Today’s marketing professionals have more tools and resources at their disposal than ever before. From email and social media marketing tools to content creation and advertising tools, the list goes on.
At the same time, being able to determine which digital marketing tools are best-suited for your needs isn’t always easy. By being aware of the best digital marketing tools available in 2024 and how they can help you do your job better, you can move into your next campaign with renewed confidence.
Key Skills for Effective Digital Marketing
Being an effective digital marketing professional boils down to having some key skills under your belt. However, the right digital marketing tools can make applying these essential skills a bit easier.
Leveraging Social Media
These days, social media is such an important part of a digital marketing strategy. With an estimated 4.95 billion social media users worldwide, being able to effectively leverage social media in your campaigns makes it easier to reach larger audiences. Fortunately, there are plenty of digital marketing tools that make it easier to utilize social media to your brand’s advantage. This includes not just social media management platforms, but analytics tools and more.
Mastering Content Creation
Being able to create unique and engaging content is another critical skill as a digital marketer. Whether it’s crafting a new blog post or a social media post that will get everybody talking, content creation is such an essential part of a digital marketing professional’s job.
At the same time, coming up with new content ideas and finding unique ways to make content stand out isn’t always easy. This is where content creation/curation tools, content distribution platforms, and content performance analysis tools can go a long way in streamlining your work.
Data-Driven Decision-Making
Digital marketers aren’t just the creative geniuses behind their campaigns; they also need to be data-driven decision-makers who can analyze large amounts of data to make the next right move for their brands. From measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) to tracking ad spend on any given campaign, digital marketing professionals work with enormous amounts of data on a daily basis.
Fortunately, digital marketing tools like performance tracking platforms and analytics programs make it easier for digital marketers to gain valuable insights from their data.
Email Marketing Strategies
Email marketing is still one of the most cost-effective digital marketing strategies out there, so digital marketing professionals need to be well-versed in the latest trends and strategies when designing and launching new email campaigns.
There are a number of digital marketing tools on the market designed to make this part of the job a bit easier, ranging from email automation platforms to campaign management tools and even testing tools. Digital marketers should familiarize themselves with these different options and take advantage of the resources that can help them do their jobs more efficiently.
Essential SEO Digital Marketing Tools
Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of any marketing strategy and involves following specific strategies to improve the ranking of a site on the search engine results page (SERP). With the right SEO tools in place, you can maximize your page rank and bring in more web traffic, which could lead to more conversions or sales.
Best SEO Tools for Keyword Research
Keyword research is an important part of any SEO strategy and involves researching the specific long- and short-tail keywords that users are searching for. There are plenty of keyword research tools out there that make this process easier on marketing teams, including:
- Semrush – This platform offers keyword overview and keyword research functions that allow you to generate instant reports for any keyword that exists in the Semrush database.
- Ahrefs – This platform offers a free keyword generator tool, which will automatically generate hundreds of free keyword ideas from different search engines.
- Google Keyword Planner – This tool allows marketers with a Google Ads account to research keywords, get information about search volume, and gain other valuable insights (including keyword forecasting) to inform their SEO campaigns.
Top SEO Tools for On-Page Optimization
Other SEO tools are geared more toward optimizing content that’s already on your site for SEO purposes. Some examples of popular optimization tools include:
- Yoast SEO – This tool is available as a WordPress plugin and will automatically optimize existing site content for SEO purposes without you having to lift a finger.
- Moz Pro – This tool is available for digital marketers who want to optimize individual pages on a website for SEO. Specifically, this tool can handle everything from fixing broken links to adding missing meta tags.
- Screaming Frog – This tool is known as a crawler, which will actually scan any URL you enter and will analyze it for optimization errors (such as missing links and duplicate headings). From there, marketers can make corrections manually.
Effective SEO Analytics Tools
Digital marketers also need tools to track and assess the performance of their SEO strategies, which is where these kinds of tools can come into play:
- Google Analytics – This tool offers a wide range of analytics tools and statistics that can help marketers make better informed decisions about their campaigns.
- SE Ranking – This third-party tool offers Google Analytics integration as well as a variety of other features, ranging from data breakdowns on search visibility, traffic sources, and more.
- Serpstat – Serpstat is yet another insightful SEO analytics tool that makes it quick and easy to perform a comprehensive analysis on a site’s SEO and optimization.
Content Marketing Tools for Success
Content marketing through blogs, newsletters, and even graphics is a great way to engage users and can make all the difference in your campaign’s success. The use of content marketing and curation tools can make your own efforts more successful while improving efficiency.
Tools for Content Creation and Curation
Some of the most popular tools for content creation and curation include:
- Canva – A tool that makes it easy to create professional-looking graphics, videos, and other types of content in minutes.
- Grammarly – A typing assistant tool that will automatically make suggestions regarding grammar, structure, spelling, and other syntax issues to improve readability and engagement.
- BuzzSumo – This is a content research tool that’s great for ideation, though it can also be used to track mentions and drive traffic.
Content Distribution Platforms
Content distribution tools can be used to make publishing and disseminating new content quicker and easier for marketing teams. Consider adding these popular tools into your own mix:
- Buffer – A social media sharing and scheduling app for content publication.
- Hootsuite – A tool that allows marketing teams to schedule their posts and other content for automatic publishing.
- CoSchedule – A content distribution tool that allows you to upload content now for future publication, saving your marketing teams time and hassle.
Content Performance Analysis Tools
Finally, some tools are designed to make analyzing the performance of your content marketing campaigns easier, such as:
- BuzzSumo – This tool offers content performance analysis tools to help you track the success of your campaign.
- Google Analytics – Google Analytics offers comprehensive data analytics and other performance measurement tools to help you understand the big picture.
- HubSpot Content Strategy Tool – This tool is an easy-to-use performance analysis tool ideal for use in content campaigns.
Social Media Marketing Tools
Social media marketing is a crucial aspect of any digital marketing campaign these days, with popular tools ranging from social media management platforms to analytics software.
Social Media Management Platforms
Specifically, social media management software is designed to make it easier for marketers to handle all aspects of their social media presence from one convenient place. Examples of popular platforms in this realm include:
- Sprout Social – This tool offers total management of all of your brand’s social media accounts from one place.
- Buffer – This tool markets itself as being an “all-you-need social media toolkit for small business.”
- Hootsuite – This is another all-in-one social media tool that allows you to manage and post from your accounts in one centralized location.
Social Media Analytics Tools
Meanwhile, social media analytics tools are designed to provide valuable data and insights into your brand’s social media presence and marketing performance. Some examples of popular tools here include:
Email Marketing Tools
For carrying out the most effective email marketing campaigns, it’s important to use the right tools.
Email Automation Platforms
Email automation platforms make it easy to automate different aspects of your campaigns, saving you time and money. Some email automation platforms worth exploring include:
Email Campaign Management Tools
Email campaign management tools make it easier to control different variables in your email campaigns, such as reaching different segments of your audience. Popular tools in this area include:
- Constant Contact – This tool makes it easier to grow your audience with effective email marketing campaign features.
- ConvertKit – This tool is designed to help marketers work smarter with email automation and campaign management solutions built in.
- GetResponse – This solution includes such time-saving features as auto-responders and a complete email marketing suite.
Email Analytics and Testing Tools
Measuring the success of each email campaign is critical when it comes to making improvements and changes for future campaigns. Email analytics and testing tools make this process easier. Check out:
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising Tools
If you use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, then you’ll want to explore the wide selection of campaign management platforms and performance tracking tools available to make your job a bit easier.
PPC Campaign Management Platforms
Popular campaign management tools to check out include:
- Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) – This is one of the most popular tools for purchasing PPC ads that will show up directly on the Google search engine.
- Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) – This platform allows you to purchase paid ads for the Bing search engine.
- Facebook Ads Manager – This tool allows you to purchase and manage paid ads that will show up on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger.
Ad Performance Tracking Tools
Gain better insight into the performance of each ad with the following tracking tools:
When to Use Each Tool
Each digital marketing tool has its own place within the scope of a digital marketing strategy. As a digital marketing expert, it’s ultimately your responsibility to determine the appropriate time and context to utilize each type of tool, as well as which specific tool/platform will best suit your needs.
Different tools may also be useful in different parts of a campaign. For example, while you’re in the early stages of planning your next content calendar, keyword research and ideation tools may be the most useful initially. However, as your campaign progresses and you need to measure the performance of your newly published content, you may need to rely more heavily on performance tracking tools and other analytics resources.
Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is that the best digital marketing tools are those that reflect and meet the needs of your brand at any given moment.
Learn More About Digital Marketing at JWU
With so many tools available to you as a digital marketing professional, you have the potential to work more productively and efficiently. Of course, knowing when to use each tool is just as vital as understanding how to make the most of each tool and its available features.
Looking to expand your knowledge of all things digital marketing? It may be time to pursue your online MBA in Marketing or even an online Digital Marketing & Social Media degree from Johnson & Wales University. Not only are these programs available 100% online for your convenience, but they are designed to help you develop your marketing skills and take your career to new heights.
For more information about completing your degree online, complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].