10 Marketing Tools You Need to Have in Your Toolkit

How big a role do tools play in your workday?

Anything less than “very big” is the wrong answer.

Tools should be playing a prevalent role in pretty much everything we do at work. They help us be more efficient and effective at our jobs so we can make more money in less time. They just make our lives easier.

But we shouldn’t be using just any tools. We should be using the right tools.

If you’re relying on tools that don’t fit your needs, are badly supported, or are antiquated, you won’t get the results you could be or should be.

While there’s no one perfect set of tools for everyone, here are 10 of the top marketing tools available today that you need to have in your toolkit.

1. Google Data Studio

Google Data Studio is up there with the best digital marketing reporting tools, but it’s got an awesome USP: it’s completely free.

GDS pulls data from countless sources into one real-time, bespoke dashboard that looks good and is easy to share.

Everything from YouTube and Reddit, to SEMrush, Salesforce, and, of course, Google Analytics, is supported. Even Bing Ads can be connected in a few clicks.

While there are other reporting studios that pull in and display data in a similarly easy-to-digest format while offering more features and better support … did we mention Google Data Studio is free?

What does Google Data Studio cost?

We might have said this already, but … it’s free.

2. Mailshake

Mailshake is an intuitive, user-friendly platform designed to help you simplify, streamline, and scale cold outreach campaigns.

Choose from pre-written templates, or write your own personalized messages en-masse, then schedule or send emails in real-time. Mailshake also makes it really easy to create automated follow-up sequences, as well as monitor performance by tracking opens, clicks, and replies.

You can even leverage Mailshake’s API, and streamline workflows by connecting the tool to more than 1,000 other apps, including Gmail, Slack, and HubSpot CRM.

What does Mailshake cost?

Pay annually, and a basic package will set you back $22 per month, per user. It’ll cost you $29 if you pay monthly. Pro accounts (which offer additional features like A/B testing and conversion tracking) are $37 per month per user, paid annually, or $49 paid monthly.

3. Visual Website Optimizer

Any organization that relies on its website for even a small portion of its business should be constantly testing and optimizing with the goal of improving UX and increasing conversions.

VWO is an enterprise-level A/B testing and CRO platform that’s also suited to small businesses. It boasts state-of-the-art-technology, easy integration with a variety of popular third-party platforms, and the features you’ll need to plan and execute campaigns across whole teams with ease.

While there are more affordable A/B testing and optimization tools on the market, VWO stands out thanks to its intuitive interface and industry-leading technology, security, and support.

What does Visual Website Optimizer cost?

Pricing is bespoke, but you can set up a free trial or request a demo on their site.

4. Voila Norbert

Voila Norbert does the hard work of digging deep into the web in order to verify email addresses individually or in bulk. For an extra (nominal) fee, it’ll enrich your email lists en-masse by digging out data like contacts’ locations, job titles, employers, and social profiles.

It’s an invaluable tool for prospecting that’ll help you build better lists, faster. Voila Norbert’s email finding tool was elected the most accurate email finder out there according to Ahrefs . Whether you’re trying to reach out to influencers, build marketing connections or reach potential recruits, Norbert’s got you covered.

What does Voila Norbert cost?

Your first 50 leads are free. After that, you can pay-as-you-go (for $0.10 a lead), or save money and choose a prepaid package starting from $39 per month for 1,000 leads.

5. Zapier

With more than 1,000 apps supported, Zapier makes it possible to eliminate repetitive, data-driven tasks from your workload. This can instantly increase productivity and make you more effective at pretty much everything you do. Marketing is no exception.

Simply connect the apps you use, create workflows in a few clicks, and tackle your tougher tasks while Zapier automates the grunt work.

What does Zapier cost?

Absolutely nothing.

6. Right Inbox

Right Inbox does what Gmail doesn’t. This includes scheduling emails, setting reminders so you don’t forget to reply to important messages, and creating recurring emails that will automatically get sent on the dates and times of your choosing.

You can even attach private notes to email threads that only you can see (a priceless feature for those of us who struggle to keep organized).

What does Right Inbox cost?

The free version gives you access to all features, but limits you to 10 emails a month. Unlimited use costs $5.95 per month if you pay annually, or $7.95 paid monthly.

7. Grammarly

Error-free writing is essential to creating a professional image. Even something as innocent as an isolated grammatical error or a single sentence with sub-par structure can cause a prospect to question your credibility.

This is where Grammarly comes in. Just copy and paste a block of text into the tool, and Grammarly highlights spelling mistakes and grammatical mishaps, alongside other simple fixes that will improve the readability of your writing, including repetitive words, missing articles, and misplaced modifiers.

What does Grammarly cost?

A standard account (which does plenty) is completely free. Premium accounts cost between $11.66 and $29.95 per month, depending on whether you choose to be billed monthly, quarterly, or annually. For paid accounts, Grammarly promises to identify more mistakes and get you better results. You’ll also get access to its plagiarism tool.

8. Mention

Mention lets you listen closely to the entire web. See what’s said about your brand, anywhere online.

You can set filters to drown out noise, track how your share of voice and sentiment matches up to your competitors’, and benefit from detailed brand insights that are bespoke to your business.

What does Mention cost?

From $25 per month. That gets you a solo plan, which lets you create 2 alerts and notifies you of up to 3,000 brand mentions each month.

Small business plans start at $83 per month. Larger businesses and agencies will likely require a custom plan with bespoke pricing.

9. SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb is a competitive intelligence tool that can assist with everything from competitor research to content promotion.

It’s essentially a pared-down version of Google Analytics for all medium- to -high traffic websites that anyone can view.

Sure, the data is estimated, but it’s generally not far off the mark (and short of hacking into a competitor’s analytics account, what better option do you have?).

The data it offers includes estimated visits, time on site, and bounce rate, as well as traffic source, visitor location, and top referrers.

There’s also a free Chrome extension, which is well worth plugging into your browser.

What does SimilarWeb Cost?

A basic account is free, as is the Chrome plugin. Enterprise plans are available and offer extras like historical data, keyword analysis, and mobile app engagement. Prices are available on request.

10. Easel.ly

Most of us aren’t designers, but many of us will benefit from being able to transform dull data and information into engaging visuals.

Easel.ly is a simple, versatile tool that enables pretty much anyone to turn facts and figures into visual content that people actually want to read.

What does Easel.ly cost?

Limited access is free, and pretty restrictive. Thankfully, a pro account (which gets you access to over 320 infographic templates, 112 fonts, and much more) is just $4 per month.