

1. Salesforce-

There is no free plan for Salessforce, it offers a paid plan of $25 per month for each person -but it’s well worth it. Providing an all-in-one solution to all your sales and marketing needs, Salesforce is the best CRM for advanced customization. WIth its low starting price, small businesses can also enjoy the services from a top-tier CRM like Salesforce.

2. Freshworks-

This is the Best all-rounder CRM due to its affordability and its huge range of services offered. It offers a free plan, customizable web forms and has an easy to use interface. Third party tools such as Gmail can also be integrated. Freshworks is best suited for small business CRM needs.

Project Management Tools-

Finding the best-suited project management tool for your business can be super hard. Some of the top ones include-

1. ASANA

This is now one of the best project management tools available. It is super user-friendly, has a wide range of features, many data sources like Google Drive and Dropbox can be integrated with it, and it also offers a free version that is very worthwhile.

2. JIRA

JIRA is the most popular project management software right now which is used by businesses in the agile world. It’s so popular due to its well-managed workflow mapping and its issue tracking feature. It also has Scrum and Kanban boards to support the agile development cycle.

Social Media Tools-

Some of the best social media tools include-

1. BuzzSumo-

With plans starting at $79/month, BuzzSumo helps you find what’s most engaging to people as well as find trending influencers. You can use this platform to analyze which contents are performing the best for a given topic and you can now get this done without having to constantly keep an out on multiple social media channels.

2. Unsplash-

One of my favourite tools, Unsplash is a library full of professional images that you can use- completely free of cost. The photos from Unsplash are really popular among marketers as it helps to give any graphic content a fulfilling, polished and professional look.

Analytics Tools-

Metrics are very important when it comes to measuring success of your business. Here are some of the best tools-

1. Google Analytics-

This is the most robust web analytics platform with most people using it for their websites as a trusted analyzer. Google Analytics offers a free plan jam-packed with features that is perfect for small businesses and also has a paid plan for larger companies. It allows full performance insight, reporting, data management and user access control as well as easy integration.

2. Clicky

With Clicky, website owners are able to analyze their web traffic in real-time. It can be thought of as a user-friendly alternative to Google Analytics, with a lot of the same features except that Clicky shows its data in a clearer way to users.

Search Engine Optimization Tools-

Everyone wants their content to rank on search engines -that’s how they’ll earn profit. Here are some best tools for SEO-

1. Ahrefs: SEO Keyword Tool-

This is one of the most popular and recommended SEO tools online, second only to Google when it comes to website crawlers. Ahrefs Site Audit Tool is one of the best SEO tools to exist and it’s something SEO experts just cannot get enough of. Some neat features of this tool are that you can find content which is the most linked to within your niche, fix and update broken links and get an overview of your pages that performed the best.

2. SEMRush-

Another fan-favourite, SEMRush is an immensely popular tool in the SEO community. Most loved features include that they easily let you access your web rankings and they also do the work for you by identifying changes as well as better ranking opportunities. Another feature of SEMRush that stands out is its “Domain vs Domain analysis” which simply lets you compare your site to that of your competitors.

Content Marketing Tools-

You’d be surprised to know that 88% of B2B marketers use content marketing within their marketing strategy. Here are some of the best tools-

1. HubSpot-

By now, HubSpot needs no introduction. It is an all-in-one marketing, and sales suite which offers all the necessary tools for content marketers to produce effective content that works for them to drive leads and generate sales.

2. WordPress-

You might have heard of this tool before, WordPress allows you to create amazing blog content without a sweat. WordPress is very extensive and offers all the tools necessary to make a website or blog in addition to being a simple platform to publish, create, upload content, track visitors and track visitors

How do I Know Which Marketing Tools I need?

There are thousands of tools out there, both free and paid, to help you in your sales and marketing goals these days. But not all of them will be suitable for your business. How would you know which ones are right for you? Well, there are a few things you must take under consideration:

Marketing skills-

Beyond the right marketing tools, marketing skills should first and foremost be a priority to garner future success. Some of the most important marketing skills include-

Interpersonal relationship skills- Your marketing employees should work to build good relationships with one another and build a strong environment of trust and good workflow in order to maximize efficiency and enhance the company’s overall employee experience. They also need to learn how to connect and deal with leads in order to turn them into paying customers instead of lost prospects.

Content Creation Skills- Digital marketers are now continually focused on creating constant content to keep viewers engaged, aware and have something to interact with. This can be in the form of web content, social media or emails.

Search Engine Optimization skills- In a recent study, it was found that 3% of all website traffic AND about 40% revenue comes from organic traffic. Your customers will most likely search you up to know more about you- so you want to appear on top of the list, hence investing in this marketing skill is a must.

Social Media Marketing skills- The popularity of social media in our times needs no further explanation. It has been revealed in a study that 54% of people who use social media conduct their product research there so this skill needs to be invested upon to compete with your competitors.

Digital Advertising Skills- Reach your targets faster, and pin-point your ideal prospects at a relatively lower cost with this skill. Some digital advertising platforms include Google, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Outreach Marketing- Besides Inbound marketing, outbound marketing is equally as important through lead nurturing, link building and guest posting.

Time and Project Management- Working more doesn’t always mean working efficiently, time management for marketers is really important. This skill can be achieved through setting goals, goal tracking, breaking down goals and keeping reports.

Marketing Automation and CRM software- In order to not waste time doing repetitive tasks and improve at getting and keeping track of leads, marketers should invest their time and efforts in marketing automation and CRM software skills.

ROI measurement skills- Businesses need to invest in this skill in order to understand how effective their marketing campaigns and efforts have been going and whether they require tweaks or upgrades or not.

Web and Marketing analytics – Marketers today need to deal with numbers all day. Understanding these numbers and actively working on how to improve them based on what your business needs is a crucial skill

Budget & funding-

According to a study, most businesses fail due to a shortage in funds, facing unexpected losses as well as cost and budget issues- all of which can be avoided if there was a realistic budget set in place from the start.

To go over shortly on how you can manage your budget and funding, here’s a short list:

Analyze the costs- Take into account and research realistically all the expenses that will be incurred in your business. Knowing all the costs from beforehand can set a stable foundation for growth instead of jeopardizing your goals by starting out with tightly estimated budgets.

Negotiate with your Suppliers- The importance of the art of negotiating cannot be stressed enough, especially in marketing. A supplier is someone you will be depending on and requiring their services for as long as you are doing business, so you want to make sure that you are getting the best price from them. Make sure to look around and find the supplier whose prices suit your budget best.

Estimate Revenue Realistically – Most businesses estimate their revenue to be unrealistically high but they turn out to be borrowing a lot of money just to run operational costs. This is why it is very important to estimate carefully how much you think you will actually be getting in revenue by tracking monthly, annually and also by checking previous revenue records.

Project Cash Flow- You will need to balance customer payments and vendor payments equally to keep cash flowing into your organization.

Set Spending Goals- Businesses have to spend a lot obviously – but if not monitored, they can end up spending double they can afford. So it is crucial to set spending goals beforehand and to follow that.

Bring them all together- Now that you have all the planning out of the way, it’s time to finally make and table out that final budget sheet. Now, you’ll know exactly what kind of money you’ll need to get started with your business.

Of course, no matter how accurate your plan is, you will always face unexpected expenses in one way or another, so always be prepared and hope for the best!

Existing tools and overlap-

The options presented to us when we look for marketing tools are endless. Believe it or not, you don’t need all of them. Some of them you already might be using or have access to, and some of them are not relevant to start using. You need to find out which tools can be integrated and used beside your existing marketing tools and skills or could be overlapped to produce efficient, effective results that eventually bring in high revenue.

What do I Need to Know about Marketing?

How do I market my business with no money?

You don’t always need a huge budget for marketing your business. In fact there are quite a lot of ways that you can do marketing free of cost or with very little. Some of those ways are:

● Starting a website or blog

● Frequent Social Media Engaging Activity

● Ask for reviews

● Guest Blogging

● Join Relevant Groups for Networking

● Target Relevant Influencers

● Cold calling/emailing

● Host classes or events

● Send out newsletters

Need more suggestions and info? Click here.

Here are a few marketing plays that are free or really cheap:

1. Create a free Google My Business (GMB) account

2. Post engaging, helpful, relevant content on socials frequently

3. Tagging influencers or well-known brands on your socials

4. Make the most of LinkedIn

5. Create an extensive email marketing plan

6. Create detailed infographics and lead magnets

7. Publish extraordinary content that people remember

Click here to learn more.

How do I get good at content marketing?

Content marketing is the heart of digital marketing and most people are ready to increase their skills and invest their time and money on getting good at this skill or aspect of marketing.

Some ways to get good at content marketing include-

Understanding what your content needs to convey, making sure that the message is clear and goals are defined.
One of the most important – Knowing your target audience. This is the absolute KEY in any marketing strategy.
Understand your buyer’s journey to market your products/services to them better
Create in-depth, helpful content
Keep track of your analytics
Keep content update and post frequently
Personalize content
Publish original researched content with statistical data where possible
Use motion and static content to compliment your written content
Prioritize user experience (UX)

Click here to learn more!

So that’s about it for the best marketing tools and how to know which ones you need as well as which skills to focus on for your marketing success. Hope this article was helpful.

If you need help with your digital marketing, make sure to contact Lead Gravity, Bangladesh’s leading 360 degree marketing agency to help you with all your digital marketing needs.

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