Looking for the digital marketing tools that will knock your next campaign out of the park?
As a digital marketing agency, we have a lot of experience with the tools that help (and some lessons learned with the ones that hinder).
Today, we only use the best.
Want to know what our top 5 digital marketing tools are?
Well, today you’re in for a treat.
What Is a Digital Marketing Tool?
Before we begin, let’s get an important definition straight.
What is a digital marketing tool?
A digital marketing tool is any web-based technology that can be used to advance your digital marketing efforts.
“A digital marketing tool is any web-based technology that can be used to advance your digital marketing efforts.”
There are digital marketing tools for email marketing, for customer relationship management, for marketing automation…just about anything you can think of!
Today, we’re going to talk about digital marketing tools that fall into three categories:
- Website marketing tools
- Search marketing tools
- Social media marketing tools
Let’s begin.
Your Foundation: Website Marketing Tools
To start, we’re talking about website marketing tools, because your website is the foundation of your entire digital marketing campaign.
When we say, “website marketing tools,” we mean the system you choose to build your website on, better known as the “content management system.”
“A content management system is a system you choose to build your website on.”
In the world of digital marketing tools, there are many content management systems to choose from.
You have probably heard of many of them before: WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, etc.
The #1 content management system on the internet is WordPress.
Top Digital Marketing Tools #1: WordPress
WordPress powers 34% of the internet according to W3Techs, a technology survey firm.
WordPress powers 34% of the internet according to W3Techs.
Let that statistic settle in for a second.
Thirty-four percent of all websites across the globe run on WordPress.
This makes WordPress the top website marketing tool.
It’s the one that we use for all our client websites (including the website you are reading now!).
Why do you think 34% of us digital marketers are using WordPress?
We recently wrote a blog on why WordPress is so popular for new websites.
Here is a brief summary of the benefits of WordPress:
- WordPress is free and open to everyone
- You can build any kind of website you want on WordPress
- WordPress is easy to use
- You don’t have to learn to code to use WordPress
- You can get WordPress support just about anywhere
- WordPress is scalable and can handle business growth
- WordPress integrates with most business software
- With WordPress, you own your business website – not so with the “other guys!”
- WordPress is the best blogging platform in the world
- WordPress is SEO-friendly
- You can upload photos, videos, and documents
- WordPress is mobile-friendly
- WordPress is safe and secure
- It’s just plain popular!
And that’s just the abbreviated version!
If you would like to learn more, read the blog.
For now, suffice it to say that you should be using WordPress over anything else if you want the best of the best among website marketing tools.
Next Steps: Search Marketing Tools
Once you’ve chosen the best digital marketing tool for your website (that’s WordPress), you’ll want to promote it on the top channels.
Naturally, the first channel you’ll be promoting your website on is the search engine.
The #1 search engine in the world is Google.
Google offers a couple different search marketing tools for you to take advantage of.
Top Digital Marketing Tools #2: Google
Google boasts an 88% market share according to Statista, another survey firm.
“Google boasts an 88% market share according to Statista.”
If you’ve been in business for any significant amount of time, then you’ll understand the value of market share.
You’ll also understand that an 88% market share is unheard of.
What this means is that all other search engines in the world–be it Bing, Yahoo!, or something as obscure as DuckDuckGo–capture only 12% of all search traffic combined.
This makes Google the top search engine.
A. The Google Algorithm (Search Engine Optimization)
The first Google search marketing tool we’re talking about here isn’t so much a tool as it is a way to approach a tool we can’t access.
What we’re referring to is the Google algorithm and search engine optimization (SEO).
The Google algorithm is not public knowledge.
However, it is the tool Google uses to determine which websites rank on the first page (and which get buried on anything lower).
Google does not publish their algorithm in order to keep things fair.
Nonetheless, digital marketers like us are always seeking strategies for ranking on Google.
This discipline is called search engine optimization (SEO).
Search engine optimization (SEO) is making your website as Google-friendly as possible to achieve a high ranking among the search results.
“Search engine optimization (SEO) is making your website as Google-friendly as possible to achieve a high ranking among the search results.”
Although the Google algorithm is not available for public eyes, there is a lot we digital marketers have learned through testing, experimentation, and leaks over the years.
These SEO strategies are very valuable, making them an important aspect of Google search marketing.
B. Google Ads
A secondary search marketing tool is Google’s own advertising platform, Google AdWords.
Google AdWords is used to pay for search results, often in combination with unpaid SEO strategies.
“Google AdWords is used to pay for search results, often in combination with unpaid SEO strategies.”
You’ve probably seen Google ads before, they’re the first couple results on most search pages, indicated by a little, green “ad” box:
If you’re struggling to rank among the Google search results, Google ads are a great way to get some traction on the first page.
They’re also a great way to get on the top of the results page.
For these reasons, Google ads are another important aspect of Google search marketing.
The Gold: Social Media Marketing Tools
Let’s just say your website is on WordPress, it’s achieving first-page ranking on Google, and you’ve made good use of Google Ads…
What other digital marketing tools could you be using to get your campaign message in front of as many people in your target audience as possible?
There’s a large part of digital marketing that we haven’t addressed yet: social media.
People spend 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media each day, that’s 71% of the 3 hours and 22 minutes they spend on the internet over that same span of time.
“People spend 2 hours and 24 minutes on social media each day, that’s 71% of the 3 hours and 22 minutes they spend on the internet over that same span of time.”
Our top three social media marketing tools are Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Top Digital Marketing Tools #3: Facebook
Facebook has 2.41 billion monthly active users, making it the #1 social media platform in the world.
“Facebook has 2.41 billion monthly active users.”
It is seconded only by YouTube (technically a video marketing platform) (also owned by Google, *wink wink*) and Instagram, it’s own subsidiary.
What makes Facebook so popular?
Only you, the user, can tell us.
The success of Facebook is largely due to how big it became in a short amount of time, squashing all competition.
Being first to market is as good as gold.
But that success is reinforced by its value to the end-user.
Facebook was created for humans interested in other humans, which is all of us.
It allows us to take a sneak peek into one another’s lives, answering questions that had gone unanswered before at the rapid speed of the internet.
And so it became the best social media marketing tool available.
Top Digital Marketing Tools #4: Instagram
Instagram is Facebook’s subsidiary that has over 1 billion monthly active users.
“Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users.”
For this reason, Instagram is the #2 social media marketing tool in the world, unless you count YouTube (which is a slightly different animal, but we will talk about it next).
What is the value of Instagram?
Two primary points here.
1. Instagram was created to be a visuals-oriented platform.
Instagram is pictures-first, then text.
It lends itself well to artistic and engaging images.
In this way, it cuts out all the clutter that Facebook has become littered with–long, text-based posts, articles, funny photos, kitschy graphics, and memes.
(There is a place for those things but it’s Facebook, not Instagram.)
People who want a streamlined, clean, and simple social media experience love Instagram.
That’s a big reason why it has become so popular.
2. Instagram caught on with the millennial audience.
Another reason for the rise of Instagram is that the millennial audience has taken this social media platform by storm.
64% of 18-29-year-olds use Instagram according to SproutSocial.
Just like Facebook entered the social media market loud and fast, making it the best, millennials took over Instagram so it became the place to be.
Top Digital Marketing Tools #5: YouTube
Earlier this Spring, YouTube crossed over into the 2 billion monthly active user camp.
Already the #1 video publishing platform in the world, this news only reinforced YouTube’s popularity.
Why is YouTube the top video marketing tool across the globe?
According to Social Media Explorer, there are five reasons:
- YouTube creators are compensated
- YouTube creates community
- YouTube mobilizes underrepresented talent
- YouTube is gamified and offers recognition
- YouTube welcomes competition
YouTube is generally a creators-first platform, making it very easy and valuable for creators to publish the educational and entertaining content that a good video sharing site is known for.
Are you ready to hit a home run on your next campaign with the best of the best among digital marketing tools?
We hope that you make good use of WordPress, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
These are the top by far because of the number of people who use them and the incredible experience they deliver.
If you are interested in partnering with an agency who uses these tools on a regular basis and understands their nuances, we would be happy to talk.
Please schedule a free consultation with us using our live scheduler.
To everyone else, best wishes as you tackle this next marketing push with the #1 tools on the market.
Happy marketing!