When you are running a small business you are wearing multiple hats such as marketer, salesperson, content creator, social media manager and much more. The good part about marketing in today’s day and age is that it is not necessarily expensive. If you have found the right mix of tools, you can save a lot of time and effort by automating tasks and creating eye-catching content without hiring designers to do so.
There are several tools that help small businesses market themselves effectively and efficiently. These tools are cost effective, boost brand-awareness, amplify the online presence of a business and analyze the engagement via analytical tools making future decisions easy. Here are 5 must-have marketing tools that won’t cost you an arm & leg but will make a big difference in transforming your small business into a brand.
1. Buffer
Social media is essential for any business but more important for small businesses that depend on it for sales. Having said that, constantly posting content can take up too much of your time and that is where Buffer comes in. Buffer is a social media management tool that lets you schedule posts in advance.
Why you’ll love it:
- Schedule posts across multiple platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
- Get audience insights on what’s working with analytics to track engagement
- Plans in batches and saves lots of time keeping you organized
Buffer offers both free and paid plans, with the free plan allowing you to connect up to 3 social channels and schedule 10 posts per channel. The paid plan starts at only $5.00 which is a complete steal!
2. HubSpot
Marketing is not just about attracting an audience – it’s also about keeping track of them and developing long term relationships. HubSpot offers a free of cost CRM (customer relationship management) system that helps small businesses stay on top of sales leads, emails, and customer engagement.
What makes it great:
- A free CRM to log customer details and track conversations with them.
- Email marketing tools that enable newsletters and promotions.
- Features for lead generation, such as pop up forms or landing pages.
- HubSpot’s free version provides essential CRM features at no cost.
Basically, HubSpot organizes your contacts and helps you automate the process of marketing and the best part is that its life version is 100% free for 2 users, forever. However, for professionals, marketers, content hubs and enterprises, there are payment plans as low as $20!
3. Klaviyo
If email marketing is part of your agenda, Klaviyo is worth checking out. It is quite useful for e-commerce businesses, but since it has a free plan – any business can benefit from it. With Klaviyo, you have the option of sending targeted emails and text messages that are more personalized – helping you turn one-time buyers into recurring customers.
What it offers:
- Automated and tailored email system and SMS marketing.
- Creation of customer segments for personalized messaging, boosting engagement.
- Easy-to-use email templates.
Klaviyo offers a free plan which allows users to create an account, import data, customize templates, and send up to 500 emails to a maximum of 250 contacts per month, along with 150 SMS/MMS credits. Additionally, it also had paid plans for bigger business starting at only $45 a month!
4. Canva
Let’s be real – first impressions matter and the eye-catching marketing materials will make your brand go a long way. Whether it is an Instagram post, a flyer, or business cards, Canva lets you design professional-looking graphics without having to be trained how to do it.
Features:
- Hundreds of customizable templates for different platforms of social media.
- No design experience needed for the simple drag-and-drop editing tools.
- Free stock photos and fonts to level up the visuals, making the brand look polished.
Canva has a variety of versions ranging from Canva free to Canva Pro, Canva Teams, Canva Enterprise and Canva for Education. The appropriate payment plan can be chosen based on the business’s needs and scale.
5. PosterMyWall
While all the tools above focus on specific aspects of marketing, PosterMyWall is an all-in-one solution that brings everything together. It is a perfect tool for small businesses who are looking to create interesting marketing content, schedule social media posts, and channel email campaigns. PosterMyWall provides a diverse selection of customizable templates and design tools for creating marketing materials across different business industries. From posters and social media graphics to flyers and more, it enables users to design visually striking content while offering a flexible pricing structure with options for everyone, including a free plan and premium plans starting at $14.95 per month for teams of up to five members, while larger teams of six or more can benefit from tiered pricing with discounts on monthly or yearly subscriptions.
What makes it stand out:
- Lets you create eye-catching posts and schedule them directly to all your platforms at the ease of a click.
- Plan the entire marketing strategy with a built-in calendar, saving time and staying organized.
- Post across multiple social media platforms from one dashboard. (payment required)
- Designs an email campaign and sends professional emails with an easy drag-and-drop editor. (payment required)
Unlike other tools that address just one aspect of marketing, PosterMyWall empowers small businesses to handle everything from design to publishing.
Marketing can be simple and budget-friendly. If your small business needs help with content creation and design, posting on social media platforms or using email marketing, start using these tools to devise a simple workflow and grow your business.