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- What Are Marketing Tools?
- How Do Marketing Tools Help?
- What Types of Marketing Tools Does a Digital Marketer Use?
Marketing tools are key to ensuring that potential customers can find your products or services. With so many marketing tools out there, it’s crucial to have an understanding of the various categories of tools in order to learn which ones will best serve your unique organization.
What Are Marketing Tools?
Marketing tools, also known collectively as a marketing stack, are the resources and services marketers use to get the word out to potential customers about their products or services. Most marketing teams use a combination of tools to ensure they reach as many consumers as possible through various mediums. As such, marketing tools can be either traditional, like a billboard, or digital, like ads on social media.
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How Do Marketing Tools Help?
Marketing tools can help your business because they work together to create a comprehensive strategy that attracts customers. For example, a potential customer might read a blog post that links to your Facebook page, and on that page, they might find positive product reviews that make them click over to your website to shop. Using a variety of tools, particularly digital ones, can help you connect your marketing efforts in a way that ensures customers will find you.
Marketing tools can also help you:
- Generate revenue
- Interact with your target audience
- Build your brand’s reputation
- Stand out from your competition
- Offer valuable information to consumers
What Types of Marketing Tools Does a Digital Marketer Use?
There are plenty of marketing tools out there, both free and paid. Here are some of the most common types of marketing tools and how they can benefit your business:
Online Advertising
Online advertising involves marketing strategies like pay-per-click (PPC) advertising across multiple platforms. Maintaining a variety of PPC campaigns on different search engines and social media platforms can be time-consuming. However, there are a number of effective PPC managers available to help streamline this marketing strategy.
Look for a manager that allows you to easily see and review all of your PPC campaigns on one page. Automation and multi-selection can also be useful for making changes to multiple campaigns at once. A few great online advertising tools to consider include:
Social Media
Social media is a must when it comes to your marketing toolbox. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat allow you to interact with your customers in real time while also sharing valuable content. Managing multiple platforms and ensuring accuracy is a time suck, but you can use a social media managing program to help you handle all of your profiles at once.
Look for a social media manager that allows you to schedule posts in advance across multiple platforms. Analytics are also super useful, so look for a program that tells you how many interactions you’re getting online so that you know what is and isn’t working. Here are some social media managers to consider:
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization, or SEO, helps you create webpages that rank organically through the use of keywords and backlinks. SEO can be challenging to handle without thorough research and analytics, so using an SEO tool can really boost your optimization efficacy.
Find an SEO tool that helps you assess and select the best possible keywords and gives you analytic feedback on your efforts to see what you can adjust for better rankings. A few SEO tools to consider include:
Content Creation
Content creation can range from filtered pictures and blog posts to GIFs and memes. If you don’t have a background in graphic design or want to speed up the creation process, many different programs and websites can help you create original content quickly.
You’ll want to choose a content creator that can perform the varied types of content creation you regularly use. For example, if you post a lot of images with text overlay, ensure the creator you choose has that capability. Here are a few options to consider:
Video Marketing
Video marketing is a hot marketing tool right now. Consumers love videos, so using them as a part of your marketing strategy is a wise choice. However, many videos have other people’s ads before your content, and embedding and auto-playing can get tricky. Video hosting platforms can help you eliminate some of these challenges.
Use a video hosting platform that puts you in control of how your videos play. A few great options to check out include:
Lead Generation
Grabbing customer attention is a great first step in making a sale, but converting a lead into a customer is also a vital part of that process. Use a lead generation tool to help encourage conversions and track your lead-to-customer rate.
Look for a lead generation service that helps you track potential leads and provides analytics about your conversion success rates. A few lead generation marketing tools to consider include:
Website Optimization
Website design can impact how users interact with your website and whether they ultimately make a purchase or leave without buying anything. Using website optimization tools can help you ensure your users are getting the most out of your website.
When selecting your website optimization tool, look for one that can optimize your website and provide analysis on how users interact with your webpages. Consider a few of these options:
Email Marketing
Connecting with your customers via email is a great way to target specific demographics with information designed to match their interests. Managing an email list and crafting the appropriate messaging is a time-consuming task, but email marketing tools can help you manage this responsibility efficiently.
Look for an email marketing tool that allows you to automate personalization and quickly create content-rich emails that will speak to your customers. Here are a few options to consider:
Marketing tools are essential for maximizing returns on your lead and conversion efforts. Once you understand the different types of marketing tools out there, you can figure out which specific options work best for your overall marketing strategy to see the strongest ROI.