Tools which Make Marketing Easy for Businesses

Marketing is an essential aspect of any business, and with the rise of digital marketing, it has become more important than ever to have the right tools to make marketing easier. In this article, we will explore some of the best tools available in 2023 that can help businesses with their marketing efforts.

Introduction

Marketing tools are the invisible foundation of a strong marketing strategy. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online marketing tools out there, and some are expensive and difficult to use and implement. If you’re a small-business owner, the cost of these tools alone can feel unwieldy, and choosing the best fit for your marketing efforts may be difficult.

In this article, we have put together a curated list of the types of marketing tools you’ll need by marketing category. While this isn’t a comprehensive list, it’s a thoughtful collection of tools that are at the top of their class, affordable or free, and can grow with your business over time.

Email Marketing Tools

Email marketing tools help you create email campaigns, send out email blasts or newsletters, organize different email lists, and track and analyze results. They support your overall email marketing strategy by acting as a hub for all types of email campaigns you send, such as automated sequences like abandoned cart emails, one-off announcements to your customers, or follow-ups.

Some of the best email marketing tools available in 2023 include:

Brevo: Formerly known as Brevo;  is an email marketing platform that offers a variety of features to help businesses of all sizes grow their email lists and send effective email campaigns.

Some of the pros of using Brevo for email marketing include:

1. Affordable pricing: Brevo offers a free plan that allows you to send up to 9,000 emails per month. Paid plans start at $25 per month and include unlimited contacts, email automation, and SMS marketing.
2. User-friendly interface: Brevo has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and send email campaigns, even if you’re not a technical expert.
3. Powerful features: Brevo offers a variety of features to help you create effective email campaigns, including:
   • Email templates: Brevo offers a library of pre-made email templates that you can customize to fit your brand.
   • Email automation: Brevo allows you to create automated email sequences that are triggered by specific events, such as a user subscribing to your list or making a purchase.
   • SMS marketing: Brevo allows you to send SMS messages to your contacts.
4. Integrations: Brevo integrates with a variety of other popular marketing platforms, such as WordPress, Shopify, and Magento. This makes it easy to sync your contacts and send email campaigns from your existing marketing software.

Some of the cons of using Brevo for email marketing include:

1. Limited contact segmentation: Brevo’s free plan only allows you to segment your contacts by location and industry. Paid plans offer more advanced segmentation options, such as by purchase history and interests.
2. No A/B testing: Brevo’s free plan doesn’t offer A/B testing, which is a valuable tool for optimizing your email campaigns. Paid plans offer A/B testing for up to 3 email variables.
3. No customer support phone number: Brevo only offers customer support through email and chat. This can be inconvenient if you need help with a technical issue.

Overall, Brevo is a powerful email marketing platform that offers a variety of features for businesses of all sizes. The free plan is a great option for small businesses that are just starting out, and the paid plans offer more advanced features for businesses that need to scale their email marketing efforts.

To learn more about Brevo, visit their website: https://www.Brevo.com/

Here is a brief idea on how to use Brevo:

• Sign up for a Brevo account.
• Add your contacts to Brevo.
• Create an email campaign.
• Choose a template or design your own email.
• Add content to your email, such as text, images, and links.
• Segment your contacts so that you can send targeted emails.
• Schedule your email to be sent at a specific time.
• Track the results of your email campaign.

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that offers a wide range of features and tools to help businesses of all sizes create and send effective email campaigns. Here are some of the pros and cons of using Mailchimp:

Pros:

• Ease of use: Mailchimp is very easy to use, even for beginners. The interface is clean and intuitive, and there are plenty of tutorials and resources available to help you get started.
• Affordability: Mailchimp offers a free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers, which is great for small businesses and startups. Paid plans start at just $9.99 per month.
• Powerful features: Mailchimp offers a wide range of features to help you create and send effective email campaigns, including:
• Email templates: Mailchimp has a library of over 100 pre-made email templates that you can customize to fit your brand.
• Segmentation: You can segment your email list based on demographics, interests, and purchase history to send more personalized emails.
• Automation: Mailchimp offers a variety of automation features that can help you automate your email marketing tasks, such as sending welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, and birthday emails.
• Integrations: Mailchimp integrates with a wide range of other marketing platforms, such as WordPress, Shopify, and Google Analytics. This makes it easy to add Mailchimp to your existing marketing stack.

Cons:

• Customer support: Mailchimp’s customer support has been criticized for being slow and unresponsive.
• Pricing: Mailchimp’s pricing can be expensive for businesses with large email lists.
• Limited customization: Mailchimp’s email templates are very customizable, but you may find that you need to code your own emails if you want more flexibility.

Overall, Mailchimp is a great email marketing platform for small businesses and startups. It’s easy to use, affordable, and offers a wide range of features to help you create effective email campaigns. However, if you have a large email list or need more customization options, you may want to consider a different platform.

Here is the link to Mailchimp’s website: https://mailchimp.com/

Here is a brief idea on how to use Mailchimp:

• Sign up for a Mailchimp account and create a new list of subscribers.
• Choose a template or design your own email.
• Add your content and images.
• Segment your list and send targeted emails.
• Use automation to send follow-up emails and abandoned cart emails.
• Track your results and optimize your campaigns.

Social Media Marketing Tools

Social media marketing tools allow you to do things like create one post, then automatically send it to every platform—at the time and date you set. You can easily create a social media calendar and schedule posts in advance1. These tools eliminate manual social media management processes like tracking the performance of each post in a spreadsheet or going into each social media app every day to get content up.

Some of the best social media marketing tools available in 2023 include:

Hootsuite is a social media management platform that can be used to schedule posts, track analytics, and collaborate with team members. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• Hootsuite is easy to use and can be set up quickly.
• Hootsuite supports a wide range of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Hootsuite offers a variety of features to help you manage your social media, including scheduling posts, tracking analytics, and collaborating with team members.
• Hootsuite offers a free plan that allows you to manage up to 3 social media accounts.

Cons:

• Hootsuite can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to manage a large number of social media accounts.
• Hootsuite’s analytics can be limited, especially for the free plan.
• Hootsuite’s customer support can be slow and unresponsive.

Pricing:

Hootsuite pricing starts at $49 per month for the Professional plan. The Business plan costs $99 per month and the Enterprise plan starts at $599 per month.

How to use Hootsuite for Social Media Marketing:

• Create a Hootsuite account and sign in.
• Connect your social media accounts to Hootsuite.
• Create a content calendar and schedule posts in advance.
• Track your analytics and measure the results of your campaigns.
• Collaborate with team members on social media content.

Here is a brief step-by-step guide on how to use Hootsuite for social media marketing:

• Go to the Hootsuite website and create an account.
• Sign in to your account and click on the “Add a Network” button.
• Select the social media platforms that you want to connect to Hootsuite.
• Enter your login credentials for each social media platform.
• Once your social media accounts are connected, you can start creating content.
• To create a new post, click on the “Create” button and select the social media platform that you want to post to.
• Enter your post content and add any images or videos.
• Schedule your post to be published at a later date and time.
• You can also use Hootsuite to track your analytics and measure the results of your campaigns.
• To view your analytics, click on the “Analytics” tab.
• You can see how many people have seen your posts, how many people have clicked on your links, and how many people have engaged with your content.
• You can also use Hootsuite to collaborate with team members on social media content.
• To invite team members to your Hootsuite account, click on the “Team” tab.
• Enter the email addresses of your team members and they will receive an invitation to join your account.

Overall, Hootsuite is a powerful tool that can be used to manage your social media marketing campaigns. It is easy to use and offers a variety of features to help you track your analytics and collaborate with team members. However, it can be expensive for businesses that need to manage a large number of social media accounts.

Here is the link to Hootsuite’s website: https://hootsuite.com/

Sprout Social is a social media management platform that can be used to schedule posts, track analytics, and engage with followers on multiple social media platforms. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• Sprout Social offers a wide range of features that can help businesses manage their social media presence effectively. These features include:
• Scheduling posts across multiple social media platforms
• Tracking analytics to measure the performance of social media campaigns
• Engaging with followers through direct messages and comments
• Monitoring social media mentions to identify opportunities and risks
• Sprout Social is easy to use and has a user-friendly interface.
• Sprout Social offers a free trial so businesses can try it out before they commit to a paid plan.

Cons:

• Sprout Social can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to manage multiple social media accounts.
• Sprout Social does not offer all of the features that some businesses may need, such as content creation and A/B testing.
• Sprout Social’s customer support can be slow to respond.

Pricing:

Sprout Social pricing starts at $99 per month for the Starter plan. The Professional plan costs $149 per month and the Enterprise plan starts at $299 per month.

To use Sprout Social for social media marketing, you will need to:

• Create an account and sign up for a plan.
• Connect your social media accounts to Sprout Social.
• Start scheduling posts and tracking analytics.
• Engage with followers and monitor social media mentions.
• Once you have created an account and connected your social media accounts, you can start scheduling posts. Sprout Social allows you to schedule posts in advance, so you can be sure that your content is always being shared on time. You can also track the analytics of your posts to see how well they are performing.

Sprout Social also allows you to engage with followers through direct messages and comments. This is a great way to build relationships with your audience and encourage them to interact with your content. You can also use Sprout Social to monitor social media mentions to identify opportunities and risks. This is important for businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition and avoid negative publicity.

Overall, Sprout Social is a powerful social media management platform that can help businesses of all sizes manage their social media presence effectively. However, it can be expensive, so businesses should carefully consider their needs before choosing a plan.

Here is the link to Sprout Social’s website: https://sproutsocial.com/

Here are some additional steps on how to use Sprout Social for social media marketing:

• Create a content calendar: This will help you plan your posts in advance and ensure that you are publishing a variety of content on a regular basis.
• Use Sprout Social’s analytics to track the performance of your posts: This will help you see what content is resonating with your audience and what needs to be improved.
• Engage with your followers: Respond to comments and questions, and participate in conversations. This will help you build relationships with your audience and encourage them to come back for more.
• Monitor social media mentions: This will help you identify opportunities to promote your brand and respond to any negative feedback.

By following these steps, you can use Sprout Social to effectively manage your social media presence and reach your marketing goals.

Canva is a graphic design platform that can be used for a variety of purposes, including social media marketing. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• Canva is very user-friendly, even for people with no design experience.
• Canva offers a wide range of templates and design elements that can be customized to create professional-looking graphics.
• Canva offers a free plan that is great for small businesses or individuals who are just starting out.
• Canva integrates with a number of social media platforms, making it easy to share your designs.

Cons:

• Canva’s free plan is limited in terms of the number of templates and design elements that you can use.
• Canva’s paid plans can be expensive for businesses with a large social media following.
• Canva’s designs can sometimes look too generic or templated.

Pricing:

Canva pricing starts at $12.99 per month for the Personal plan. The Professional plan costs $30.99 per month and the Enterprise plan starts at $99.99 per month.

How to use Canva for social media marketing:

• Create a Canva account.
• Choose a template or design element that you want to use.
• Customize the template or design element to fit your brand and message.
• Add your text and images.
• Save and download your design.
• Share your design on your social media channels.

Here is a link to Canva’s website: https://www.canva.com/

Here are some additional tips for using Canva for social media marketing:

• Use high-quality images and videos in your designs.
• Keep your designs simple and easy to read.
• Use a consistent branding style across all of your social media designs.
• Track the performance of your social media designs to see what is resonating with your audience.

Overall, Canva is a great tool for social media marketing. It is easy to use, affordable, and offers a wide range of features and templates. If you are looking for a way to create professional-looking graphics for your social media channels, Canva is a great option.

Content Marketing Tools

Content marketing covers a lot of different marketing activities between email and social media marketing including tools that help you analyze traffic and behavior on your website. Some of the best content marketing tools available in 2023 include:

HubSpot is a marketing software platform that can be used for content marketing. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• HubSpot offers a wide range of content marketing tools, including a content management system, blog, landing pages, email marketing, and social media marketing.
• HubSpot is easy to use, even for beginners.
• HubSpot offers a free plan that includes all of the basic content marketing tools.
• HubSpot offers a variety of integrations with other marketing software platforms.

Cons:

• HubSpot can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to use all of the features.
• HubSpot’s content management system is not as powerful as some other platforms.
• HubSpot’s email marketing platform does not offer A/B testing.

Pricing:

HubSpot pricing starts at $45 per month for the Starter plan. The Professional plan costs $120 per month and the Enterprise plan starts at $360 per month.

To use HubSpot for content marketing, you will need to:

• Create a content marketing strategy. This will involve deciding what topics you want to write about, who your target audience is, and how you will measure the success of your content marketing efforts.
• Create a content calendar. This will help you stay on track and publish content on a regular basis.
• Create content. This can include blog posts, articles, infographics, ebooks, and videos.
• Promote your content. This can include sharing it on social media, submitting it to directories, and guest blogging.
• Measure the results of your content marketing efforts. This will help you see what is working and what is not.

Here is the link to HubSpot’s website: https://www.hubspot.com/

Here are some additional steps on how to use HubSpot for content marketing:

• Set up your HubSpot account. Once you have created a HubSpot account, you will need to set up your content marketing tools. This includes creating a blog, landing pages, and email marketing campaigns.
• Create a content calendar. A content calendar will help you stay on track and publish content on a regular basis. It should include the following information:
  1. The title of the content
  2. The author of the content
  3. The publication date
  4. The target audience for the content
  5. The marketing channels that will be used to promote the content
• Create content. The type of content you create will depend on your target audience and your content marketing goals. However, some popular types of content include blog posts, articles, infographics, ebooks, and videos.
• Promote your content. Once you have created your content, you need to promote it to your target audience. This can be done through social media, email marketing, and paid advertising.
• Measure the results of your content marketing efforts. It is important to measure the results of your content marketing efforts so that you can see what is working and what is not. HubSpot offers a variety of tools that can help you track the performance of your content marketing campaigns.

Overall, HubSpot is a powerful tool that can be used for content marketing. It offers a wide range of features, is easy to use, and offers a free plan. However, it can be expensive for businesses that need to use all of the features.

Unbounce is a landing page builder that can also be used for content marketing. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• Unbounce landing pages are highly customizable and can be optimized for conversions. This is important for content marketing, as you want to make sure that your landing pages are effective at generating leads and sales.
• Unbounce offers a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to create landing pages, even for beginners. This is helpful for content marketers who may not have a lot of experience with design or coding.
• Unbounce offers a variety of templates and integrations to help you create effective landing pages. This can save you time and effort, as you can choose from a variety of pre-made templates or integrate with your existing marketing tools.
• Unbounce offers a free plan that allows you to create up to 3 landing pages. This is a great way to try out Unbounce before you commit to a paid plan.

Cons:

• Unbounce can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to create a large number of landing pages.
• Unbounce does not offer a dedicated content marketing platform. You will need to use a third-party content marketing tool to manage your content creation, distribution, and analytics.
• Unbounce’s content marketing integrations can be complex to set up.

Pricing:

Unbounce pricing starts at $99 per month for the Basic plan. The Plus plan costs $299 per month and the Enterprise plan starts at $1,299 per month.

How to use Unbounce for content marketing:

• Create a landing page in Unbounce.
• Add your content to the landing page.
• Optimize the landing page for conversions.
• Promote the landing page to your target audience.
• When creating your landing page, you should make sure to optimize it for conversions. This means using clear and concise copy, persuasive visuals, and a strong call to action. You should also use Unbounce’s analytics tools to track the performance of your landing page and make changes as needed.
• Once you have created your landing page, you need to add your content to it. This could be a blog post, an ebook, a whitepaper, or any other type of content that you want to promote.
• Finally, you need to promote your landing page to your target audience. You can do this through email marketing, social media, or paid advertising.

Overall, Unbounce is a powerful tool that can be used to create effective landing pages and content marketing campaigns. However, it can be expensive for businesses that need to create a large number of landing pages. If you are looking for a more affordable option, you may want to consider using a different landing page builder that offers content marketing integrations.

Here is the link to Unbounce’s website: https://unbounce.com/

Here are some additional steps on how to use Unbounce for content marketing:

• Choose the right template. Unbounce offers a variety of templates that you can use to create your landing page. Choose a template that is relevant to your content and that will appeal to your target audience.
• Add your content. Once you have chosen a template, you can add your content to the landing page. Be sure to use clear and concise copy, persuasive visuals, and a strong call to action.
• Optimize the landing page for conversions. Use Unbounce’s analytics tools to track the performance of your landing page and make changes as needed. You can optimize your landing page for conversions by testing different headlines, calls to action, and visuals.
• Promote the landing page. Once you are happy with your landing page, you need to promote it to your target audience. You can do this through email marketing, social media, or paid advertising.

By following these steps, you can use Unbounce to create effective landing pages and content marketing campaigns.

SEO and Competitive Analysis Tools

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. SEO tools help you optimize your website for search engines so that it ranks higher in search results. Competitive analysis tools allow you to see what your competitors are doing so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

Some of the best SEO and competitive analysis tools available in 2023 include:

Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool that can be used for competitor analysis. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• Ahrefs has a massive database of websites and backlinks, which makes it a powerful tool for competitor analysis.
• Ahrefs offers a variety of reports and tools that can help you to identify your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities for improvement.
• Ahrefs is easy to use and navigate, even for beginners.
• Ahrefs offers a free trial, so you can try it out before you commit to a paid plan.

Cons:

• Ahrefs can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to use it on a regular basis.
• Ahrefs can be slow at times, especially when you are trying to access large datasets.
• Ahrefs’ interface can be overwhelming for some users.

Pricing:

Ahrefs pricing starts at $99 per month for the Lite plan. The Standard plan costs $179 per month and the Premium plan starts at $399 per month.

How to use Ahrefs for competitor analysis:

• Create an account and sign in to Ahrefs.
• Enter the domain name of your competitor into the Ahrefs Site Explorer.
• Review the Ahrefs reports for your competitor, such as the Organic Keywords report, the Backlinks report, and the Traffic report.
• Use the Ahrefs tools to identify opportunities for improvement in your own SEO strategy.
• The Ahrefs Organic Keywords report will show you the keywords that your competitor is ranking for in Google search results. You can use this information to identify keywords that you could target in your own SEO strategy.
• The Ahrefs Backlinks report will show you the websites that are linking to your competitor. You can use this information to identify websites that you could reach out to in order to build backlinks to your own website.
• The Ahrefs Traffic report will show you the traffic that your competitor is receiving from Google search results. You can use this information to set goals for your own SEO strategy.

Overall, Ahrefs is a powerful tool that can be used for competitor analysis. However, it can be expensive for businesses that need to use it on a regular basis. If you are looking for a more affordable option, you may want to consider using a different SEO tool for competitor analysis.

Here is the link to Ahrefs’ website: https://ahrefs.com/

Here are some additional steps on how to use Ahrefs for competitor analysis:

Once you have identified your competitors, use the Ahrefs Site Explorer to research their websites. This includes their backlink profile, organic keyword rankings, and traffic data.

Use the Ahrefs Content Explorer to find content that your competitors have published that has been successful in terms of traffic and backlinks. This can give you ideas for content that you could create on your own website.

Use the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer to find keywords that your competitors are ranking for that you could also target. This can help you to expand your reach and attract more traffic to your website.

Use the Ahrefs Rank Tracker to track your website’s rankings for the keywords that you are targeting. This will help you to see how your SEO strategy is performing and make necessary adjustments.

By following these steps, you can use Ahrefs to gain a competitive advantage in the SEO space.

SEMrush is a powerful SEO and competitive analysis tool that offers a wide range of features to help businesses improve their online visibility. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• SEMrush has a huge database of keywords and backlinks, which allows you to conduct in-depth research on your competitors and your own website.
• SEMrush offers a variety of tools to help you optimize your website for search engines, including keyword research, backlink analysis, and on-page SEO analysis.
• SEMrush is easy to use, even for beginners.
• SEMrush offers a free trial, so you can try it out before you buy it.

Cons:

• SEMrush can be expensive, especially for businesses that need to use all of its features.
• SEMrush’s interface can be cluttered and difficult to navigate.
• SEMrush’s data can be inaccurate, especially for less popular keywords.

Pricing:

SEMrush pricing starts at $119.95 per month for the Pro plan. The Guru plan costs $229.95 per month and the Business plan starts at $449.95 per month.

To use SEMrush for SEO and competitive analysis, you will need to:

• Create a SEMrush account.
• Enter your website’s URL into the SEMrush dashboard.
• Use the SEMrush tools to conduct research on your competitors and your own website.
• Implement the recommendations from SEMrush to improve your website’s SEO and visibility.
• Here is a brief overview of how to use some of the most popular SEMrush tools:
• Keyword research: The SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool allows you to find new keywords that your target audience is searching for.
• Backlink analysis: The SEMrush Backlink Audit Tool allows you to see which websites are linking to your website and how those links are affecting your SEO.
• On-page SEO analysis: The SEMrush On-Page SEO Checker allows you to see how your website is optimized for search engines.
• Overall, SEMrush is a powerful tool that can be used to improve your website’s SEO and visibility. However, it can be expensive for businesses that need to use all of its features. If you are looking for a more affordable option, you may want to consider using a different SEO tool.

Here is the link to SEMrush’s website: https://www.semrush.com/

CRM and Content Management Tools

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that can also be used as a CRM. It has a number of pros and cons, which I will discuss below.

Pros:

• WordPress is open source and free to use.
• WordPress is very flexible and can be customized to meet the needs of any business.
• WordPress has a large community of users and developers who can provide support and help.
• There are a number of WordPress CRM plugins available that can add CRM functionality to your WordPress website.

Cons:

• WordPress can be complex to set up and manage, especially for businesses that need a high level of CRM functionality.
• WordPress CRM plugins can be expensive.
• WordPress is not as secure as some dedicated CRM platforms.

Pricing:

WordPress is free to use. However, there are a number of WordPress CRM plugins that can be expensive. The cost of a WordPress CRM plugin will depend on the features and functionality that you need.

How to use WordPress as a CRM:

To use WordPress as a CRM, you will need to install a WordPress CRM plugin. There are a number of WordPress CRM plugins available, so you can choose one that meets the needs of your business. Once you have installed a WordPress CRM plugin, you will need to configure it to your liking. This may involve adding your contacts, creating deals, and tracking your sales pipeline.

Here are the steps on how to use WordPress as a CRM:

• Install a WordPress CRM plugin.
• Configure the plugin to your liking.
• Add your contacts.
• Create deals.
• Track your sales pipeline.

Overall, WordPress can be a good option for businesses that are looking for a flexible and affordable CRM solution. However, it is important to note that WordPress is not as secure as some dedicated CRM platforms. If you need a high level of security, you may want to consider using a dedicated CRM platform.

Here is the link to WordPress’s website: https://wordpress.org/

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many tools available in 2023 that can make marketing easier for businesses. Whether you need help with email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, SEO, or CRM, there is a tool out there that can help. It’s important to choose the right tools for your business and to use them effectively to achieve your marketing goals.