A DIY approach to marketing is common, but only 46% of small business owners consider themselves “marketing savvy,” according to a small business survey. To fill in the gaps, marketers often rely on a set of marketing tools. From graphic design apps to more comprehensive marketing platforms, marketers tend to rely mostly on five tools, according to research from KoMarketing.
To make sure your arsenal has the most efficient tools, we’ve created a list of DIY marketing tools. As with most marketing tools, many of these options offer a free trial or access to certain features for free and charge for more advanced capabilities.
Here are 17 tools every DIY marketer should use:
Graphic Design
There’s a strong need for visuals in both digital and traditional marketing. From social ads to infographics, here’s a shortlist of potential tools to create stunning graphics:
1. Canva
An easy-to-use design tool for those with no graphic design background.
For those looking for more than Canva can offer, Adobe’s products are industry-standard but have a steeper learning curve.
3. PicMonkey
Edit and add text to photos easily with this tool.
Stock image tools
Need stock photos? There are a bunch of sites that charge a monthly membership for access to a full library of images. Rather than add a monthly fee, try these free tools:
4. Death to Stock
Join a mailing list for a monthly batch of free photos to use online.
5. Unsplash
Use free, unique photos that contributors add to the site.
Video and animation
Video marketing is one of the best ways to grab attention online. Creating videos can be complicated though, but these tools can help:
6. Animatron
Build animations and character-driven stories with this consumer-friendly tool.
7. Explee
Create whiteboard animations to wow website visitors.
Time management
Small business owners have to make the most of their time and these tools can help:
8. Harvest
Track time spent on each project and manage it through each phase.
9. LastPass
This password manager keeps you from searching for usernames and passwords constantly.
10. Boomerang
Manage your emails and schedule appointments with ease with this tool.
Content inspiration
Coming up with ideas for blog posts, newsletters, and social content isn’t always easy. When your idea well runs dry, try these tools:
Type in a topic and this site turns it into commonly asked questions you can use as blog topics.
Let current events and trends inspire your content creation.
With a Google Ads account, you can access a handy keyword planning tool.
Project management tools
Marketing, by nature, generates a lot of assets. Keep all of your projects in one, organized dashboard with these tools:
14. Trello
Create projects, upload files, add deadlines, and track every project.
Stay organized with a handy to-do list app.
Comprehensive marketing platforms
More comprehensive platforms that can manage multiple tasks are becoming a necessity for DIY marketers. Two that we recommend highly are:
16. Hubspot
An all-in-one tool that offers marketing automation for both digital and traditional media. It’s one of the more affordable automation tools on the market.
Create omnichannel marketing campaigns with this unique tool. Marketers can track and enhance their direct mail campaigns to reach existing customers on multiple platforms while discovering new leads at the same time.
