Fifteen Free Online Marketing Tools
I love a bargain. Who doesn’t? Sometimes even “free” is still too much, but with these fifteen free marketing tools, you’ll get so much, you’ll wonder why you’re not paying for it. Aside from the two image editor suggestions from fellow marketing buffs, I use all these tools and wouldn’t give ‘em up, even if I had to pay for them.
So, go ahead, see if any of these belong in your own marketing toolbox, and please, if we skipped your favorite, tell us all about it in the comments!
Listening Tools
Keep track of what people are saying about your business, brand or your industry and get a feel for the changing needs and challenges of your potential customers.
SocialMention
Put in your business name and you’ll see social media mentions from all over. You may find that someone shared one of your blog posts without you realizing it (this is a good time to thank them). Oh, don’t bother trying to sign up for alerts. They’ve been saying they’ll be available again in a week for over a year
Twitter Search
This is a handy feature for finding out what is currently perplexing people. Just search, “Anyone know how” and see what pops up. For instance, “‘Anyone know how’ Facebook” turns up all sorts of questions from frustrated Facebook users. Answers to those questions could become popular blog posts. You can also answer those questions yourself! If you are a local business, you can limit your search to a geographical area when you use advanced Twitter search. You can also try this on Google.
BottleNose
Quickly see what’s trending in your network and beyond. You can also post from right inside the dashboard when you find something you just have to share right away – or schedule it with Buffer, all from Bottlenose. And, why is it called Bottlenose? “Dolphins are smart, they’re social, they’re good surfers, they hunt in packs, they have sonar. They’re #awesome.” My kind of company.
Social Media Platform-Specific
Facebook – Likealyzer
What posting day and time works best for you? What kinds of posts work best for you? Are you responding to comments in a timely manner, asking enough questions, using enough emotion?
Facebook – ShortStack
Run contests, create welcome and about us pages and include your Pinterest and Twitter streams on your Facebook Page with ShortStack. The free version is branded with their logo – but it’s free!
Google Plus – Timing+
Instantly see on which days and at which times your posts perform best. Also get a run-down of your top posts of all times. This one is from Peg Fitzpatrick’s awesome post, “How Google and Pinterest are like peanut butter and jelly.”
MailChimp
There is nothing cheap about this free tool. Super-simple email creation, top-notch support and easy social sharing rival paid options.
Continue reading here: How to set up your Google Plus Business Page
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