In this post, we will talk about 12 Simple Marketing Tools That Get Real Results. When it comes to running a business, having a great core idea and strong branding is at the cornerstone of success – but only if you can sell a product or service properly.
Having a solid idea without visibility will get you nowhere, so it stands to reason that if you’re trying to get ahead of the competition and get your name out there, a substantial amount of your efforts should go toward marketing.
Of course, that’s easier said than done; this is a huge field, after all, and people spend years perfecting the craft.
12 Simple Marketing Tools That Get Real Results
If you’re just starting out, it can help to gain a good understanding of the tools available that can make things easier for you. Below, you will find 12 Simple Marketing Tools That Get Real Results!
1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
You can think of CRM as a digital, centralized location where you optimize interactions with your customers.
A high-quality CRM platform provides many different tools in one package: you have all of your consented customer data at your fingertips and can see exactly who’s buying what and what type of buyer they are.
You can then use that data as the foundation for some of the other marketing efforts discussed below.
2. Google Analytics
When it comes to visibility online, Google can either be your biggest friend or greatest enemy – and which is most applicable to you depends on how you can work the system to your advantage.
Thankfully, Google has its own powerful tools to help you analyze the effectiveness of your marketing as it relates to your visibility within their search engine.
It’s called Google Analytics, and by providing essential data on website traffic and audience behavior, you’ll likely come to rely on it a lot once you get the hang of things.
3. Canva
In the early stages of setting up a business, you might not have the resources to contract out your graphic design needs to a professional, and in these instances, Canva can be extremely useful. I use Canva all the time, every day (even in this post!).
You can use it for everything from creating logos to making posters and infographics, and being more intuitive than professional tools like Adobe Photoshop, you can produce something that looks great without a huge time investment.
You could always employ a graphic designer later on down the road, but when you just need to start and get something out there, Canva is a great asset.
4. Business Card Services
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a shift towards digital marketing and away from physical techniques. One in-person marketing technique that’s just as beneficial as ever, however, is business cards.
Even if you don’t go to many physical events anymore, you never know who you’re going to meet; bespoke business cards are perfectly tailored to convey the most important information about you quickly and conveniently, so it’s always a good idea to have some on your person at all times!
5. Social Media Marketing Services
Nearly all successful businesses prioritize their online presence, and to be more specific, social media is usually the biggest focus.
Major players like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are extremely important components of modern marketing, providing you with a greater opportunity to reach a wider audience than virtually any other method.
That said, understanding how to use it properly is a bit of a minefield. While you could theoretically learn it all yourself, it’s usually a better option to reach out to a professional social media marketing service to handle it for you.
They can mold your content into the most visually appealing forms (short-form video is all the rage now, for example), help you communicate with clients effectively, and analyze trends over time to learn what’s working for you and what isn’t.
6. Writing and Editing Tools
While utilizing visually gratifying content in your marketing is essential these days, the written word is still extremely important in all you do.
Given so, typos and poorly worded sentences can do a lot of harm to your brand image, so it’s a good idea to invest in writing and editing tools.
Grammarly is one of the best choices: there are both free and premium plans to choose from, each of which uses specialized algorithms and AI to not only detect spelling mistakes but also poorly worded phrases.
It can be an invaluable tool for ensuring you always sound professional and get your message across as clearly as possible.
7. Email Marketing Services
Aside from social media, email is one of the best ways to reach your prospective customers. Possibly the oldest form of digital marketing around, it’s had plenty of time to mature and grow.
Anyone with internet access has an email, and marketing this way is particularly effective today given that everyone carries a smartphone.
Think about it this way: when you advertise using email, you’re sending your campaign directly into someone’s pocket – what can be more direct than that?
There are many ways you can use it to your advantage, from special offers to educational calls to action.
It might take a little while to learn, but it’ll pay off in the end (if short, you could also try using a professional email marketing platform to handle much of the work for you).
8. Project Management Software
If you’re new to this, you’ll quickly learn how complicated managing projects can get, and if you’ve been at it a while, it’ll be an all too familiar tale.
The larger a project grows in scope and the more people that get involved, the more complicated it is to collaborate together and deliver the desired result. That’s where project management tools come in.
Software solutions like Miro are a great place to start: the software essentially acts like a large spider diagram or digital mood board, whereby multiple users can log in and contribute.
You can use it to keep all of your plans in one place where everyone has access to them, and given the digital nature, nothing gets lost.
There are many other project management tools you could utilize, so do some of your own research to find something that suits the sort of project you’re working on!
9. Trend Analysis Software
While you should endeavor to make your products unique, you’ll always benefit from understanding the latest trends – even if it’s to learn what not to do.
Now, you could manually trawl the web and social media with a pen and notepad to discover what’s hot, but you’ll have a much easier time using trends analysis software.
Platforms like this can help you understand what your biggest competitors are doing and generate new ideas for you to puzzle through with your team – they help you stay relevant in an ever-changing market, pushing you in the right direction so that you can turn an already great idea into one that fits your target demographic perfectly.
10. Posters and Flyers
The focus of this article has mainly been on digital marketing methods, but if you’re a local business, there’s greater scope to lean into both physical and online marketing.
One area you could explore is posters and flyers. If you have services that you offer within your local area, it can be highly beneficial to have a graphic designer whip up some professional designs, and then place posters in shop windows and other places that draw the eye.
Flyers through people’s letterboxes or handed out in the street can also be very useful – especially if you have a new business and you’re trying to get the word out.
11. Video Creation Tools
As briefly touched on in the social media section, video is all the rage at the moment, and given the amount of time people spend on their phones, that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
While your social media marketing efforts are probably best handled externally, there’s still some beneficial stuff you can do on your own.
Most modern smartphones have great cameras, so if you want to shoot some quick footage of your building or conduct a personal video with a staff member to convey customer information, you can certainly do that.
You’ll need some basic video creation and editing software, however. While it used to be that even basic editing was complicated and took a lot of time, free tools like Adobe Video Maker allow you to edit shots with ease and upload them seamlessly to your socials.
12. Podcasts
And finally, there are podcasting tools. This is quite different from what has been discussed above, but make no mistake – if you can launch a moderately successful podcast, you’re onto a winner so far as your marketing goes.
Podcasts are great for offering deeper insights into your products and services. They can cleverly blur the line between advertising and the feel of a friendly chat, making them a great way to get customers interested and convert them into ‘fans’ rather than just buyers.
There are many ways to start, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Check out this great article for more information.
Hopefully, these Simple Marketing Tools That Get Real Results have inspired you to try something different with your marketing.
Success won’t happen overnight and it won’t be easy, but make the effort now, and the eventual payoff will be more than worth it!
PIN IT: 12 Simple Marketing Tools That Get Real Results!
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