15 Marketing Tools Every Small Business Needs

Choosing the right small business marketing tools is essential for your success. 

Today’s digital marketing landscape is highly competitive, and you need to use the right tools to get ahead. Without this, you’ll be taking shots in the dark, wasting time and effort, and delivering campaigns that don’t have an impact. 

But how do you know what marketing tools to invest in? 

This is essential to get right, as software can be expensive. If you aren’t strategic about your marketing investments, you could waste valuable money on tools that don’t help you deliver results. 

To help you out, this guide explores all of the small business marketing tools you should consider.

Why the Right Small Business Marketing Tools are Important

If you’re running any kind of digital marketing campaign, then you need to use the right tools to do the job. 

Without tools, you might not be able to put together and implement digital campaigns in the first place.

Using the right small business marketing tools is also critical to the success of your marketing efforts. 

This software can help you automate and streamline your marketing activities, saving you time and money. They can also provide valuable insights into your target audience, help you track the performance of your campaigns, and identify areas for improvement.

With the right marketing tools, you can create a cohesive and effective marketing strategy that resonates with your target audience and drives business growth. 

So, not only do the right marketing tools enable you to run digital campaigns, but they also help you achieve a better ROI. 

It’s all about marketing smarter, not harder, and tools are here to help you do that.

15 Marketing Tools Your Small Business Needs

The digital marketing tools your business uses really depend on what marketing channels you use, how you reach your target audience, what your marketing team looks like, and what your marketing goals are. 

However, there are certain types of tools that pretty much any digital marketing strategy will benefit from. 

Whether you’re putting together your marketing strategy or want to work smarter, here are some of the most important digital marketing tools your small business should use. 

1. Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the best, most reliable digital marketing tactics for any small business. 

In fact, you can expect to generate an ROI of $36 for every $1 you spend with email marketing campaigns. In order to utilize this powerful channel, you need to use the right email marketing software. 

Email marketing can be a powerful tool for small businesses looking to reach and engage with their target audience. However, managing email campaigns manually can be time-consuming and inefficient. That’s where small business email marketing tools come in.

Here are some reasons why you need small business email marketing tools, and things you can achieve with these tools:

• Automation: Email marketing tools allow you to automate your email campaigns. You can schedule emails to go out at specific times, set up trigger-based emails based on user actions, and send personalized messages to your subscribers. Automation saves you time and helps ensure your messages are delivered at the right time.

• Segmentation: Email marketing tools also allow you to segment your email list based on different criteria, such as demographics, interests, or behavior. This segmentation allows you to send targeted messages to specific groups of subscribers, increasing the relevance and effectiveness of your campaigns.

• Analytics: Email marketing tools provide you with detailed analytics on your email campaigns. You can track open rates, click-through rates, and other key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. This information helps you identify what’s working and what’s not, so you can refine your email marketing strategy over time.

• Integration: Many email marketing tools integrate with other marketing platforms, such as lead generation and CRM systems. This integration allows you to streamline your marketing activities and get a more complete view of your customers.

Overall, the right small business email marketing platform can help you save time, target your messages to the right audience, and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. With the right email marketing tool, you can build stronger relationships with your customers and drive more revenue for your business.

2. Website Builder

Your website is your most important online asset. Quite simply, if you’re not able to build a great website, you won’t be able to achieve much marketing success. 

All the campaigns you run will direct traffic back to your site. Plus, your website is like your business’s online business card. It’s where people learn about and build trust in your brand. 

In today’s digital age, having a great website is essential for small businesses. A website is often the first point of contact for potential customers, and it’s where they go to learn more about your business and what you have to offer. 

That’s why it’s important to have a website that is professional, user-friendly, and visually appealing. And that’s where a great website builder comes in.

Here are some reasons why a great website builder is so important:

• Cost-effective: A great website builder can be a cost-effective way to create a professional-looking website without the need for expensive web design services. With a website builder, you can create a website yourself using pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop functionality.

• User-friendly: Website builders are designed to be user-friendly, even for those with no web design experience. You don’t need to know how to code or have any technical expertise to create a website using a website builder.

• Customizable: While website builders use pre-designed templates, they also allow you to customize your website to fit your brand and business needs. You can add your own images, text, and other content to make your website unique.

• Responsive: A great website builder will create a website that is responsive and looks great on any device, whether it’s a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

• SEO-friendly: Website builders often include SEO tools to help your website rank higher in search engine results. This can help drive more traffic to your website and attract more customers.

• Marketing functions: By using a website builder like Wishpond, you also get a full suite of marketing tools included in the builder – like a popups tool and online forms. This makes it easy to build a marketing-optimized site straight out of the box.

3. CRM

A common challenge that small businesses face is managing customer relationships. That’s where a great CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system comes in handy.

A CRM system can help small businesses to stay on top of their customer interactions, manage leads and sales, and build better relationships with their clients. Here are some reasons why a great CRM is a must-have for small businesses:

• Better customer insights: A CRM system allows businesses to gather valuable data on their customers, such as their buying habits, preferences, and feedback. This information can help businesses to tailor their marketing and sales efforts to meet the needs of their customers, which can lead to higher satisfaction and retention rates.

• Improved communication: A CRM system can help small businesses to streamline their communication with customers by providing a centralized platform for emails, calls, and messages. This can save time and reduce the chances of miscommunication, which can ultimately lead to more sales and happier customers.

• Increased sales: A great CRM system can help small businesses to close more deals by tracking leads and automating sales processes. This means that sales teams can focus on building relationships with customers rather than spending time on administrative tasks.

• Better customer service: A CRM system can help small businesses to provide better customer service by tracking customer issues and providing a streamlined process for resolving them. This can improve customer satisfaction and lead to more positive reviews and referrals.

• Cost-effective: Implementing a CRM system may seem like an additional expense for small businesses, but it can actually save money in the long run by improving sales and reducing administrative tasks. Many CRM systems also offer affordable pricing plans for small businesses.

A great CRM system is an essential tool for small businesses looking to improve their customer relationships and grow their sales. By providing better customer insights, improving communication, increasing sales, providing better customer service, and being cost-effective, a CRM system can help small businesses thrive in a competitive market.

4. Lead Generation 

Lead generation is the main goal of many different marketing strategies and channels. In order to generate leads, you’ll need to be able to use the right tools that capture lead information and send them to your leads database. 

There are various lead generation tools your small business can use, such as online lead capture forms you can embed on your website, social contest tools, appointment calendars, popups, and more. 

Lead generation can be a time-consuming and challenging process, especially for small businesses with limited resources. That’s where the right lead-generation tools can come in handy.

Here are some reasons why small businesses need the right lead-generation tools:

• Saves time: Lead generation tools can help small businesses save time by automating repetitive tasks, such as lead scoring and data collection. This means that small business owners and sales teams can focus on more strategic activities, such as building relationships with prospects and closing deals.

• Increases efficiency: With the right lead generation tools, small businesses can increase their efficiency by targeting the right prospects at the right time. This means that businesses can avoid wasting resources on leads that are unlikely to convert and focus on those that are most likely to result in a sale.

• Improves lead quality: Lead generation tools can help small businesses to identify and qualify leads based on specific criteria, such as demographics, interests, and behaviors. This means that businesses can focus on high-quality leads that are more likely to result in a sale.

• Provides insights: Lead generation tools can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can help small businesses to tailor their marketing and sales efforts accordingly. This can lead to higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction.

• Affordable: Many lead generation tools are affordable and offer flexible pricing plans that are suitable for small businesses with limited budgets. This means that small businesses can access powerful lead-generation tools without breaking the bank.

The right lead-generation tools can make a significant difference in the success of small businesses. By saving time, increasing efficiency, improving lead quality, providing insights, and being affordable, lead generation tools can help small businesses to grow their customer base and increase their revenue.

5. SMS Marketing

SMS is one of the most underutilized marketing tactics – especially for eCommerce stores. 

SMS has a 98% open rate, which is crazy compared to the average email. And this offers some serious results for businesses. For example, Shopify stores that use Winback SMS marketing software have been known to double their sales. Now that’s a business tool worth investing in. 

There’s a lot to look for in an SMS marketing solution, but try to find one that lets you send automated SMS messages based on certain actions. For example, sending abandoned cart SMSs, or even just using SMS for transactional messaging.

This is simple to set up, and when you use the right tool for the right purpose, you can generate some truly great results.  

6. Referral Marketing

The power of referrals is something no small business should overlook. This is so effective because 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know.

There are many different use cases you can apply referral marketing to. This includes referrals for launching new products or sites or running referral campaigns to generate new email subscribers. 

Whatever the case, you’ll want a referral marketing platform that offers easily customizable templates for different use cases. This should integrate with your other marketing tools – like your landing page builder or email software, to help you establish a more well-rounded marketing strategy. 

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7. Marketing Analytics

If you run any kind of marketing campaign without monitoring the results, you’ll struggle to make an impact. 

No matter what marketing tools, channels, or strategies you’re using, you’ll need to access marketing analytics platforms. This helps you stay on top of the KPIs and metrics you need to know to monitor whether you’re on target to reach your goals. 

Luckily, marketing analytics are easily accessible. 

Of course, there’s Google Analytics and Search Console. These are two of the most important free platforms for monitoring your website. You’ll also be able to gain meaningful analytics insights from your other marketing tools – like your email marketing provider. 

Ideally, you use an integrated marketing software mix that shares insights across all of your marketing channels. This way, you can make more informed decisions on your entire marketing strategy to help you optimize your marketing efforts and achieve better results. 

So, no matter what marketing solutions you’re looking at, always make sure that they offer the right kind of insights your business needs. 

8. Social Media Marketing

Implementing the right social media marketing strategy is essential for any small business today. With social media being so competitive, you’ll want to make sure that your marketing efforts make the best possible impact. Using the right social media marketing tools will help you achieve this. 

There are all kinds of different tools your business can use to optimize its social media marketing. While they all have different functions, the main purpose of these tools is to help you save time, work more efficiently, and produce better social media content. 

Some of the most common types of social media tools include:

• Social scheduling tools: These tools let you easily create and schedule your social media content in advance. This helps you stay organized and ensures you post the right content at the right time. These tools also make it easy to manage multiple social media channels for your business. 

• Video editing tools: Sure, Instagram Reels and TikTok have their own editing tools, but you can use external editing platforms to help you create truly epic content. If you’re serious about video (which you probably should be right now), then using the right video editing software can be seriously helpful. 

• Graphic design tools: Tools like Canva or Photoshop can help you access templates and create designs for better social media content. Whether you want to edit your images or create totally new images from scratch, these tools make it happen. 

• Giveaway tools: Running a giveaway is still one of the best ways to use social media to grow your brand. You can use giveaway tools to set up your contests and generate leads from your giveaway. 

• Analytics tools: As we already established, gaining the right analytics insights is essential for a solid marketing strategy. Social media platforms do offer their own analytics, but you can combine this with external analytics platforms to gain even deeper insights. 

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9. Graphic Design

Effective visual communication is critical to your marketing success. Graphic design tools allow small business owners to create compelling graphics, which can help them to stand out in a crowded market and reach more customers.

Graphic design tools are essential for creating professional-looking marketing materials such as logos, brochures, business cards, flyers, social media graphics, and website banners. These tools enable small businesses to produce high-quality designs that showcase their brand identity and help them to connect with their target audience.

There are many benefits of using the right graphic design tools. 

Firstly, they save time and money by eliminating the need for hiring professional designers or outsourcing design work. 

Secondly, they give small business owners full creative control, allowing them to experiment with different design ideas until they find the perfect one. 

Thirdly, these tools can help businesses to build brand recognition and loyalty by consistently using the same design elements across all their marketing materials.

When considering graphic design platforms, there are a few things small business owners should keep in mind. First, consider the ease of use of the tool. A user-friendly interface and intuitive features can make the design process more enjoyable and efficient. 

Secondly, they should look for a tool that offers a wide range of design templates and assets to choose from, which can save time and provide inspiration. Lastly, they should consider the cost of the tool and whether it offers good value for money, taking into account its features and benefits.

10. SEO Software

Around 97% of people who use online search use it to look for local businesses. This means if your business is showing up in the right search results, you’ll send a lot more traffic to your website. 

As 87% of people also use Google Maps to find local businesses, more website traffic also means more foot traffic coming through your door. 

There’s a lot that can go into successful SEO, which means there are many different tools you can use. Although as a small business, the most important SEO tools you’ll use will be keyword research tools and tools to assess your website’s performance. 

You can get free keyword research tools, as well as more advanced paid ones. 

As for monitoring your website’s performance, tools like Search Console and Google Analytics are essential. You can also use more advanced, paid SEO tools to run complete SEO audits, monitor your competitors, run a backlink analysis, and more. 

Although these are often tasks, you’ll leave them up to SEO professionals if you choose to work with them. 

SEO can be time-consuming and complex, and investing in SEO tools can get expensive. This is why most businesses opt for the more basic free SEO tools and rather work with SEO specialists for the advanced technical side of things. 

Although, there are a few SEO strategies anyone can run to improve their website performance. Check out our guide to small business SEO tips and tactics for some ideas.

11. Ads Management

Running paid ads is the fastest way to reach new customers and grow your business. If you’re a small business with a lot of competition, then you won’t always be able to rely on generating organic traffic. Instead, you’ll want to run ads on platforms like Google and Facebook. 

You can just use the platforms to set up and run your ads for you. However, you might need a bit more help. This is where having the right ad management tools is useful.

For example, a tool like Braxy can help you create AI-powered search ads for you. Braxy generates and optimizes your ads for you, making sure you get the best ROI. If you’re not an expert in ads management, then tools like this can be really useful. 

You may also need to create ad assets, like images, banners, or videos. To do this, you’ll need the right graphic design tools. 

Finally, you might also want to do some external keyword research if you’re creating search ads. Keyword research tools, like Wordstream, can be really useful for this.

12. Project Management

With all of these processes going on, it’s essential that you stay organized. Using the right project management software can make your life a lot easier here.

Project management tools exist to help you stay on track with tasks, create tasks for your team, manage your calendar, and keep more organized. As a business owner with loads of different tasks and responsibilities, staying on top of everything can be really tricky. However, the right project management tools can make this easy. 

Various free and paid project management tools exist. When choosing a solution, make sure it fits easily into your existing workflow and that it makes sense for your team members. These tools are particularly useful if your business operates remotely. 

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13. Content Marketing

Content marketing tools are essential for small businesses. They play a crucial role in establishing and growing their online presence. These tools provide valuable assistance in creating, managing, and distributing high-quality content that attracts and engages the target audience. 

With limited resources and budgets, small businesses need efficient and cost-effective solutions to maximize their marketing efforts, and content marketing tools offer just that. 

From keyword research and SEO optimization to content planning and scheduling, these tools streamline the content creation process, ensuring consistency and relevance across various platforms. 

They also provide analytics and performance metrics to track the effectiveness of content marketing campaigns, allowing small businesses to make data-driven decisions and refine their strategies for better results.

In today’s digital age, content marketing has become a powerful tool for small businesses to compete with larger competitors on a level playing field. 

These tools enable small businesses to amplify their brand messaging and reach a wider audience through various channels such as social media, blogs, and email marketing. They facilitate content ideation and brainstorming, helping businesses generate fresh and compelling ideas to capture the attention of their target market. 

Content marketing tools also offer valuable insights into audience behavior and preferences, allowing small businesses to tailor their content to meet their customers’ specific needs and interests. 

By leveraging these tools effectively, small businesses can establish their expertise, build trust, and foster long-term relationships with their audience, ultimately driving growth and success in a highly competitive market.

14. Landing Pages

Landing page builders are essential for small businesses as they provide a simple and efficient way to create effective landing pages without the need for technical expertise or coding knowledge. 

These tools offer user-friendly interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality, allowing small businesses to quickly design visually appealing and conversion-focused landing pages.

With landing page builders, small businesses can customize their pages to align with their brand identity and marketing goals, ensuring a consistent and professional online presence. These tools often include pre-designed templates and optimization features, such as A/B testing and analytics, which enable small businesses to optimize their landing pages for maximum conversions and lead generation.

For small businesses, a well-designed landing page is crucial for capturing visitor attention, driving conversions, and growing their customer base. 

Landing page builders empower small businesses to create landing pages that are tailored to their specific campaigns and offers, increasing the chances of converting visitors into leads or customers. 

These tools also integrate seamlessly with other marketing platforms, such as email marketing tools and CRM systems, enabling small businesses to streamline their lead nurturing and sales processes. 

With landing page builders, small businesses can save time, resources, and money by creating high-quality landing pages in-house, resulting in improved marketing efficiency and better ROI on their advertising efforts.

15. Communication 

Communication tools are essential for small businesses as they facilitate seamless and efficient collaboration among team members, clients, and stakeholders. 

These tools enable small businesses to overcome geographical barriers and connect individuals from different locations in real-time, fostering effective communication and information sharing. 

Whether it’s through instant messaging, video conferencing, or project management platforms, these tools ensure that everyone involved in the business can stay connected, aligned, and productive. 

By utilizing communication tools, small businesses can enhance teamwork, streamline decision-making processes, and ultimately improve overall productivity and success.

How to Choose the Right Small Business Marketing Tools

Choosing the right small business marketing tools can be a critical decision that directly impacts the success of your marketing efforts. 

Here are some key factors to consider when selecting the right tools:

Identify Your Marketing Goals

Start by defining your marketing objectives and identifying the specific goals you want to achieve. 

Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or improving customer engagement, understanding your goals will help you choose tools that align with your business needs.

Assess Your Budget and Resources 

Consider your budget limitations and the resources available within your small business. Look for marketing tools that offer flexible pricing plans or free options to fit your budget. 

Additionally, evaluate the level of technical expertise required to use the tools effectively and ensure they align with your team’s skill set.

Determine Your Target Audience and Channels

Understand your target audience and the platforms they frequent. Choose marketing tools that provide features and integrations relevant to your target audience and the channels you plan to utilize, such as social media, email marketing, or content creation.

Research and Compare Tools

Conduct thorough research on available marketing tools, read reviews, and compare their features, functionalities, and user experiences. 

Look for tools that offer comprehensive solutions, including analytics, automation, and campaign management, to streamline your marketing efforts.

Consider Scalability and Future Needs

As your small business grows, your marketing needs will evolve. Select tools that can scale with your business and accommodate future requirements. Scalable tools will help you avoid the hassle of switching platforms as your marketing demands expand.

Seek User Support and Training

Evaluate the level of customer support and training provided by the marketing tool providers. Look for resources such as tutorials, documentation, and customer service availability to ensure you can make the most of the tools and address any issues that may arise.

By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the right small business marketing tools that align with your goals, budget, and resources, empowering you to implement effective marketing strategies and drive business growth.

Use an All-in-One Marketing Solution

Choosing an all-in-one marketing platform like Propel IQ is the best approach for small businesses as it offers a comprehensive suite of tools and features in a single solution. 

With Propel IQ, businesses can access a wide range of marketing functionalities, including email marketing, social media management, customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, and more. 

This integrated approach eliminates the need to juggle multiple platforms and ensures seamless data flow and consistent branding across all marketing channels. Small businesses can save time, streamline workflows, and gain valuable insights by having all their marketing activities centralized in one platform.

Propel IQ’s all-in-one marketing platform provides small businesses with a cost-effective solution that eliminates the need for investing in and managing multiple standalone tools. 

Businesses can simplify their marketing operations, reduce costs, and achieve greater efficiency by opting for a single platform. Propel IQ’s comprehensive features allow businesses to easily manage their campaigns, analyze performance metrics, track customer interactions, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their marketing efforts. 

With an all-in-one marketing platform like Propel IQ, small businesses can focus on strategic initiatives and effectively drive growth without the complexity and hassle of managing multiple disjointed tools.

Conclusion

While every business and marketing strategy is different, these are some of the most important small business marketing tools you should consider. They can offer any business a comprehensive marketing framework to help them achieve greater levels of success. 

Looking for all of these tools wrapped up in a single platform? Then consider Propel IQ – the only small business marketing platform that truly covers the entire customer journey. Book a demo to see how it can transform your business’s success.