Do you want to learn about marketing software for small business? Or marketing software platforms? Marketing software is software used by companies and organizations to help them organize and automate their marketing tasks and campaigns. Marketing automation is a popular form of contemporary marketing software. There are numerous types of platform systems used in the industry.
With examples of marketing software for small business, you can use these free marketing software downloads to save time and money. Here are the examples of top marketing software for small business.
Marketing Automation Software
To best automate your marketing tasks, streamline marketing workflow systems, and measure the results of every marketing campaign, it’s best to use a marketing automation tool.
With these tools, you will have a stable and reliable database for all your marketing efforts across different marketing platforms such as email, lead generation, direct mail, social media, digital advertising, and more.
These marketing automation tools are also useful for digital analytics, as they allow you to see the progress and success of the marketing campaign in its entirety across the mentioned channels.
The most effective marketing automation tools include:
- HubSpot Marketing Hub
- Klaviyo
- Omnisend
- Thryv
- Exponea
- RD Station Marketing
- ManyChat
- Autopilot
- Act-On
Marketing Project Management Software
You will need the right software to manage your marketing projects. These tools help you plan, implement, collaborate with key stakeholders like project managers, and track the progress of your marketing projects.
Marketing project management software fits marketing teams across various sectors such as marketing consultancy, freelancing, marketing agencies, internal marketing groups, advertising agencies, brand management firms, and event management companies.
The best marketing project management software you’ll find is:
- Toggl Plan
- Basecamp
- Brightpod
- Filestage
- WP Project Manager
- Trello
- Wrike
- Kanban Tool
- Podio
- Asana
Mobile Marketing Software
While most companies focus on web-based marketing platforms, those that capitalize on the mobile phone market reach out to an even wider audience since most people today access the Internet through tablets, smartphones, and other hand-portable communication devices.
Mobile marketing tools are effective in leveraging mobile advertising and outreach through mobile-based apps and browsers. They help track ad engagement data and launch marketing campaigns like push notifications, mobile advertisements, web-based ads, in-game ads, and in-app ads.
Some of the most common mobile marketing tools used by marketing professionals include:
- AppsFlyer
- Attentive
- MoEngage
- Braze
- WebEngage
- Emarsys
- Sailthru
- SendPulse
Marketing Analytics Software
There’s a reason we brought this down as the very last item on our list. Not that it’s any less important. No. It’s the icing on the cake. Look at it this way. What use would it be to carry out your marketing efforts without pausing to see how you are progressing?
That’s where marketing analytics software comes in. It helps you track the progress, success, or failure of every marketing campaign so you can see what works and what doesn’t. This is important because, without this, it is impossible to know your weaknesses and areas to improve on.
Through marketing analytics tools, businesses can enhance the return on investment once they identify the most effective marketing strategies and adjust their campaigns accordingly to maximize conversion rates and boost sales.
This is possible since these tools collect marketing data across the campaign’s channels and monitor the response and behavior of the target audience. They also analyze the collected results, so it’s easy to break them down into a palatable state for a better understanding of the target market.
Among the best out there, you’ll find:
- Looker
- SharpSpring
- Pathmatics
- TapClicks
- AgencyAnalytics
- Adverity
- Funnel
- Force24
- Moat Analytics
- BlueVenn
- Tinyclues
- Bright Analytics
Social Media Marketing Software
Social media marketing has become one of the best ways for entrepreneurs to market their products and services all over the world.
Brands use social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram to run ads and nurture leads in real-time. Social media marketing software might be platform-specific (ie. WhatsApp marketing software for text promotions or customer service assistance) or platform inclusive (ie. general social media scheduling software that pushes posts to multiple sites simultaneously).
Social media marketing software is as vast in focus as the social sites are themselves. Do you want help with targeted ads? Graphic design for posts? Prescheduled posting to better engage your audience? You get to decide this and then pick the software that best suits your needs.
Some examples of social media marketing software include:
- Hootsuite
- Sprout Social
- Sendible
- SocialPilot
Email Marketing Software
In 2019, 3.9 billion people reported using some form of email platform, and this number is expected to grow to 4.3B by 2023. With email marketing tools, you can update your address list about sales and new products, maintain brand awareness in the minds of past customers, and deliver company information like awards or events to interested parties.
This is a great way to keep in contact with previous customers; after all, it is almost always cheaper to maintain a past relationship than foster a brand new one.
Email marketing software is convenient because it does all the behind-the-scenes coding and design work for you. All you have to do is plug in your information and pick a send date. You can send it immediately or schedule it for later.
Examples of email marketing platforms include:
- Mailchimp
- Sendinblue
- ConvertKit
- Constant Contact
- Drip
- Aweber
- GetResponse
If you need help upgrading your email marketing skills, here are some best practices for email marketing and subject lines.
SMS Marketing Software
Most businesses have picked up on the potential of SMS marketing, what with the number of time people spend on their smartphones. SMS marketing software is a great way to meet people where they are and build the most personal relationships—after all, receiving someone’s private number is an honor!
The best SMS marketing software will be somewhat of a marketing automation platform that neatly packages the information you are trying to send and then delivers it to a designated audience upon your request. Be sure to do your research and come up with an engaging and convincing copy, lest your message is interpreted as spam.
SMS marketing tools can be used to answer customer questions, deliver promotions and coupons, announce events, manage drip campaigns, ask for feedback or poll your audience, or distribute multimedia ads.
Remember that, like email, you must have a user’s express written consent in order to send them SMS marketing items. Have them opt-in in-store, online, or through social media prompts.
Examples of SMS marketing automation tools include:
- UltraSMSScript
- Sendinblue
- Bulk SMS Text Messenger
- Trumpia
- Atomic SMS Sender
- TextMagic
Influencer Marketing Software
Influencer marketing remains a good marketing strategy across various business categories. Companies bank on the popularity and credibility of online influencers to act as their brand ambassadors and endorse their products to an audience. When people see that their favorite celebrity (or ceWebrity) is using a certain product or service, it builds a sense of trust in that brand.
In the modern world, influencer marketing has taken a turn from the usual global celebrity marketing system to instead heavily feature people who are only famous within a given geographical area or niche online community. This system includes people who have built a huge social media following and can convince prospects to invest in certain products.
Influencer marketing software helps companies to find, build, and maintain proper working relationships with celebrities and social media gurus in order to disseminate their marketing content and promote their brand.
Examples of influencer marketing software include:
- Pitchbox
- Node App
- Klear
- FamePick
- Onalytica
- Heepsy
- Socialix
- Tribe Dynamics
Content Marketing Software
You have probably heard the phrase: Content is king. That’s because it’s true. Content marketing encompasses everything from blog posts to long-form articles, email marketing, social media content, videos, infographics, e-books or whitepapers, press releases, and more.
You’ll notice that content marketing links up with some of the other types of marketing we have talked about so far. That’s because every marketing style or campaign is going to need to produce content at one point or another.
Content marketing touches everything that you do, which is probably why some teams opt to organize and amplify the creation process using content marketing software. This type of tool will help you brainstorm, design, review, proof, revise, and approve marketing materials for each campaign and platform.
Content marketing software may overlap with whatever tools you are already using. For example, Mailchimp could be considered both email marketing software as well as a content marketing software. This is a great way to get additional value from the tools you pay for or invest time in.
Examples of content marketing tools include:
- Feedly
- OptinMonster
- Tailwind
- Buffer
- AnswerThePublic
- CoSchedule Headline Analyzer
- MozBar
Find a full list of content marketing platforms here, along with notes on key features and how to choose the right tool based on your needs.
Multi-Level Marketing Software
Multi-level marketing software is designed to address the specific needs of MLM entrepreneurs. There are various multi-level marketing tools designed to cater to their needs—such as streamlining sales, remuneration, distribution, downlines, uplines, training programs, and internal communication.
These network marketing companies need a two-pronged approach, as they are marketing to paying customers just as much as they are to other potential entrepreneurs who might want to join the sales team. MLM software can help ease the burden of navigating so many simultaneous communication streams.
Examples of multi-level marketing software include:
- Cloud MLM
- MLM Software Central
- Rallyware
- Infinite MLM Software
- MarketPowerPRO
- Plexum
- Hybrid MLM
Affiliate Marketing Software
Without the existence of affiliate marketing and affiliate marketers, most businesses would find it hard to replicate their marketing efforts and reach out to consumers across different geographical locations.
Affiliate marketing allows businesses to bank on the help of affiliate marketers by getting them to market their products and services on the company’s behalf. Through affiliate links that are unique to each marketer, affiliate marketers for a given company get commissions or flat rate payments each time a customer purchases a product or service.
Affiliate marketers rely on the audiences they have created across different media such as email lists, blogs, websites, ecommerce stores, and social media where they can strategically place relevant content and link to the company’s online store or website.
Examples of affiliate marketing software include:
- Referral Rock
- Post Affiliate Pro
- Scaleo
- Partnerize
- Circlewise
- AffiliateWP
- Pepperjam Ascend
Digital Marketing Software
Digital marketing involves the use of digital technologies to promote products and services to reach a wider audience across different geographical locations.
This type of software is very versatile and comprehensive, so it encompasses all types of marketing and acts as an umbrella that covers other forms of marketing such as social media marketing, certain forms of content marketing, email marketing, affiliate marketing, and more. The rule of thumb is that if it is online, it is digital.
In this category, some of the most popular marketing tools include:
- HubSpot
- SEMRush
- Mapify360
- Marketo
- Campaign Monitor
- AdRoll
Customer Relationship Management Software
Customer relationship management software comes into play to help businesses capture, store, retrieve, and use customer data for effective lead management, as well as analyze marketing metrics and data.
Each CRM software helps a business store customer information such as email addresses, location, names, work titles, and company names where they work. Some CRMs can go further and track customer interactions, follow-ups, and more.
Some popular CRM software include:
- Zoho
- Freshworks CRM
- Salesforce
- Keap
- Less Annoying CRM
Learn more about ecommerce CRMs here.
Marketing Attribution Software
Tracking the entire customer journey from the time the customer first engages with an advertisement to the point at which they buy a product or service becomes easy when companies use attribution software.
This helps find out what hurdles the customer might have had along the way, what influenced their decision to make a purchase, and how they interacted with the company and product throughout the process. It helps identify the areas the company needs to improve on in their marketing platform.
Some common attribution software used for marketing automation are:
- CallRail
- ActiveCampaign
- Pardot
- SharpSpring
Find more examples of marketing attribution software here!
App Store Optimization Software
Companies that neglect their apps end up losing a lot of traction in their marketing efforts. The modern customer scours the web for more information about a company or business before they make the crucial decision to buy a product or service.
If you have applications on app stores like the Huawei AppGallery, Google Play Store, or Apple App Store, you need to constantly optimize them so that they rank higher when customers search under their category.
Some of the ways to position your app for better click-through and conversion rates include optimizing the name of the app, store title, icon, description, updates, accompanying screenshots, user reviews, and rating.
For this, you can use popular app optimization tools like:
- Adjust
- MightySignal
- AppFollow
- ASOdesk
- AppTweak
Conclusion
Marketing software can be a big part of your successful small business marketing strategy. Marketing software allows you to track reader behaviour, create effective emails, and display notifications where your brand needs to be seen. The best marketing platforms are flexible enough to support the growth of any business no matter how modest it may be when you start out.