“Content marketing is the only marketing left.”
When Seth Godin, the godfather of modern marketing, said that in 2008, it seemed a little abstract. Perhaps there was an eye-roll or stifled snigger in some corners.
But who is laughing now?
With the world hurtling into a digital future at breakneck speed, content marketing has become the dominant force in virtually every industry.
Sure, it has a myriad of diverse, far-reaching tentacles, but all are focused on the same overarching goal:
Connect your awesome content with your ideal customers.
Now, everyone who wants to be anyone online is looking for the best content marketing tools to turbocharge their brand.
Knowing where to start can be overwhelming. From SEO and keywords, to writing and publishing, social media to email, there certainly is a heck of a lot to think about.
And here’s the thing:
Nobody wants to waste their time with substandard content.
In this article, we’ll cover the top content marketing tools to use today. Implementing these will allow you to create content that your audience will love.
Ultimately, these tools will help your brand grow exponentially, doing wonders for your bottom line.
Best Content Marketing Tools in 2018
A solid content strategy is the difference between becoming a thought leader in your industry and your unknown blog surviving on lonely comments from your mom.
Here are seven content publishing tools that will enable you to connect with your target audience, boost organic traffic and social shares, and eventually build a loyal following.
1. BuzzSumo
Best for: Discovering key influencers and most-shared content
Cost: 7-day free trial available, paid options start at $79 per month
Online, people are exposed to 10,000 brand messages every day. It’s tough to get their attention.
So, why waste time creating content that your target audience doesn’t care about?
With BuzzSumo, you never will again.
In the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee, you can use this incredible instrument to generate a list of golden ideas for your next quarter’s content.
You can see what your audiences reads and shares most on the internet, gauge what type of articles they’re interested in, and discover influencers to help drive engagement.
2. SEMrush
Best for: Finding high-value keywords
Cost: 14-day free trial available, paid options start at $99.95 per month
SEO may be changing, but keywords aren’t going anywhere.
Content marketing without high-value keywords is akin to fishing without bait.
Yes, of course you should write for people first, not simply to please the Gods of Google.
However, Google is focused on searcher intent now, and if you want to create kickass content, you need to know what people are searching for.
SEMrush provides great insights on precisely that, as well as allowing you to see what keywords your competitors are ranking for.
You can also view the keywords that your pages are currently ranking for, which provides opportunities to refresh your existing content to rise in Google SERPs.
Some time spent doing proper keyword research is crucial to your content creation. It enables you to get an edge on competitors by discovering valuable keywords that are not yet tapped out.
Moreover, you can see what keywords and terms your potential customers are using to search with, and then craft quality content around those queries.
3. HubSpot
Best for: Managing inbound marketing campaigns
Cost: Free forever version available, paid options start at $50 per month
The crown jewel of the inbound marketing sphere is HubSpot. It is armed to the teeth with a host of tools that enable content creators to produce and run finely-tuned marketing campaigns.
From marketing automation and analytics, to email and advertising, this platform has it covered. It also has a plethora of free white papers and actionable advice on content marketing.
Serious inbound marketers should look no further than HubSpot.
4. CoSchedule
Best for: Getting your marketing sh*t together
Cost: 14-day free trial available, paid options start at $60 per month
Every would-be digital entrepreneur or blogger knows the struggle of trying to organize the bazillion tasks on their to-do list.
While Excel sheets and handwritten journals may work for a while, in the end, having one of the most useful content publishing tools at your disposal is a luxury worth splurging on.
Co-Schedule keeps your content strategy on track, allowing for solid planning weeks in advance, plus easy scheduling and publishing of blogs and social media posts.
You can also integrate all your content for Google Docs and Evernote, as well as emails, making this the perfect centralized platform for all strategy, scheduling and communications.
5. MailChimp
Best for: Email marketing automation
Cost: Free forever version available, paid options start at $10 per month
Email is the top choice for lead generation for 89% of marketers.
With MailChimp, you can choose from an array of templates, create newsletters and target segments of your audience depending on where they are in the buyer’s journey.
Going further, you can glean data insights on open rates and share counts, enabling you to improve your subject lines and email content.
Best of all, MailChimp is free for up to 2000 subscribers, making it an obvious choice for new start-ups.
6. Google Analytics
Best for: Tracking traffic
Cost: Free, unless you’re massive
If you’re going to use the best content marketing tools to craft and publish fantastic content, you’ll want to see some results, right?
Hooking your website up to Google Analytics makes that possible. You can check site traffic, see where visitors come from, what they view, and what they share.
This data allows you to see what content is delivering the best ROI, giving your marketing campaign the information needed to adapt to the interests of your visitors.
Unless you’re exceeding over 5 million monthly impressions, Google Analytics is free. No start-up or SMB should be without it.
7. Outbrain
Best for: Amplification through advertising
Cost: Operates on Cost-Per-Click (CPC) model
So, you’ve researched hot content topics, discovered high-value keywords, and crafted killer content. It’s all tied up on your scheduling platform and your email marketing campaign is firing on all cylinders.
And yet, your traffic is barely a trickle. What gives?
Content marketing is not an easy nut to crack today because many markets are oversaturated. Luckily, the rise of machine learning allows you to tailor your delivery to places where it is likely to get more engagement.
Outbrain uses personalized recommendations to bring your content to your audience, wherever they may be. This amplification of your content might not come cheap, but it’s a surefire way to grow your audience.
Without effective tools for content marketing, you’ll be throwing all your content into a vacuum. But with the best tools, you can transform small ideas into a booming business.
