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7 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools For Your Small Businesses

7 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools For Your Small Businesses, The stepping stone for success for startups is the easy availability of resources and tools

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7 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools For Your Small Business

It’s not easy to start a business, and to make it successful is an even greater challenge. A majority of startups fail, and just a handful can survive. Amidst those who exist and achieve success, only the creme de la crème become world-famous.

Of course, in the dreamy, the more or less filmy startup world, dreams do come true. But it’s not just sheer luck for once startups such as UberCab to transform into one of the world’s most valued privately held ubiquitous companies, Uber. Behind the scenes will reveal a lot of belief, grit, resilience, and hard work goes into building a successful startup.

Call me Captain Obvious, but it’s no secret that running a small business is hard work. You have enough on your plate and a continually growing to-do list. And to top it all off, at times, what is the most crucial part often tends to feel like the hardest one to do consistently and well.

1. What Do All Startups Need?

The stepping stone for success for startups is the easy availability of resources and tools. This is where the internet comes in; it’s a significant enabler for startups as it provides an unlimited number of tools and resources at your fingertips that every founder can imagine.

An added advantage is that the internet is big on functionality and easy on the pocket – two elements which founders like, which is why online advertising has an insatiable appeal for startups. Not only is it a cost-effective method for brands which are newly established to showcase their products and services in front of a targeted audience but also, they can do so in a highly precise manner.

Gone are the days when you need a multimillion-dollar budget to get ahead of your competitors. Whether you are investing your hard-earned cash or your time, there is high ROI in digital marketing. Other than great returns for a small budget, there are several marketing tools out there which can take the weight off your shoulders.

For a successful small business, lets say a digital marketing company like infinity digital –, these tools are valuable. Especially those small businesses who have limited resources when it comes to a dedicated in-house marketing team or a restricted budget to outsource the work to an agency. They will soon prove invaluable to your business success; they will help collect data for you to analyze and optimize your campaigns, automate repetitive tasks, and help plan and organize marketing activities.

Without further ado, here’s a list of tools that will help a startup get the biggest bang for your buck, ensure you invest your precious time wisely, and sail merrily into the sunset.

2. Website Analytics Tools

It’s essential to keep an eye on the events and data that occur on your website from conversions to clicks, and beyond.

a) Google Analytics

Google Analytics

All startups have a lot of data, and Google Analytics is the best friend of every market, which helps track content that you upload.

Google Analytics is a free to use web-based tool which helps collect, track, and analyze data about those who visit your website and their activity.

Chances are you have heard of this powerful tool. You might have even installed it, but are you utilizing its power to help boost your online marketing results? For a small business, it’s a valuable tool.

Google Analytics lets you record and analyze data about visitors and traffic to your website. If you use this tool effectively, you can increase your conversion rates and the site’s user experience. Plus, you can also analyze real-time data, measure engagement on-site, unique visitors, and referral sources among several more points.

Pro tip: Google Analytics works in tandem with Google Tag Manager. Use them both for improved results. Another great Google tool is Google AdWords Keyword Planner.

b) Kissmetrics

An analytics tool which helps increase conversions throughout your website. You can find out which customers are most engaged and even track and map a customer’s journey to your site to eventually convert prospective customers.

It’s a useful customer engagement tool developed to understand your customers’ behavior. It tracks a visitor’s conversion journey and gives you a broken-down report regarding each part. With this, you can increase revenue and sales or fine-tune the process of conversion.

3. Email Marketing Tools

Email Marketing Tools

a) MailChimp

The first email was sent way back in 1971, who would have thought that after 48 years later, the email will still play an important role in digital marketing.

Today, 99% of consumers check their email every day! So, it’s clear that no matter how small or large your business is, email marketing should definitely be a part of your overall strategy.

MailChimp is a platform which puts all your marketing needs in one place. It’s a tool which brings marketing channels, audience data, and insights together so that you can attain your goals faster. From a single platform, you can promote your business across email and track its performance.

The real beauty MailChimp is its easy integration, usability, and sliding price tag, which depends on your email list size. Their ‘forever free’ plan is best-suited for small businesses who want to get a feel of email marketing.

When a customer signs up to your mailing list, they are practically inviting you straight into their inbox which allows you to market to them directly. Hence, despite being old-school, email marketing offers a higher ROI than other marketing activities.

Did you know that email usage grows roughly about 4 percent every year and shows no signs of slowing down in the near future.

MailChimp can quickly become your “all-in-one” weapon for your marketing arsenal.

4. Search Engine Optimization Tools

a) SEMRush

From tracking to social media to content marketing, SEMRush is a research tool that does everything for you. It’s a new found toy for SEO experts.

Its built-in features help both experts and rookies to track and improve their search rankings. It even draws a comparison for your domain with competitors, monitors their fluctuations in ranking, collects information about your competitors’ keywords, pull out information about your competitor’s backlinks, find new competitors in the segment and even conduct a full competitive analysis. The best part is that all this is carried out organically!

SEMRush’s SEO tools help track your competitors’ keyword strategy plus the platform also looks for good backlinking opportunities and runs an SEO audit of your content.

5. Content Marketing Tools

a) WordPress

WordPress

If you require a content management system (CMS), then WordPress is your answer.

In 2019, it powers more than 34% of the internet, and this is a 4% rise since last year. There are more than 44,000 WordPress plugins which you can install.

WordPress presents unlimited options, and when it comes to stats, with WordPress, it’s possible to go on and on which is proof enough to show that this is one of the best of the best CMS systems.

With WordPress, you have the tools to create a website that’s packed with features or a blog which presents written content, images, videos, and a lot more.

WordPress can be easily downloaded, and you can create a fully customizable website from scratch with just a few tools, add detailed information like your company’s vision, mission, etc. and even include a full-fledged blog which helps in marketing due to SEO keywords and high-quality content. If you wish, you could also host your website on the WordPress.com service for free.

One of the best features of WordPress is the tens of thousands of plugins which you can pick and add to your page. These plugins have a variety of features like adding a contact form,
customizing your theme, monitoring analytics, and much more!

The biggest advantage is that it comes with an intuitive interface, which is super easy to use even for lay users. As it’s a self-contained and self-maintaining website, it doesn’t require any HTML editing or an FTP software, making it easier. Plus, it can be used on any computer or mobile device.

All these reasons and more make this application a sought-after one.

It’s the best CMS out there for small businesses, and it’s reasonably priced as well.

Pro tip: If you have WordPress, you must have Yoast. It’s an SEO tool which goes hand-in-hand with WordPress that checks the SEO compatibility of your content compares it with its own readability tests. Yoast helps improve engagement and optimize content.

6. Social Media Marketing Tools

a) Hootsuite

If your small business is present on multiple social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. you are no stranger to how much time, effort and coordination it takes to brainstorm, research, write, revise, schedule, and publish your posts. This doesn’t take into account engagement with your followers and fans which east into your time as well.

Here’s presenting Hootsuite, a free digital marketing tool, which integrates with popular social media platforms so all you handle all activities from one place.

The guided tour and walkthrough helps you familiarize yourself with the website’s layout so that you can easily navigate and begin the process in no time.

While a few features come at a price, there’s plenty of free options that small businesses can use. From scheduling posts in advance to publishing posts immediately to monitoring your feed to basic analytics to comment, like and share, and integrate with third-party apps, there is so much on offer!

7. Project Management And Collaboration Tools

a) Slack

Slack

In the world of digital marketing, efficiently communicating between team members determines the outcome of a task or project, which is why you need to invest in a software that’s easy to use and comes with uninterrupted data sharing and interaction.

In the past, project management efforts took place primarily via email. With email, it’s difficult to cater to the dynamic and fast-paced demands of digital marketing.

Slack is a popular collaboration software. It’s easy to message option, and simple data sharing has made this a sweet tool which has won the hearts of many marketers. Plus, Slack comes integrated with all major tools for project management, sales, office management, design, productivity, and developer tools which makes it easy for you to stay on top of every digital marketing activity.

8. Plagiarism And Proofreading Tool

a) Grammarly

Unless you have a proofreader checking everything or you are a grammar guru, you need Grammarly. It’s a free tool with a paid option, but the free option works just as well.

As you open the website, the online dashboard and the interface and clean and simple to use.

Once you have a written document, you can upload it onto the platform or copy and paste it and immediately Grammarly will start checking that write-up for grammar and spelling. For future reference, you can save the document as well.

The free tool includes spelling, basic grammar, a limited number of plagiarism checks, and a detailed explanation regarding your spelling/grammatical mistakes.

Alternatively, you can install the software as a plugin for your browser, which automatically proofreads everything you type online without having to visit the dashboard.

While the paid version thoroughly checks the document and provides alternative options, the basic version is a lifesaver for all content including emails, blogs, proposals, social media, and more.

9. Virtual assistant services

The most valuable asset anyone has today is time, and then comes money. Successful businesses recognise this and they like to use their precious seconds to think strategically, develop ideas and forge new relationships. In order to reclaim your time, you should search for the best virtual assistant services and learn to delegate. Also, business growth requires capital so by a VA, you can substantially reduce your spending, since the cost of hiring a virtual assistant significantly less than hiring domestically (for most Western countries).

10. Over To You

Today’s digital marketing landscape is competitive and to survive, you need to be persistent, intuitive, social media savvy, and a jack of all trades. To make things easier and simpler, you can rely on a variety of digital marketing tools. Whether it’s developing a content marketing strategy or analyzing off-page backlinks, these tools will help you focus on things that matter and get the work done while also keeping you sane.

We’ve introduced you to a bunch of them. Use them and start to build a whole new digital world for yourself. Hold your head up high, keep pushing, and keep marketing – soon, you will be on the path to success.

We are an Instructor, Modern Full Stack Web Application Developers, Freelancers, Tech Bloggers, and Technical SEO Experts. We deliver a rich set of software applications for your business needs.

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Business

How To Create A Seamless Checkout Experience

Ultimately, a seamless and positive checkout experience can boost customer satisfaction and create a stronger association with your brand.

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How To Create A Seamless Checkout Experience

The checkout process is an integral part of the customer journey, significantly influencing purchasing decisions. An ideally designed checkout page can streamline the buying experience, leading to an increase in conversion rates.

Moreover, a well-organized, intuitive checkout experience can motivate customers to complete their transactions, enhancing the abandoned cart recovery rate. Ultimately, a seamless and positive checkout experience can boost customer satisfaction and create a stronger association with your brand.

This connection often translates into repeat purchases and invaluable word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers. If these are your business goals, then read on for five excellent ways to create a seamless checkout experience.

1. Provide More Payment Options

Diversifying payment options is critical to facilitating a smooth and flexible customer checkout process. By accommodating various payment methods, you cater to various customer preferences. Traditional credit and debit card payments, digital wallets, bank transfers, and even options like cash on delivery should be considered.

It’s important to understand that payment preferences can vary significantly depending on your target audience and their geographical location. For example, customers from different regions may prefer specific local payment methods. By offering these options, you demonstrate respect and understanding of your customer’s needs and preferences, which can significantly boost your conversion rates.

Lastly, remember that security is a paramount concern regarding online transactions. Ensure all your payment options are secured and trusted to prevent potential data breaches or ecommerce fraud. Transparency about security measures can build customer trust and encourage more transactions.

2. Ensure Your Checkout Page Is Mobile-Friendly

With the rapid rise in mobile device usage, ensuring that your checkout page is mobile-friendly is more important than ever. Users should be able to navigate your checkout page easily, fill in their details, and complete the purchase without experiencing any glitches or frustrations, regardless of their device.

A mobile-friendly checkout page is not just about compatibility but also about design. The design must be intuitive, with clear calls to action and minimal input fields. Moreover, the text and buttons should be sufficiently large to facilitate easy touch interactions.

Testing is vital in ensuring mobile friendliness. Regularly test your checkout process on different devices and browsers to spot any issues. Remember, a smooth mobile checkout experience can increase conversions and customer satisfaction.

3. Allow Guest Checkout

While it’s beneficial for businesses to have customers create accounts for future marketing and retargeting, it’s important to respect the customer’s choice. Mandatory account creation can deter customers, causing them to abandon their carts and reducing your conversion rates.

Offering a guest checkout option can enhance the user experience by speeding up the checkout process. It caters to customers in a hurry or those who don’t want to commit to an account. While you can still encourage account creation by highlighting its benefits, the choice should ultimately be left to the customer.

Provide More Payment Options - Seamless Checkout Experience

Remember, the aim is to reduce barriers to purchase. A simple and straightforward guest checkout process can significantly improve your conversion rates and customer satisfaction, even if it means potentially missing out on gathering some customer data.

4. Create A One-Page Checkout Page

A one-page checkout design is a strategy that can streamline your checkout process by minimizing the number of steps needed to complete a purchase. This approach reduces the likelihood of customers abandoning their carts due to a complicated or lengthy checkout process.

A one-page checkout page should include essential fields such as billing and shipping information, payment methods, and an order summary. This page should be designed with simplicity and user-friendliness in mind. Also, use auto-fill features where possible to speed up the process.

Bear in mind that this strategy doesn’t suit every business. For example, businesses with a large number of stock-keeping units or complex shipping rules might need more pages for a comprehensive checkout process. However, if a one-page checkout fits your business model, it can significantly improve the user experience and conversion rates.

5. Utilize “Buy Now” Buttons

‘Buy Now’ buttons can greatly enhance the user experience by offering a quick and straightforward way to make a purchase. These buttons allow customers to bypass the traditional shopping cart route, facilitating an immediate checkout process.

When implementing the ‘Buy Now’ buttons, ensure they are placed strategically. They should be easily visible, usually close to the product details. Additionally, their design should be compelling and consistent with your brand identity to attract customers’ attention.

However, while the ‘Buy Now’ buttons can accelerate checkout, they should be used thoughtfully. For some customers, particularly those intending to buy multiple items, the traditional cart process might still be preferable. Therefore, ensure you offer both options to cater to different shopping styles.

Also, be aware that the ‘Buy Now’ buttons require a robust system in the background to ensure a seamless and secure immediate transaction. Balancing convenience and security is the key to the effective utilization of the ‘Buy Now’ buttons.

Conclusion

Optimizing the checkout process is integral to boosting conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Diverse payment options, a mobile-friendly design, guest checkout options, and streamlined processes such as a one-page checkout or ‘Buy Now’ buttons all contribute to a user-friendly buying experience.

Remember that it’s crucial to balance customer convenience with robust security measures and to cater to varying customer preferences. When implemented effectively, these strategies can significantly improve your business’s performance and customer retention.

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