There are so many marketing tools out there that it can be overwhelming when trying to find which ones will be right for your business and its needs. Here at Grow Team, we’ve used a decent amount ourselves and have had both good and bad experiences. With this list, we outline some of the digital marketing tools that we consider to be the best in the business and hope you’ll find a couple of the answers you’re looking for.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
CRMs are mainly used by businesses to keep track of customers and manage accounts so they’re up to date. From the first contact with a potential customer to the sale and even after, every interaction can be tracked to help your sales, account management, and marketing teams stay on top of them. Here are a couple of our top recommendations for CRMs and why:
- Salesforce- Probably the most well known and common CRM, and for a reason. This CRM platform has many options for customization and innovative features that other platforms lack. With so many options for integration and customization it can be a little hard to learn, but definitely useful for growing companies. Learn more here.
- HubSpot- Great platform for small-medium sized businesses, HubSpot is easier to use than Salesforce. It has a free base version with add-on features that can be used as your business and its needs grow. In addition to the CRM it has lots of tools including marketing automation and social media management. Learn more here.
- Apptivo- For the company looking for a more affordable or easy-to-use platform, Apptivo might be the right option. Apptivo is very customizable with many options for integrations and also includes options for mobile support and management. Learn more here.
Email Marketing
Whether you’re launching an acquisition campaign or just want to create and manage your company’s newsletter, there are a plethora of email marketing tools that can help you create your campaigns and track their success. Here are a couple of our top picks:
- HubSpot- HubSpot has a great email marketing tool, and if you’re already using HubSpot as your CRM, it can be even easier to manage your email campaigns. Easy to set up and manage, HubSpot also offers great tracking features that are easy to customize. Learn more here.
- Sender- a great platform for creating newsletters or similar emails, Sender has very user friendly design tools for creating the perfect emails. This platform also has great analytics tracking to measure campaign performance. Learn more here.
- Mailchimp- Probably one of the most popular platforms for email marketing, Mailchimp is easy to use and has a recommendations feature that is useful for those new to email marketing. With this tool an inexperienced marketer can easily set up automated email campaigns. Learn more here.
Social Media
Social media management platforms are useful for a variety of features like creating content, managing post schedules, and tracking the success of campaigns. Here are a couple we have found to be the most effective:
- Hootsuite- One of the most widely used platforms for social media management, Hootsuite is a fantastic tool for managing your social media content, creating and tracking posts on multiple social media platforms. It also has tools for tracking your ROI. Learn more here.
- Sprout Social- What really sets Sprout apart from other social media tools is that it also includes CRM features and great reporting capabilities. Learn more here.
- Buffer- Buffer stands out with its capabilities for team collaboration on the same platform. It has a clean user experience and is fairly easy to use. Learn more here.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO tools are mostly focused on getting you the data needed to create effective search engine marketing campaigns. With a wide range of tools like keyword research and competitor analysis you’ll be able to manage your SEO campaigns easily. Here are a couple of our favorite SEO tools:
- SEMrush- One of the most popular SEO tools, SEMrush has great options for integration and one of the best competitor research tools. Learn more here.
- SE Ranking- Even with a lower cost than other SEO tools, SE Ranking is great for businesses of any size and offers an unlimited number of projects. Learn more here.
- Spyfu- Spyfu may be more limited in its abilities compared to other SEO tools, bit it’s the best at giving you the basics. Easy-to-use and with unlimited projects, you can get all the information you’ll need. Learn more here.
Graphic Design
Making visually appealing content has never been more important and you’re going to need the right tools if you want to stay ahead of the competition. Here are a few of the best graphic design tools:
- Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, etc.)- Adobe has a lot of design tools at your disposal. Each one has different specific capabilities and in the hands of an expert, a lot can be done. Each of these tools is constantly evolving with new improvements and features to give you more options and make designing easier. Tools available on both mobile and desktop. Learn more here.
- Canva- If you’re not a design expert and you’re just looking to design more simple creations that can still look great, then Canva is for you. With easy to use design tools, Canva can help you design a wide range of marketing material and even gives you templates you can base your designs on. Learn more here.
Analytics
For website analytics, there are multiple tools with different capabilities, but we’re going to recommend just one and hopefully your business is already utilizing it:
- Google Analytics- If you’re unfamiliar with Google Analytics, then get familiar with it. It is our vote for the best analytics tool. All you need to do is create a Google Analytics account for your business and you’ll have access to find out great information on your website visitors. You can find out where they came from to your site, what they do when they get there, and find opportunities to improve your site’s conversion rate. With so many features and accurate information, there isn’t a better website analytics tool out there. Learn more here.