Online advertising tools are a necessary evil in the digital age. Without them, we’d have nothing to read, and without much reading, there’d be no chance of us discovering brilliant new blogs, websites, or brands.
As the name suggests, these tools allow you to advertise your blog or website online. But beyond that, they provide you with analytics, audience building tools, and even offer paid social media posting campaigns. If you’re looking to take your blog or website online, you’ll undoubtedly need to use some of these tools to achieve these goals. Let’s take a look at some of the best online marketing tools available today.
Hootsuite
If you’ve never heard of Hootsuite, it’s probably time you should have. The popular social media management tool allows you to manage all your social media presence across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn from one dashboard. It also provides you with advanced analytics so you can track the success of each platform and channel.
The best part? It’s completely free. Whether you have one account or a million, Hootsuite will still manage all your social media content for you at no additional cost.
TikTok
The most popular platforms for millennials are TikTok and Instagram. If you’ve got a blog or a brand that targets this audience, it’s probably a good idea to consider using these platforms to advertise your product or service. Not only do they allow you to target the right audience, but they also provide you with inbound marketing analytics so you can track the success of your campaign.
TikTok is a bit like YouTube but with more focus on user-generated content. That means anyone can upload and share short-form videos. Typically, these videos will be either an introduction to a product or an explainer video to promote a specific brand or initiative. When someone decides to click on your video’s call-to-action, you’ll be able to see exactly where they’re coming from, and you can adjust your video content or plan for future campaigns accordingly.
Buffer
Buffer is the ultimate tool for busy marketers. Not only does it let you schedule tweets in advance so you can follow through and post at the right time, but it also provides you with a huge amount of analytics so you can track the success of your social media marketing campaign.
You can use Buffer to manage all the social media activity on your behalf, so when you do need to post, you can do so efficiently and effortlessly. Not only will it help you reach your audience, but it will also allow you to engage with your followers online. Taking a quick glance at their analytics, you’ll be able to tell how many people are reading your content, how engaging you’re being, and if what you’re posting is gaining traction.
Squidoo
Squidoo is a curated collection of podcasts, blogs, and other media sources that you can use to inform and educate your audience about a variety of topics. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, guides, or just want to discover new content, Squidoo’s various platforms allow you to find exactly what you’re looking for.
What makes this platform special is that you can actually make money from it. You don’t have to make a purchase to earn a commission, and you don’t need to become a member to be able to participate in the program. Simply choose your niche, create a small blog around it, and you’ll be able to start making money from it almost immediately.
DZone
DZone is a premium e-commerce platform for bloggers and small businesses that want to sell and promote their products online. They were originally created for professionals who want to run their own online stores, but anyone can join and use their service. It provides you with everything you need to get started including a blogging platform, advanced e-commerce features, a store visitor tracker, and a lead capture tool.
This is one place you can really get everything you need to grow your blog or online store. If you’ve been looking for a one-stop-shop for your blog’s e-commerce features, this is the platform for you.
HubSpot
HubSpot is a leading business-to-business (B2B) marketing automation platform that provides you with an all-in-one sales and marketing toolset. It can integrate with your email marketing accounts (like Mailchimp or Hubbub), social media platforms (like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), and other business software (like Salesforce, Zoho, and Google Apps).
The best part about HubSpot is that it makes it really easy to grow your email database, land new customers, and automate your marketing efforts. When you integrate your HubSpot account with other business applications, you can do all of this from one dashboard.
Wix
Wix is a web-building tool that makes it easy to create a stunning website without any coding skills. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just want to create a simple blog or portfolio, Wix offers a professional-looking website with all the necessary features you could want or need. It’s great for those who want to take their site online quickly and efficiently without having to worry about code.
Wix also provides you with a robust affiliate program so you can start earning money from your traffic almost immediately. Their affiliate program is a bit different than most as you can actually earn a commission off the lifetime value of a customer. Not bad for a free product!
Like all of the products we’ve discussed so far, Wix offers inbound marketing analytics so you can see exactly how your audience interacts with your content and the effectiveness of your overall marketing campaign. You’ll also be able to see which platforms and channels work best for converting visitors into paying customers. This way, you can determine what content strategy to pursue moving forward.
Convertri
Convertri is an omni-channel marketing suite that manages all the marketing activity across your different platforms (websites, social media, and mobile). What sets this tool apart from the rest is that it connects all your platforms and data sources (such as email, mobile phone, and social media accounts) into one big database. This means you can follow the people, the behavior, and the interests of your prospects and customers and create personalized content for each one.
If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop that can handle your social media activity, website, and email marketing, Convertri is an essential tool for your digital marketing toolkit. Not only that, but it also provides you with advanced analytics so you can track the success of your campaign.
Sumo
Sumo is a product-based content marketing platform that allows you to create stunning web pages without any code. This means no matter what type of product or service you’re promoting, Sumo can help you create a beautiful online store that will effectively promote your brand and get your products or services in front of the right audience. They also provide you with an affiliate program so you can start generating revenue from your content almost immediately.
The great thing about Sumo is that everything is connected to everything else. If you’re running a website with a store on it, you can also choose to integrate your store with your blog so you can take advantage of the two platforms together. This means you can take your site offline and use it as a way to generate leads and engage with new customers in a face-to-face environment. Sumo also provides you with inbound marketing analytics so you can track the success of your strategy and determine what content you should be creating next.
Venngage
Venngage is an email marketing platform that provides you with everything you need to send bulk emails (up to 500 contacts per day) to customers, fans, or subscribers with a high degree of personalization. This means you can choose the emails you want to send (using a drag and drop editor) and the platform will intelligently choose a template for you based on what’s been chosen for the topic you’ve chosen for your campaign.
Venngage’s email marketing tools allow you to create automated campaigns that will nurture leads and grow your email database with minimal effort. What’s great about this platform is that it provides you with everything you need to succeed: a sleek, simple interface, drag and drop email editor, sophisticated autoresponders, and even a built-in shopping cart to help execute online store visits if you choose to use that functionality.