Creative Tools You Need in Your Marketing Team

Being in marketing now means wearing approximately 47 hats at any given time.  While hiring a full creative team would be lovely, most of us are working with budgets that require a bit more… resourcefulness. The good news? You don’t need a massive mrketing budget to create work that looks like you do. You just need the right tools in your back pocket.

I’m talking about the kind of tools that make you look like you know what you’re doing, even on days when you’re definitely winging it. Tools that turn your phone photos into something that doesn’t scream “taken in my kitchen at 2pm.” Tools that help you write copy that doesn’t sound like a robot wrote it. Tools that schedule your content so you’re not logging into Instagram at 11pm because you forgot to post.

Because here’s the reality, your business (whatever the size) is competing for attention with companies that have larger design teams, larger copywriters, and larger budgets. But with the right tools, you can package all of your creative ideas and corporate info into content that actually stops the scroll.

If you don’t have any experience with professional editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, don’t worry! There are some genius (and mostly free!) tools you can use to kickstart your brand.

Semrush

This is a comprehensive digital marketing toolset that covers SEO, PPC, content marketing and more. It’s a go-to choice for competitive analysis, keyword research, backlink analysis and site audit. Consider Semrush when you’re ready to invest in advanced analytics, keyword tracking, and competitor research. It’s ideal for businesses looking to scale their digital marketing efforts.

For me, the competitor analysis is the stand-out aspect of Semrush.There are many excellent features that I use regularly that help me get an understanding of the competitive landscape quickly. Many of the more advanced features cost extra, plus quotas for projects and tracked keywords can be limited if you don’t want to spend too much. Do your research to ensure you get the right pricing tier with the features and quotas you need.

Ahrefs

This is renowned for its robust backlink analysis, keyword research, and SEO capabilities. It helps you understand your website’s authority, find link-building opportunities, and track keyword rankings. Ahrefs is a valuable investment for SEO-focused digital marketers, especially those looking to improve their website’s search engine rankings and domain authority.

I’m a fan of Ahrefs which does mostly the same as SEMrush. The projects and quotas are a little more generous so you can do more for less, but you will have to verify ownership of the site to get the most out of it. They also offer some free tools for those who haven’t decided to buy and they have some great learning resources.

Hootsuite

A market leader inteh social media management platform industry, Hootsuite enables you to schedule posts, engage with your audience, and monitor social media performance across multiple platforms in one place. Hootsuite is ideal for businesses with active social media profiles seeking efficient management and scheduling of content. It’s especially useful for maintaining a consistent social media presence.

I especially like the social listening element of this tool, along with the advanced analytics available. You’ll find the pricing more reasonable so it can be a good option for SMEs who manage multiple social media accounts.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

This is my go-to tool for an SEO audit. What a versatile website crawler, that helps you identify technical SEO issues, broken links, and analyse on-page SEO elements. Screaming Frog is perfect for performing initial website audits and addressing technical SEO concerns, making it valuable for SEO beginners and experts alike. The free version allows up to 500 URLs.

The overview section allows you to quickly determine the overall health of the website. I like that the issues section offers warnings and opportunities along with priorities so you know where to start. There is so much that you can do with this tool including sitemaps and URL structure visualisation, with new features added all the time. If you can, buy a licence, as even quite small websites can soon rack up 500+ URLs once you include images etc.

Sprout Social

A social media management and scheduling tool. It enables you to schedule posts and manage basic social media tasks. Sprout Social provides quantitative and contextual data for all your social profiles across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more.

I find Sprout Social an easy to use tool with many great features. This tool is aimed more at enterprise level businesses, so it may not fit in with as many marketing budgets.

Canva

Canva is one of my favourite editing tools. There are so many options, even in the free version, making it really easy to create designs for your socials and your website. Once you create your account, you can start designing, with templates for almost everything under the sun. You can also add images, edit them, add “elements” (which include shapes, graphics, stickers, photos, video, charts, etc.) and export them in whichever format you choose. The whole website is very user-friendly, and the templates can give you lots of inspiration to work with!

At DigitalB we use the premium version, which includes fancy options like removing the background in any photo (this works surprisingly well!), the opportunity to create your own brand kit where you can save your brand’s colours (so you never have to look for their HEX codes again), fonts (you can upload your brand’s font to your account), logo and more. The premium version also gives you the option to create your own content planner calendar, which if you’re familiar with DigitalB, we preach about all the time!

Pexels

If you need professional-looking, high-quality, royalty-free photos that are not your typical “guy in a suit doing a thumbs up” type of photo, then Pexels is the right tool for you. You don’t even need an account and all photos can be downloaded for free.

They have amazing options for any holiday-related post you’re thinking of, plus you can always find professional “business” photos that don’t look too stiff or old-fashioned.

Lightroom

Lightroom is an Adobe program, however you can get the app and use most (and the most useful in my opinion) functions for free.

The app is perfect for subtle edits, the type that takes your image from “I took this photo on my phone in a badly lit room” to “this must be a professionally done photograph made in a studio”. It is fairly simple to use, and if you’re not sure where to start, I recommend testing out the “Auto” setting – it’ll make your photo look crisper, cleaner and brighter.

Splice

With the rise of Tiktok, Instagram Reels and video content in general, it’s essential to have a good video editing app in your creative toolbox. 

Splice is free, easy to work with, and with a little practice, you can create an effortlessly edited video in minutes. You can add a few different clips at a time, trim them, add filters, create transitions, and so much more.

Even if you’re not very experienced with filming videos for your business, give Splice a go – I hope you like it!

Printed.com

Finally, if your business requires printed collaterals, I present to you Printed.com – my absolute go-to when it comes to printing. It’s a great and quick service, with lots of options to choose from.

From business cards to stickers and postcards, they’ve got so many categories to choose from.

My favourite thing about this website is its quoting and ordering process – you can select the size, type of paper, quantity, etc. – it gives you much more flexibility to work with than other printing companies!

Choosing the Right Mix

Your choice of digital marketing tools should align with your business goals, budget, and specific needs. Here are some considerations to help you make informed decisions:

• Budget: Paid tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs offer advanced features, but they come at a cost. Assess your budget and consider whether the investment is justified based on your objectives.
• Niche Focus: Each tool has its specialty. Determine which aspects of digital marketing are most critical for your business (e.g., SEO, social media, content creation) and prioritise tools accordingly.
• Scaling Needs: If your business is rapidly growing, it might be worth investing in comprehensive paid tools that can support your expansion. Smaller businesses, on the other hand, may find free tools sufficient for their current needs.
• Ease of Use: Consider your team’s familiarity with the tools. User-friendly tools like Canva and Hootsuite can be adopted quickly, while more advanced tools may require training.
• Integration: Assess whether the tools can integrate seamlessly with your existing software stack. Compatibility can save time and streamline your workflow.