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An online marketing tool is a tool that can facilitate your marketing activities and support you in their implementation. Online marketing is very diverse, there are also a number of different tools for the individual online marketing disciplines.
Online marketing tools allow marketers to create campaigns, track performance, automate tasks, analyze data and measure results. These tools also help with lead generation, customer service, product development, improving SEO rankings and brand image. Which tool is best for an individual marketer depends on what they need to accomplish.
Everyone who wants to market their business online needs some kind of tool. Especially to generate leads, increase sales and build customer loyalty. The best tool for each business depends on its industry, size, budget and goals.
Below are descriptions of some online marketing tools and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
1. web design tools: A web design tool helps you create a website from scratch. It is used by small businesses who want to create their own website but have no technical knowledge or experience in creating websites. (e.g. Google Web Designer, Adobe Xd, Adobe Dreamweaver).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Easy to use – Allows customizations – No programming knowledge required | – In addition to free software, there is also paid software available – Lack of compatibility with CMS – Functions are not designed to meet the needs |
2. content management systems: a content management system (CMS) is a software program that manages all aspects of your website, including editing text, images, videos, links, etc. With a CMS, you can easily update your website. (e.g. WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Magento).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Easy to use and update – Provides complete control over website content – No programming knowledge required | – Vendor dependency in terms of security aspect, functionalities etc. – Certain training time required to operate the CMS – Time intensive process conversion and maintenance |
3. email marketing tools: An email marketing tool is meant for sending emails to your contacts. This type of tool includes everything needed to set up an email campaign, such as lists, templates, autoresponders, tracking codes etc. (e.g. HubSpot Marketing Hub, MailChimp, CleverReach).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Helps promote brand awareness – Increases traffic to the website – Easy to implement | – Email templates could be identified as spam by readers – Loss of control when emails are fully automated – Too many emails could annoy your target audience |
4. social media tools: A social media tool is a software program that allows you to interact with other people, share your content and market your products and services through various social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube etc. (e.g. Hootsuite, Planoly, Facelift Cloud, Canva Pro).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Help spread the word about the product/service – Increases brand visibility – Increases credibility | – Free tools have limited functionality – Use of social networks is time consuming – Negative comments and messages can damage the reputation of the company |
5. analytics tools: An online marketing analytics tool will help you figure out what works best for your business. The tools help you evaluate metrics (e.g. click-through rate) and create campaigns based on data from previous marketing efforts. You can also use these tools to compare and measure different channels. (e.g. Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, Adobe Analytics).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Helps identify problems and opportunities – Identifies areas where improvements are needed – Provides insight into current market trends | – Many different tools lead to challenges in selection for the organization – Paid tools can be a burden, especially for smaller companies – Tools cannot be used wisely or analysis interpreted correctly without expertise |
6. SEO tools: An SEO tool for online marketing is a software program that helps optimize websites for search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. The main purpose of these tools is to help website owners rank high on Google and other search engines. (e.g. Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Metrics Tools, Ryte).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Helps optimize the website for search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo! – Can be used for keyword research – You can use it to find out what keywords your competitors are using | – Using the tools is not useful without expertise – Most tools are chargeable |
7. CRM tools: An online marketing CRM helps you organize all your contacts and leads in one place. This saves time and money and allows you to focus on growing your business. Key features include lead management, sales tracking, email marketing, reporting and analytics. (e.g. HubSpot, Salesforce, SAP, Zoho)
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – CRM tools make it easier to store and access customer information – Collected data can be analyzed and actions derived from it – Can be used for lead generation | – Implementation and management requires high resources – Full versions are in most cases subject to a fee – Data can be lost during synchronization if CRM tool is changed |
8. project management tools: A project management tool helps you organize all aspects of your business from start to finish. This includes managing projects, tracking progress, assigning tasks and monitoring results. With these tools you can easily keep track of what needs to be done next and when it should be completed. (e.g. Trello, Wrike, MeisterTask, Asana).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Provide real-time updates on projects – PM tools help manage projects – Easy to use | – Insufficient reporting capabilities – Difficulty understanding how much work each team member is doing – Difficulty tracking costs |
9. content creation tools: A content creation tool is a software application used to manage and track all aspects of online marketing campaigns. These tools help advertisers create, publish, track, measure, and optimize ads across multiple channels. (e.g. Canva, Adobe Spark).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – They are easy to use and set up – Content marketing tools help create better quality content faster | – Incur high costs for tools – People in charge need to be trained |
10. mobile tools: An mobile marketing tool is a software application that helps marketers create and distribute advertising messages via smartphones and tablets. Mobile apps allow users to quickly access information about brands from anywhere, anytime. This makes them ideal for reaching consumers when they are shopping or browsing the web. (e.g. MessengerPeople WhatsApp Business)
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Mobile tools can help companies reach their target audience more effectively | – Difficult to track how effective the tools are |
11. influencer tools: Influencer tools help you find the right influencer, build a network of them and customize your campaigns. At the end of the day, you can look at everything in numbers to see what worked well in your influencer marketing and branded content and how many new customers were generated. (e.g. CreatorIQ, TweetReach, BuzzSumo).
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| – Targeting new and potential customers | – Paid tools lead to a high burden, especially for small businesses |
Online marketing tools should be used for many reasons. They help you reach new customers, increase sales and build trust between customers and the brand. They can also help you develop new ways to market your products or services. The user experience as well as the purchase decision process can be further developed and optimized through the sensible use of online marketing tools. In particular, the effectiveness of campaigns can be tracked, customer service improved and ROI measured.
Don’t choose online marketing tools for your business based on gut feeling, but follow this simple cycle. Always keep in mind that there is a wide range of tools for every requirement of your business, which you should select according to the business goal or the planned strategy. Most tools offer free trials, which you should definitely test before investing! Report regularly after the introduction of the tools whether the application fulfills all desired functions and supports you in your work in a meaningful and efficient way. If this is not the case, it is advisable to make further improvements and possibly switch to another tool.
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