Our recommended free online tools for understanding your customers, competitors and campaign, and how you should use them - across 8 marketing analysis activities
I've found that when running training courses, the tools I recommend to help marketers are always popular content, especially free tools...
There's a diverse mix of free tools available, particularly to support marketers gain insight to plan their campaigns, one of the enjoyable aspects of working in digital marketing today.
I originally created this list in 2012, but have kept it updated since it's popular and new tools are released, and some features become paid... Revisiting it shows that many of the tools are well established, despite the many lists of essential Generative AI tools.
In this article, I'll cover 8 marketing analysis activities that hands-on digital marketers need to follow to optimize their reach activities, kicking off their RACE marketing strategy. There are 25+ links to alternative tools in…
Audit your marketing technology stack with the 6Cs to refine its capabilities and prove its return on investment
Do you know The Stackies? They're an informal contest arranged by Scott Brinker, creator of the Marketing Technology Vendor Landscape Supergraphic, where different companies visualize their marketing stacks in alternative ways to share their approaches. In 2025, Scott shared the latest MarTech stack entries, of which three are featured here, on LinkedIn.
They provide a quick, simple way to visualize the use of MarTech in your company to other businesses and get ideas on improvements. With the universal adoption of AI in businesses, the latest entries are interesting since they show alternative approaches to integrating AI into businesses, as shown in this example:
For me, part of the beauty of the The Stackies, is that businesses have a free rein to present…
Audit your MarTech stack and quickly compare 30 different types of digital marketing tools available at different price points for businesses
As marketers today, we’re fortunate to have a huge number of free and low-cost digital marketing tools to give us insight into our customers, competitors, and markets.
These strategic digital tools help us to compete to win and retain customers by delivering automated relevant, real-time marketing communications, integrated across digital devices and traditional marketing channels.
To help highlight the range of great options available, our updated MarTech essential digital marketing tools infographic recommends 30 categories of marketing technology and our pick of the most popular 5 in each category.
In 2024 we added a new category - we have included 5 Generative AI tools in the wheel. As the original break-through AI chatbot, we've put ChatGPT in first place. But you can read a full breakdown of other recommended AI tools below:
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Use our matrix to review your use of media channels to improve content visibility and impact across the customer journey
If you’re a regular reader of Smart Insights, it’s likely you’ve seen - or even better, used - our Content Marketing Matrix (developed with First10).
It has proved to be a popular infographic since it’s not just a nice visual of some interesting ‘facts and figures’ about marketing, rather it can actually be applied to get better results since it helps businesses brainstorm the best types of content to create as part of their content marketing strategy.
What is the Content Distribution Matrix?
This infographic follows on from our original Content Marketing Matrix, and is aimed at helping marketers review the effectiveness of different types of Paid, Owned, and Earned media to promote or distribute their content in generating site visits, leads or sales compared to the level of…
From SMART to SMARTER marketing objectives: Discover how to define marketing objectives, measure your digital marketing goals, and use data to inform your marketing strategy
When identifying specific marketing objectives to support your long-term goals, it is common practice to apply the widely used SMART mnemonic. You will know that SMART is used to assess the suitability of objectives set to drive different strategies or the improvement of the full range of business processes.
By its simplest definition, an effective SMART marketing objective is:
Specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound.
But you will learn in this article that beyond this well-known acronym, there are different variations and nuances which you can apply to practice Smarter Marketing.
What is Smarter Marketing?
The SMART acronym is much more than a mnemonic since it defines a way of thinking about getting better results within business and marketing. This mindset is based…
How to select the best digital and traditional marketing channels from 30+ alternatives using 2 practical tools
Naturally, small businesses have particularly limited resources whether it is people or budget, so it's crucial to select the most cost-effective communications to invest in. That means, free and low-cost marketing channels. So considering, Paid vs Owned vs Earned media options, you're going to be best considering the owned and earned options. In this guide, we will help you identify the best channels to use using two simple frameworks, so that you're not starting with a blank piece of paper or screen and can work through the options.
We'll review both online and offline techniques starting with 30+ channels to consider and then at the end, as a summary we'll help you zoom in on the top 5 to make it more manageable.
Before we look at tools to help you decided on your media,…
AIDA model explained: Examples and tips for using this strategic marcomms planning model the real world
The AIDA model, tracing the customer journey through Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action, is perhaps the best-known marketing model amongst all the classic marketing models.
Many marketers find AIDA useful since we apply this model daily, whether consciously or subconsciously, when we're planning our marketing communications strategy.
What is the AIDA model?
The AIDA Model identifies cognitive stages an individual goes through during the buying process for a product or service. It's a purchasing funnel where buyers go to and fro at each stage, to support them in making the final purchase.
It's no longer a relationship purely between the buyer and the company since social media has extended it to achieving the different goals of AIDA via information added by other customers via social networks and…
Dr. Dave Chaffey, author of Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice explains a process to achieve success by focusing on the 18 most important digital marketing techniques
Simply put, our definition of digital marketing, or online marketing, is:
"Achieving marketing objectives through applying digital media, data and technology."
Within this broad digital marketing definition, there are many vital channels and platforms that we will introduce and share strategies and tactics for in this article, as well as the key digital marketing KPIs and metrics for success. To our overview of digital marketing relevant for 2025 we also share some of the latest insights on which the most successful digital marketing channels are in 2025.
In this overview of digital marketing designed for people who are new to it, I will cover:
What is digital marketing?
18 key types of digital marketing techniques across 6 media channel
How to achieve the business…
Use our digital marketing strategy template integrated across the RACE Framework to plan and get ahead in your digital marketing
We all know the old saying “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”, but when it comes to digital marketing, this really is the case. It has never been more important than it is now to use a digital marketing strategy template so you can plan, manage and optimize your online activities.
Today, digital media is vital when it comes to driving leads and sales, meaning marketers need to understand how best to engage and convert online audiences. Despite this, our research into digital marketing trends for 2025 shows that many businesses (around 40%) still don’t have a digital marketing plan. As a result, companies are missing out on the benefits of having a digital marketing plan integrated into their overall marketing plan or as a separate roadmap…
7 steps to creating an effective marketing plan for businesses of all sizes
A marketing plan is a bit like a job description for your company. Everyone should have one, but they’re often not fit for purpose, out of date, and reviewed infrequently...
Research has shown that businesses with plans succeed, outperform competitors, and retain staff, more than those with no plan.
Without a plan there’s no direction for the company or its employees, decisions can be uninformed, opportunities can be missed and threats can damage or destroy the business.
Whether you are looking at creating a traditional marketing plan or a multichannel digital marketing plan, we've got resources to help you.
Free marketing plan template aimed at small businesses
In this article, Annmarie Hanlon recommends 7 simple steps for structuring a classic marketing plan. But for an SME or SMB, you need a little more detail about prioritizing your investment of time and…
