I review and use a number of both free and paid online marketing tools frequently. Depending on the size of your company and the business goals of your website, I believe the following resources will increase your productivity and Web marketing analysis into 2010. I know they did for me in 2009.
Web-Based Tools Criteria
1. Ease of use – If you can’t use it, your company simply won’t embrace e-marketing as a staple in your online arsenal.
2. Customer service – Just like buying a car or insurance, you don’t find out about the service features until it’s time to visit the dealer for routine maintenance or when you submit a claim.
3. Pricing – See #2. While I’m a firm believer in value for the money, if you’re choosing a vendor or tool based solely on price, you will inevitably pay for it in lost time and opportunity costs.
Top 5 Online Marketing Tools
# 1 – Email Marketing – Email client servers come in every shape and size. I’ve evaluated at least half a dozen. My hand’s-down favorite is Constant Contact. They offer a 60-day free trial and superior template choices and delivery methods. There customer service includes email support, a knowledge base of FAQs, online tutorials, phone support and ongoing Webinars and seminars.
# 2 – Web Analytics – You can’t beat free and Google knows it. Every Web site should have a Google account and a snippet of code added to their Web pages to track traffic. Their level of sophistication has grown exponentially and now rivals some of the paid enterprise analytic tools like Omniture.
# 3 – Press Release Distribution – PRWeb is my No. 1 choice for the sheer scope of functionality and online marketing reach if you chose their top tier level ($200/per release.) If you’re looking for a free or low cost alternative, I just discovered OnlinePRNews. For only $12 you can submit an SEO’d press release. More bells and whistles are available at higher pricing levels.
# 4 – Keyword Research – Keyword Discovery is my preferred tool for it’s depth of data and analytical tools. At the premium level you can retrieve competitive intelligence on keywords your primary competitors are targeting, conduct back link analysis and unearth domain names for new sites. A must have for any Interactive agency or Web marketer managing several domains.
# 5 – Competitive Intelligence – It’s amazing what you can find out about your competitor if you just know where to look. At Spyfu you can spy on your online competitors legally! Find out your competitors keyword daily spend, top keywords and cost-per-click bids.
These are online marketing tools I use every day. Expect to pay for more sophisticated business intelligence or features, but finding your way around a new tool using a free version is always a cost-effective way to start.
