Do You Need Marketing Tools?
My entire career, I've loved getting new marketing tools.
Wait… let's back up.
My entire life, I've loved getting new tools. Early on, it was school supplies. Then it was office supplies. When I became a mom, it was planners and stickers. That love for new tools translates to marketing tools.
Now that I run my freelance marketing agency, I'm responsible for paying for those tools. So, as you can imagine, I'm a bit more selective with the tools I purchase. Most I've had experience with on the corporate side, and they work great for freelancers too. Some were real clunkers for me.
What is a marketing tool?
Generally, I'm referring to a digital product that I use to make my job a little easier. This could be a social media scheduler, email marketing tool, or SEO/PPC analytics tool. These are typically a monthly subscription, and you use the tool on your browser. When evaluating which tools you want to use, you need to make sure you have enough time to set up the tool to use it to its capacity AND enough to justify the cost.
Here's a list of my current marketing tools. (ps… I'm not making any money on this article.)
My Purchased Marketing Tools
SEMRush
This is a robust tool for general marketing. Primarily, you'd use it for SEO research and content creation, but in recent years the tool has expanded to include some great competitive analytics. I was lucky enough to try it out at my last corporate gig, and if you have the budget and need, definitely check it out.
I wouldn't be able to do what I do without a tool like SEMRush. Its competitors are Moz, Spyfu, and SimilarWeb (to name a few). I've used them all. Time and time again, I come back to SEMRush because of how easy it is to use and how accurate the data is.
When I first started out on my own, I often included the cost of this tool into my monthly retainer and then created it in my client's name. This is a win-win. I got the power of the tool for their business, AND I didn't have to pay for it each month. Now, I maintain my own license. I keep the subscription month to month so I can cancel it if the tide turns on my client list.
Screaming Frog
If you're doing work with website audits or SEO clean-ups, you want this tool. It's a yearly licensing fee, but well worth it if you're doing a lot of work like this. It scrapes a website and pulls ALL the data you'll need for an SEO Audit. Unlike the rest of the marketing tools on this list, this is a desktop application that requires wifi. This tool is well-priced and extremely, extremely useful for audits.
Loomly
For social media scheduling, there are so many options: Hootsuite, Later, and Buffer are three that are well-known, and I've used them before. I decided to use Loomly after a two-week free trial convinced me it was a step above the others. First, the pricing is on point. I can set up more clients for a lower cost - which is huge for me because a lot of what I do involves clients' social media management. Also, they have a really cool "ideas" calendar which lists out those cool little marketing holidays (like simplicity day, which just passed), national or global events (like the Special Olympics), and national holidays - so if you ever get into a content rut…there you go! I also really like how the calendars work in Loomly. I can set up different calendars for each brand and have the option to view them separately or altogether.
One sticky thing that has frustrated me: it frequently disconnects from Facebook and Instagram. I've more "failed to deliver" notifications from Loomly than any other scheduler I've ever used. That being said, their system to alert me is top-notch. I've been able to get each post out on time, even if it is an inconvenience.
Grammarly
If you're producing content and not using some type of grammar checker, I have one question for you: how? I've been a writer since I was in college (where I spent long hours in the writing center editing my peers' papers for not enough money). Yet, I've never been great at editing my own work. Enter Grammarly. It was the first thing I purchased when I went freelance, and I don't regret it. I really like that it has browser plugins so that any content field is fair game to be edited.
I rarely use the website application any more and usually just rely on the plugin. I will say the only time that's become problematic is when I'm working in Canva.
ChatGPT
Yes. I pay for ChatGPT. Not going to lie; I was so frustrated early on with the amount of times I'd had to wait to use the tool that I just caved. I probably use ChatGPT daily. You can read my posts on how to use ChatGPT as a marketer and AI for a small business owner to get more insight into that. I only recommend paying for this tool if you will be using it regularly.
Canva
I am not a designer. I'm a writer through and through. But, I cannot outsource all the social media design work I need to be done. I'd never make a profit. Canva has been a lifesaver. It's fairly easy to use, comes with thousands of templates, and has expansive libraries of photos and videos and elements.
While most of the time I work on my laptop, I love the mobile app. When I'm on the go, I can easily edit or download graphics to post on social media for my clients or myself.
My Non-Purchased Marketing Tools
Ahrefs
If you're looking for some in-depth information about a backlink profile, this is your tool. Years ago, links were all it focused on. Now it's more of a direct competitor of SEMRush. It may even be better than SEMRush, but I'm too indoctrinated with that brand to give you an honest opinion. Currently, I use this tool to double-check my site audits against SEMRush's data. I love using SEMRush, but I don't love only having one data source.
Mailchimp
Quick thing - I USED to pay for Mailchimp. It's honestly the best email marketing tool for small businesses. It's really grown with the complexities of segmentation, personalization, and automation. It brings big business tech into the hands of small businesses.
When I first went freelance, I had a paid subscription in the hopes I could use a digital download to drum up some business. Little did I know that 99% of my business would come from networking and referrals. After about six months and only having the time to send one campaign, I canceled the paid service. But having an email marketing tool in your back pocket is imperative!
Wrapping Up
Remember, these tools are only as good as the time spent using or setting them up. Without proper time allocated to set it up, you're literally paying for a tool that you aren't using or aren't using to the full capacity. Don't get a tool just because. I have learned that lesson…