The content marketing industry is booming. By 2021, it will reach more than $412 billion per year. But content marketing is only as strong as its creators. And while no single tool can create effective campaigns, drive conversions, and lead to more post engagement, many great options are available. They help to boost productivity, analyze trends, and achieve your content marketing goals. Read on to discover six essential content marketing tools that you should be using already.
1. Google Docs
It would be difficult to find a content marketer who doesn’t already use Google Docs. The cloud-based word processing software is everything you need to plan and manage content. You can store and organize everything in the cloud. And then to find old campaigns to draw inspiration from. Moreover, it makes collaboration a breeze. Google Docs include real-time edits and teamwork, along with revision history and other vital tools. You can also use it to upload content to your CMS on many platforms. Best of all, it’s completely free to use and integrates with Gmail and other accounts.
2. HubSpot
HubSpot is a collection of many amazing tools — and most are free to try out. They include pop-up tools, chatbots, and even a dedicated plugin designed for WordPress. Moving into the paid tier, you can dive into everything you need to create a growing platform. Regardless of what stage your company is at, HubSpot has a useful tool for you. From analytics to CMS, and even technical support, HubSpot makes a great base of marketing operations.
To get the most out of HubSpot, you will need to upgrade to the paid membership starting at $80 per month. Your best strategy is to try out some of the free tools and see if they work for you before making this call.
3. Grammarly
Like Google Docs, Grammarly is an absolute essential for content marketers. It can be easy to forget an article, use the wrong tense, or commit some other grammar mistakes. Grammarly offers grammar and spelling tools essential for all writers. When you upgrade to the paid tier (which is always on sale and has excellent offers), you get even more tools. Including the proofreading service and plagiarism check. It’s a fantastic way to reduce errors and create smoother, cleaner content.
4. NordLocker
When it comes to content marketing, your intellectual property is of utter importance. And while most of it is online, it creates potential security risks. You don’t want hackers leaking your data to competitors or blocking access to files through a ransomware attack, do you? Then you need to encrypt your files. And that’s where software like NordLocker comes in for the rescue. You can use it to secure all your data before uploading to the cloud, sharing online, or backing up to the hard drive. It’s a simple-to-use software, but it gives you the same security that institutions like the NSA use. And that makes it another essential for any content marketer.
5. SEMrush
Any content marketer with a focus on SEO should use SEMrush. It’s a multi-tool kit that helps you create more effective digital marketing campaigns. SEMrush SEO tool kt helps to generate specific keywords, text lengths, and everything you need to create optimized content. What’s more, they also have a site audit. It can scan your website for over 130 different mistakes that may be causing your rankings to suffer. SEMrush starts at $89.99 a month, so it’s a bit on the pricey side. But when you harness its full power, it’s more than worth the price tag.
6. Google Search Console
Everybody knows about Google Analytics. But Search Console by Google often doesn’t get the same recognition. It’s a free and simple to use tool that allows you to check whether Google indexed your site. It also features different trends that impact your rankings. You can use it to crawl websites, check for errors, and get a better sense of what’s working and what isn’t in your SEO strategy.
Conclusion
Content marketing is a competitive field. The experts keep finding new ways to increase their audience, drive leads, and boost engagement. So, you must have everything you need to keep up with the competition. Use apps like HubSpot and SEMrush to create a solid foundation for your digital campaign. Take advantage of Google Docs and Grammarly to create polished content that you can share with your team members. Finally, be sure you protect your sensitive data with software like Nordlocker. All that will help you to maximize growth and take your content marketing to the next level.