Never has there been a moment in history where innovation and creativity could be so easily expressed and to such a large number of people as the present day. The internet has changed the world and made it easier for marketers, innovators and computer scientists to come together and create tools never before imaginable. The contemporary market is very different than the one that existed just 20 years ago. New technologies, ubiquity of internet access and a more digital marketplace means marketers must look toward internet marketing tools for success. Discovering which tools are effective, however, can be a long and tedious process. These ten will be sure to expand marketing reach and increase profit maximization.
Gmail
One of the most efficient tools of online marketing is the use of email. Gmail is one of the most reliable and used email platforms. It offers numerous benefits, including the automatic saving of contact information, tools for dividing emails into different categories and access to numerous other beneficial tools such as Google Drive.
Google Drive
Google Drive makes sharing, accessing and editing files quick and easy. Numerous file formats can be uploaded to Drive, including .doc, .docx, .ppt, .png, .jpg, .mp3, .mp4 and numerous others. They can then be shared with an audience chosen by the uploader of those files. Drive also offers access to a document editor, spreadsheet functions, slides and numerous other tools that allow these files to be edited with ease. Or they can be downloaded and edited using the software with which they were produced so that nothing is lost as documents dance through the cloud.
Google Apps for Work
Gmail and Google Drive are very useful free tools, but if you’re looking for something a little more impressive, Google also offers Google Apps for Work for $5 a month with 30GB of storage space, a personalized business email, 24/7 phone and email support and numerous other features. For $10 a month, a premium option with unlimited storage (or 1TB for each user if there are less than five users) can be purchased. This is a great tool for any business and will assist the marketing department but everyone.
Outbound
Email marketing is one of the most important tools in the online marketer’s tool-belt. But with traditional email tools such as Gmail there have been limitations in automation. That no longer has to be the case. Outbound offers email automation capabilities which use pre-created emails that are sent to customers based on their specific actions on the company’s site. For example, if an individual begins onboarding but does not complete the process a reminder could be emailed, or if onboarding is completed, a tutorial could be sent automatically.
Outbrain
Online content marketing is the direction toward which marketing is moving. Traditional marketing via print and broadcast media can be highly expensive. Online advertising has become more reasonable but placing ads on sites such as CNN.com, Slate and ESPN.com can still be expensive. Outbrain alleviates this expense by promoting content, not advertisements, on some of the largest and most prestigious websites in the world at pennies on the dollar of what these other sites charge for traditional advertisements.
An Example of Outbrain’s Placement of Content as “Promoted Stories” on CNN.com
WordPress
Beyond email and content marketing, blogging has become another great avenue to reach an audience. Give them a brief story, something to laugh at or perhaps an emotional tug at the heart strings, and they’ll develop a connection with your business and the good or service it provides. One of the strongest and most used blogging platforms is WordPress.
Buzzsumo
Discovering what topic, influential authors in your niche market, and domains related to your business are being shared and discussed on social media is a great way for the marketer to enter a conversation with customers and potential customers. Buzzsumo uses advanced search features to allow users to do just this. Now the marketer never has to worry about missing an opportunity to reach the market.
A Website Valuation Tool
A great way to get an idea of what your online business is worth is to check out valuation reports, such as Site Price, which show the data on hundreds of e-commerce business sales. Simply find businesses that are similar to yours in terms of size, history and business model. Then you can get an idea of the sales multiple that will likely be attributed to your website, and from there, your business will be worth more too!
Google Analytics
Tracking how many people visit your website and from where they’re being directed are important statistics that can help a marketer to understand what marketing mediums are useful and what activities increase or decrease traffic. Google Analytics gathers these statistics and reports them in an easy-to-use interface that is a must have for the online marketer. All of the experts use it.
Inspectlet
Knowing what your customers do from a distance is very different than observing their behaviors in order to track patterns that can increase marketing success. Google Analytics gives the “what” of analytics, but Inspectlet tells you the “why”. By recording videos of what a site visitor does on your website, you can see what they do and where they click, use detailed filtering tools to examine specific moments in detail, tag sessions and users and perform numerous other tasks.
Conclusion
There are many other online marketing tools available, and these ten are only the tip of the iceberg. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and with these tools, that step will become a leap toward increasing the value of your online business.
