In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we highlight some free marketing tools you can use right now!

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Problem:

We’ve all read the foreboding articles that tell us how expensive digital marketing can be. And, yes, that fact can be accurate. But, not always. Let me tell you what I mean.

With a little creativity and grit, you don’t need a lot of money to get started with your marketing efforts.

First, you need to create a brand that is yours alone. Your brand tells prospects exactly who you are. You create your own look, logo and voice. Make it unique. Make it special. Your brand increases your chances to get in front of people and drive them to your website; which is where you can tell the world exactly who you are so make every word and every navigation point count.

With a content-focused and conversion optimized site in your tool box, you can now start thinking about driving visitors to your site. This is called inbound marketing. Social media, for example, is one of the underappreciated drivers of inbound traffic. It is the forum where natural engagement builds credibility and naturally leads potential customers to your website.

The beauty of social is that it levels the playing field between the big guys and the rest of us. And, almost everyone uses social media. Your job is to find the right platform for your target market and jump into the conversation. Make a personal connection with them by showing them –quickly – that you understand and care about what is meaningful to them.

Social is also where your loyal customers can express their satisfaction with your offerings by recommending you to their friends.

Solution:

Up until now, I may have been singing to the choir. You probably already know everything I just told you. But hold on. That was just a refresher to get you primed for, as Paul Harvey used to say, knowing the rest of the story.

The expense you incur for your marketing efforts usually comes in the form of the tools that you need to satisfy your marketing goals. But what if I told you that you can build this ‘marketing arsenal’ for free?

Yep! Free!

Let me tell you what I mean.

* Suppose you want to design a powerful logo but you simply don’t have the budget to pay a high-priced designer? Try Canva or Spaces.

* What if your brand is mentioned online and you need to respond quickly? Try Google Alerts proactive monitoring system.

* And, don’t forget to install Google Analytics on your site. This will help you track users, where they come from and how they navigate your site.

* Let’s talk about your social media programs. Not only are they invaluable but they are free. And if you plan to be active on social (and you should plan to be active), you’ll definitely need something like Buffer or Hootsuite. They are both great scheduling tools that offer a lot of other perks to help you reach your marketing goals.

* Content……more is better! But do you find yourself unorganized? Evergreen is the perfect tool for finding and storing your content ideas, market research, and competitive analyses in one easily-accessible location on your phone, laptop or tablet.

* The last free tool I’d like to mention is Survey Monkey. Survey Monkey will help you with market research.

Benefits:

Because I’ve promised to keep this podcast brief, and don’t want to overstep my bounds, I simply do not have the time to tell you of the countless free marketing tools at your disposal. Why don’t you do a little research yourself and let us know what you’ve found out. We’d really like to share your discoveries and your successes with our audience.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn. Let us know what you think and what you’d like to hear about next. And if you like our podcasts please share with your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing.

Join us for an upcoming episode as we discuss Eye Tracking and how long an ad needs to be seen.