If you’re running a small business, you know how difficult it is to deal with limited budgets, time constraints, and overwhelming competition. Creating a great product or service is useless if people don’t know about it. Marketing tools for small businesses save the day by helping companies like yours compete with the big guys.
Studies show that 47% of small businesses find implementing the right marketing tactics to be a significant obstacle, struggling with brand visibility.
Sound familiar? The key to overcoming that is choosing the right tools. This article will break down the 30 best marketing tools for small businesses and how to choose the best options to maximize your efforts. Let’s start turning your marketing game around.
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Marketing tools for small businesses consist of software, platforms, or resources designed to make marketing more manageable, efficient, and impactful. They allow you to streamline everything from planning campaigns to tracking performance.
Marketing tools come in all shapes and sizes, each serving a unique purpose in a carefully-designed marketing strategy. Here’s a quick look at the main categories.
Small businesses don’t have the luxury of creating dedicated marketing departments. Marketing tools provide access to the same resources and insights that larger companies use, leveling the playing field. Take email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, where you can start for free, build an audience, and drive sales without breaking the bank.
These tools also help your business act and look like bigger brands. A search engine optimization (SEO) tool like Semrush or Ahrefs can help you rank higher on search engines, attracting more local customers.
When you top that with data analytics tools like Google Analytics, you’re no longer guessing if your efforts are paying off — you can see it in the numbers and make improvements.
🏆 Whether it’s scheduling social media posts, analyzing website traffic, or automating email campaigns, marketing tools help save time, stretch budgets, and give you a real chance to compete in crowded markets.
Small businesses need more than run-of-the-mill tools to stay ahead of the overwhelming competition. They need effective, affordable, and versatile marketing tools that fit their unique needs.
We tried and tested most of the below tools ourselves. We focused on the most common challenges small business owners to make our selection, analyzing the tools’ affordability, ease of use, and versatility. Here’s what made our cut.
These tools gather insights into customer preferences and industry trends.
Textmagic enables you to send SMS surveys, facilitating customer feedback collection. Our platform accommodates both occasional and high-volume messaging requirements.
SurveyMonkey assists you in gathering feedback and insights from your target audience.
Image source: pageflows.com
Google Trends analyzes the popularity of search queries over time, providing insights into market trends and consumer interests.
AnswerThePublic is a search listening tool that visualizes search questions and autocompletes data, helping you understand what your audience is searching for.
These marketing tools for small businesses help you organize campaigns, plan strategies, and set timelines.
Trello utilizes boards, lists, and cards to help teams organize and prioritize projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way.
Image source: almarise.com
Monday.com is a work operating system that empowers teams to confidently run projects and workflows.
Image source: monday.com
Asana helps teams orchestrate their work, from daily tasks to strategic initiatives.
Image source: blog.asana.com
These marketing tools for small businesses help you develop and refine marketing strategies to target the right audience effectively.
HubSpot is an all-in-one inbound marketing, sales, and customer service platform designed to help you attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers.
Image source: marketingguys.com
Albert Kim, VP of talent at Checkr, described his use cases of HubSpot:
“HubSpot’s automated workflows have been essential in tailoring our outreach. By segmenting our clients depending on their actions — such as downloading a compliance guide or visiting a specific page -— we can deliver tailored follow-ups that feel highly relevant. Businesses that use our fair chance hiring resources, for example, will receive automated updates on related initiatives, regulations, and case studies. This targeted approach raised client engagement by 35% in the first quarter alone, converting more than 20% of these leads into ongoing partnerships.
The platform’s analytics give us real-time insights that directly inform our content strategy. We recently discovered that resources on hiring efficiency were receiving excellent engagement, however our general hiring materials were underperforming. We instantly doubled down on efficiency content, resulting in a 42% increase in related page views and a spike in downloads. These data have enabled us to fine-tune our strategy in real time, directing resources to the content that resonates the most with our audience.”
ActiveCampaign is a marketing automation platform specializing in email marketing, sales automation, and CRM integration.
Image source: emailtooltester.com
These marketing tools for small businesses allow you to optimize website content for search engines, track keywords, and analyze SEO performance.
Semrush is an all-in-one digital marketing suite offering tools for SEO, pay-per-click (PPC), content marketing, and competitive research.
Jonathan Feniak, general counsel at LLC Attorney, was kind enough to share how he uses Semrush:
“Semrush helps us attract high-quality leads by identifying the exact keywords potential clients are searching for. In our first three months of using SEMrush, we observed a 25% boost in client inquiries by focusing on keywords like “LLC formation services” and “small business legal compliance.” The Keyword Magic tool highlighted phrases we hadn’t considered, allowing us to adapt content to these searches.
Additionally, the Competitor Analysis tool has been invaluable for spotting content gaps. By tracking keywords where competitors rank well but we don’t, we identified multiple topics — like “multi-state LLC regulations” — we hadn’t covered that were high-interest. We swiftly created targeted blog posts and FAQs, which saw engagement rates rise by 33% and helped us capture a previously untapped audience.
Furthermore, the Backlink Audit feature improved our SEO ranking by allowing us to see which high-authority sites linked to competitors. We utilized this information to reach out and earn similar links, enhancing our domain authority and online credibility.”
Moz offers SEO tools and resources aimed at improving search engine visibility and rankings.
Image source: technicalwall.com
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO toolset renowned for its extensive backlink index and competitive analysis capabilities.
These marketing tools for small businesses let you create and manage paid advertising campaigns across platforms.
Google Ads is a PPC advertising platform that enables you to display ads on Google’s search engine results pages and its advertising network.
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Facebook Ads Manager is a platform for creating and managing ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Audience Network.
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LinkedIn Campaign Manager is an advertising platform tailored for business-to-business (B2B) marketing. It allows you to reach professionals based on job titles, industries, and other professional criteria.
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These marketing tools for small businesses help you schedule and manage social media posts, engage with followers, and track performance.
Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts, monitor social channels, and analyze performance across multiple networks.
Image source: saasworthy.com
Buffer is a user-friendly platform focused on simplifying social media scheduling, publishing, and analytics.
Image source: softwareadvice.com
Sprout Social is a robust platform offering advanced social media management, analytics, and engagement tools. It is tailored for businesses seeking in-depth insights and automation.
Image source: sproutsocial.com
These marketing tools for small businesses help you manage customer relationships and track interactions to improve sales and customer service.
Salesforce empowers businesses to manage customer relationships and streamline sales, marketing, and service operations in a centralized CRM platform.
Image source: salesforce.com
Zoho CRM offers a comprehensive, user-friendly CRM, enhancing customer engagement and sales tracking.
Image source: zoho.com
This type of software allows you to build and promote a professional website.
Edicy simplifies website creation with an intuitive landing page builder and editor. It is ideal for businesses seeking a simple yet impactful online presence.
Squarespace is a versatile website builder with professional templates and e-commerce tools. It allows you to design and manage your brand online.
Image source: docs.cinnox.com
Shopify enables businesses to build and operate online stores with robust e-commerce features, including product management, payments, and shipping.
Image source: mapplinks.com
These marketing tools for small businesses allow you to develop and market products with insights into customer preferences and product feedback.
Pendo enhances product experiences by providing in-depth analytics, feedback collection, and in-app guidance for user engagement.
Image source: btw.so
Productboard supports product management by helping teams prioritize features, align on roadmaps, and consolidate customer feedback.
Image source: productboard.com
These tools help you create consistent brand visuals and messaging across marketing channels.
Canva allows you to create stunning visual content easily, offering templates and design tools for social media, presentations, and more.
Adobe Express enables you to create visually engaging graphics, videos, and web pages with a simple and user-friendly interface.
Image source: stylefactoryproductions.com
Use these marketing tools for small businesses to drive engagement and monitor customer satisfaction for your software product.
Drift enables you to engage website visitors through real-time chat and AI-driven messaging, enhancing customer interactions and lead generation.
Product Hunt allows you to discover and promote new products within a community-driven platform for gaining feedback and exposure.
Mixpanel provides in-depth analytics on user behavior, helping you optimize product experiences and make data-driven decisions.
Many small business owners find that they don’t have the time, expertise, or resources to handle tasks in-house. Marketing agencies can handle everything from social media management to SEO, bringing in specialized skills and industry knowledge. Agencies concentrate marketing efforts, stopping you from spreading your time thin across tasks.
Look for an agency with relevant experience in your field. This makes a big difference in how effectively they connect with your audience and handle specific marketing challenges unique to your business.
Cost matters too. Try finding flexible pricing plans or tailored package deals. Don’t just go for the cheapest option — look for one that provides real value within your budget.
Choose an agency that aligns with your most pressing needs. For instance, If you’re very focused on engaging with customers directly, a social media-focused agency could be your best choice.
Here are some reputable agencies specializing in small business needs.
Investing in marketing tools is a game-changer for any small business. They streamline your business efforts, saving time and resources while boosting your ROI. 63% of businesses have already increased their digital marketing budgets in recent years, recognizing the undeniable value marketing tools have in driving growth.
However, remember to start small and then scale. Test a few of the options we provided to see which ones best align with your business needs. This will help you find the perfect fit without overwhelming your operations.
Raluca Mocanu is a seasoned content writer, specializing in content marketing since 2016. With a strong focus on customer behavior analysis and SEO optimization, she crafts compelling narratives that drive engagement and boost conversions.
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