11 Best Tools To Run Your Digital Marketing Agency Successfully

Intro

Running a marketing agency requires more than just creativity and business acumen; you need the right tools to streamline processes, optimize strategies, and analyze performance effectively.

Your ability to deliver results and demonstrate return on investment (ROI) hinges on utilizing advanced digital marketing tools designed for these very tasks. From automating repetitive jobs to excavating deep data insights, the right set of tools can revolutionize the way you manage campaigns, interact with clients, and measure success.

This article discusses the 10 best types of tools you should employ to run your digital marketing agency successfully. Let’s get started!

1. Ranktracker

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RankTracker emerges as a dynamic SEO toolkit that enables users to boost their website's search engine rankings and attract more traffic. It is particularly renowned for providing precise insights throughout every phase of the SEO optimization process, from the initial planning and analysis to continuous tracking and problem-solving.

Key features of RankTracker include:

• Rank Tracking: Allows you to enter specific keywords to monitor your website's rankings accurately, offering up-to-date tracking of your SEO progress.
• Keyword Finder: Helps you discover optimal keywords that can drive new visitors to your site, focusing on those with low difficulty and high search volumes.
• SERP Checker: Facilitates competitive research for any search term, providing detailed search engine results to pinpoint the best ranking opportunities.
• Web Audit: Scans your entire site for SEO issues and offers solutions, ensuring you're not held back by unnoticed problems.
• Backlink Checker and Monitor: Offers insights into your competitors' backlinks and tracks the backlinks to your site, including details like the domain rating of the linking pages.

Pricing

RankTracker offers a range of pricing plans tailored to meet different SEO needs, with the option to save 10% on all annual plans. Below is a brief overview of the available plans:

• Starter Plan: At $24 per month, this plan is best for beginners. It offers 200 daily tracked keywords, 2 competitors per domain, 200 monthly keyword finder lookups, 150 keyword suggestions per search, and 50 on-demand keyword difficulty checks.
• Double Data Plan: Priced at $59 per month, it doubles most allowances of the Starter plan, providing 1,000 daily tracked keywords, 5 competitors per domain, 1,000 monthly keyword finder lookups, and additional benefits.
• **Quad Data Plan: **This most popular plan costs $109 per month, featuring 2,000 daily tracked keywords, 10 competitors per domain, and further increased limits on monthly keyword finder lookups, keyword suggestions per search, and on-demand keyword difficulty checks.
• Hex Data Plan: At $209 per month, the Hex Data plan offers the most extensive data allowances, including 4,000 daily tracked keywords, 20 competitors per domain, and the highest limits on monthly keyword finder lookups and keyword suggestions per search.

2. HubSpot

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HubSpot stands out as a powerful all-in-one marketing platform designed to align your agency's marketing, sales, and service activities. Its comprehensive suite of tools enables you to handle client relationships, streamline workflows, and measure the success of your campaigns. With a user-friendly interface, HubSpot assists in automating many tedious tasks that can bog down your day-to-day operations.

Key features of HubSpot include:

• CRM Functionality: Centralize your customer data and interactions in one place, providing insights to tailor your marketing approaches effectively.
• Marketing Automation: Streamline your marketing processes by automating repetitive tasks for campaigns and lead nurturing.
• Analytics: Gain valuable insights into your marketing efforts with detailed reports and dashboards, helping you make data-driven decisions.
• Email Marketing: Create, personalize, and optimize your email campaigns without needing a designer.
• Social Media Management: Schedule posts, interact with followers, and measure the performance of your content across different platforms.
• Content Management System (CMS): Develop and manage a responsive website with integrated SEO recommendations and lead generation tools.

Pricing

HubSpot offers tiered pricing to match the size and scale of your agency:

• Professional ($800/month/ 3 seats): Get to grips with essential tools at an accessible price point.
• Enterprise ($3600/month/ 5 seats): Expand your capabilities with advanced features for growing agencies.

3. Marketo

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Marketo is a comprehensive cloud-based marketing platform recognized for its ability to aid in the digital marketing efforts of agencies of all sizes. It excels at streamlining automation and ensuring that your campaigns are effectively targeted and executed. By offering an extensive suite of tools designed to engage customers and prospects across various channels, Marketo empowers you to create, manage, and measure marketing engagement, campaigns, and activities.

Key features of Marketo include:

• Lead Management: Efficient tracking and nurturing of leads to improve conversion rates.
• Email Marketing: Advanced capabilities to personalize and automate your email campaigns.
• Consumer Marketing: Tools to customize interactions based on customer behaviors and preferences.
• Revenue Attribution: Insights into how marketing efforts are contributing to the bottom line.
• Account-Based Marketing: Target and engage key accounts with personalized campaigns.
• Mobile Marketing: Engage customers on mobile devices with personalized messages and content.

Pricing:

Marketo offers pricing based on the size of your database and the features you need. While specific pricing is not publicly disclosed, Marketo operates on a subscription model that typically requires you to get in touch for a customized quote.

4. Hootsuite

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Hootsuite is a comprehensive tool designed to streamline your digital marketing efforts by centralizing your social media management. With this tool, you can efficiently craft and schedule content, oversee multiple accounts, and interact with followers across various social platforms. Its intuitive dashboard presents a unified view of all your social media channels, enabling you to monitor and engage with your audience without having to switch between accounts.

Key features of Hootsuite include:

• Content Scheduling: Plan your posts in advance and release them at optimal times to maximize reach.
• Unified Inbox: Manage and respond to messages and comments from multiple platforms in one consolidated space.
• Analytics: Obtain insights with analytics tools that track your social media performance and identify trends.
• Team Collaboration: Assign tasks, approve content, and collaborate seamlessly with team members.
• Social Listening: Monitor brand mentions and relevant conversations to stay engaged with current and potential customers.
• App Integrations: Enhance functionality with hundreds of third-party applications and integrations.

Pricing:

Hootsuite offers various plans to accommodate your agency’s size and budget. While specific pricing may vary, it typically starts with a Professional plan that costs $23 which caters to the needs of small businesses and solo professionals. Advanced plans are available for larger agencies that require more extensive features and collaboration tools. Explore the comprehensive pricing guide to find the tier that best aligns with your agency’s requirements.

5. Buffer

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Buffer is a social media management tool tailored for maximizing your efficiency in managing social media accounts. It allows you to schedule posts, analyze the performance of your content, and manage all your social media profiles from a single platform. Its user-friendly interface is especially beneficial if you're new to social media management, ensuring a short learning curve so that you can get started quickly.

**Key features of Buffer include: **

• Scheduling: Plan your posts for all major social media platforms in advance.
• Analytics: Obtain insights on post-performance to inform your digital strategy.
• Multiple Account Management: Manage all your accounts from one centralized dashboard.
• Team Collaboration: Work together with your team on campaigns and content.
• Social Media Calendar: Visualize your content strategy with an intuitive calendar view.
• Engagement: Track user engagement and interactions within the tool.

Pricing:

Buffer offers various pricing plans to suit your agency's size and needs:

• Free Plan: Limited to 3 social channels and 10 scheduled posts per channel.
• Essential Plan: Expand your access with $6/month per channel and unlimited scheduled posts per channel.
• Team Plan: For advanced needs, with additional features such as analytics. It costs $12/month per channel and offers unlimited scheduled posts per channel.
• Agency Plan: Tailored for larger teams requiring extensive collaboration and management tools. It costs $120/month for the first 10 channels and then $6/month for every additional channel.

Each paid tier increases the number of accounts and posts you can manage, with prices scaling according to feature set and capabilities. You can choose monthly or annual billing, with savings available on the latter. Visit the Buffer pricing page for detailed information on each plan's offerings and to select the best option for your agency.

6. Keyhole

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Keyhole is one of the top-rated social media analytics tools that will help you gauge the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Right from dissecting a top trend in terms of data to getting analytics about your profile, Keyhole has everything you need. You can even manage multiple campaigns, onboard influencers, and know who’s giving you the maximum ROI.

Key features of Keyhole include:

• Insightful Scheduling: Know your best time to post and schedule your content accordingly for maximum reach.
• Competitive Analysis: Benchmark your brand presence with that of your competitors and know who’s leading the race.
• Top Influencers: Know who’s your brand advocate and hire them for your next row of campaigns.
• Real-time Dashboards: Share with your teammates dashboards with real-time data.
• Trending Topics: Analyze keywords and hashtags related to budding trends and decide if they are worth participating or not.
• Historical Data: Access your data from the past to spot specific patterns and trends.

Pricing:

Keyhole offers multiple plans for varying needs of teams:

• Individual: Limited to 3 profiles and 3K mentions with the cost of $89/month.
• Team: Get up to 10K mentions and add 5 profiles at $189/month.
• Pro: Access 25K mentions and manage 10 profiles for $259/month.
• Advanced: Double your Pro quota and track up to 50K mentions with analytics of 25 profiles for $549/month.

Each plan comes with mention and profile limits, with prices scaling according to feature set and capabilities. You can choose monthly or annual billing, with a discount of 25% available on the latter. Check Keyhole’s pricing page for more customized offers.

7. SEMrush

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SEMrush is a comprehensive digital marketing suite that provides you with an extensive range of tools to enhance your online visibility and discover marketing insights. It is designed to assist your agency in search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, competitor research, PPC, and social media marketing.

Key features of SEMrush include:

• SEO Toolkit: Analyze your competitors' SEO strategies with the Organic Research tool, which gives insights into organic keyword rankings and traffic estimations.
• Content Marketing: SEMrush offers tools to improve content with SEO writing assistance and content audits.
• Market Analysis: Gain an edge with deep market insights, including competitor analysis and market trends.
• Advertising Toolkit: Optimize your PPC campaigns with keyword research, ad builder, and PLA insights.
• Social Media Management: Schedule and post content across social channels while analyzing performance.
• Agency Growth Kit: Specifically tailored for digital agencies, including CRM for managing client data and Agency Partners platform.

**Pricing: **

SEMrush pricing is structured in tiers based on the features you need:

• Pro: For freelancers and startups at $129.95/month, offering a basic toolkit.
• Guru: For SMB and growing marketing agencies at $249.95/month, you receive extended limits and features, including historical data.
• Business: For agencies and enterprises with extensive web presence at $499.95/month, it includes API access and extended limits and sharing options.

Additional services and custom solutions are available, and the prices may vary based on your specific requirements and any applicable discounts or promotions.

8. Ahrefs

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Ahrefs is a comprehensive suite of SEO tools designed to help you navigate the complexity of digital marketing. Recognized as one of the most powerful platforms for SEO analysis, Ahrefs offers in-depth insights into your website's performance and competitive landscape. With its robust database and user-friendly interface, Ahrefs equips you with the resources you need to craft effective marketing strategies and boost your online presence.

**Key features of Ahrefs include: **

• Site Audit: This tool crawls your website and identifies a variety of technical and on-page SEO issues that you can address to improve your site health.
• Keywords Explorer: Utilize this feature to find relevant keywords with actionable data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and traffic potential.
• Content Explorer: Discover popular content within your niche and use these insights to carve out compelling content for your audience.
• Rank Tracker: Monitor your site's performance on SERPs for targeted keywords and measure your SEO progress over time.
• Competitor Analysis: Gain a strategic advantage with detailed reports on your competitor’s search traffic and link profiles.

Pricing:

Ahrefs offers several pricing tiers based on your needs:

• Lite ($99): Perfect for freelancers and small in-house marketers.
• Standard ($199): Ideal for SEO professionals and regular users.
• Advanced ($399): Suited for larger businesses and agencies with extensive needs.
• Enterprise: Customizable for large enterprises with specific requirements.

9. Mailchimp

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Mailchimp is a dynamic, all-in-one marketing platform designed to help your digital marketing agency streamline its efforts. With tools for email marketing, automation, social media, and CRM, you're equipped to effectively manage and grow your client's audience. The platform is user-friendly and provides the versatility needed for small businesses to large enterprises.

Key features of Mailchimp include:

• Email Marketing Campaigns: Create and send tailored emails that resonate with your client's target audience.
• Automations: Set up triggers to send messages based on user behavior, enhancing the timeliness and relevance of communication.
• CRM Tools: Keep track of your interactions with customers and manage relationships through comprehensive CRM functionalities.
• Social Media Management: Plan and publish content across various social media platforms directly from Mailchimp.
• Reports & Analytics: Access detailed reports to analyze the success of campaigns and strategize future moves.
• Segmentation: Group your audience based on similar traits or behaviors for more targeted marketing efforts.

Pricing:

Mailchimp offers a tiered pricing structure to accommodate the varying needs of digital agencies:

• Free Plan: Manage up to 2,000 contacts and send up to 10,000 emails per month.
• Essentials Plan: Starting at $4.63/month, gain access to advanced features like A/B testing and 24/7 support.
• Standard Plan: Beginning at $6.91/month, this adds features such as behavioral targeting and custom templates.
• Premium Plan: Starting at $138/month for professional uses, including multivariate testing and advanced segmentation.

Remember, pricing can scale with the growth of your client list and the level of features your agency requires.

10. Brevo (Former Sendinblue)

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Brevo is a comprehensive digital marketing platform that allows you to streamline your marketing strategies and enhance customer engagement through various channels. As a digital marketing tool, Brevo is designed to provide you with a multifaceted approach for connecting with leads and customers, thereby optimizing outreach efforts. It is suitable for both B2B and B2C marketing, giving you a platform to manage email campaigns, automation, and CRM.

Key features of Brevo include:

• Email Campaigns: Create and send professional emails with an easy-to-use design interface.
• Marketing Automation: Set up workflows to automate repetitive tasks and segment your contacts for targeted campaigns.
• CRM Functionality: Manage your customer relationships and communication in one place.
• Transactional Emails: Send transactional emails that are triggered by specific actions, ensuring timely communication.
• SMS Marketing: Expand your outreach through SMS messages, directly reaching customers on their mobile devices.
• Landing Pages: Design landing pages to capture leads and integrate seamlessly with your marketing campaigns.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Kickstart with no cost, limited to 300 emails per day.
• Lite Plan: Geared towards growing businesses, with pricing starting at $9/month when billed yearly or $16/month when billed monthly, focusing on increased email volume and additional marketing features.
• Business Plan: Designed for marketing managers and e-commerce professionals, with advanced features to enhance marketing campaigns, priced at $25/month.

For a more in-depth look at the plans offered and to find which one suits your agency's needs, explore Brevo Pricing.

11. Google Ads

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Google Ads is a powerful digital advertising platform that allows you to reach potential customers on Google Search, YouTube, and other websites across the web. By targeting specific keywords and demographics, you can create ads that are tailored to your agency's audience, ensuring your message is seen by those most likely to convert. With its pay-per-click (PPC) model, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective way to drive traffic and leads.

Key features of Google Ads include:

• Keyword Targeting: Select the terms that are most relevant to your services and appear in potential clients' searches.
• Audience Targeting: Tailor your campaigns to target customers based on location, age, interests, and more.
• Budget Control: Set your daily budget to manage expenses and avoid overspending.
• Performance Analytics: Track ad performance with detailed reports and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Ad Formats: Choose from various ad formats like text, image, and video ads to engage users.
• Campaign Management Tools: Use built-in tools to manage, optimize, and monitor your campaigns efficiently.

Pricing:

Google Ads operates on a flexible pricing model. Your agency controls the budget by setting maximum bid amounts for your ads and daily budget limits. Actual costs depend on the competitiveness of your targeted keywords and the quality of your ad campaigns. While there is no minimum spending requirement, Google recommends a daily budget to maintain a steady presence and gain adequate performance data.

Conclusion

Each of these tools discussed above serves a purpose that, when combined effectively, can help manage demands, streamline operations, and improve service delivery.

Remember, the digital space is dynamic, and staying updated with the latest marketing tools is key. Continuously assess the effectiveness of your tools and embrace innovation to maintain a competitive edge.

Your agency's success hinges on your adaptability and the quality of your toolkit. Choose wisely and stay ahead.