{"id":7924,"date":"2023-02-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tegnacorpstage.wpengine.com\/advertise\/2017\/09\/26\/free-digital-tools-every-business-owner-should-know\/"},"modified":"2023-02-17T10:37:33","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T17:37:33","slug":"free-digital-tools-every-business-owner-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/free-digital-tools-every-business-owner-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Free Advertising Tools for Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The internet is huge, constantly growing, and is a changing universe of information, and there are some great tools to help supplement your marketing efforts \u2014 from producing content to tracking your results. We\u2019ve scratched the surface and provided our list of noteworthy (and free!) tools for business owners.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to handling your marketing, you get what you pay for. Professional marketing partners and paid tools are commonly on the route to positive marketing ROI \u2014 but that\u2019s not to say that there aren\u2019t free tools out there to be aware of and leverage for your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

The internet is huge, constantly growing, and is a changing universe of information, and there are some great tools to help supplement your marketing efforts \u2014 from producing content to tracking your results. We\u2019ve scratched the surface and provided our list of noteworthy (and free!) tools for business owners below, broken down by purpose. These tools can help you better manage your budget and time, so you can focus on <\/span>improving your ad conversion rates<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Trackable URL Shorteners<\/b><\/h2>\n

Years ago, the advent of Twitter put a premium on the number of characters used to share a message. Today, URL shorteners are for more than ensuring everything fits\u2014they can help you track your links and customize links to fit your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bitly<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Bitly was among the first to provide shortened URLs. In addition to the shortening, it allows you to track link performance, including information about the audiences it reaches. Bitly also provides a paid enterprise option that features branded and customized URLs, advanced metrics, and campaign optimization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Goo.gl<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Google is a master of digital innovation, so this tool comes as no surprise. It provides click analytics and audience visualization. However, keep in mind that the link and its data are public when you use this shortener.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bit.do<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Bit.do can be used with or without an account, and provides customization options. However, an account is necessary to manage and access analytics, including referral websites and geolocation. A paid version is available that also provides a custom domain.<\/span><\/p>\n

A marketing professional can help create your own custom URL shortener branded to your company, and even take analytics to the next level in many cases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Audience Analytics<\/b><\/h2>\n

The first step in successful marketing is identifying and understanding your target market. The tools below help you do that across a variety of digital spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google Analytics<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Google is a powerhouse for businesses looking to connect with audiences strategically, and its analytics platform is a must-have for most businesses. While Google now provides a full suite of analytics-related products, the free tool allows you to understand how customer behavior relates to channel performance across sites, apps, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Talkwalker<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

A social listening tool, Talkwalker helps you monitor mentions of your business, products or industry across social networks, including those with whom you don\u2019t have an account. It also provides some insight into cross-channel campaign performance and hashtag tracking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hotjar<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Hotjar helps you find \u201chot opportunities\u201d for growth. It creates heat maps to represent taps, clicks, and scrolling on your website. It can even help you identify usability issues by providing recordings of real visitors on your site as they navigate through pages. The basic version is free, though it provides limited reports and data storage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understanding your target audience is no small task\u2014nor is it something you can check off your list once and be done. With many variables to factor in, it takes dedicated resources and industry know-how to stay on top of who you\u2019re trying to reach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research & Design<\/b><\/h2>\n

While the tools we\u2019ve mentioned so far focus on managing content and measuring campaign performance, sometimes you need a hand earlier on. These free tools can help you get started.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think with Google<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n

Google has a variety of free tools to strengthen your digital marketing, including:<\/span><\/p>\n