Each content material marketer ought to use these 9 instruments

65% of total ecommerce sessions were generated by search in 2019, and the global e-commerce market is expected to produce $ 4.89 trillion in retail sales this year. According to Statista figures, more than half of these search-generated e-commerce sessions came from organic searches. And these organic searches are driven by SEO-driven content marketing.

But for this content marketing To be effective, marketers need to do more than just post on a company blog – they need to reach customers where they are and work on getting traffic back to their website. But with a seemingly endless supply of With marketing tools out there, figuring out which are best to use can be difficult. Tool fatigue is real and can overwhelm even the most seasoned marketers.

Related: Decision fatigue destroys your focus, motivation, and drive

As the CEO of a content marketing agency, I’ve seen firsthand how the right tools can take a marketing strategy to the next level. To help you avoid tool fatigue and to give you a starting point in deciding which tools to use to power up your marketing efforts, I’ve listed nine of the most important types of content marketing tools on the market along with some advice to create outlines for sure choose the right ones for you.

1. A content management system (CMS)

WordPress is perhaps the most famous CMS, but many solutions allow you to manage content online and give access to as many contributors as you need to create, edit, and publish content. In my company, we use the HubSpot CMS as well as our in-house software.

A good CMS has a back-end editor that makes it possible to create content on the website without having to be a programming expert. It should also have SEO features like the ability to create clean URLs; Offer URL redirects; and add page titles, meta descriptions and picture alt text.

2. A customer relationship management system

65% of sales employees use a CRM, according to LinkedIn. A CRM is used to manage a company’s relationships and interactions with customers and prospects in order to improve those relationships and ultimately close more deals. A number of companies offer CRMs, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo.

Look for a solution that offers contact management to easily keep track of customers and prospects. It should also have lead tracking, which makes it possible to track leads from engagement to point of sale.

Marketing automation is another area where a CRM can be of great help. According to a HubSpot survey 61 percent of high-performing managers Use a CRM to automate parts of the sales process. Automation can take the pressure off sales and marketing to focus more on finding and securing new leads and less on administrative tasks.

3. An email marketing platform

Email is still a popular strategy for content marketing. In fact, HubSpot found that about 80 percent of marketers saw an increase in email engagement from 2019 to 2020. That is why an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, HubSpot or Marketo is an indispensable tool.

A good email marketing platform offers CRM integration that allows you to manage customer and prospect information and track key metrics such as click and open rates.

Mobile friendliness is another important feature that can directly impact the success of your email marketing campaigns. According to HubSpot, 46 percent of emails are opened come from mobile devices. This shows how important it is for an email to look good and work well on the phone.

Related: Why Your Sales Emails Are Not Working And What To Do About It

4. A marketing automation system

In a survey by MarketingProfes, 92 percent of marketing agencies said they would spend more time, resources, and budget on integrating marketing automation. Automation software, such as those offered by Pardot and HubSpot, can automate various aspects of marketing, including social media, email, and lead generation. Ideally, it should also be easy to use and integrate with your other tools.

Since setting up a bespoke marketing automation system can be challenging, make sure that the solution you choose offers great customer support.

5. A tracker for marketing key performance indicators

KPIs are the most important metrics against which your marketing strategy is measured. Pre-made trackers are available, but you can also put together your own Marketing KPI tracker table template, that’s what we decided.

Our template allows us to track key metrics that affect our marketing and sales teams and how they work together. Some of the metrics included are inbound and outbound monthly recurring revenue, contact form submission, monthly sales pitches, and completed sales. A pre-made template like this works for a wide range of businesses. However, if you have unique KPIs against which to measure your business success, creating your own template might be the best way to go.

Related: How to strengthen your company by aligning sales and marketing

6. Project management software

Project management software is used for project planning, scheduling and resource allocation. Asana, Monday, and Trello are just a few of the options. These platforms allow teams to collaborate, share files, and manage the quality and budget of individual projects. You can also create your own project management software to suit your specific needs. That’s what we decided to do.

A good project management system allows you to assign tasks to teammates and yourself so your team can keep track of what needs to be done and when. Make sure your project management software allows your team to leave comments and notes on specific tasks for everyone to see. This way, everyone can be on the same page and ensure that no aspect of a project is overlooked or communicated incorrectly.

7. Design software

Design software like Canva or the Adobe Creative Suite, which we both use, is a key element of content marketing. With the right design tools, you can ensure that your content doesn’t look like everyone else and catch your audience’s attention.

The software of your choice should have the appropriate level of customization based on the needs and design experience of your team. If your team is less experienced with design, you may need to choose a platform that offers templates and drag-and-drop functionality. On the other hand, if you want to create more custom designs with a team that is experienced in graphic design, it may make more sense to use platforms like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator.

8. Analysis software

The majority of marketers report how their campaigns are directly affecting sales. according to HubSpot. In order to report correctly, you need analysis software. This is a great way to monitor the performance of your website and your marketing activities. Plus, without analytics software, you won’t have good data to put into the handy Marketing KPI table mentioned earlier.

Google Analytics is perhaps the most popular tool, but there are many others to choose from. Choose a tool that has an easy-to-use interface and that integrates with your other content marketing tools.

9. A social media management platform

Semrush reports that 94 percent of marketers Use social media to distribute content. With a number like this, I can assume that you do too. A social media management platform makes this distribution much easier and provides a more efficient way to create and schedule posts across a variety of social channels. HubSpot, Hootsuite, and Buffer are some of the more popular tools that all work to get the job done.

When choosing a tool, choose one with a robust planning option. Scheduling allows your team to create social media posts in batches and schedule them to go live at different times during the week. With a good social media management platform, you can also check the performance of your social media posts, including impressions and clicks.

You may have noticed that when listing the top types of marketing tools, many of the same brands pop up over and over again. That’s because many companies are realizing the value of a single core platform that can serve a variety of marketing functions. This approach can reduce costs and streamline the organization of your work. For example, we mainly use a combination of HubSpot products and our own proprietary software. However, every case is different and a unified platform may not be the right solution for you.

When choosing your tools, carefully consider your options, taking into account the individual needs of your company, the specific dynamics of your team, and the strengths and weaknesses of your company. From there, you can put together a range of marketing tools to help you achieve your goals and generate new business.