When drafting an online marketing plan, you should also include the tools you'll use to streamline each marketing strategy. Checking your email on the Internet can be time consuming, so imagine manually implementing each aspect of your marketing plan on a daily basis. You'll have little time left for anything else if you don't find ways to streamline your home business. Many experts and inventors solved this problem, by providing software and services to save you time in marketing.
Email Marketing Tools
If you're just starting your business, you may not think it's a big deal to send out emails individually to the 5, 10 or 25 people on your email list. That list should grow though, and you can't continue doing it that way for 50, 100 or 1000 email subscribers. No matter how short your list is, you should subscribe to or purchase email marketing tools now to manage your subscribers. Some tools that are popular among home business owners are:
- Constant Contact
- Aweber
- AutoResponse Plus
- MailerMailer
Some of the tasks that email marketing tools can handle for you include unsubscribing individuals from your list when they request it, adding subscribers automatically and sending a series of emails on certain dates that you can schedule ahead of time.
Search Engine Optimization Tools
One alternative to hiring a search engine optimization (SEO) consultant is to use a software program. SEO software applications can be helpful for generating relevant keywords and checking your website frequently for broken links or other website problems. Here are some SEO tools to consider for online marketing:
- Web Position 4 Professional
- Keyword Elite
- BeOn Top
- DIYSEO
- WebCEO
The ability to customize the program is important for any software program you choose. You should also consider the technical support that the software provides, and telephone or live chat supports are the best.
Web Design Tools
Any online marketing campaign you launch should include a website for your business. People need to be directed to some location online where they can learn more about you and your services or products. It's also useful to have a website to handle transactions, such as buying or submitting a contact information form for an initial consultation. You can create your own website with little or no HTML knowledge, using these website creation tools:
- WordPress
- XsitePro
- SiteBuilder
You may want to hire a web designer for the more difficult tasks of building the website that you can't do on your own. It does save you costs if you're able to build the bulk of it on your own.
Writing Tools
A significant portion of your online marketing plan will revolve around writing, such as SEO article writing, tweets, online sales letters and blog posts. Finding writing tools to help your manage this task is helpful. A few to consider are:
- Instant Sales Letters
- Activ E-Book Power
- WhiteSmoke
Using software to help you write content is helpful, but you need to check the finished product thoroughly, or hire a freelance editor for help.
Don't run out and buy all of these online marketing tools at once. Determine your needs and prioritize your purchases. Check reviews of each one and test one out before moving to the next.
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Daphne Mallory, Esq. is
the co-owner of Mallory Writing Services and has written more than 100
articles helping home based business owners and entrepreneurs start and
market their business. You can learn more about her here.
