According to the Content Marketing Institute, 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Yet, it’s a big task, and there’s only so much time in a day. On top of that, you’re running a whole business. You can’t focus all your energy on getting your content marketing plan up and running.
If you’re not quite ready to take that step, we have several content marketing tools that can help move your ideas forward and get things started.
So what content marketing tools can you use to boost your marketing campaign? Let’s discuss them in this article.
Why Do You Need Content Marketing Tools?
You’ve probably heard the saying, “content is king.” Although it’s a bit overused, it holds true. Content is crucial, and it can make a significant difference in getting you noticed.
If content is the ruler, content marketing is the strategy that boosts it to the top.
Content marketing happens when you create and share various types of content. This could be as simple as a blog post. It might also include video content showcasing your company’s benefits. It could even be an image or infographic providing helpful information about your services.
Everybody will tell you that you should do content marketing, and they’re right. There are many reasons why you should create personalized content that guides your readers further along your conversion path.
But there’s one reason that should really motivate you. Your competitors have already done it.
82% of marketers are currently putting effort into content marketing, while 10% are not using content marketing at all, and 8% are uncertain about whether their organization is engaged in it.
This means that if you don’t want to be left behind, you need to step up and start creating content.
Moreover, it works well. Content marketing brings in over three times the leads compared to outbound marketing and is 62% more cost-effective.
But, as we mentioned at the start of this post, successful content marketing demands a good amount of work.
You’ll encounter various aspects of content marketing, such as:
- Content Production
- Optimization
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- Plus much more
Certainly, it’s a significant task for any marketing pro to manage independently. That’s why we rely on various content marketing tools to ease a lot of the tough work and guarantee that no annoying mistakes disrupt these thoughtfully crafted strategies.
Nearly every part of content marketing has a tool linked to it, and we’ll discuss 11 of them in the next section. So get ready because we’re about to dive into the fascinating realm of content marketing tools.
Overview of Content Marketing
Content marketing involves creating and sharing valuable material to engage both existing and potential customers. It can include blogs, social media updates, newsletters, emails, videos, white papers, and more.
Effective content marketing showcases expertise and shows customers that a company values them. Consistent, high-quality content helps foster and maintain relationships. When customers feel genuinely cared for, they’re more likely to choose your business over competitors.
Here are some key facts about content marketing that give it a competitive advantage:
- Having your own blog can up your leads by 67%.
- Before hitting up sales, 47% of buyers check out 3 to 5 pieces of content.
- Companies embracing content marketing grow 30% faster than those who don’t.
Top 11 Content Marketing Tools You Need Now
To get your message across effectively, you’ll want to use content marketing tools.
Yet, there are different content marketing options out there, and it’s essential to figure out which ones give you the best bang for your buck. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the 11 content marketing tools you should have at the moment.
1. Evernote:
Evernote is a handy tool that transforms how you jot down and exchange notes with others. It lets you generate new ideas and enhance collaboration among team members.
With Evernote, you can gather all your thoughts and store them in one place, accessible to everyone in your business from any device. This means whatever you’ve saved on your laptop can be reached from a mobile device. Your content ideas, crucial for your business growth, are always within easy reach.
2. Google Docs:
Google Docs is a popular tool used by writers all around the world. It’s a handy word processor that you can use on any device, making it easy to work together with others.
Imagine starting a document at work, realizing you forgot something important, and then fixing it on the train home using your tablet or phone. Google Docs saves your documents to the Google cloud, so you can access them from anywhere.
Docs also offers many templates for creating different types of content. Plus, with Google Docs, you can share your work in real time. This means you and a colleague, even if they’re on the other side of the world, can work together on the same document simultaneously.
It’s the perfect tool for writing together.
What’s great about Google Docs is that it’s entirely free. You won’t need to spend a lot of money or pay a monthly fee, unlike Microsoft Office.
3. Trello:
Trello is a handy tool for managing and collaborating on content marketing tasks with your team. It ensures everyone stays on track using an online project management editorial calendar.
Running a complete content marketing strategy involves many moving parts. It’s simple to overlook details, but a project management tool like Trello makes it easy to remember tasks, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines.
This is done by arranging tasks on a Kanban board, which works like a digital corkboard where you’d typically pin post-it notes with your to-do list.
But these notes are extra detailed, won’t accidentally get lost and sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, and can be read on any device.
Trello has some paid options, but it also has a free version that the whole marketing team can use.
4. Canva:
Crafting attractive images plays a crucial role in content marketing. However, if you’re not a graphic designer, this task might seem daunting. That’s why we appreciate Canva every day.
Canva offers a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to anyone, regardless of artistic skills, to create visual content. This includes infographics, blog title cards, visuals for landing pages, social media posts, attention-grabbing ads, and more.
Canva is perfect for conveying a message that a stock photo might miss. Its easy drag-and-drop system lets you create professional-looking artwork effortlessly, whether you choose from its various templates or start from scratch.
5. Mailchimp:
Mailchimp stands out as a popular player in the email marketing arena, a crucial aspect of content promotion that demands your attention. The global email marketing market is projected to hit $17.9 billion by 2027, with many marketers favoring it over social media marketing.
Mailchimp offers a free email marketing platform that you can access from any device. While there are paid options for extensive campaigns, the free version is typically sufficient for most small businesses.
With Mailchimp, you can easily form an email list of subscribers ready to take action. The platform also manages unsubscribes and updates the list to ensure the best chance of getting your emails opened. Plus, you can monitor your most engaged leads to identify who truly deserves your focus.
6. Grammarly:
When creating written content for your content strategies, it’s crucial to ensure you’re showcasing your best work. In other words, you want to make sure your writing is top-notch in every piece of content. Whether it’s a blog for your website or a post on social media, you aim for flawless writing.
This involves addressing any grammatical or spelling issues and avoiding plagiarism.
Here’s where Grammarly comes in handy. Grammarly is currently the most widely recognized online writing tool. It allows you to proofread your content and improve your writing skills gradually. The system doesn’t just fix your mistakes.
It also helps to find if someone copied from another source. Accidental copying happens often and can really hurt your reputation. That’s why it’s important to use a plagiarism checker for all your content to avoid any awkward situations.
7. Yoast:
Why share helpful info if nobody can find it? That’s why it’s important to make sure your content is set up for search engine optimization, or SEO.
SEO is a vital part of marketing, but it takes time and effort. Yoast is a handy tool and WordPress plugin that can assist you in optimizing your website pages for search engines. While it’s not a replacement for real SEO experts, it can give you a boost.
With Yoast, you can tweak your content for keywords. You can also easily update your meta titles, descriptions, and URL slugs. It even suggests internal links to help you create a well-connected web of information.
8. Loom:
Loom is a fantastic communication tool that any team can use to share important information that can be played back whenever needed.
Loom is an excellent tool for explaining complex ideas visually. It lets you create video explanations with your face showing in the corner while recording your computer screen. You can decide to record the whole screen or just the current tab.
This is a solution that helps eliminate unnecessary meetings that could have been handled through email by including your video explanation in the email itself.
When you use Loom, you get things done faster, save time, and your team has a handy tool to use.
9. Google Analytics:
To run a successful content marketing plan, it’s crucial to assess its impact. This involves gathering data using tools like Google Analytics, which happens to be really useful.
Google Analytics is a free tool that helps you understand how visitors interact with your website. It’s user-friendly, making it easy to grasp.
With Google Analytics, you can monitor your goals and pinpoint the most successful content marketing strategies. Once you have this insight, you can cut back on less effective campaigns and invest more in platforms that bring better results.
10. WordPress:
WordPress can be the backbone of your organization. It’s a tool that helps you create a website, share content, and update information easily.
With WordPress, you have various customizable templates to make your website look professional and filled with content.
This tool is open-source, meaning the WordPress community regularly updates it. You can host your site yourself and add plugins to enhance your online presence.
11. MarketMuse:
MarketMuse is a fantastic tool for SEO marketers. With this platform, you can explore the Google search results for your target keywords, creating a list of top competitors and key metrics to guide your focus.
Simply input your content into MarketMuse, and it provides an SEO score, comparing it to the average scores of similar content in your competition.
While MarketMuse comes with a higher price, the outstanding SEO advantages it offers make it a worthwhile investment.
Why Are Content Marketing Tools Important?
Content marketing tools should never substitute a well-thought-out strategy. However, they can definitely help ease the burden and minimize guesswork.
As we look into 2024, the importance of content marketing tools seems to be growing exponentially. Gone are the days when only top-tier brands reaped the rewards of content marketing efforts. Nowadays, it’s a game for everyone.
From small startups to individual entrepreneurs and large corporations, everyone is diving into content creation. Surveys even indicate that a whopping 70% of marketers are actively investing in content, with 42% of businesses increasing a content team ranging from 1 to 3 experts.
Conclusion
Implementing a robust content marketing plan can enhance your marketing strategies, foster better relationships, and broaden your customer base. However, it’s essential to recognize that no single app or software can manage all your content and marketing requirements independently.
Tools are effective only when you have a clear grasp of the issues you’re addressing. When searching for top-notch content marketing tools, prioritize those that align with your content marketing goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).
If any of the mentioned programs catch your interest, give them a try. This allows for a quick overview of their features and helps you assess their suitability for your needs.
Author: Jugnu Nagar
SEO Specialist
