One of the main blocks in promoting business we find our clients struggle with is creating engaging content that looks ‘professional’ to attract and engage their ideal customers. You want to attract the best; therefore, you need to present your best.
What you might have discovered is it is easier said than done, especially if you have a small team or you have a low marketing budget. If you have struggled with your marketing in the past and you’re ready to start moving forward and put the past behind you, take a look at our favourite FREE tools that will help you smash your marketing strategy.
This article is for you if:
- You struggle with creating content
- You often feel like your marketing message could look and feel better
- You never seem to attract your ideal customers
- You want to up-level your online presence
- You are ready to grow your business and make more sales online
If none of the above applies to you and your business, you have the choice to leave now.
For the ones who are still here, keep reading, we are excited to share some of our favourite free tools with you!
1. Canva – a simple to use graphic design tool
Canva allows you to make images and designs for the web or print. It is free and easy to use – and you don’t need any technical skills to use it. On Canva, you can create graphics, brochures, logos etc. Everything you need for a growing business. If you don’t already have an account, click here to create one now!
Once you get started, you will find lots of fresh templates and styles that you can amend to suit your business and marketing goals.
2. Pexels – Awesome stock photos and videos for free
Pexels is one of the best free stock photos and videos platform shared by talented creators for you to use. You are allowed to use it for commercial purposes, and there are no expectations to leave an attribute. It is an excellent place to source quality images for your website or marketing materials.
A great tip is to upload them onto Canva; you will be able to resize the image to ensure it is the right size for the platform you plan to share it on. You can also insert it into a template on Canva to match your marketing message!
3. Answer The Public – Free keyword research tool
If you’re struggling with what to talk about online, or you could do with a little bit of help choosing the right keyword phrases to enable you to offer value to your ideal clients and be more visible for this content online, then we would suggest you take a look at Answer the Public. Over the past couple of year, most content marketers have discovered that informational content has been the most effective way of engaging their ideal clients. By offering valuable insights into your specialist area can help build up your reputation of being one of the best in your sector. If you are providing this information based on making a positive difference rather than to make a quick sale – you are more likely to be recognised as a trusted source!
4. Trello – Organise your team and projects
What happens if you have no time to create these marketing materials or if you struggle to get organised? One of the biggest excuses is that there isn’t enough time in the day to create this content to uplevel your online presence. It seems like a catch 22; you’re probably busy with mundane tasks that don’t really spark joy for you and most likely you’re not being paid a great deal either. Working long hours and having a miserable bank balance is not sustainable in business. If you need to be more consistent with your marketing efforts to attract more of your ideal clients – you can count on Trello.
Here you can make daily lists, create boards with tasks for you and the team. You can upload content to ensure your team all have access to information they need to complete a project. At Code Galaxy, we have saved loads of time using this and, and find it is easier to meet our deadlines as we are organised with our projects. It is free to use, as your business grows you can pay for additional extras if you NEED it.
5. Google Analytics – Track your online visitors
If you have a website – you need Google Analytics. It helps you to track your website traffic, discover whether they are new or previous visitors to your website, identify how long they’re spending on your website, determine what platform they have found you from, etc. Use this data to your advantage to improve and increase your online visibility!
If you don’t have it set up already, ask your web company to help you.
Access your account and start tracking today.
6. Hootsuite – Schedule your content to remain consistent online
If you need help to schedule your content in advance to ensure you are consistent online, Hootsuite is excellent. There is a free version, but you can get what you need without spending a penny. This is great as it helps you to manage multiple media channels in one place. It also means that you can switch off in the evenings and on the weekends. It can also be a backup for the busy periods in your business. Create a monthly content planner, and then schedule the content for the days and times that will help you get the best engagement for your business.
These six tools are all free to use. It will just take a little bit of your time to organise and create the content. Just think back to who your ideal customer is and why they need your help, what problem are you solving. That’s all from us, send us a message to let us know how you get on!
