— February 21, 2018
Marketing is an ever changing field. The very nature of the Internet’s constant evolution means that marketers need to be constantly learning how to do the same things differently. They also need to keep their content fresh and high quality across multiple platforms, while making sure that they stay within their budget. Measuring and tracking success on your efforts is absolutely crucial to maximizing reach while staying in budget.
While it might be possible to do all of this manually, or with just pen and paper, finding multipurpose tools that track engagement, interest, and results, are all key to building a marketing plan that is responsive and effective over the long term.
Many of the tools listed are free, while others offer a free trial or offer a freemium model.
1. IFTTT
IFTTT (If This Then That) is a program running on applets. Applets are tiny applications which run conditional statements. One of the more well known examples is that when you leave home, IFTTT can turn off your phone’s WiFi to save battery life, and then turn it back on when you return home.
There are hundreds of premade applets, or you can set up your own. These could help you run your own marketing, or benefit your customers.
2. WISTIA
Video is one of the key marketing tools available for businesses. The amount of video content being consumed is increasing year over year, and businesses that want to succeed need to find ways to incorporate this media into their websites and social media profiles.
Hosting video can be complicated; Wistia makes it simple. You get great video hosting that integrates with your website as well as great analytics on who’s watching what, and what keywords got them there.
3. SERPSTAT
When you need deep insight into a website’s performance, traditional free analytics programs don’t go far enough. SERPSTAT lets you dig down into a page’s keyword research, competitive analysis, backlink analysis, rank tracker, site audit, and much more.
Free access gives you a certain number of searches, while paid plans allow more daily inquires, give you the ability to track more websites, and provide additional insights into benefits of SEO.
4. EVENTBRITE
Many companies build community involvement and successful area participation by hosting events like product launches and community outreach parties; individuals may host classes or talks based on their specialties.
Whatever event you’re creating, Eventbrite is a classic tool that helps you manage both the logistics of the event and the promotion. Need a landing page, payment tool, and ticketing server for your event? Eventbrite has you covered.
5. PRODUCT HUNT
Looking for a tool that will keep you aware of the most current marketing tools? Product hunt is a great system that discusses the best places and services to help marketers get the most out of their efforts. Community discussions around how to best use tools and which ones will best serve a specific purpose are all hosted on site, giving marketers a one-stop solution for industry news. And if you happen to be launching a new tool that will benefit marketers, this is a great place to get some visibility.
6. ICONOSQUARE
If your business benefits from Instagram, having a dedicated tool for posting and managing your feed is key. Iconosquare gives you insight into what’s working, and what is not, in your posts, moderates and monitors content, and lets you draft ahead of time, setting posting schedules as needed.
The tool also connects with Facebook, giving you access to the two biggest media destinations on the internet right now.
7. WOOBOX
Giveaways can be an exceptional way to expand your reach and encourage influencers to spread the word about your brand to their audience. Managing a giveaway on your own can be frustrating, but Woobox makes it simple. The tool allows you to create a huge number of different giveaway options, including hashtag contests and instant win events.
8. HOTJAR
Understanding what gets customers to your website is important, but understanding what they do once they’re there is also key to developing a strategy that works over time. Hotjar uses heatmaps to demonstrate where customers go on your website, giving you insight on what might be keeping them engaged, or making them bounce away to your competitors.
Running a social media campaign or marketing effort requires you to collect and visualize a huge amount of data. From measuring the success of various efforts to maintaining an editorial calendar to choosing just the right keyword to hit that precious first SERP, marketing tools will help you get what you need done while keeping you from getting overwhelmed.
Did I miss any of your favorite tools? Tell us about them!
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