Most businesses use marketing tools to thrive in their respective industries. Failing to take advantage of this also means letting the opportunity to scale your small business marketing slip away. 

In a recent report, about 58% of small businesses are planning to invest more in their digital marketing. But with the number of marketing solutions today, how do you actually know which tools you should spend your budget on?

We understand that most small businesses only have a limited budget in their market. With that, we compiled 5 affordable but powerful tools to support and upscale your marketing efforts.

 

SEMRush 

SEO tools are a staple for any business – no matter what their size is. So if you are in search of an SEO content marketing tool, then SEMRush is a great way to start. 

SEMRush is a platform designed for keyword research, performing site audits, and gathering website SEO data. It is also primarily used for competitor research and identifying opportunities or gaps within their strategy.

How it fits in:
For businesses focusing on SEO as a key driver of traffic, SEMRush offers advanced features that will help them identify opportunities for growth.

Features:

• SEO tools (Keyword Research, On-Page SEO, Rank Tracking)
• Content marketing
• Competitive analysis
• Social media management
• Paid advertising
• Market research

Strengths:

• Robust competitor research and SEO tools
• Extensive data on keyword rankings and gaps in competitors’ strategies

Weaknesses:

• The pricing is higher than many other SEO tools which can be a challenge for small businesses with tight budgets
• Its many features can be overwhelming for beginners, requiring some time to fully leverage

Prices:

• Pro: $129.95/month
• Guru: $249.95/month
• Business: $499.95/month

 

MailChimp

Email marketing has been one of the most powerful strategies to guide customers into your sales funnel – and MailChimp can make this possible. 

MailChimp provides small businesses with a set of features that allow them to create, send, and track email marketing campaign performance. It also has a user-friendly interface that is highly accessible to individuals with little to no coding experience.

How it fits in:
MailChimp is ideal for businesses focusing on email marketing, with beginner-friendly tools to grow and nurture customer relationships. However, scaling up with the tool may require a significant budget.

Features:

• Email campaigns
• Marketing CRM
• Landing pages
• Customer journeys
• Social media ads

Strengths:

• Free plan available for small-scale email campaigns
• User-friendly interface with no coding required

Weaknesses:

• Limited features in the free plan (e.g., a monthly email send limit of 500 emails)
• Some features such as advanced audience insights are locked behind the higher-tier

Prices:

• Free: $0/month
• Essentials: Starting at $13/month
• Standard: Starting at $20/month
• Premium: Starting at $350/month

 

Google Analytics 4 

Google Analytics is a free platform that enables you to understand how your digital marketing efforts affect every aspect of your site. It helps you to easily collect, visualise, and analyse data related to:

• User behavior and engagement
• Traffic sources
• Keyword rankings and more

How it fits in:
Google Analytics 4 is a must-have for tracking your marketing campaigns’ success and making data-driven decisions. However, pairing it with tools like SEMRush or ConversionCow can provide a more comprehensive strategy.

Features:

• Audience reports
• Acquisition reports
• Behavior reports
• Conversion tracking

Strengths:

• Completely free to use
• Excellent for tracking the effectiveness of marketing efforts in real-time

Weaknesses:

• The learning curve can be steep for beginners unfamiliar with advanced analytics tools
• While it’s great for tracking data, it doesn’t provide actionable recommendations, meaning users need to analyze and draw insights themselves

Prices:

• Free

 

Buffer

Social media is one of the best places to reach a broader audience who may potentially be your next customer. But with the number of social media platforms today, managing them can be overwhelming. 

With Buffer, you can now easily manage all your social media content on a single platform. It allows businesses to easily schedule posts, analyse performance, and engage with their customers.

How it fits in:
Buffer is a great solution for businesses wanting to manage social media easily. However, as businesses grow, the limitations of the free plan may push them toward more comprehensive paid plans.

Features:

• Social media scheduling
• Analytics
• Engagement tools
• Team collaboration
• Campaign planning

Strengths:

• Offers a free plan with basic scheduling features
• Easy-to-use interface with advanced analytics tools available on paid plans

Weaknesses:

• The free plan only allows for a limited number of scheduled posts (up to 10 per social account)
• More advanced features like engagement tools and team collaboration are restricted to the higher-tier plans

Prices:

• Free: $0/month
• Essentials: $6/month per channel
• Team: $12/month per channel
• Agency: $120/month for 10 channels

 

ConversionCow

ConversionCow is a marketing tool designed to boost website conversions for small businesses. It allows businesses to dynamically display content, integrate with popular analytics platforms, and optimise marketing strategies efficiently.

The platform offers plans tailored to various business needs to help users maximise their marketing ROI with minimal technical effort. This, in turn, provides a robust and ideal tool for beginners looking to improve their conversion and lead generation efforts.

How it fits in:
For businesses prioritizing conversions and wanting to optimize their website performance, ConversionCow offers advanced tools that, when paired with Google Analytics or SEMRush, can create a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Features:

• A/B testing
• Real-time data access
• Conversion rate optimisation tools
• dynamic content display
• integration with analytics platforms
• Influencer marketing support

Strengths:

• Includes powerful conversion optimization features such as A/B testing and real-time data access
• Designed specifically for small businesses aiming to improve lead generation and ROI

Weaknesses:

• It may be overkill for businesses that don’t need heavy conversion-focused features

Prices:

• Gold: $149/month (AUD)
• Diamond: $249/month (AUD)
• Custom: Contact for pricing

All plans include access to all features, with Gold including a ConversionCow watermark and Diamond without. For more details, visit our pricing page.

 

How To Know Which Marketing Tool You Need

Choosing the right marketing tool depends on your specific business needs, goals, and the nature of your marketing campaigns. Here’s how you can do it:

• Identify what you want to achieve.
• Know where your audience spends time and what they prefer.
• Determine how much you can invest in marketing tools.
• Choose tools with features that align with your needs.
• Ensure that the tool integrates with your existing systems.
• Look at user feedback to gauge effectiveness and ease of use.
• Utilise free trials or demos to assess compatibility.
• Track how well the tool meets your objectives and adjust as needed.

 

Bottom Line

With the right marketing tools, you can streamline your campaigns, automate tasks, and improve overall efficiency. The tools mentioned above provide a solid foundation for a strong digital marketing strategy and allow you to find the right fit for your business needs and budget. 

Once you’ve chosen the right tools, you’ll be better equipped to manage your marketing efforts confidently and stay on top of your goals. This, in turn, can ensure continuous growth and success for your small business.