Running a business means being customer service, operations, finance, sales, marketing, and probably a little bit of everything in between. I know because I’ve been there. When I started my digital marketing consultancy, I was managing everything out of a campervan in the Australian outback. Needless to say, time and resources were limited, and I had to find the right marketing tools to maximise productivity without breaking the bank.
Success in digital marketing isn’t a direct reflection of how busy you are or how many campaigns you can push out in a single month. It’s about being productive, efficient, and consistent with your strategy. Having the right tools and processes in place can make or break your ability to roll out marketing activities effectively. The tools I’ve come to rely on are the ones that help me (and my clients) save time, simplify processes, and keep costs manageable – because, even if tools are tax-deductible, you still want to keep your expenses low!
Here’s a breakdown of the marketing tools I couldn’t live without – and you shouldn’t either.
1. Project management tools
One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is trying to manage everything from their inbox. I’ve done it too, and it’s a surefire way to lose track of what’s important. How many minutes have you wasted sifting through email chains to find that particular message you meant to action?
That’s why Asana is my go-to project management tool. It allows you to keep everything – from task assignments to content calendars to marketing campaigns – in one place.
Think of Asana as your marketing HQ. You can track project progress, assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and attach important documents. When I’m managing client marketing projects, Asana keeps us all on the same page, eliminating the need for endless emails.
2. Copywriting & content creation tools
Creating high-quality content can be time-consuming, but it’s critical to your marketing success. That’s where tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT come in.
Grammarly helps ensure that every piece of content, whether it’s a blog post, social ad, or email, sounds polished and professional. It provides real-time corrections for grammar, spelling, and even tone, so you’re never sending out error-riddled copy. I love using it for quick content checks before sending materials to clients and, thanks to an easy-to-install Chrome extension, I can see and agree to suggestions everywhere from my email inbox to social media posts.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, has been a time-saver for brainstorming and outlining. It helps me come up with fresh ideas that align with my brand, outline SEO-friendly blog posts, and even acts as a thesaurus when I’m stuck on a word. But it’s not just a content creation tool – it’s also a sense-checker. Whenever I’m feeling unsure about a sentence or turn of phrase, I ask ChatGPT to check it for me.
Some may say that AI-supported content is cheating, but the harsh reality is we can’t white-knuckle AI away. It’s the future of many industries, but in marketing, there’s no doubt that we’ll be using it to turn content around quicker. The important thing is knowing how to prompt AI models (something I’ve upskilled in as a priority) and how to review and redraft AI content so it’s fully original and unique to your brand.
3. SEO research tools
SEO (search engine optimisation) is one of the best ways to drive organic traffic to your website, but it’s not always easy to know which keywords to target. That’s why Keysearch is one of my must-have marketing tools.
It helps you uncover relevant keywords and phrases for your business, showing you not only search volumes but also how competitive each keyword is. I rely on this tool when developing SEO strategies for my clients, ensuring we’re targeting the right keywords that have the potential to drive the right kinds of traffic.
In addition to Keysearch, I use Google Trends to stay on top of how search behaviour changes over time. Google Trends is perfect for spotting seasonal trends or understanding how popular topics fluctuate, which can help you make timely updates to your content strategy.
4. Visual design & branding tools
You don’t need to be a professional designer to create beautiful marketing materials. With tools like Canva, anyone can design eye-catching social media posts, infographics, or presentations in just a few minutes. I use Canva templates for client projects – particularly social media advertising campaigns – tweaking them to align with the brand’s colour scheme and style. It’s fast, easy, and looks professional, without the hefty designer price tag.
Speaking of branding, consistency is key. That’s why I use ColorZilla, a browser extension that lets you grab the exact hex code of any colour you find online.
Ideally, all my clients would have visual style guides that supply their brand colour codes, fonts, etc. In reality, some don’t or even if they do, sometimes asking them to dig out the document is a longer process than grabbing the hex code directly from their logo or website (any graphic designers reading this will be rolling their eyes at that, I’m sure).
ColorZilla, helps ensures that every piece of content I create stays on-brand when visual style guides aren’t immediately accessible.
5. Annotation & feedback tools
When working with clients or team members, feedback is essential – but endless back-and-forth emails? Not so much.
Markup.io is the tool I use to annotate websites, PDFs, and images directly. It’s especially handy when I’m working on improving web content and user experience or reviewing marketing materials such as eBooks. You can leave comments and draw directly on the content, making feedback clear and actionable.
No more listing out feedback in bullet points. This tool has saved me so much time by eliminating confusion and miscommunication.
6. Outsourcing support tools
As a business owner, you can’t do everything yourself. Sometimes, outsourcing is the best way to stay productive. That’s where Upwork comes in. Whether you need a web developer, designer, or technical support, Upwork connects you with affordable freelancers who can help get the job done.
When I was starting my business, Upwork was a lifesaver for two reasons. Firstly, I was a freelancer on the platform and found a few of my early clients that way. Secondly, when clients had technical issues with their websites that required specialist developer skills, we could source these from Upwork and have the problem resolved within a day or two, and within an agreed budget.
These days, I still turn to Upwork to find time-saving support for website development for both clients and my own website. Of course, I’m always transparent with clients when further outsourcing is required (digital marketing consultants generally aren’t web developers even though we know how to use website CMS and can often design and build sites!).
7. Document collaboration tools
I can’t tell you how many businesses I’ve worked with that still rely on Excel spreadsheets for content creation and collaboration. Here’s the thing: Google Docs is far more flexible and collaborative. You can share documents, get real-time feedback, and access them from anywhere. It’s perfect for content marketing projects, especially when multiple people are contributing ideas or revisions.
I love Google Docs because it’s not as rigid as Excel – it feels like a living document that evolves as you work on it. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with other Google products like Google Drive, making file storage and sharing super easy.
Cost vs. value: Finding the sweet spot
When I first started my consultancy, I knew I needed marketing tools to be productive, but I also had to keep my costs in check. Just because a tool is tax-deductible doesn’t mean you want to overspend! That’s why I’ve always focused on tools that offer the best value for their price – many of the ones I’ve mentioned here have free or low-cost plans, which makes them accessible even for small businesses with tight budgets.
Ready to build your marketing toolkit?
Whether you’re managing marketing yourself or working with a team, having the right marketing tools in your toolkit can save you time, reduce stress, and increase your overall productivity. These tools have helped me build a successful consultancy while staying true to my values of efficiency and work-life balance.
Explore the ones I’ve mentioned and think about which could simplify your marketing efforts. Need help streamlining your strategy? Arrange a call and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together.
