9 Best marketing tools for small businesses

Nowadays, it’s more important than ever for small businesses and startups to have a strong online presence. But, with limited resources and budget, it can be challenging to achieve that. Luckily, there are a variety of affordable and user-friendly digital marketing tools available to help small businesses and startups improve their online marketing efforts. In this article, we will explore 9 of the best marketing tools that are specifically designed to meet the needs of small businesses and startups. From email marketing to social media management, these tools will help you save time and streamline your digital marketing efforts, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

How do I Know Which Marketing Tools I need?

As a small business owner, you understand the importance of the right digital marketing tools in growing your business. However, with so many marketing tools available in the market, it can be overwhelming to choose which ones are right for you. In this article, we will guide you through the process of determining which marketing tools your business needs.

Identify Your Marketing Goals: Before choosing any marketing tool, it is essential to identify your marketing goals. What are you trying to achieve with your marketing efforts? Are you trying to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you have identified your goals, you can determine which marketing tools will help you achieve them.
Consider Your Budget: Marketing tools come in different shapes and sizes, and so do their prices. It is important to consider your budget when choosing marketing tools. Determine how much you are willing to spend on marketing tools and choose ones that fit within your budget.
Assess Your Team’s Skills: Some marketing tools require specific skills to operate. It is essential to assess your team’s skills and determine if they have the knowledge and expertise to operate the tools you are considering. If not, you may need to invest in training or hire someone with the required skills.
Research Available Marketing Tools: Once you have identified your marketing goals, budget, and team’s skills, it is time to research available marketing tools. Look for tools that align with your goals and budget and assess their features and functionalities.
Test and Evaluate: Once you have identified the marketing tools you want to use, it is important to test them before fully committing. Many marketing tools offer a free trial or a demo version, which allows you to test their features and functionalities. Take advantage of these offers and evaluate how the tools perform.

Choosing the right marketing tools can make all the difference in the success of your small business. By following these steps, you can determine which marketing tools your business needs.

Free and Paid Digital Marketing Tools that helps Small Businesses in 2023

There are many digital marketing tools available, and it can be overwhelming to decide which ones to invest in. here’s a highlight of some of the free and paid digital marketing software tools for small businesses to consider in 2023.

Google Analytics: free tool that provides valuable insights into your website traffic and user behavior. By tracking metrics such as page views, bounce rate, and user demographics, you can optimize your website and marketing campaigns to better reach your target audience.
ActiveCampaign: marketing automation tool for email marketing, CRM, and sales automation (paid plans).
Hootsuite: social media management tool that allows you to manage and schedule content across multiple social media platforms. With features such as content calendars and analytics reporting, Hootsuite can help streamline your social media marketing efforts (free for up to 3 social media profiles).
Canva: graphic design tool that makes it easy for even non-designers to create professional-looking graphics for social media, website, and marketing materials. Canva offers both free and paid options, with the paid version unlocking additional features and design elements (free and paid plans).
Mailchimp: email marketing tool that allows you to create and send newsletters, promotional emails, and automated campaigns. With features such as segmentation and A/B testing, Mailchimp can help you improve your email marketing ROI (free for up to 2,000 subscribers).
SEMrush: SEO and SEM tool that helps you improve your website’s search engine rankings and track your competitors’ rankings. With features such as keyword research, backlink analysis, and site audit, SEMrush can help you optimize your website for search engines (paid plans).
adcreative.ai: AI-powered ad creation tool for creating visually appealing ads with ease (free and paid plans).
Buffer: social media management tool that allows you to schedule and analyze your social media content. With features such as team collaboration and custom reporting, Buffer can help you streamline your social media marketing efforts.
Hubspot: all-in-one marketing platform that offers tools for social media, email marketing, lead generation, and more. While Hubspot does come with a price tag, its comprehensive features can help you optimize your marketing and streamline your workflow.(free and paid plans)

The best digital marketing tools we listed above can help small businesses improve their marketing and reach their target audience more effectively. Whether you’re looking for social media management, email marketing, or SEO optimization, there’s a tool out there to help you your content marketing game succeed.

Social Media Marketing Tools for small businesses

Social media marketing has become an essential component of any business’s digital marketing strategy. With the right social media marketing tools, businesses can create and manage their social media content effectively, engage with their audience, and measure the success of their own social and content marketing efforts.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a comprehensive social media management tool that enables you to manage and schedule content across various social media platforms from a centralized dashboard. It streamlines your social media marketing efforts by allowing you to schedule content in advance and track performance through customizable analytics reporting.

Key Features:

Connect and manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard
Schedule posts in advance for optimal timing and frequency
Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages
Analyze and report on your social media performance with customizable analytics
Collaborate with team members by assigning tasks and permissions
Monitor brand mentions and social media conversations in real-time

Pricing

Hootsuite provides a variety of pricing plans to accommodate businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to large organizations. The pricing plans include:

Professional: Starting at $99/month, manage up to 10 social media profiles, advanced scheduling and analytics features, and team collaboration tools
Team: Starting at $249/month, manage up to 20 social media profiles, enhanced team collaboration tools, and security features
Business: Starting at $739/month, manage up to 35 social media profiles, advanced analytics and reporting features, and custom branding options
Enterprise: Custom pricing for large organizations, includes advanced features such as custom integrations and dedicated support

Pros:

Saves time by enabling you to schedule social media posts in advance
Provides a single dashboard for managing multiple social media accounts
Offers real-time monitoring of brand mentions and social media conversations
Provides analytics and reporting features to track your social media performance
Offers team collaboration and task assignment tools
Provides a free trial for 30 days.

Cons:

Can be overwhelming for beginners due to the large number of features
Limited reporting features on the free plan
Limited number of social media profiles on lower-tier plans
Higher pricing plans may be expensive for small businesses

In conclusion, Hootsuite is a powerful tool for managing social media accounts and streamlining social media marketing efforts. Its scheduling, analytics, and collaboration features make it a great choice for businesses looking to save time and improve their social media presence.

However, its higher pricing plans may not be suitable for smaller businesses, and its wide range of features may be overwhelming for beginners. Despite these limitations, Hootsuite remains one of the most popular social media management and online marketing tools on the market.

Adcreative.ai

AdCreative.ai is an AI-powered marketing tool that allows you to create engaging social media campaigns, ads and video content in minutes. With AdCreative.ai, you can streamline your marketing efforts by creating high-quality, customizable content without the need for design or video editing skills. In this article, we’ll explore the key features, pricing, pros and cons of using AdCreative.ai for your marketing campaigns.

Key Features:

Create high-quality, professional-looking social media ads and video content in minutes
Customize templates to match your brand’s aesthetic and messaging
Choose from a wide range of media formats, including images, videos, and GIFs
Access a vast library of licensed stock images and music
Automatically generate captions and subtitles for your video content
Integrate with popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Pricing:

AdCreative.ai offers a range of pricing plans to fit different business needs, from individual users to large enterprises. Their plans for startups include:

Starter: Starting at $29/month, create up to 10ads per month, access to all features, and 1 user seat
Premium: Starting at $59/month, create up to 25 ads per month, access to all features, and 3 user seats
Ultimate: Starting at $99/month, create up to 100 ads per month, access to all features, and 10 user seats
Scale-up: Starting at $149/month, includes advanced features such as custom integrations and dedicated support

Pros:

Saves time and resources by eliminating the need for design or video editing skills.
Offers a wide range of media formats and customization options
Provides access to a vast library of licensed stock images and music
Automatically generates captions and subtitles for video content
Offers integration with popular social media platforms
Flexible pricing plans to fit different business needs

Cons:

May not offer the same level of customization as working with a professional designer or video editor
Limited number of user seats on lower-tier plans
Higher pricing plans may be expensive for smaller businesses

Overall, AdCreative.ai is a powerful tool for creating high-quality, engaging social media ads and video content. Its customizable templates, vast library of stock images and music, and automatic captioning and subtitle generation make it a great choice for businesses looking to streamline their marketing efforts.

AdCreative.ai is a popular choice for businesses looking to create high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Canva

Canva is a web-based graphic design platform that allows you to create professional-looking designs without the need for extensive graphic design knowledge or experience. With Canva, you can create a wide range of designs, including social media posts, marketing materials, presentations, and more. In this article, we’ll explore the key features, pricing, pros and cons of using Canva for your design needs.

Key Features:

Drag-and-drop design interface with pre-designed templates and graphics
Customizable designs for a range of formats, including social media posts, marketing materials, and presentations
Collaboration tools for team projects
Access to a library of stock images and graphics
Built-in tools for photo editing and manipulation
Mobile app for on-the-go design needs

Pricing:

Canva offers a range of pricing plans to fit different needs, from individuals to large teams. Their plans include:

Free: Access to basic design tools, limited templates and graphics, and 5GB of storage.
Pro: Starting at $119.99/year, access to advanced design tools, unlimited templates and graphics, 100GB of storage, and collaboration tools.
Enterprise: starts at $ 149.90/year for large organizations, includes advanced features such as custom branding and dedicated support.

Pros:

User-friendly interface for designing professional-looking graphics
Extensive library of pre-designed templates and graphics
Collaboration tools for team projects
Built-in photo editing and manipulation tools
Access to a library of stock images and graphics
Offers a free plan for basic design needs

Cons:

Limited customization options for some templates
Limited storage space on lower-tier plans
Higher pricing plans may be expensive for small businesses.

Overall, Canva is a great tool for creating professional-looking designs without the need for extensive graphic design knowledge or experience. Its drag-and-drop interface, pre-designed templates and graphics, and built-in tools for photo editing make it a powerful design tool for individuals and teams. However, its limited customization options for some templates and limited storage space on lower-tier plans may be a drawback for some users. Despite these limitations, Canva remains one of the most popular design tools on the market.

Buffer

Buffer is a social media management tool that allows businesses and individuals to streamline their social media marketing efforts by scheduling and publishing content across multiple social media platforms from a single dashboard. In this article, we’ll explore the key features, pricing, pros and cons of using Buffer for your social media marketing.

Key Features:

Connect and manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard
Schedule posts in advance for optimal timing and frequency
Collaborate with your marketing and sales team members by assigning tasks and permissions
Analyze and report on your social media performance with customizable analytics
Optimize your social media posting schedule based on engagement data
Respond to comments and messages across social media platforms

Pricing:

Buffer offers a range of pricing plans to fit different business needs, from individuals to large enterprises. Their plans include:

Free: Manage up to 3 social media profiles, limited scheduling and analytics features
Essentials: Starting at $6/monthly for 1 social media channel, Engagement tools and analytics reports.
Team: Starting at $12/monthly for 1 social media channel, enhanced team collaboration tools, advanced marketing analytics tools and reporting features.
Agency: Starting at $120/monthly for 10 social media channels, advanced analytics and reporting features, custom branding options, and more.

Pros:

Schedule social media posts in advance to save time
User-friendly dashboard for managing multiple social media accounts
Real-time monitoring of brand mentions and social media conversations
Analytics and reporting features to track social media performance
Collaboration and task assignment tools for team members
Optimizes posting schedules based on engagement data

Cons:

Limited number of social media profiles on lower-tier plans
Limited reporting features on the free plan
Does not offer advanced social media listening and monitoring features.

Overall, Buffer is a solid social media management tool for businesses and individuals looking to streamline their social media marketing efforts. Its scheduling, analytics, and collaboration features make it a great choice for managing multiple social media accounts and improving social media performance.

Email Marketing Tools for small businesses

Email marketing is an essential tool for small businesses to reach their customers, promote their products and services, and build brand loyalty. To help small businesses get the most out of their email marketing efforts, there are many email marketing tools available on the market. In this article, we’ll explore some of the top email marketing tools for small businesses.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a cloud-based marketing automation platform designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It enables businesses to create and send targeted email campaigns, automate their marketing workflows, and engage with their customers in a personalized way.

Key Features:

Email Marketing: Drag-and-drop email design, personalization options, automated email campaigns, and A/B testing capabilities
Marketing Automation: Create workflows to automate marketing tasks, such as follow-up emails and custom campaigns
CRM tools: Built-in customer relationship management (CRM) tool for managing customer data and interactions
Messaging: Targeted messaging across multiple channels, including SMS and social media
E-commerce: Integration with popular e-commerce platforms to automate workflows and drive sales

Pricing:

ActiveCampaign offers a range of pricing plans to fit different business needs:

Lite: Starting at $9/month for 1 user, this plan includes email marketing, marketing automation, and basic CRM features .
Plus: Starting at $49/month for 3 users, this plan includes all the features of the Lite plan, as well as lead scoring, advanced marketing automation, and CRM features.
Professional: Starting at $149/month for 5 users, this plan includes all the features of the Plus plan, as well as site messaging, attribution, and predictive sending .
Enterprise: Custom pricing for businesses, including advanced features such as custom reporting and dedicated account management.

Pros:

Flexible and customizable automation workflows
Easy-to-use email designer with drag-and-drop functionality
Integrations with popular e-commerce platforms
Built-in CRM and lead scoring features
Powerful messaging capabilities across multiple marketing channels
User-friendly interface.

Cons:

Pricing may be expensive for some small businesses
Limited reporting and analytics on lower-tier plans
Limited support options on lower-tier plans

ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation platform that offers a wide range of features for small to medium-sized businesses. Its automation workflows, email designer, and CRM capabilities make it a great choice for businesses looking to streamline their marketing tasks and engage with their customers in a personalized way.

MailChimp

Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that offers a variety of tools for small businesses, including email marketing, automation, landing pages, social media ads, and more. It’s a popular choice for businesses of all sizes because of its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing options.

Key Features:

Email Marketing: Mailchimp’s email marketing features allow you to create and send email campaigns, manage subscribers, and track your email performance with detailed analytics.
Marketing Automation: With Mailchimp’s marketing automation features, you can set up automated email workflows that trigger based on specific actions or behaviors, such as a new subscriber joining your list or a customer making a purchase.
Landing Pages: Mailchimp’s landing page builder makes it easy to create professional-looking landing pages for your website or marketing campaigns without any coding knowledge.
Social Media Ads: Mailchimp also offers social media advertising features that allow you to create and manage ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Display Network.

Pricing:

Mailchimp offers a range of pricing plans to fit different business needs, including a free plan for up to 2,000 contacts. Their plans include:

Free: Up to 500 contacts, basic email templates and automation features
Essentials: Starting at $13/month, up to 50,000 contacts, advanced email templates and automation features, and A/B testing
Standard: Starting at $20/month, up to 100,000 contacts, advanced audience insights and retargeting ads
Premium: Starting at $350/month, up to 200,000 contacts, advanced features like multivariate testing and phone support

Pros:

User-friendly interface for creating and sending professional-looking emails
Affordable pricing options for businesses of all sizes, including a free plan
Advanced marketing automation features for setting up triggered email campaigns
Landing page builder that requires no coding knowledge
Social media advertising features for creating and managing ads on popular platforms

Cons:

Some advanced features only available on higher-tier plans
Limited design customization options for email templates
Some users have reported issues with email deliverability

Mailchimp is a great option for small businesses looking for an all-in-one marketing platform. Its user-friendly interface, affordable pricing, and variety of features make it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. However, businesses with more advanced needs may need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan for access to certain features.

SEO optimization Tools for small businesses

In today’s digital age, search engine optimization (SEO) has become a vital aspect of any successful online marketing strategy. For small businesses looking to improve their online visibility and attract more organic traffic, using SEO optimization tools is essential. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best SEO tools available for small businesses and startups, and how they can help improve your website’s search engine ranking.

SEMrush

Semrush is an all-in-one digital marketing tool that provides a comprehensive suite of features for SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, and competitive research. It is designed to help businesses optimize their online presence and improve their search engine rankings. In this article, we’ll explore the key features, pricing, and pros and cons of using Semrush for your digital marketing efforts.

Key Features:

Keyword research: Semrush’s tool helps you find relevant keywords and analyze competition for them.
Site audit: Semrush scans your website for technical SEO issues and provides recommendations to improve it.
Backlink analysis: Semrush analyzes your backlink profile and helps you identify opportunities to acquire new links.
Competitive research: Semrush allows you to analyze your competitors’ online strategies, including their search rankings, ad campaigns, and social media presence.
Content marketing: Semrush offers tools to create and optimize content, including topic research, content templates, and SEO writing assistance.
PPC advertising: Semrush provides tools for managing and optimizing your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, including ad research, keyword targeting, and ad tracking.
Social media management: Semrush lets you manage your social media accounts, track performance, and schedule posts in advance.

Pricing:

Semrush offers a range of pricing plans to fit different business needs, from freelancers to large enterprises. Their plans include:

Pro: Starting at $99.85/month, ideal for freelancers and startups with limited budgets.
Guru: Starting at $191.62/month, perfect for growing marketing agencies and small to medium businesses.
Business: Starting at $374.95/month, suitable for larger businesses with advanced marketing needs.

Pros:

Offers a comprehensive set of tools for digital marketing
Provides in-depth analysis of keyword research, backlinks, and competitors
Includes content marketing and PPC advertising tools
Offers a user-friendly interface with customizable reports
Provides a 7-day free trial for new users

Cons:

May be overwhelming for beginners due to the sheer number of features.
Higher pricing plans may be expensive for small businesses.
Some features, such as social media management, are not as robust as other specialized tools.

Semrush is a powerful tool for digital marketing, offering a comprehensive suite of features for SEO, PPC, content marketing, and competitive research. Its keyword research and backlink analysis tools are particularly valuable for businesses looking to improve their search engine rankings. While its higher pricing plans may not be suitable for smaller businesses, Semrush offers a 7-day free trial for new users to try out its features. Despite some limitations, Semrush remains one of the most popular and reliable digital marketing tools on the market.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that provides valuable insights into website traffic and user behavior. With Google Analytics, you can track your website’s performance, monitor your online marketing campaigns, and gain insights into user behavior.

Key Features:

Website traffic analysis: Google Analytics provides detailed information about the number of visitors to your website, where they came from, how long they stayed, and which pages they visited.
Audience segmentation: You can segment your website visitors by various criteria, including demographics, geography, and interests, to gain insights into their behavior and preferences.
Conversion tracking: Google Analytics allows you to track website conversions, such as form submissions or purchases, and measure the effectiveness of your online marketing campaigns.
Real-time reporting: You can monitor website traffic in real-time and get up-to-the-minute insights into user behavior.
Customizable dashboards: You can create custom dashboards to track the metrics that matter most to your business.
Mobile app tracking: Google Analytics allows you to track how users interact with your mobile app, including app installs, in-app purchases, and user engagement.

Pricing:

Google Analytics is free to use for all businesses and website owners.

Pros:

Its free.
Provides valuable insights into website traffic and user behavior.
Easy to use and implement.
Provides real-time reporting and customizable dashboards.
Offers mobile app tracking and integration with other Google products.

Cons:

Can be overwhelming for beginners due to the large amount of data and features available.
Requires technical implementation to set up properly.
Limited customer support options.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool that provides valuable insights into website traffic and user behavior. Its robust features and easy-to-use interface make it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. While it can be overwhelming for beginners, the wealth of data and insights it provides make it an invaluable tool for any business looking to optimize its website and online marketing campaigns. Plus, since it’s free to use, there’s no reason not to take advantage of it.

Hubspot

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service software that helps businesses of all sizes grow better. It provides a suite of tools designed to help businesses attract, engage, and delight customers through personalized and data-driven interactions across different channels.

Services

Marketing Hub: HubSpot’s Marketing Hub offers a range of tools to help businesses attract, engage, and nurture leads. It includes features like email marketing, lead management, marketing automation, landing pages, and analytics.
Sales Hub: The Sales Hub is designed to help businesses streamline their sales process by providing tools for sales pipeline management, sales automation, contact management, and sales analytics.
Service Hub: The Service Hub offers tools for customer service and support, including ticketing, live chat, knowledge base management, and customer feedback tracking.
CRM Hub: HubSpot’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform provides a centralized database for storing and managing customer information. It offers a range of features, including lead tracking, contact management, deal tracking, and custom reporting.
Operations Hub: designed to centralize and automate various business operations, such as data syncing, workflow automation, and analytics reporting

Integrations: HubSpot also integrates with a range of third-party tools and platforms, including Salesforce, Shopify, and WordPress.

Pricing:

HubSpot offers both free and paid plans. The free plan includes access to basic CRM features and limited tools for marketing, sales, and customer service.

Paid plans start with the starter plan that starts at $18 per month for each of the Marketing, Sales, and Service Hubs. They offer a range of pricing tiers depending on the level of features and functionality needed.

Pros:

All-in-one solution: HubSpot provides a suite of tools for marketing, sales, and customer service in one platform, reducing the need for multiple tools and platforms.
User-friendly: HubSpot’s intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it easy for users to create and manage campaigns and workflows.
Personalization: HubSpot’s tools allow businesses to create personalized experiences for their customers, increasing engagement and loyalty.
Data-driven insights: HubSpot’s analytics tools provide real-time data and insights, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions and optimize their marketing and sales strategies.
Integrations: HubSpot integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and platforms, making it easy to connect with other systems and data sources.

Cons:

can be expensive for smaller businesses.
platform’s advanced features may not be necessary for all businesses.
HubSpot’s extensive feature set can be overwhelming for new users
Some users may find that HubSpot’s templates and designs are limited and not customizable enough to fit their brand’s unique style.

Overall, HubSpot is a powerful all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer service platform that can help businesses of all sizes grow better. Its range of tools, data-driven insights, and integrations make it a popular choice among businesses looking to streamline their marketing and sales processes.

Conclusion

These 9 digital marketing tools are essential for small businesses and startups looking to grow their online presence and reach their target audience. Each tool offers unique features and benefits, from social media management to email marketing and SEO analysis. By utilizing these tools, businesses can save time, streamline their marketing efforts, and ultimately drive more traffic and sales. It’s important to evaluate the specific needs of your business and choose the tools that best fit your goals and budget. With these powerful digital marketing tools at your disposal, you’ll be well on your way to success in the online world.