The Importance of Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

June 11, 2023 - 10 min read

Wrike Team

Small businesses can face challenges when it comes to marketing. Limited resources and budget constraints often challenge them to compete with larger companies. However, with the right marketing tools, small businesses can level the playing field and effectively promote their products or services.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to revamp your existing marketing strategy, these tools can help drive growth.

The role of marketing in small business success

Marketing is the lifeline of any business, especially for small businesses looking to establish their presence in a crowded marketplace. Effective marketing helps small businesses reach their target audience, build brand loyalty, and drive sales.

By understanding their customers’ pain points, needs, and preferences, small businesses can create tailored marketing campaigns that resonate.

Efficiency

One of the major advantages of using marketing tools is the ability to automate tasks. Small business owners often have multiple responsibilities and marketing can be time-consuming. Businesses can save time and allocate resources to other important parts of their business by using tools that automate tasks such as scheduling social media, email marketing, and creating content.

Also, marketing tools can help streamline workflows and improve efficiency. Small businesses can use project management, task assignment, and collaboration tools to organize and execute their marketing efforts effectively. This not only saves time but also improves productivity and allows for better coordination among team members.

Data-driven decision making

In our digital age, data is king. Marketing tools provide small companies with valuable analytics that can guide their decision-making process. By monitoring KPIs, conversion rates, and customer engagement, they can gauge their audience and marketing campaign success.

With access to data-driven insights, small businesses can the identify trends, preferences, and pain points of their target audience, allowing them to tailor their marketing efforts accordingly. This data-driven approach helps them optimize their marketing budget, improve customer targeting, and ultimately drive better results.

Target audience

Marketing tools open up a world of opportunities for businesses to reach their target audience. Through various channels, they can expand their reach and connect with potential customers.

Social media platforms provide small businesses with the ability to engage with their audience, share updates, and build brand awareness. Email marketing helps businesses send personalized emails, automate follow-ups, and track email performance. These actions help build customer loyalty and increase conversions.

As for search engine optimization (SEO), it improves online visibility and attracts organic traffic. Marketing tools provide SEO analytics, keyword research, and content optimization features, enabling small businesses to optimize their website and search engine rankings.

Lead generation and conversion

Converting leads into customers is a top priority for small businesses. Marketing tools play a key role in this process by capturing leads, nurturing them, and guiding them through the sales funnel.

Using software with tracking features helps marketers analyze metrics like conversion rates, click-through rates, and engagement levels. This provides insights as your leads progress through the sales funnel.

Lead capture forms, landing page builders, and pop-up tools are examples of marketing tools that help small businesses capture leads. By strategically placing these forms and pop-ups on their website, small businesses can collect valuable contact information from potential customers.

Once leads are captured, marketing automation tools come into play. These tools allow small businesses to create personalized email sequences, send targeted messages, and deliver relevant content to their leads. Small businesses can gain trust, credibility, and increase conversion rates by providing valuable information and personalized offers to leads.

How to evaluate your small business marketing tool needs

To pick the right marketing tools for your company, it is essential to assess your own marketing needs and goals. Understanding your target audience and marketing objectives will help you select suitable tools for your business.

Identify your target audience

One of the first steps in developing a marketing strategy is identifying your target audience. Ask yourself questions like:

Who are my ideal customers?
What are their demographics, interests, and pain points?
Where do they spend their time online?

By clearly defining your target audience, you can tailor your marketing efforts to reach them effectively. Knowing their interests and pain points will enable you to develop content that addresses their challenges and provides valuable solutions.

Furthermore, understanding where your target audience spends their time online is crucial for selecting the right marketing channels. Focusing on these platforms can give you better outcomes if your audience uses Instagram and TikTok. If they prefer LinkedIn, change your strategy to reach them better on the professional networking platform.

Set your marketing goals

Setting clear marketing goals is vital for measuring success and selecting the right tools to achieve those goals. Whether you want to increase website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales, clearly define your objectives to align your marketing efforts with your overall business strategy.

When setting your marketing goals, it’s important to make them specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). A SMART goal example could be to increase website traffic by 20% in three months. This can be achieved through content marketing and SEO optimization. Ultimately, the goal is to provide clarity and focus to your marketing efforts.

How to choose the right marketing tool for your business

Here are two strategies to assist you in selecting the right marketing tool for your company:

Assess your business needs

When choosing a marketing tool for your business, assess your specific needs and requirements. Consider factors such as:

Your target audience and their preferred communication channels
Your marketing goals and objectives
Your budget and resource constraints

Compare tool features and pricing

Comparing tool features and pricing guarantees that you get the best value for your investment. Reflect on factors such as:

Features offered by each tool and how they match your needs
Pricing structure, including any additional costs or limitations
Integration capabilities with other tools you currently use

Want to achieve your marketing goals in 2024? Then you need to choose the right marketing tools to stay ahead of the competition.

Top 5 small business marketing tools

With so many options in marketing tools for small businesses, it can be confusing to pick one. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tools for small business owners to get a head start on their marketing needs.

1. ActiveCampaign for email marketing

ActiveCampaign is a great tool for small business marketing. It helps companies create, automate, and improve their marketing campaigns easily.

How exactly? ActiveCampaign assists small businesses in creating and sending personalized emails. It also helps them connect with customers through SMS and social media. Additionally, it automates marketing tasks to save time and resources.

ActiveCampaign stands out because it has strong marketing automation features. It helps businesses create workflows that nurture leads, increase conversions, and build customer relationships. Its detailed analytics and reporting features provide valuable insights to refine marketing strategies. Plus, its affordable pricing makes it an ideal choice for small businesses looking to maximize their marketing efforts while staying within budget.

2. Slack for marketing team communication

Slack proves itself as an invaluable tool for small business marketing by fostering seamless communication and collaboration among team members. This platform helps marketing teams communicate and collaborate in real time, which is important for managing campaigns efficiently. With its integration options, Slack facilitates the consolidation of various marketing tools and data sources, making it easier to coordinate and execute campaigns effectively.

Moreover, Slack’s channels can be used to engage with clients and partners, enhancing customer relationships and promoting a responsive brand image. Its search functionality and message archiving make it a reliable repository for marketing insights and discussions. Slack helps small businesses work better together, be open and responsive, and improve their marketing strategy for success.

3. Dropbox for file management

Dropbox is an indispensable tool for small business marketing, offering a secure and efficient platform for file storage, sharing, and collaboration. It makes sharing marketing materials easier by giving the whole team access to the latest images, videos, documents, and presentations. With its user-friendly interface, Dropbox enables seamless collaboration, allowing marketing teams to work on projects from different locations and devices. This flexibility is especially valuable for remote and small businesses.

The platform ensures that marketing content is never lost with its version control and file recovery features. It also improves small business marketing efforts by integrating with different third-party apps. Dropbox is a great option for small businesses that want to make their marketing operations more efficient. It offers easy access, strong security, and dependable performance — all key elements for marketing success.

4. Canva for content creation

Canva is a fantastic tool for small business marketing, offering an intuitive and creative platform that empowers businesses to design eye-catching visuals and marketing materials with ease.

Canva makes design easy for everyone, with many templates for social media and brochures — no graphic design skills needed. This is a game-changer for small businesses that often have limited resources to dedicate to design work.

Furthermore, Canva offers collaboration features, making it effortless for teams to work together on marketing campaigns. Overall, Canva helps small businesses make high-quality visuals and infographics, so they can stand out in marketing without spending too much.

5. Wrike for task and project management

Wrike is an excellent solution for small business marketing, providing a comprehensive and highly adaptable platform for project management and collaboration. It empowers marketing teams to plan, organize, and execute campaigns efficiently, all within one centralized workspace.

Small businesses can use Wrike for various purposes. They can create and control marketing calendars, set due dates, and assign tasks. This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and working toward shared objectives. The platform is easy to customize for marketing teams with its user-friendly interface and adaptable workflows.

Wrike also offers features like proofing and approvals, real-time collaboration, and reporting, enabling seamless communication and productivity. It shows project progress and ensures campaigns are completed on time and within budget, which is invaluable when resources are limited. In short, Wrike simplifies marketing for small businesses.

Stay up to date with the top marketing tools for small businesses in 2024, and integrate them all into Wrike. Try our platform for free to revamp your marketing strategies today.

Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

Wrike Team

Occasionally we write blog posts where multiple people contribute. Since our idea of having a gladiator arena where contributors would fight to the death to win total authorship wasn’t approved by HR, this was the compromise.

#small business #marketing tools

Project Management 10 min read

How to Track your Digital Channels with Digital Marketing KPIs

In the good old days of digital marketing circa 1971 (when the first ever email was sent), the best indicator of campaign success was whether or not someone looked at what you put out into the world. Now that technology is more advanced and the market is flooded with content, marketers need to use a more sophisticated approach. Enter digital marketing KPIs. Today, agency and marketing directors use digital marketing project KPIs to improve profit, streamline resources, and prove return on investment to their clients. Keep reading to discover the definitions, examples, and tools top marketers use to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape. What are digital marketing KPIs? KPI stands for key performance indicator which is also known as performance metrics. A digital marketing key performance indicator is what marketers use to measure the success of a particular strategy or marketing channel. The KPI or KPIs you choose will depend on what your goal is for the project. Marketers will often choose one or two primary KPIs to support their main goal and a handful of relevant secondary KPIs to support any additional objectives. For example, let’s say you run a social media campaign on Twitter and your goal is to increase your engagement percentage within your existing audience. Your primary KPIs will be the number of comments and retweets each original tweet receives. There are three main categories of digital marketing KPIs to know: 1. Awareness Awareness is all about getting your brand in front of as many new people as possible. If your brand is already established, the next challenge is to help potential customers learn about new products or services they might be interested in. Common marketing tactics in this phase include cold emailing and calling. 2. Conversion The goal of this phase is to make a sale. Marketers often do this by building long-term relationships and trust. Content like blog posts and podcasts with problem-solving advice for the audience works well for this stage. 3. Analysis After you make a sale you can use analysis KPIs to determine how much you spent in resources to acquire each new customer. This information will inform your next campaign. Why set KPIs in digital marketing? KPIs in digital marketing prove return on investment to clients and stakeholders. They also help you measure progress, streamline processes, and quantify what would otherwise be intangible marketing benefits. Using KPIs in digital marketing will help you better understand why something does or does not work for your particular brand or strategy. Without KPIs, marketing agencies run the risk of throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what sticks. If your agency does not assert its value and authority through actual proof, it’s hard to get or keep clients long-term. KPIs translate into concrete numbers that prove what you’re doing is getting real results. Who sets KPIs in marketing? At an agency, a marketing or agency director will set the KPIs. Otherwise, the responsibility falls on the campaign manager. Whoever chooses the KPIs also has to come up with a plan for tracking them. They may adopt related marketing tools and habits to make sure results are consistently recorded and monitored throughout the lifetime of each campaign. Agency project management tools such as Wrike can help streamline these processes. Users can easily assign monitoring and reporting tasks to designated teammates so that nothing slips through the cracks. Marketing KPI examples Marketing KPIs differ from project to project, platform to platform, and goal to goal. Use these most common marketing KPI examples below as a jumping-off point: Email marketing KPIs 1. Number of emails successfully delivered, opened, and/or replied to What it is: The total of all emails interacted with compared to the total sent. Why you need it: This information tells marketers if their messages are getting through to inboxes. It also demonstrates whether or not the subject line is persuasive enough and if the campaign promotes further engagement. How to measure it: Use an email marketing campaign software to bypass spam filters and track open rates. 2. Embedded link and CTA button click-through rates What it is: The percentage of people who have both opened your emails and clicked the link or button inside. Why you need it: The click-through rate shows how effective your offers or calls to action are. How to measure it: Add a link tracking app to test components like CTA messages, colors, and placement. 3. Social shares and forwards What it is: The number of times a post has been shared or sent to other people from social media. Why you need it: Sharing is a high-value form of engagement that gets your posts in front of more people which is great for increasing impressions and expanding your audience. How to measure it: Most social media apps include this information within your Analytics. Social media KPIs 1. Number of followers versus number of unfollowers What it is: The total number of people who have followed your account that day or week compared to the number of people who have unfollowed your account in the same. Why you need it: Ideally you'll have more followers than unfollowers but this KPI shows whether or not your content is targeting the correct audience and is interesting enough to keep their attention. How to measure it: Your number of followers is publicly available at the top of your social media profile. However, you may need to use a third-party app to track unfollowers. 2. Likes, comments, and shares What it is: These are the top forms of engagement for any social media post regardless of what platform it's on. Why you need it: Better engagement equals higher conversion rates, steadier audience growth, and stronger relationships over time.= How to measure it: This information is made publicly available on most social media platforms. 3. New impressions What it is: The number of times your content was organically shown to someone on the platform whether or not they interacted with it. Why you need it: This social media KPI demonstrates reach, which you should aim to increase over time through paid ads, better engagement, and more followers. How to measure it: Creator analytics or a behind-the-scenes app will show your new impressions by day, week, or month. Content marketing KPIs 1. Unique visits What it is: The total number of people (or IP addresses) clicking on your website within a given time frame. Why you need it: Unique visits document the volume of traffic over time, which is useful for selling products and services. However, some unique visits might be from bots which is why it's critical to also track engagement and conversions at the same time. How to measure it: Website analytics platforms like Google help users track this data after it’s set up, which means historical data will not be available. 2. Average time on page What it is: The average amount of time all visitors (both unique and returning) spend on each individual web page. Why you need it: Your goal should be to make the average time on page high because it will likely lead to better sales conversion rate. Plus it shows that your content is relevant to your audience. How to measure it: Website analytics tools will help you measure it. 3. Link and CTA button click-through rates What it is: The percentage at which all site visitors click on links and buttons. Why you need it: Most website links and buttons are tied to sales or important data capture such as email newsletters. Having a high rate of success means that your offers and audience are in alignment. How to measure it: Website analytics tools or third party link tracking apps are best. SEO KPIs 1. Keyword search engine ranking What it is: How high your website ranks for a specific keyword or phrase within popular search engines. Why you need it: Your goal should be to rank number 1 on Google and Bing. Or on the first page, at the very least, so that more people will find and click on your website. How to measure it: Type in your keyword phrase into a search engine to see if it shows up or use a tool like SEMRush for more advanced analytics. 2. Organic traffic What it is: Site traffic from anything other than paid ads. Why you need it: High rates of organic traffic means that more people are finding your products and services by simply searching related questions or words, which indicates that your SEO strategy is working. How to measure it: Use a website analytics tool.3. Link click-through rates What it is: The rate at which people are clicking on paid search advertisements or web pages that appear organically in search results. Why you need it: For paid ads, the link click-through rate shows how effective your copy is. How to measure it: Website analytics and third-party apps help you track individual links. Also, whichever search engine advertisement platform you use will likely track this data automatically. PPC KPIs 1. Click rate What it is: Percentage of people who see your ad in search engines and click on it. Why you need it: The higher the percentage, the more persuasive your copy is. How to measure it: Your advertising platform will have user analytics for you. 2. Sales conversion rate What it is: The total number of sales divided by the number of interactions with a given paid ad. Why you need it: This number shows whether or not the offer promised in the ad is still relevant for the audience the ad is being shown to and if it aligns with their expectations enough to persuade them to buy. How to track it: Your advertising platform will have these statistics for you.3. Cost per acquisition What it is: The dollar amount you pay for every new customer you obtained through a paid advertisement. Why you need it: This shows exactly where your budget is going and whether or not your campaign is worth reinvesting in.How to track it: Use an analytics tool or divide the total cost of the PPC campaign by the total revenue made from it. What are the challenges of marketing KPIs? The main challenge of marketing KPIs is choosing the right ones, monitoring them effectively, and turning data into actionable insights. To choose the right marketing KPIs every time, create SMART goals then match KPIs to link your channel type (like email or social media) to your desired outcome. To monitor them effectively, make sure that all your KPIs are measurable and that there are tools in place to capture all related data. Finally, turn data into actionable insights by using a professional services management platform to create automated reports plus easy-to-read insights. What to do when KPIs aren't met Now that you have your digital marketing KPIs set, it’s important to know what happens if your KPIs are failing. If they’re not connected to strategy, overshooting (or undershooting) your goals, or are too outdated now, the best way to get back on track is to adopt a marketing project management solution like Wrike. Why Wrike can help you with digital marketing KPIs Wrike helps directors and managers use digital marketing KPIs to make informed decisions. Wrike Report automates marketing, data capture, assessment, and reporting using visual graphs so that KPIs are easier to understand. At-a-glance updates like these save time and make collaboration that much smoother. Marketing teams can also create templates for repeated campaigns or to relive the success of another client’s strategy for a new project. Use Wrike’s two-week free trial to visualize your objectives and key results (OKRs) so that your KPIs are bulletproof throughout any project.

Project Management 10 min read

Go-to-Market Strategy Examples You Need to Know

Discover the go-to-market strategy examples to attract customers, gain market share and launch your product successfully. Learn more with Wrike.

Project Management 7 min read

Mastering Process Flow: Key Strategies for Optimizing Marketing Operations

In the world of marketing, efficiency is key. With so many moving parts and tasks to manage, a well-optimized process flow can make all the difference in maintaining smooth and successful marketing operations. In this article, we'll explore the definition of process flow in the context of marketing, the role it plays in successful marketing operations, and key strategies for mastering process flow. We'll also discuss overcoming challenges and explore how to measure the impact of process flow optimization on marketing operations. Understanding the Importance of Process Flow in Marketing Operations Process flow encompasses the systematic approach to planning, executing, and evaluating marketing initiatives. It involves the coordination and collaboration of cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, creative, and analytics, for a cohesive and effective marketing strategy. Moreover, it requires the movement of information, resources, and responsibilities throughout the different stages of a marketing project or campaign. The Role of Process Flow in Successful Marketing Operations One key aspect of process flow in marketing operations is the identification of key milestones and deliverables. These are important checkpoints that allow teams to track progress so that tasks are completed on time. By clearly defining these milestones, teams can prioritize tasks and allocate resources effectively throughout the project. Another important element of process flow is the establishment of clear communication channels. Effective communication is essential for successful marketing operations, as it allows team members to share information, provide feedback, and address any challenges or issues that may arise. By creating a communication plan and verifying roles and responsibilities, process flow helps foster collaboration and transparency within the marketing department. Also, process flow enables marketing teams to identify potential bottlenecks or areas of improvement in their operations. By analyzing the flow of tasks and resources, teams can identify inefficiencies and implement strategies to streamline processes, reduce costs, and optimize performance. This continuous improvement mindset is essential for staying competitive in today's fast-paced and ever-changing marketing landscape. Lastly, process flow contributes to the overall strategic direction of marketing initiatives. By mapping out the flow of activities, teams can align their efforts with the organization's goals and objectives. This guarantees that marketing activities are not only executed efficiently but also contribute to the overall success of the business. Key Strategies for Mastering Process Flow To optimize process flow in marketing operations, organizations can implement various strategies that streamline communication, leverage technology, and embrace agile methodologies. Streamlining Communication for Enhanced Process Flow See to it that all team members are on the same page, organizations can minimize delays, avoid misunderstandings, and improve overall efficiency. Utilizing collaboration tools can facilitate clear and timely communication between team members, reducing miscommunication and streamlining decision-making processes. Also, establishing regular check-ins and status updates can help keep everyone informed about the progress of various tasks and projects. This enables teams to identify and address any bottlenecks or issues that may be hindering the process flow. Leveraging Technology to Improve Process Flow Automation tools, such as email marketing software or social media scheduling platforms, can help streamline routine tasks, freeing up time for marketers to focus on more strategic initiatives. Additionally, data analytics software can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and campaign performance, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions and optimize their marketing strategies. Moreover, marketing technology platforms, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems or content management systems (CMS), can centralize and organize marketing assets, making them easily accessible to team members. This not only improves collaboration but also maintains consistency and preserves brand alignment across different marketing channels and campaigns. Implementing Agile Methodologies for Optimal Process Flow One of the key principles of agile methodologies is continuous improvement. Regularly evaluate and adjust marketing strategies and tactics to flag areas for optimization and make necessary adjustments to enhance process flow. This iterative approach allows teams to learn from their experiences, experiment with different approaches, and continuously refine their processes to achieve better results. In addition, agile methodologies promote cross-functional collaboration and empower teams to take ownership of their work. By fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability, companies can break down silos and promote knowledge sharing, leading to improved process flow and innovation. Overcoming Challenges in Optimizing Process Flow While optimizing process flow can yield significant benefits, implementing and maintaining an efficient workflow is not without its challenges. Identifying potential roadblocks and implementing strategies to overcome them is crucial for sustained success. Common Barriers and Their Solutions One of the common challenges in optimizing process flow is resistance to change. Employees may be hesitant to adopt new processes or technologies, fearing that it may disrupt their established routines or job security. To address this, businesses can invest in change management initiatives, by communicating the benefits of the optimized process flow, providing training and support to employees, and involving them in the decision-making process. Lack of alignment between departments is another roadblock that can hinder process flow optimization. Different teams may have conflicting priorities, leading to delays or inefficiencies. To overcome this challenge, companies can foster cross-functional collaboration and encourage regular communication and collaboration between departments. Through regular meetings and shared performance metrics, teams can gain a better understanding of each other's needs and work together towards a common goal. Inadequate resources can also pose a significant challenge in optimizing process flow. Lack of manpower, technology, or funding can limit an organization's ability to implement and sustain the desired changes. To address this, companies need to allocate sufficient resources by hiring additional staff, investing in new technologies, or reallocating budgets. Lastly, shifting priorities can hinder process flow optimization. In a dynamic business environment, priorities can change rapidly, making it challenging to maintain a consistent and optimized workflow. To address this challenge, organizations need to establish clear communication channels so that everyone is aware of any changes and can adapt their processes accordingly. This can involve regular meetings, project management tools, and effective communication platforms. Measuring the Impact of Process Flow Optimization on Marketing Operations Measuring the impact of process flow optimization is crucial to understanding its effectiveness and identifying areas for further improvement. Key Performance Indicators for Process Flow Optimization Some common KPIs related to process flow optimization in marketing operations include project completion time, campaign delivery speed, error rates, customer satisfaction, and return on investment. By regularly tracking and analyzing these metrics, organizations can gauge the impact of process flow optimization efforts and make data-driven decisions to further enhance their marketing operations. Interpreting and Acting on Process Flow Metrics Interpreting process flow metrics requires not only analyzing the data but also understanding the underlying causes behind any fluctuations or trends observed. By identifying patterns and insights, organizations can make informed adjustments and continually optimize their process flow strategies to drive better marketing outcomes. Mastering process flow is crucial for optimizing marketing operations. By understanding the importance of process flow, implementing key strategies, overcoming challenges, and measuring the impact of optimization efforts, organizations can ensure smooth and efficient marketing operations, leading to improved productivity, better collaboration, and ultimately, greater success in achieving marketing objectives. Master the art of process flow with Wrike's carefully designed mechanisms that optimize marketing operations. Start your free trial and steer your marketing efforts towards measurable success. Note: This article was created with the assistance of an AI engine. It has been reviewed and revised by our team of experts to ensure accuracy and quality.

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The Importance of Marketing Tools for Small Businesses