When it comes to compiling a rolodex of the best online marketing tools in my business, I didn't quite realise how big that list would be.
However, I was adamant on ensuring there was a mix of free, low cost and higher-end-can't-live-without tools. I'm sharing with you what I chose to commit my hard earned dollars on and which I've chosen to stay with the free version.
Some of the links are affiliate links, but know I would only recommend something I believe is a good product or tool. It means if you decide to become a customer of the company in the future, I may receive a commission. However, it won't affect what you pay.
I hope you find the list helpful and it goes a long way to automating, systemising and scaling your business to help generate consistent income.
Let's begin....
Blogging and Website Tools:
Hostgator
There is a lot of debate about good hosts and bad hosts for your WordPress website. Personally, I’ve always been with Hostgator and haven’t had an issue. They've been reliable, incredibly affordable and the support system is good. But if you're looking for something more robust, Siteground is a great option.
WordPress.org
Ah, yes, another prickly one! I’m a big supporter of self-hosted WordPress sites for various reasons, including the fact you own the platform (unlike WordPress.com, Blogger, Wix and Squarespace), you have more control over your site design, you can use plugins to help run your blog and business better, you can use custom themes, custom analytics, and greater power in Google search.
Divi Theme or Beaver Builder
There are many free WordPress themes out there, but I'd highly recommend you invest in a premium theme. You'll be glad of the flexibility it provides you in the long run. While this site uses a Genesis theme, I use the drag and drop Beaver Builder plugin to create pages like this one. Beaver Builder plugin also comes with a theme. An alternative is Elegant Theme's Divi Theme. It's the theme I've used to build client websites in the past. The reason I love Divi and Beaver Builder are because of their drag and drop design elements, it can build unique blog post pages and can replace some landing page software.
Google Analytics
It’s really important to know what’s going on in your business via your shopfront (ie your website) and to keep an eye out for opportunities you might be missing. One example is to look for certain sites that are sending you a lot of traffic and seeing if there’s an opportunity to further those relationships. Another is to look at high traffic pages and use smart strategies to leverage them.
CrazyDomains
This is where I buy all my domains - like kellieobrien.com.au. I did originally buy them through Hostgator, but when I eventually wanted to get .com.au domains, Hostgator wasn't able to help me at the time.
Social Warfare
The social share buttons you see at the top of this page are generated by Social Warfare (terrible name, but great plugin). There is a free version, but I chose to upgrade to the premium - just $29/year - simply for the ability to have all the sharing icons I want, only having the share count turned on after it reaches a certain number of shares, being able to change the colour of the buttons, tracking through Google Analytics, allowing the Pin It button AND including the ClickToTweet tool inside blog posts. This is one of the best social sharing plugins I've used.
Plugins
There is quite a list of plugins I use on my site. However, rather than list them all here, I'm going to link you up with this plugins post where I detail each one.
Marketing Tools:
ActiveCampaign
I previously used to recommend Mailchimp as a good option to start with for email marketing. However, with recent changes to Mailchimp, it's become too complex and limited. A better investment if you're starting out and one that will grow with you is ActiveCampaign. It's great for when you reach the point of wanting more advanced segmenting and is what most of my clients use.
🌟 GrooveFunnels
I've recently signed up for GrooveFunnels, because it's an all-in-one system. It's the one thing I like about Infusionsoft. However, GrooveFunnels is a much more accessible for price point for my clients. The platforms includes landing pages and websites, payment forms, email marketing, membership site, shopping cart and videos. In the coming months, it will also include live and automated webinars, live streaming, surveys, quizzes, blog, help desk, proof plugin and more... You can currently get a free lifetime account to GroovePages and GrooveSell and it doesn't require a credit card. A great way to try first. This isn't a Black Friday sale, but wanted to give you a heads up while the free lifetime deal was on.
Infusionsoft (now Keap)
Ah, we started off rather rocky and confused, but we’re best of friends now. I do love that Infusionsoft means I don’t need 10 different moving parts that need gelling together. Infusionsoft is my CRM, ecommerce store and email marketing system – all in one! Yes, it’s got a pretty price tag with it, but it’s been a worthwhile investment for me. You may also note that there are now more affordable levels via Keap. I'm currently in the process of transferring to GrooveFunnels, once it's out of Beta.
🌟 LeadPages.net
Now, once we have that opt-in done, we need somewhere for people to "opt in". Leadpages has been my go-to software, because it takes me literally five minutes to set up a page and does all the analytics and conversions for me. The templates they offer are also well tested, so conversion rates are always high for me. This year I was granted early access to their new feature - "Sites" - which allows you to build an entire website inside Leadpages. If you have a good theme or page builder, you can often build your landing pages right in your website instead of buying a third party tool like Leadpages. Get 60% off annual standard plan
🌟 SocialBee
In the past, I've used a combination of Bufferapp and Hootsuite to manage social media. Then this year I was introduced to SocialBee. It's similar to MeetEdgar and similar tools that recycle your content, but it comes with so much more. Now I can schedule direct from the tool, create libraries of content to recycle on specific social media accounts, set up third party content to share and share to everything from Facebook Groups to Instagram. People have this perception that I must spend hours per day on social media. The truth is, I don't spend a lot of time at all. Bufferapp and Hootsuite are still good options though if SocialBee isn't your cup of tea! Get 30% off plans.
Filmora Wondershare
Screenflow for Mac and Camtastia for those on PC used to be the options I used for editing videos. But both are so clunky and took ages to create beautiful videos. Now, I used Filmora Wondershare. I can import my Zoom videos, overlay music files direct from Filmora, put text on video and include transitions and filters. This is how I'm able to create training and marketing videos. While you can record your screen through the recorder, I prefer to use Zoom for recording of screen, slides or my face and import into Filmora for editing.
PopUpAlly or HelloBar
I've never been a big fan of pop ups, despite the fact that stats show they increase conversions and sign ups. Mainly because they interrupt your flow when you're on someone's site. However, I don't mind exit intent pop ups - because I was going to leave anyway. Exit intent pop ups do as they say - they pop up as you're about to leave a site. I've used both PopUpAlly and HelloBar. The two are similar in features, but PopUpAlly you build inside your WordPress website and HelloBar you build on their site. For me, HelloBar is easier to use, but PopUpAlly integrates more seamlessly with Infusionsoft right now. I wrote about my experience with HelloBar here.
Vimeo
For hosting videos, I have two choices. One is Vimeo, which is a lot like Youtube in its ability to do private or public videos, along with advanced video stats. However, you can also create password protected videos and video-on-demand with paywalls.
Wistia
My other choice for video hosting and playing is Wistia. The difference here is there is more customisation with video and player itself. It also comes with great analytics. You can get a few videos on a free plan, but will then have to upgrade to house more videos.
Interact Quiz Maker
One of the great list building elements in my business is quizzes. These are excellent ways to attract email subscribers and have an opt-in that generates lots of shares. I have it in different points within my systems. Interact has been an easy tool to use and provides really detailed analytics to understand where in the quiz people drop off. It also easily integrates with my email marketing system.
Business Tools:
Word, Powerpoint, Keynote Pages, Google Slides, Google Docs
I don't have a preference when it comes to the above. Although, I will admit that I tend to end up using Google Slides and Google Docs, then downloading as Word and PDFs. Occasionally, I also use Word and Powerpoint for document creation. This is possible through having Office 365 installed on my Mac. When you need to create opt-in offers or "freebies", this one will do that for me. No fancy programs or sophisticated software. Just a plain ol’ PDF can have far more value than a 200-page ebook!
PDF Escape
I often get complimented on my PDFs, because they're fillable. This is how I'm able to take the humble PDF opt-in and turn it into magic. Previously, I'd eye off the high-end programs that enabled you to create fillable PDFs, but was completely overwhelmed by how complex they looked. Then I was introduced to PDF Escape and my PDFs changed forever. What I love about it is it's super easy to use, you don't need to download anything to your computer AND it's free.
Amazon S3
If you have large files, like videos or large PDFs, or you want more security around the files you store in the cloud to share with others, then this is my first and only choice. Many people upload their files for products and programs onto their website's media section. But it's all too easy for people to do a simple Google search and find them. Add a layer of security for your important files and upload theme to Amazon S3 instead.
Dropbox or Google Drive
As I said, I don't upload files to share via anything other than Amazon S3. However... all of my files on my computer are stored in the cloud - via Dropbox or Google Drive. Heaven forbid anything should happen to my beloved Macbook Pro, I know all the important business-related documents, photos and files I have won't be lost.
Trello or Asana or Nifty
With a full client list, I need to be organised. I like to keep detailed notes on clients and Trello allows me to do that. Each client has their own board and each board has cards dedicated to each of our coaching sessions with "checklists" of what needs to be achieved and links for easy reference. It really is a saviour for me. Asana I use for much of my done for you work and my own marketing tasks. I would use Trello, but I love the idea of being able to add dates next to projects and know when and where things need to happen. I'm in the process of moving things over to Nifty now, which has the ability to stack items in columns like Trello or create rows like Asana. Plus, ou can track time on a task and add due dates. This is the best of both worlds for me.
Paypal
Online businesses need a way to take payment. Paypal is still one of the most trusted payment options out there. And for me, it's syncs beautifully with my Infusionsoft shopping cart.
eWay
For credit cards, my merchant account is eWay. The reason I chose them is because they're Australian, they connect easily with my Infusionsoft shopping cart and they came highly recommended by others in the online space. It was a great decision for me.
Wisestamp or Mixmax
We send so many emails per day, it makes sense to have a good email signature on each. Wisestamp and Mixmax allow you to customise the look of your signature, add in all your relevant contact details, include an image and promote your latest project - whether that's a blog post, a Youtube video or a program. Mixmax also has the added advantage of being able to track opens and clicks, so you know when an email has been received.
Zoom
I reached a point with Skype where I was questioning how professional my calls with clients were. Often the audio would cut out, the video would stall or the call would drop out completely. It was embarrassing. Then I was introduced to Zoom.us and now my client calls have clear audio, high quality video and it doesn't drop out. I also love the fact I can also use Zoom for my live webinars and don't need to get third party chat software or plugins to make any of it work.
Google Calendar
I couldn't live without my Google Calendar. Along with scheduling my life, it's also become the place where I can insert notes for blog posts, newsletter ideas or topics I want to discuss with coaching clients during our calls. It means everything is in one place!
🌟 Book Like A Boss
I've tried a few scheduling tools and have fallen in love with this one. I love the interface for this one, the fact you can accept Paypal and Stripe payments from clients and the ease of connection with my Google Calendar. Use the code BF2021 at checkout to get 20% off any plan.
Otter or Rev or HappyScribe
Many of my clients struggle to write blog posts and find they can create content faster if they "speak it". This then means they need their audio transcribed. Even if you have videos you want transcribed or SRT files to upload for captioning Facebook and Youtube videos, there are quick and easy ways to achieve. If you want a more DIY approach, then Otter will automatically generate a transcribe, but will require some editing. Under 10 hours and the tool is free. Rev, on the other hand, is a paid service, but the quality and speed is exceptional.
Image Creation
Picmonkey, Canva.com, Stencil and RelayThat
I hate to admit that I actually use all four of these image creation tools, primarily because each has a different feature I love. All of them allow you to create beautiful designs for your website, social media and newsletters. They all have text and banner overlays. All also come with templates that make image creation super simple. While I have a paid account for Picmonkey to allow for retouching photos, you can do everything you need with the free version too. The benefit of Canva is you can create the entire opt-in within their program and download it as a PDF. Canva and Stencil come with stock photography you can get for free or a small fee. The benefits of Stencil and RelayThat is the ability to change the size of ONE image to adapt to different platforms. If I had to make a choice for general marketing material creation, I'd choose Stencil.
WordSwag
I'm not the greatest designer in the world. But this app makes my social media posts on Instagram and Facebook like they're done by a professional. Available on the app store, this tool will help you create beautiful quote images or blog post images quickly. It usually takes me somewhere between 15 and 20 seconds - yes, seconds - to create a quote image for Instagram and Facebook.
Creative Market
One of my favourite places to find scenes to use in my marketing is Creative Market. Take a look at Publicity Alchemy, Soulful Client Pathway Kit and Complete Launch Success Kit to see how I've used them in my sales pages. The headline link goes directly to the mockup scene creator I own.
🌟 DepositPhotos
A background in journalism taught me enough about copyright to know that just grabbing an image from Google is a no-no. But images can be expensive. I originally used Canva's images as my go-to, but found the choice limited. Now, I get all my images from DepositPhotos and love the choice. This is an investment that is well worth it. Get 100 photos for $39 with the AppSumo deal.