In Software ROI Guide, I’d like to get away from recommending single software platforms. Being effective in marketing also means being strategic in building a tech stack – a collection of software platforms to help you achieve your goals.
The goal of software planning isn’t to have more tools — it’s to have the right tools. Being strategic in your software purchases will also save money and reduce overwhelm and complexity in your business.
Considerations in building your tech stack
- Must integrate with multiple tools: Integration should allow for transfer of data, so that you spend less time on manual work. For instance, when I send out this newsletter, it automatically posts on my website.
- Must be scalable: Tools must grow with your business, so that you don’t have to disrupt your business by migrating to a more robust tool once you’ve outgrown basic features.
- Must work for your level of business: I remember talking to a new business owner who purchased Infusionsoft (now Keap) because he liked its complexity. Truth was, Infusionsoft was way above his capabilities, and he’d have been better off with Mailchimp.
Why the focus on content technology: Or, if a blog is published and no one reads it, does it exist?
For DIY marketers, content is the building block of marketing. In turn, without promotion, your content might as well not exist. You need tech tools to create and distribute your content.
A framework for building your content marketing tech stack rests on four angles:
- Content planning and research
- Content creation
- Content distribution and publishing
- Content performance management and analysis
A basic tech stack for content marketing
In keeping with the needs of solopreneurs or DIY marketers, these tools are easy to implement right out of the box. (The exception are the Google and Facebook tools, which are notorious for their complexity.)
1. Content planning and research
Google Keyword Planner (free): Provides basic keyword research to understand what your target audience is searching for.
Mini tutorial: How to Use Google Keyword Planner
Trello (free): Simple project management features to organize your editorial calendar and track your content creation process.
Ubersuggest (7 day free trial, then $29 per month): An SEO tool that helps with keyword suggestions, competitive analysis and content ideas.
2. Content creation
Canva (start free with a basic plan): Perfect for creating blog post images, social media graphics, and other visual content without a steep learning curve.
Note: If you run a small business, and use the Canva Teams option, here’s how to manage its new pricing structure.
Grammarly (free limited version): Terms itself as an AI writing assistant, but is also a tool to ensure your content is grammatically correct and concise before publishing.
3. Content distribution and publishing
Buffer (free forever, post on 3 channels, upgrade for unlimited posts): A straightforward social media scheduling tool to plan and automate your posts across different platforms.
Taplio (start with $39/month): A social media automation tool for LinkedIn users. It schedules content posting, provides AI content suggestions, and automates engagement with your audience. It also provides performance insights and tracking to measure your content’s performance on LinkedIn.
Mailchimp (free plan for up to 500 contacts): Who doesn’t know about Mailchimp? Useful for creating and sending email campaigns, with templates and easy automation.
4. Content performance management and analysis
Google Analytics (free): Track website traffic, user behavior, and conversions to see how well your content is performing.
Bitly (free for 5 links a month): Shorten and track links in your content to analyze which ones are getting the most clicks.
Facebook Insights: If you’re publishing Facebook, this built-in tool is necessary to determine how your posts perform.
The Facebook insights website provides a link to the insights tool, as well as free training and marketing advice.