On average, a digital marketing agency uses 12+ marketing tools to complete their job. Each of these tools has specific features that can be helpful. However, it can be challenging to scale your business if you're paying for all these tools, data is scattered across platforms, and some tools are left unused half the time.
The very best marketing agency tools are designed to help you scale, make a strong impression on clients, attract new business, and build thought leadership.
If you want to optimize your agency's operations, then you need to try StoryChief. Bring SEO, writing, reviewing, publishing, and promotion together in one beautiful platform. Start your free plan now!
20 Marketing Agency Tools
- StoryChief - Social Media, Content Marketing, SEO and Content Collaboration
- Sprout Social - Social Media Management
- Ahrefs - SEO
- Semrush - SEO
- HubSpot - CRM and Automation
- Zapier - Workflow Automation
- Canva - Graphic Design
- ActiveCampaign - Email Marketing
- Drift - Marketing-Sales Alignment
- WordStream - Ad Optimizations
- Unbounce - Landing Page Builder
- Google Analytics - Reporting
- Asana - Project Management
- Vimeo - Video Marketing
- Intercom - Customer Support
- Hotjar - Heatmap
- PartnerStack - Affiliate Marketing
- Meltwater - PR and Media Monitoring
- Optimizely - A/B Testing and CRO
- FreshBooks - Marketing Budget Tracking
20 Marketing Agency Tools to Help You Scale
1. StoryChief - Social Media, Content Marketing, SEO and Content Collaboration
StoryChief is a content marketing platform that can manage every aspect of content marketing and organic marketing: briefing, assigning, writing, SEO optimization, publishing, client communication and client collaboration.
Plus, you can promote your blog content across multiple channels, including social media, your email newsletter, and employee advocacy.
StoryChief replaces: Email threads, Google Docs, spreadsheets, GatherContent, CoSchedule, social media tools (Hootsuite, Buffer, etc.), manual copy-pasting to CMS, AI writing tools, SEO tools, and analytics tools. Get started free.
2. Sprout Social - Social Media Management
Sprout Social provides a robust set of tools for managing and analyzing social media. These tools are specifically designed to improve agency performance by assisting with content scheduling, monitoring social activity, and generating detailed reports.
By utilizing Sprout Social, agencies can gain valuable insights into audience behavior, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and optimize their social media strategies.
3. Ahrefs - SEO
When it comes to SEO, Ahrefs is a powerhouse and a must-have if you’re looking for the best marketing agency tools to drive growth. It offers comprehensive backlink analysis, competitor research, and keyword tracking. With Ahrefs, you'll have the data you need to create SEO strategies that drive results.
4. SEMrush - SEO
SEMrush is a powerful SEO tool for agencies looking to improve client projects' online visibility. It offers keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitive intelligence. Agencies can monitor competitors, identify growth opportunities, and track keyword performance. By using SEMrush, agencies can research keywords and optimize client content for better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.
5. HubSpot - Automation and CRM platform
Hubspot is an inbound marketing platform that helps you manage content, leads from content marketing, clients CRM, and automation workflows to provide a personalized journey for each customer and lead.
It's a powerful tool that, when combined with StoryChief, can help you shave hours off of your content workflows and get measurably better results.
6. Zapier - Workflow Automation
Zapier is the ultimate time-saver for busy teams. With its powerful automation capabilities, you can streamline your workflows and focus on what really matters. Say goodbye to tedious manual tasks and let Zapier handle it all for you.
When used in conjunction with StoryChief, this tool has the ability to significantly reduce the time spent on content workflows and improve overall performance. If your agency is big on automation, then this marketing tool is a must-have in your collection of marketing tools.
7. Canva - Graphic Design
Canva is a graphic design software that can be used by designers and non-designers alike. With lots of templates and the ability to save your branding, it makes designing all sorts of assets a lot faster.
It offers an array of templates and design tools that allow your team to craft stunning graphics, infographics, and social media posts without needing advanced design skills.
8. ActiveCampaign - Email Marketing
While more commonly known as email marketing software, ActiveCampaign can do a lot more. The customer experience automation platform allows you to trigger marketing, sales, and customer retention campaigns based on real behavior.
9. Drift - Marketing-Sales Alignment
Drift specializes in marketing-sales alignment, making it easier for your agency to generate and convert more leads for the sales team. Real-time chat, automated lead qualification, and scheduling features ensure seamless communication with potential clients.
10. WordStream - Ad Optimizations
WordStream simplifies pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Its robust tools help you optimize ad campaigns across various platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. If you’re looking for the top marketing agency tools to maximize your ad spend and get better ROI for your clients, WordStream is it.
11. Unbounce - Landing Page Builder
Unbounce is a landing page builder designed for marketers. Create high-converting landing pages without the need for coding skills. It's perfect for driving campaign-specific conversions.
12. Google Analytics - Analytics and Reporting
With Google Analytics, you can easily monitor the activity on your website for free. This includes monitoring customer engagement, page views, acquisition rate, conversion rate, and overall user behavior. Utilizing this information will enable you to enhance your content for better results.
Even if you use other analytics tools, you’ll probably still want to integrate them with Google Analytics, which offers a highly accurate view of your website traffic and the actions they take. When it comes to the top marketing agency tools, Google Analytics is an absolute must-have.
13. Asana - Project Management
Asana is another popular team collaboration software for agencies. You can break tasks down into subtasks and assign the subtasks individually. This helps with planning for client projects where multiple collaborators are involved.
14. Vimeo - Video Marketing
Vimeo's Video Marketing tool is indispensable for agencies looking to elevate their client campaigns through captivating visual content. This platform empowers agencies to craft compelling video advertisements, product demos, or engaging brand stories, enhancing client projects with dynamic storytelling and visual appeal.
15. Intercom - Customer Support
Intercom is a customer support tool for agencies seeking to streamline client communication. By offering real-time client support and facilitating instant interactions, Intercom contributes significantly to client satisfaction and, consequently, improved client retention rates.
16. Hotjar - Heatmap tool
Hotjar's heatmap tool is a valuable asset for agencies aiming to optimize their client websites and campaigns. It provides agencies with a visual representation of user interactions, helping them identify areas for improvement. While it has its limitations in terms of complex data analysis, Hotjar is instrumental in making data-driven decisions, ultimately enhancing client projects' performance.
17. PartnerStack - Affiliate Marketing
PartnerStack simplifies affiliate program management, enabling agencies to recruit and collaborate with partners efficiently. Despite some limitations in scalability, PartnerStack plays a pivotal role in extending the reach of client projects and cultivating long-term relationships with affiliate partners.
18. Meltwater - PR and Media Monitoring
Meltwater's PR and Media Monitoring tool equips agencies with the means to monitor online mentions and sentiment analysis. By tracking media coverage and assessing brand reputation, agencies can proactively manage client image and respond to potential crises.
19. Optimizely - A/B Testing and CRO
Optimizely enables agencies to fine-tune client campaigns by conducting experiments and analyzing user behavior. It enables agencies to run experiments, comparing different versions of a website or marketing materials to determine which one performs better.
20. FreshBooks - Marketing Budget Tracking
FreshBooks simplifies financial management by automating various accounting processes. Agencies can efficiently track expenses, generate invoices, and monitor project budgets, ensuring that client projects stay within financial constraints. By maintaining transparency and accountability in financial matters, FreshBooks fosters trust with clients, allowing agencies to provide clear, concise financial reports.
Common challenges with marketing agency tools
Agencies often face the challenge of dealing with a fragmented marketing tool stack. To effectively execute their strategies, agencies rely on a diverse set of tools. However, this reliance on multiple tools comes with common challenges.
“Businesses may struggle with toolstack integration, data privacy, and the complexity of managing multiple tools simultaneously. This can lead to inefficiencies in data management and decision-making.” - Vaibhav Kakkar - CEO at Digital Web Solutions
Here are some of the most common challenges that agencies face while working with several marketing tools:
- Scattered analytics: It can be challenging to get a clear and comprehensive overview of your performance when analytics are scattered across multiple tools. Therefore, it is recommended to prioritize tools that offer centralized data analysis.
- Automation and integrations: Incompatibility between essential tools can cause the need for manual and complex workarounds. Therefore, it is advisable to look for tools with robust integration capabilities.
- Cost and scalability: Cost and scalability: When considering tools for your business, it's crucial to evaluate both the initial cost and the long-term scalability. Look for solutions that offer flexible pricing plans and can grow with your organization's needs.
Key features to look for in marketing agency tools
1. Content management
Content is the lifeblood of any digital marketing strategy. Marketing agency tools should offer robust content management capabilities, allowing you to create, edit, and publish content, while ensuring your team can collaborate on content production and distribution.
2. Lead generation
Generating leads is the cornerstone of marketing success. Look for tools that enable lead generation through forms, pop-ups, or landing pages, and offer effective lead management solutions. Capturing leads is just the beginning; nurturing and converting them into customers is equally vital.
3. Marketing automation
Marketing automation is a game-changer for agencies seeking to streamline their marketing efforts. Automation workflows can handle tasks such as lead nurturing, customer onboarding, and personalized messaging, freeing up your team's time for more strategic endeavors.
“It depends on the needs of a business, but the essential functionality that we look for in our marketing tools includes keyword research capabilities to identify related search trends, analytics that help us track ROI and make data-driven decisions, versatile content management systems, and automation options for streamlining repetitive tasks.” - Ron Evan, Demand Generation SEO Manager at Thrive Digital Marketing Agency
4. Analytics and attribution
In the era of data-driven marketing, having access to advanced analytics and attribution models is indispensable. These tools allow you to track the customer journey across various touchpoints, helping you make informed decisions and optimize your campaigns for better results.
Choosing the right marketing agency tools
Whether you're looking to improve your content marketing, boost SEO efforts, streamline project management or improve team efficiency, these tools cover every aspect of your agency's operations.
FYI: StoryChief eliminates the need for various tools such as email threads, Google Docs, spreadsheets, GatherContent, CoSchedule, Hootsuite, Buffer, manual copy-pasting to CMS, AI writing tools, SEO tools, and analytics tools. Try StoryChief free for 7 days.
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