30 Mar 8 Marketing Tools the Experts Can’t Live Without
Love to get the inside scoop on what the experts use? Me too, which is why I put together this list of marketing tools that my team and I can’t live without.
I didn’t do this to toot my own horn. (“Ooh, look how smart Monika is!” Why thank you, so kind.) I did this because it’s so darn easy to forget the extent of your knowledge. And because sharing is caring.
Before we dive in, though, I’d like to note that I didn’t include obvious stuff, like Google Analytics and social media. Those are a given, simply because you already know about them, and you already know you need to use them.
So what other marketing tools do we use? Here’s our list:
Canva
Not a graphic designer? Not a problem. Canva lets you create your own unique graphics. We often use it to turn a client testimonial or standout quote into a striking visual that we can share on social media.
Even if you’re not ready to use it, check out their site. Drag your cursor across the home page. So stinkin’ cool.
Visme
Another fabulous tool for non-designers is Visme, which lets you create presentations and infographics you won’t be embarrassed to share. We used it to create this infographic last year, and it was a great experience. It’s very easy to use, and once you get into it, it’s kind of addicting.
123rf.com
If you’re producing content, you need to subscribe to a stock photo site. Unless, that is, you like wasting time looking for free – and royalty free – images online. But I doubt it.
There are plenty of good stock photo sites out there, but we like the pricing of 123rf.com (rf stands for royalty free). As of this writing, $39 buys you 40 credits, and 40 credits equal around 20 images (the number of credits per image depends on image size).
Death to the Stock Photo
Death to the Stock is an anti-stock photo site. I’m sure you couldn’t tell by the name.
Anyway, the photos have a hipster/artistic aesthetic, and though new ones are uploaded every month, they don’t have the huge variety that 123rf has. Because we love the overall look of the photos and supporting other small business owners, this is where we source for photos to use in our own blog posts and on social media.
In terms of pricing, you can sign up to receive free photos every month, or you can subscribe for $10 per month. We subscribe. It’s just easier that way.
BuzzSumo
Want to create content people want to read? This is a marketing tool you can’t live without.
Type in a keyword and BuzzSumo will tell you what content performs best on that topic. That part is pretty cool, but what’s even better is the ability to only see the content that uses the keyword in its title. Mind. Blown.
Yoast SEO
Meet my favorite WordPress plug-in and my favorite marketing tool! Yoast tells you exactly how to optimize your blog posts and web pages for search, both from readability and keyword standpoints.
Readability and keyword appear as two different tabs. Each is broken out into a list of items that play into your overall SEO score. If an item is red, it means you really need to improve it. If an item is orange, it means it’s OK. If an item is green, it means you’re a superhero. JK. It means you did a perfect job, so give yourself a pat on the back.
Your blog posts and web pages are also given overall scores. Again, you want green all the way.
RocketBolt
RocketBolt is an email plug-in that tracks activity on emails you’ve sent. You can see who opened your email (if there’s more than one recipient), when they opened it, what device they opened it on, their geographic location when they opened it.
OK, so I’m starting to sound like a creepy stalker. Swear to god I’m not. But this is useful information to have when you’re trying to move a lead through marketing and into (and then through) the sales funnel.
MailChimp
There are numerous email marketing platforms out there. I’ve been using MailChimp for years, and I recommend it to all of our clients. It doesn’t matter what platform you use, as long as you use one.
Why? Here are five reasons off the top of my head:
- You can create a branded template
- You can add images
- You can add links to videos (they’ll appear as an image with a “play” button overlaid on top)
- You can track results
- You can A/B test to get better results
So there you go! Are there any marketing tools that you use and love – but that I left off my list? Would love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below.
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