6 marketing tools no business should be without
While there are countless tools to help with marketing your business here are my top 6. These are the ones I personally use and am more than happy to recommend.
What is a marketing tool?
A marketing tool caters to a specific function to help you carry out marketing for your business. You can choose one or many to achieve different goals and ultimately you need to find what works for you. These are the ones that work for me.
- Website Insights – Google Analytics
- Google My Business
- Image Design – Canva
- Social Media Scheduler – Buffer
- Email Marketing Automation – Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp
- Accounting – Xero
Website Insights – Google Analytics
If you have a website you should have it connected to Google Analytics. This tool is free and delivers simple snapshots through to complex reports all for zero cost.
It takes a small amount of time to set up and you can track how people find you and what they do on your website.
The Acquisition report is probably the most useful. It breaks down your
- Organic Search Traffic – This is the traffic that has found you via a Google search.
- Paid Search Traffic – If you are running Google Ads this will be the number of hits to your website.
- Direct Traffic – This is where someone has entered your website details directly.
- Social Media Traffic – Traffic from all your social media sites
- Referral Traffic – If you are listed in a directory or similar, this will record the flow from these websites.
Google My Business
Another free tool from Google is one to help with your results when people are searching online.
It provides a place for you to have all your business info, a marker on Google Maps and so much more. You can see photos, business hours, bookings, business reviews and posts to name a few.
Google My Business is a tool that you should not ignore. Embrace it as an integral part of your marketing equipment.
Image Design – Canva
If you do not have a full-time graphic designer on your team Canva is the perfect alternative. Most of the platforms offer is free but there is a paid choice too.
I highly recommend that you choose the pro version it is worth the cost. By paying for the pro version you will have access to more images and more tools within the Canva Platform.
In Canva you can create anything from a social media post to a presentation or ebook. Plus you can even print your designs through their print service.
Social Media Scheduler – Buffer
While there are several choices when it comes to scheduling your social media posts I have always stuck with Buffer. For me, I find it incredibly easy to use and it is perfect for business of all sizes.
Utilising scheduling software makes it so much easier to stay on top of your posting. It helps you to be consistent and posts when you may not be available to post directly.
Contrary to what some believe, it does not affect the reach of your posts. The reach on social media is designed by their algorithms and not by how your post has been scheduled.
Email Marketing Automation – Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp
Utilising email marketing automation software is the best way to ensure that your database is informed on your business. Ensure that you implement this from day one. Connecting email marketing software to your website so people can subscribe is one of the easiest ways to get started.
At My Sassy Business, we use Campaign monitor and have done so since day one. It automatically sends each blog every week to our subscribers.
For our clients, we use a combination of both Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp. The reason for using more than one is that businesses have different needs. Do your research and see which provider will work for your business – there are plenty to choose from.
Accounting – Xero
For even the smallest of businesses accounting software will make your life so much easier. Almost anyone can learn how to use it and stay on top of their cash flow.
Being able to reconcile your transactions daily in a few minutes with the bank feeds takes hours off your administration. Setting up automatic invoicing and automatic reminders are just some of the features to save you time and energy. The tools are endless and far too many for me to mention in this blog.
I changed from MYOB to XERO in 2014 and have never looked back. While the change took a little getting used to it has been the best thing that I have ever done.
Conclusion
Having some simple tools that can help you run your business so much smoother is essential. Don’t waste time trying to do everything, these tools are designed to save you time and money.
What are your 6 marketing tools for your business?
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