Marketers know better than anyone how multifaceted the job is. Promoting a brand or business doesn’t just consist of Mad Men-esque campaign pitches; it also involves continual research into market trends, advertising, content planning, social media, reporting, and much more. There’s no question that it’s a lot to fit on one plate. Luckily, there are a plethora of handy marketing tools out there—many of them free—that help to simplify marketing tasks and streamline workflows. Here are 5 of our favorite tools for marketers that won’t break the bank.
Sumo
With nearly a million users, Sumo has become a popular tool for marketers to help increase website visibility and traffic as well as grow email lists. The free online solution actually consists of a set of tools that can be easily integrated with your website, whether it’s powered by WordPress or another host. Sumo apps include List Builder, Welcome Mat, Share, and Smart Bar. Each of these apps has various options within it, so users can choose between pop-up or embedded email opt-in forms, different layout positioning, and more. Beyond that, the free version of Sumo can also be integrated with your email campaigns, e-commerce platform, and website analytics. It’s a simple way to build your online presence and marketing audience that won’t break the bank.
Venngage
Infographics are a valuable marketing tool that can really enhance your content strategy. They translate data into eye-catching charts and diagrams, which help your audience quickly digest and understand even the most complex information. Venngage is an online tool that makes it easy for marketers to create infographics and other visual representations of data by giving them a variety of templates and a drag-and-drop interface. There is a free version of Venngage, which is great if you’re just getting started. It includes 5 free designs and the ability to share them publicly. For unlimited infographics, the pricing begins at $16 per month.
Asana
Asana is a popular content management software platform for marketers that helps keep track of projects that are already going on. Whether you are working alone or with a team, the organizational tool lets you set project goals and deadlines, break down jobs into smaller tasks, assign those tasks to team members, track time, and more. The best part? Asana is available for the low cost of $0. The software’s free version includes a wealth of tools, including unlimited projects and tasks, unlimited file storage, time tracking integrations, and participation by up to 15 team members. Asana is also available as an Android or iOS app for marketing project management on the go.
Hotjar
Hotjar is a unique tool for marketers and UX designers to better understand how users are interacting with their websites. In the simplest terms, Hotjar collects user data and translates it into behavioral insights. You might be wondering how Hotjar differs from other analytics tools like Google Analytics. The answer is “visualizations.” Hotjar demonstrates user behavior patterns using heat maps superimposed onto your website. This enables Hotjar users to clearly see which links are most popular and where on the page the consumer’s mouse tends to linger. Hotjar also has a feature that lets you see your website from a user’s perspective, seeing a playback of their mouse trajectory, scrolling, and clicks. The free version of Hotjar includes 1,050 sessions per month, unlimited heat maps, and automatic data capture.
Google Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is a very useful feature found within the Google Ads framework. It’s totally free for marketers and others to use—you just need a Google Ads account—and it gives up-to-date insights about keywords relevant to their business. Google Ads Keyword Planner provides analytics about any keyword, including monthly search estimates, keyword organization, and cost estimates for Google Ad campaigns. It is worth noting that Keyword Planner was built to support Google Ads, but it is also useful on its own as an SEO tool. The “Discover new keywords” feature is probably the most important. It makes a ranked list of keywords based on your product or service that you can use to plan your SEO strategy.
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These free marketing tools can dramatically improve your day-to-day activities, helping to keep you organized and enhancing your marketing output. In addition to these 5 helpful tools, there are many others you can download to streamline your work, especially as a freelancer. Our blog is full of useful information and tips, such as the best tools for social media freelancers, apps that can help you get more done, and much more.
