When I started out in my own business, I noticed two things. First of all, it’s hard to know where to start from when you’re just starting out – how much money to spend on advertising, how much time it will take to get results. That’s why I made this list of software for entrepreneurs. Secondly, I saw that a lot of these companies were making money off people’s lack of information. They knew that not everyone is an expert in digital marketing – and they knew some people would spend thousands of dollars on ads before even knowing if the ads were working. After all, most products like this are expensive – so many entrepreneurs will fork over the hundreds or thousands of dollars first instead of testing the product like it should be tested: by using a free trial and seeing if it works. So that’s why I only chose products that have a free trial, and which can be tested without a lot of investment.
It will never be a business without a market, and in the race of marketing, one should heed the vital role of marketing digitally. Entrepreneurs should be creative and, with that, getting the right digital marketing tool will surely take the business to the top. And today, the way for an entrepreneur to be successful is to take advantage of the free marketing tools online. With around 3.010 billion users of the internet, there is no good reason not to make use of this convenient opportunity.
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So in this article, we will outline the 10 best free digital marketing tools that are important and advantageous for the business. These are the following:
1. Trello
Before, project management communication was through email and platforms for emails were very limited. This is when Trello made it easy for project management practitioners. Not only that, it made a powerful way to plan and systematize digital marketing projects. Through this Kanban-style tool, it only takes a few minutes to set up a board and invite the rest of the staff instantly. Trello helps the team leader and members to be on the same page as in the sharing of blog posts before they are published. This gives a chance for the rest of the team to review the post and make some changes before it will be published. Trello is the best when it comes to collaboration and working with other marketing teams for a particular task. There are other free marketing tools that function the same way as Trello but this tool is a top choice. Its core features are:
- Drag and drop functionality
- Data filtering
- One third-party app integration per “card”
- Deadline reminders
- Activity log
- Email notification
- SSL data encryption
- Easy organization of project tasks, milestones and deadline
- Customizable task categorization or status tags and labels
- Checklists with progress charts
- Easy file/attachment uploads
2. HubSpot CRM
Having software that boosts customer relationship is something that should not be missed out on. This tool takes the heavy load off when it comes to sales process tracking, searchable data storage, and customer and prospects tracking. This tool functions in managing a business-customer relationship that features deal boards, task boards, customizable views, extensive integration capabilities, drag and drop communicator, templates, tracking and scheduling, email connections, and prospect and customer database. These features are accessible for free.
3. Hootsuite
Whether we like it or not, social media is the key to attract the market, regardless of the industry the company belongs to. To survive in the competition, a business has to engage in social media. Hootsuite has several features that work best for the user such as pre-written responses, @mentions through the dashboard, and replies to comments. It can also look for influencers for the sales and marketing teams. With this tool, one can manage profiles on over 30 platforms.
4. MailChimp
Among all other marketing efforts, email marketing has the highest ROI (return on investment). That is because capturing customers’ email addresses is easy and with a tool like MailChimp, it is very cost-effective. The forever free plan is absolutely free every month for 2000 subscribers and up to 12,000 emails. Other features include:
- Media storage
- Autoresponders
- Drip campaigns
- Analytics revealing CTRs, clicks, opens and more
- A/B testing
- Email design templates
- Subscriber data based on engagement rates
- Third-party app integrations like Google Analytics and social media
- Optimal send time calculations
- Easy-to-use email design and image upload functions
- Sign-up forms
- List management with easy segmenting options
5. SurveyMonkey
Using this tool for digital marketing is one good way of turning feedback into an opportunity through surveys. Gathering customers’ insights and getting different perspectives for the company’s development is essential because it addresses the areas for improvement. The software is very simple to use. With a few clicks away, one can create, design and publish his own business survey. The results are analyzed in the backend.
6. Google Analytics
As the business starts to use free marketing tools, Google Analytics should be made part of the marketing strategy. It adds the analytics code to the website that produces the ability to track every visitor and their actions which is considered a traffic tool. With the data that this free software can give, this is where the adjustment of the business strategy should be based on.
7. Answer the Public
An important source of website traffic are organic, non-paid links and search engine rankings. The entrepreneur should know the topics that potential customers are searching for in connection with their business. Answer the Public is a tool that finds the perfect blog topics based on customer use, language, and keywords. It functions the same way as the search engine. Just input the keyword that connects to the topic that the customers might search for, like “entrepreneurship”. The tool will generate trees of topics based on trending questions or queries usually searched in relation to the keyword.
8. Buffer
With the power of social media, this type of tool can greatly impact the followers of the company by engaging with the audience and building the company’s brand. Connecting multiple accounts to one dashboard, creating drip campaigns, scheduling posts, and analyzing the success of the posts are some of the benefits of Buffer.
9. Due
The tool is useful in keeping track of the time being spent on marketing projects for payments, budgeting and invoicing purposes. This time-tracking app calculates productivity that helps the organization budget time properly. This is ideal for marketing freelancers in billing their clients.
10. Logaster Profit Margin and Markup Calculator
Logaster Profit Margin and Markup Calculator is a tool for calculating key metrics in your business. This tool can calculate margin and markup. When you know the markup, you can predict the income in cash. When you know the margin, you can find out the ratio of the markup to the cost value in percent. Forecast your profit in the long run by using this tool. Some top features include:
- Calculates indicators
- Margin and markup
- Cost
- Selling price
Conclusion
There are many different types of software out there, but it can be hard to find the right one for your business, specifically. This article highlights some of the best software for entrepreneurs as well as some tips on how to use it.