Your company may have the best product in the world, but if no one hears about it, you won’t make any sales. Marketing is one of the most important elements of any business, right next to product development. If the latter is what your business is all about, it’s the former that brings interested customers to your checkout page.
A good marketing plan is more than just scheduling a few social media posts throughout the month. You need to design your brand’s tone of voice, work out your sales funnel, track your marketing campaigns, and switch between several platforms and marketing strategies. This can be quite a challenge to tackle alone, especially considering that each strategy has its own dos and don’ts. But as we all know, small businesses have tight budgets and can’t invest a lot of money on full marketing teams or agencies – that’s where marketing software comes in.
Regardless of the marketing tools you use, consistency is key to increase brand awareness. But how can you run a non-stop marketing campaign over several platforms with a tight schedule and small budget? The answer is marketing automation.
Marketing automation software is any platform that helps you automize all your marketing efforts, cutting the time spent on managing them substantially. For instance, it’s unthinkable to manually tweet several times a day at the exact moment where your target audience is more active or to personally send an email to every newsletter subscriber. That’s why companies take advantage of marketing automation tools, such as social media schedulers and email marketing software.
But these are just two examples of a wide variety of marketing tools designed to help small businesses meet their objectives effortlessly. From image editors that come with built-in templates to hashtag generators and keyword planners, there’s a piece of software to help you with every marketing tactic.
Among the many marketing automation tools available, some are more essential than others. If you’re on a tight budget and need to narrow down which platforms to invest in, we recommend looking at the following:
Semrush is one of the most popular SEO suites on the market. Although a bit pricey, the platform comes with everything you need to rank at the top of search engine results.
From keyword planning to content ideas, market research, social media management, and PPC campaigns, Semrush is your best friend for all types of digital marketing strategies. Additionally, while it can be overwhelming at first, we found the solution to be intuitive the moment you get the hang of it.
The best part is that there’s a free version with enough features for a small website to take its first steps on SEO. Plus, Best Reviews readers get an extended 14-day free trial for Semrush Pro, and all plans are protected by a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Widely known for offering a suite of tools that empowers teams to connect, create, and collaborate, Google Workspace has firmly established its position as a great solution for remote and on-site businesses. By providing a centralized environment where users can keep track of tasks and workflows, the provider ensures smooth operations all around. With prices starting at just $7 per user per month, opting for annual subscriptions can translate into 20% off monthly rates. Plus, testing out its full capabilities can be done without reaching for your wallet, thanks to Google Workspace’s 14-day free trial.
Manychat is a comprehensive automation platform designed to streamline audience engagement across Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. It allows businesses, creators, and agencies to automate responses to comments, DMs, and replies, saving time while ensuring communication is personalized. Besides offering customizable chatbots, the platform enables seamless lead collection, tailored recommendations, and automated offers, helping to drive sales and enhance customer relationships.
Manychat offers a free plan that covers all the basics, as well as scalable plans for those who require more advanced needs, starting at $15. While there are no refunds, the free version serves as a test drive for anyone who wants to get a feel of the software before committing to a paid plan.
Long gone are the days of cold calling and other invasive, noneffective business techniques that were not enjoyable for anyone involved. Marketing practices and strategies have evolved, and the new name of the game is efficiency, which means delivering the right content to the right people at the right moment. In order to achieve this, every marketing and sales team needs a good email marketing solution as its sidekick. Having been in business for more than 20 years, AWeber was one of the first to see the huge opportunity in the email industry. With loads of premade and customizable templates, split testing capabilities, automated workflow setup, and integrations with various third-party platforms, AWeber has all of the standard features you’d hope to see, but its wow factor is boosted by its award-winning support. Pricing depends on your billing cycle and how many contacts you have in your database, starting at as low as $16 per month for up to 500 subscribers. A free 30-day trial is available too, so curious users can give it a try with nothing to lose.
Canva is one of the most popular graphic design platforms on the market. Not only is it extremely easy to use, but it comes with thousands of templates that allow you to create beautiful designs in just a few minutes. Although it doesn’t offer the same flexibility as other apps like Photoshop, it’s the perfect solution for anyone who doesn’t have advanced design skills but needs to create visuals for social media, websites, reports, and more. Canva also caters to businesses by allowing coworkers to edit images together and providing shared file management. Canva offers a limited free plan that you can use forever. But considering all the features and templates you get with a paid plan, the $9.99 per month subscription is worthwhile.
With over 20 years of experience, RingCentral is known for being ahead of the curve, providing a wide range of products, including online faxing and web conferencing software. RingCentral RingEX offers unlimited domestic calling and text messages, advanced call handling and phone management features, plus desktop and mobile apps to combine everything into one polished VoIP platform. Even better, it comes with a personal AI assistant that is a game-changer for anyone needing to take calls or follow up on clients.
It’s possible to see everything for yourself with the interactive demos, but testing its features is also possible via the 14-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee available. To know more about what RingCentral has to offer, we recommend calling the company at +1 (888) 295-1724 for a custom quote.
Running a business is hard work – especially when it comes to communicating with customers. The bigger the company, the tougher it is to keep track of new clients and maintain a personalized relationship. Fortunately, EngageBay is here to help. It provides an all-in-one platform where team members can manage marketing, customer relationships, and client support. This way, team members have a 360-degree view, enabling them to offer a tailored and efficient customer experience. But EngageBay goes far beyond your regular CRM platform. It includes tools to design newsletters, web forms, landing pages, and more. Plus, you can easily manage your social media profiles without leaving the platform as well as respond to customers who get in touch via live chat. The best part is that EngageBay is easy to use and offers a free version that comes with the necessary features for a small business to operate.
From social media posts and YouTube videos to leaflets – eye-catching visuals are essential for any marketing campaign. With millions of images, video clips, and music tracks, Shutterstock is one of the biggest media libraries on the market. It offers content from more than one million contributors, and it features a user-friendly mobile app that you can use on the go. The best part about Shutterstock is that you can easily find the media you’re looking for. Unlike some of its competitors, where the search function doesn’t work as it should, Shutterstock always shows you relevant visuals for your search queries. Unfortunately, Shutterstock isn’t cheap. But at least you can choose between on-demand, monthly, or a team subscription. Additionally, you can try out the service for free for 30 days, which allows you to download up to 10 images at zero cost.
Qualitative data analysis is a great way to get an in-depth overview of your customers. However, due to its open-ended nature, it’s especially challenging to organize all the data and come up with reliable conclusions. Fortunately, qualitative data analysis software like ATLAS.ti is here to help. By following the four main principles – visualization, immersion, serendipity, and exploration (VISE) – ATLAS.ti features a user-friendly dashboard where you can easily analyze text, audio, video, and images. Plus, finding connections and coming to conclusions is simpler due to the software’s various analysis tools and coding features, such as networks, code management, and query functionality. The cherry on top is ATLAS.ti’s broad device support. You can work on your project on a computer or smartphone and collaborate with team members online with ATLAS.ti Web. Prices start at $50 per month for commercial use, but before you grab your credit card, make sure to try out the software for yourself through the free trial available.
Video is all the rage right now. Although blog articles may have ruled the internet a few years ago, today most people prefer YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This has shifted how most companies view their content marketing and has created a new market for content creators and influencers to delve into. Competition is fierce, though – a half-baked video won’t cut the mustard. That’s why using a professional video editor is necessary. With dozens of features, hundreds of effects, and built-in stock media, Filmora is one of the best. In addition to its comprehensive list of features, the software beats the competition by being straightforward to use and beginner friendly. But it also caters to advanced users, as Wondershare’s video editor comes with in-depth customization and configuration The best part is that you can try out everything by taking advantage of the free version available.
Ever since its establishment in the UK in 2001, TextMagic has been an international leader in SMS marketing services. It sends 200 million texts each year on the behalf of more than 25,000 small businesses in over 100 countries.
Whether your business already uses an SMS marketing platform or you’re starting from scratch, TextMagic has much to offer. The service delivers a diverse range of features, such as contact subscription management, SMS automation, bulk messaging, virtual mobile numbers for 30 countries, online two-way SMS chat, email-to-SMS conversion, and numerous templates. On top of this, TextMagic provides an SMS API, which allows users to create their own messaging app using the software’s infrastructure.
TextMagic offers a pay-as-you-go-based subscription. If you’re based in the U.S., Canada, UK, or Australia, you also have the possibility to opt for a monthly plan. Plus, there’s an attractive 30-day free trial that lets all users try the service risk free.
Freshmarketer is a powerhouse of marketing automation that helps businesses convert website visitors into loyal customers. Part of Freshworks’ cloud-based CRM suite, the service’s user-friendly interface is a breeze to navigate. An extensive selection of marketing features is all combined in one place, sparing users the hassle of juggling between multiple tools and complex integrations.
Connecting with your potential clients at the right time is easy with Freshmarketer’s engagement options, like targeted email campaigns with customizable templates, bot flows, and real-time conversations through a myriad of channels. With comprehensive reporting and a panoramic view of customers, Freshmarketer serves up invaluable insights to turbocharge business growth.
Perfect for both beginners and well-seasoned pros, Freshmarketer offers diverse pricing plans alongside a free version so packed with premium features that it’s a mystery why it doesn’t cost a dime.
It’s not every day that you find a solution that covers every marketing aspect of your online business. Created in 2018, is one of the best all-in-one marketing platforms out there, catering to every niche, from service-based companies and consultants to content creators.
With Kartra, nothing falls through the cracks. Its marketing tools work in unison, integrating with third-party apps through its marketplace. Whether with email marketing, membership management, page building, or automated funnels, the service delivers everything necessary to launch products or services to market successfully.
Kartra is perfect for entrepreneurs with great ideas but little time or budget to achieve them, and all its subscription plans start with a 30-day free trial that doesn’t shy away from advanced marketing features. If that wasn’t appealing enough, this risk-free period is extended by another month through its money-back guarantee.
Specializing in landing page personalization, Instapage has numerous easy-to-use tools for building and testing pages. The platform is incredibly intuitive and the process of crafting a landing page is a joyful experience. Putting cutting-edge AI-powered optimization to use, Instapage excels in creating on-brand and mobile-responsive landing pages.
With prices starting at $79 per month billed annually, the platform has everything you need to craft your landing page without coding skills. Choosing an annual plan is 20% cheaper and you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial to thoroughly test the software.
A marketing strategy always needs to be backed up by a marketing plan. It’s essential that you know who your target audience is and the objectives you want to accomplish. Only then will you know what platforms to focus on and see your marketing efforts pay off. For instance, if you have a young target audience, you’ll probably want to focus on social media outlets like TikTok or YouTube. On the other hand, if you own a B2B business, email marketing and webinars might offer a better return.
There are several marketing strategies that will be present no matter your target audience. You should always have a website, focus on the right social media platforms, and run targeted ads. But it’s content marketing that has become key to any marketing strategy. People no longer enjoy in-your-face ads. Instead, there’s a higher probability of converting a lead into a sale by offering them free content that helps them with a particular problem. That’s why more companies are writing blog articles and guides that bring traffic to their website. If you have a physical business, like a coffee shop, then it’s essential to list your company on Google My Business so it shows up when people use the ‘near me’ feature.
There are more marketing tools that help small businesses to thrive. While the ones recommended are great to spend less time on executing marketing strategies, you should consider other software that improves your overall content marketing and make the content creation process smoother. Meanwhile, you should also look at getting tools designed to boost productivity across the board.
The Best Reviews team researches and tests all products first-hand. We've been reviewing products and services since 2012 and are proud to only publish human-created content.
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