Business requires planning, capital, human resources, and tools in order to fill its purpose. If you want to achieve success, it’s time to invest more seriously in marketing plans since day one, a plan that leverages the power of social media, or search engine optimization to drive traffic. Whether you run a startup or established companies, you’ll always find online marketing tools useful when it comes to creating brand awareness in this e-commerce era.
You need to acknowledge some important tools that should be applied in your business operation. You might have been familiar with a tool or two here, others might even be new to you. But, have no doubt; these online marketing tools will certainly help you get that competitive edge you’re after. So, are you ready to grow your business with the help of these online marketing tools? Here are the top eight online marketing tools you need to know in order to help you run your business quickly and efficiently.

1. Hootsuite

There is no denying that social media plays a big part in the success of a company, regardless the size or age of the business. If you rely on social media to help you get through your marketing plan, then you must have Hootsuite as your number one assistant. A tool such Hootsuite allows you to post your contents in advance based on the schedule you arrange. Hootsuite offers a variety of features that will work in your favor as you launch your business. Some of the things you can do with Hootsuite include: reply to comments and mentions through the dashboard, identify influencers for the marketing team and leads for the sales team, pre-written response.
With Hootsuite, you don’t need to rush going back and forth across social media platforms. You can operate your multiple social media platforms on a dashboard.

2. Google Analytics

When it comes to tracking your web traffic, Google Analytics must be the first tool that you can depend on. With Analytics, you can plan a better marketing strategy based on your web activity. Maybe you can make an enhancement on how you create web contents according to the keywords that work wonders on a search engine. Google Analytics is certainly the tool you shouldn’t ignore. The data you can collect from the tool is extremely valuable. Installing it the first time you launch the business will be the first that makes sense if you want to tackle online marketing in a smart, yet simple way.

3. Groove

Customer support is the face of your business. People can jump to a conclusion about your service when they experience how you handle their queries. Thus, you’d better make sure you handle customer support like a pro. Groove is free helpdesk software that is not only easy to use. But it also has all the features you need to stay on top of your customer service. With Groove, you can turn your email into a professional customer service helpdesk. Groove not only makes your business more organized, it also will create an impression that you’re doing a professional business, especially if you’re a newbie in the field. Additional features such as live chat, social media, and phone and text integration help you to handle everything related to customer support on just one tool.

4. BuzzSumo

Arranging business plan means you already have a profound understanding of your market and competitors. To better understand how your competitors work, or if you want to learn what types of contents work best with search engines, then you can use BuzzSumo’s help. BuzzSumo is a platform for content marketing and SEO agencies that you can take advantage of when it comes to finding the most shared contents whether it’s article, infographics, or videos. With BuzzSumo, you can find out the current trend on the internet and create a more enhanced topic to boost your web traffic and online presence.

5. MailChimp

Email remains one of the marketing media every business owners shouldn’t miss. MailChimp provides everything you need to plan email marketing. When starting a business, you will most likely to get at least 2,000 subscribers, that’s why you need to implement MailChimp early on. MailChimp’s top features include self-service support options, which enable you to answer questions quickly, and a free plan for those with less than 2,000 subscribers and those who don’t send more than 12,000 emails per month.
MailChimp is the right platform that can help you set up email campaigns to engage with your customers with a customized message, as well as manage your subscribers and analyze their behavior.

6. HubSpot

HubSpot is a great platform for managing all your online marketing in one place. HubSpot provides keyword research tools, publishing tools, reporting tools, and email marketing options. With HubSpot, you’ll have access to tools related to blogging, social media, search engine optimization, website, lead management, email, Analytics, calls-to-action, landing pages, and marketing automation. With one platform to rule them all, there’s no reason that you would ignore HubSpot to be one of the troops in your business. When everything you need is in one place, you don’t have to drag yourself in many directions. This will certainly make your job way easier and more efficient.

7. Due

Due is a free tool for entrepreneurs that provides an end-to-end solution for billing and payment. Due’s primary features include time tracking and an overview or projects to help to create a better understanding of productivity among clients and staff. Not only that, Due also offers to assist you to create invoices with customized and branded online invoicing templates. You can provide a fast, accurate payments with Due’s payment integrations to PayPal, eCash transactions, ACH, digital wallet, and domestic and international credit card processing.

8. Crazy Egg

Similar to Analytics, Crazy Egg helps to analyze your web visitor behavior, what they like and don’t, so you can create better strategies to maximize your sales and leads. Crazy Egg provides a number of excellent features such as:
• Heatmaps and mouse recording
• Analysis and reporting
• Platforms and integrations
• Targeting and personalization
• Research and user feedback
Crazy Egg is considered one of the few platforms that give you interactive online analytics. What makes it different from other websites is the way it presents the data results. Instead of reading analytic reports, Crazy Egg enables you to see everything for yourself.

Creating a successful business marketing plan means you must choose the right tools to assist you to succeed. With the help of these online tools, you can optimize hours of your work to achieve a greater success for your business.