Did you know there are approximately 30.2 million small businesses in the United States?
If you are a small business owner, the chances are you’re looking for tools and strategies to stand out from the competition.
After all, it’s no secret that 80% of new businesses fail within the first 18 months. So you must do all you can in the early days to promote yourself.
Here’s an interesting study from Investopedia that shows the four biggest reasons that small businesses fail:
- Lack of Capital
- Poor Management
- Ineffective Planning
- Marketing Mishaps
While it’s hard to stop poor management, the other three problems can be fixed relatively easily. As long as you know what you are doing.
Marketing, in particular, is easier today than it has ever been. We all have access to an incredible amount of resources that can help stop those ‘marketing mishaps’ from running our business.
The Top Ten Free Small Business Marketing Tools in 2022
To help you grow and succeed in your niche, here are ten free small business marketing tools that are available to you. Some you’ve likely heard of, but it’s unlikely you’re making full use of them to grow your business.
1) Google Search
Yes, Google Search is more than a place to find random facts. It’s also the easiest way to figure out what you should be focused on in your marketing. The Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) today share a plethora of free information about what people are searching for in your market. You can also get a feeling for what your competition is doing, and how you can attract more attention to your brand.
2) Google Analytics & Google Search Console
These are actually two separate tools, but I have grouped them together here. Google Analytics can tell you a ton about who is visiting your site, how long they are staying, and which pages are most attractive to them. This real data is invaluable, especially if you want to sell products and services on your site. Even for businesses that sell offline, or provide services, it’s crucial to know the truth about how people are behaving on your website.
Google Analytics will help you understand things like bounce rate, page views, total unique visitors, and exit rates. Google Search Console will help you better understand what people are searching for when they find your site.
3) Google Docs
Ok, we’re almost done with the free Google tools! In my opinion, the ability to run your business admin through the Google G Suite products is a game-changer. The reason I have included them here as a marketing tool is that everything you write and share can be stored here. You can also use the Google Sheets tool to plan your content calendar and link to all the blog pages on your site. As your team grows, it is much easier to add them to your GSuite account and give them access to the tools online.
4) MailChimp
Although Mailchimp does have a paid version, if you are just starting with email marketing, it’s an incredible free tool. You can gradually build up an email marketing list of your customers and website visitors with whom you can then share new content and business updates. Mailchimp offers incredibly easy-to-use templates, and also provides other cool features like landing pages, automation tools, digital ads, and even printed postcards. If you have less than 2000 contacts in your email lists, Mailchimp is an incredible free marketing tool to help grow your small business.
5) Toggl
Do you ever wonder where all the hours in a day go? Toggl is a great free tool if you run a business that tracks time for your customers. Or, if you want to be able to make sure your team is on track, then Toggl can help. It’s a simple time tracker that runs in the background on your computer as you work. The basic tool is completely free and can really help you see where you are spending your time, and even help with billing for small businesses that charge by hourly rates.
6) Mention
Are you ever curious about who is talking about you? With Mention, you can now track any social or online discussions that include your business, or your own name. Mention is a great free tool for media monitoring and checking brand mentions. The free tool offers one alert for up to 250 mentions a month, which is more than enough to get started for your small business. Mention is a really handy tool for knowing if people have commented about your business so you can reply and stay in touch on social platforms.
7) Plai
If you are wanting to get a savvy insider look at trends in your niche, or know the best keywords for your business, then Plai is an excellent tool to try. It’s a completely free mobile app that allows you to do basic keyword research, review your analytics, and even manage Youtube Ads, and Google Search Ads directly in the app. Best of all, it offers tips and ideas on topics like improving your brand image, optimizing your marketing spend, and remarketing strategies.
8) Hotjar
Ever wondered which parts of your website are the most popular? Well, with the Hotjar heatmap tool, you can easily find out. Hotjar is a free tool that creates a visual display of where your website visitors click, move, and scroll on your site. You might be surprised to find out which parts of your site matter most to your visitors (it’s usually different from what you expect). For small business websites that get less than 2000 visits per day, then a free Hotjar account is all you need to gain some great marketing insights.
9) Canva
Are you hopeless at creating visual media for social posts? Look no further than Canva, a free tool that offers hundreds of different templates for social media posts, brochures, flyers, posters, banners, invitations, and more. The drag-and-drop tools are incredibly easy to use, and many of the beautiful designs are completely free. Even if you aren’t artistically inclined, Canva is fun to use to enhance your social media image.
10) Google Primer
Hey, why not finish up the list with one more free Google app (for Android and iOS) that can help grow your small business? Google Primer is like having a business and marketing genius on hand to explain everything you need to know about online search, pay-per-click advertising, content creation, copywriting, and even managing your team. All the lessons are shared in small digestible, flash-card style format.
It’s simply an incredible resource put together by the most popular website in the world. Best of all, you can track your progress, so you know what you’ve learned, and the Google Primer app will suggest extra training that can enhance your knowledge.
Grow Smart, Grow Fast
Each of these tools is incredibly valuable for your small business marketing in the early stages. If you are just getting started, make sure to take advantage of each of them, and take the time to learn how to get the most from them. A few hours watching the tutorials or reading online marketing guides (which are also free) will set you well ahead of your competition.