5 Best Free Digital Marketing Tools For Small Businesses
When looking at ways to improve your website, there’s no doubt that using 3rd party digital marketing tools can be a game changer in boosting your online performance.
However, finding effective tools that fit within a tight budget can be challenging. Fortunately, there are several high-quality, free digital marketing tools available.
Here, we explore the five best free digital marketing software options that small businesses can use to maximize their marketing potential.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an essential tool for any business with an online presence. It tracks your visitors’ behaviour and actions on your website, which gives you valuable insight into what’s working (or not working) and where to focus your efforts to improve.
It also shows which sources your website traffic comes from – this is helpful in knowing which channels are driving your sales or leads and could provide insight into where to invest more time and effort.
The best thing about Google Analytics is that it’s completely free and easy to set up, plus it integrates easily with other Google products (like Ads) which can help improve performance in other areas too.
Microsoft Clarity
A relatively new entry into the free digital marketing software world, Microsoft Clarity is a screen recording and heat mapping tool that highlights exactly what users are doing when they visit.
While this is similar to Google Analytics, the ability to actually see the actions can help to pinpoint issues.
For example, if Google Analytics tells you that your homepage has a high exit rate (people are leaving your website on this page), then you can follow up by watching screen recordings on the homepage. It could be that a pop up is taking over the page and users can’t close it down, therefore are getting frustrated and leaving.
By combining Google Analytics with Microsoft Clarity, you’ll have a clear picture of what actions are being taken on your website and what areas to focus on for improvement in the future.
Canva
As a small business owner, creating visually appealing website or social media images can feel like a daunting task. That is, until Canva arrived.
Canva is a versatile graphic design tool that helps businesses to create visually appealing marketing materials. There is a paid version which is very reasonable, but the free version includes a wide range of templates, access to images and design elements and design tools for creating social media posts, flyers, presentations, and infographics.
Canva’s intuitive interface makes it accessible to users without advanced design skills, allowing small businesses to create professional-quality marketing materials quickly and easily. This capability is crucial for maintaining a consistent and attractive brand presence across various marketing channels.
MailChimp
When looking at email marketing, it’s essential to use a 3rd party provider that specialises in this area. While there are plenty of options, most of them with a high cost, there are a few free gems to choose from.
One of the most popular is Mailchimp, is a leading email marketing platform known for its robust features, even in the free version. It offers:
- Email campaigns.
- Pre-designed templates.
- Basic automation.
- Audience segmentation.
- Performance reporting.
Mailchimp’s ease of use and powerful email marketing capabilities make it a top choice for small businesses. The platform’s drag-and-drop interface simplifies the creation of professional-looking emails, and its automation features help engage with customers efficiently.
Additionally, Mailchimp‘s audience segmentation ensures that businesses can send targeted messages to specific customer groups, enhancing the relevance and impact of their campaigns.
Buffer
Maintaining a constant presence on social media can be time consuming, however utilising a social media scheduling tool can be a lifesaver for small businesses.
With Buffer, you simply connect your social media channels (there is a limit of 3 on the free plan), then add your images and text and then set a time for them to post. You can schedule up to 10 in advance for each channel, which will cover you for a week or two.
Moving your social media from a daily task to one you can dedicate an hour or two each week and then let it post during the week is a huge time saver, especially if your time is focused elsewhere during the 9-5.
Conclusion
These five free digital marketing tools provide small businesses with powerful capabilities to enhance their marketing efforts without significant financial investment.
By leveraging these tools, small businesses can improve their marketing strategies and drive growth. The key is to understand the unique needs of your business and choose the tools that best align with your goals.
If you need to add some new digital marketing tools to your website, get in touch today and we’d be happy to discuss your needs further.