We have tried several tools to market our services and some are really just a waste of time and money. We have worked with a lot of CRM, Project Management, and other platforms and tools relevant to marketing. After a lot of finally found the five perfect tools for every marketing savvy business owner out there.
Smartlook
If you’re offering services or products like us, Smartlook is a must-have. What it does is it records what the users are clicking and checking out on your website. Smartlook saved our UX designer a lot of times, since he already knows where potential customers encounter problems or has a hard time navigating through by watching the records.
Aside from that, Smartlook can also track and record a mobile app if you have one. I’m not that familiar with the process so I really can’t elaborate. They have pro plans which are really worth it imo. It gives us an idea where to improve and understand our clients better.
HubSpot
I think almost everyone knows what HubSpot is, but it’s actually the best CRM tool out there. We can easily see the customers who need immediate help and those who we haven’t followed up by creating tickets. Emails are perfectly laid out, we can see if the client has opened the email, how long it has been since we kept in touch, etc. HubSpot also offers a lot of online courses for free through HubSpot academy, which means you can also help your employees learn a new skill. Hitting two birds with one stone, yes?
Did I mention that this is free? Oh, yeah. It’s free. Add-ons? Optional.
Canva
We have a UX designer on our team but we don’t expect them to do a graphic designer’s job. So for our graphic design needs, we use Canva. Canva’s really helpful in making simple graphic banners to supplement your blogs and newsletters because of their wide-selection of templates. Frankly, we can’t afford an Adobe subscription, and it will take us a looong time to learn the software. Canva’s absolutely free, except if you want to go pro. Sweet.
Grammarly
Why is this one here, you ask? As much as possible, we want to look credible and precise to our potential clients. Several grammatical errors can make our site look unprofessional and “scammy,” especially when writing marketing copies. I mean, you don’t want your clients to read “I want to eat dad!” instead of “I want to eat, dad!” right? Bad example, but I know you get it! This one’s also free, but I suggest getting the Premium. You can set the tone there, the style you want to use (like professional, casual, business), and receive better suggestions. Price starts from $12.50/member (3 to 9 members).
Airtable
Airtable is a database platform which your team can edit and update. They have “bases” where you can add specific members of your team and help them focus on a certain project. It’s really hard to explain how this one works, but you can do whatever you want in it. You can even automate some actions and integrate apps.
It’s also free, unless you want to go for a pro plan.
Honorable mentions:
Asana – for creating your team’s tasks
Buffer – for social media management
Unsolicited advice: Don’t be afraid to try out tools, even if it means wasting a bit of money. There will be lots of trial and errors in this journey, but you have to go through the process of finding out the best tools you can use for the job. These tools are here to make everything easier and less heavy, so they’re really worth the investment.
Contact Frasca Digital today if you need help with marketing your Shopify store.
