As a small business owner, you're juggling a dozen roles at once, and ‘marketing expert' is just one of them. You know you need to get the word out, but with so many tools on the market, how do you know which ones are worth your time and money?
I've been there, and that's exactly why I decided to make this guide.
After 6+ years in the SEO industry, I've spent a lot of time working with small business marketing tools. And guess what, they all like to call themselves the “best.”
But the reality is, a lot of them aren't going to help you grow your business. It's all marketing hype.
My goal is to cut through the noise and give you a no-fluff list of the actual best marketing tools for small business owners. I've rigorously tested and used them all, so you don't have to spend your hard-earned money blindly.
Let's get into it.
In This Article
- What Are Small Business Marketing Tools?
- Why Small Businesses Need Marketing Tools
- In a Hurry? Your First 5 Marketing Tools (Free to Start)
- Best Marketing Tools for Small Businesses
- Step 1: Get Found on Google (Essential SEO Tools)
- Step 2: Turn Visitors Into Customers (Lead Generation Tools)
- Step 3: Grow Your Audience (Social Media & Email Tools)
- Your Next Step: Building Your Small Business Marketing Stack
- FAQs About Small Business Marketing Tools
What Are Small Business Marketing Tools?
Small business marketing tools are solutions designed to help entrepreneurs and teams promote their businesses more efficiently. These tools automate repetitive tasks, offer insights about your audience, and help you create, distribute, and track marketing campaigns without needing a huge budget or staff.
Whether you’re handling everything yourself or leading a small team, the right tools let you punch above your weight and focus on what matters: growing your business.
Why Small Businesses Need Marketing Tools
Most small businesses have lean marketing teams. These get overwhelmed by all the tasks they need to do in order to get traction for their brands. The right tools can help you and your team:
- Save time: Automate repetitive tasks so you can focus on strategy and customer relationships.
- Reach more customers: Expand your presence across multiple channels without spreading yourself too thin.
- Measure results: Track what’s working (and what isn’t) so you can invest your resources wisely.
- Stay competitive: Use data and automation to keep up with bigger brands.
Ready to create your marketing tool stack?
Let’s look at some of the best small business marketing tools you should consider. I’ll group them by category to make it easier for you to choose the right ones for your business.
In a Hurry? Your First 5 Marketing Tools (Free to Start)
If you're starting from scratch, you don't need dozens of tools. You need a solid foundation.
Here’s my recommended “starter stack” of essential free tools you can set up today:
- All in One SEO (Lite Version): The first step is making sure customers can find you. AIOSEO is the easiest way to handle the essential SEO for your WordPress site.
- MonsterInsights (Free Version): This plugin puts Google Analytics right on your WordPress dashboard, so you can easily see who's visiting your site.
- WPForms (Lite Version): Every website needs a contact form. WPForms Lite is the simplest way to let potential customers get in touch with you.
- OptinMonster (Free Plan): Start building your email list from day one with a simple popup or lead capture form.
- Buffer (Free Plan): Save time by scheduling up to 30 social media posts in advance across three different channels.
Best Marketing Tools for Small Businesses
To make this list as actionable as possible, I’ve broken down my top picks into a simple, 3-step plan for growing your business online.
- Step 1: Get Found on Google. First, we'll cover the foundational SEO tools to ensure customers can find your website.
- Step 2: Turn Visitors into Customers. Next, we'll show you how to build your email list and sales funnel with the best lead generation software.
- Step 3: Grow Your Audience. Finally, we'll dive into the top tools for engaging followers on social media and through email marketing.
Feel free to jump to the section you need most, or follow along from the beginning to build your complete marketing stack.
Step 1: Get Found on Google (Essential SEO Tools)
Want more website traffic? Search engine optimization (SEO) is key.
Studies show that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, making SEO an important digital marketing channel.
Here are some of the top SEO tools I swear by to help me do just that:
1. All In One SEO (AIOSEO)

If you're a small business with a website, your top marketing priority is making sure potential customers can find you on Google. All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is the original and most powerful WordPress SEO plugin that makes this easy, even if you're not a tech expert.
Instead of hiring an expensive digital marketing agency, AIOSEO gives you a simple, actionable SEO features right in WordPress.
Some features and modules that can help you boost your online visibility include:
- AI Assistant: Generate entire blog posts, summaries, key points, FAQs, and more with the help of AI.
- AI Image Generator: Google Images has over 1 billion searches every day. Create original images right in Wordpress and diversify your traffic channels.
- Cornerstone Content: Tell search engines which posts are your most important pages. This helps you build topical authority and enhances your semantic SEO.
- Search Statistics: Stop jumping between tools and view important Google Search Console data within WordPress.
- Keyword Rank Tracker: Keep track of your most valuable keywords and their ranking positions in Google search results.
- AI Writing Assistant: Identify relevant keywords, improve readability, and optimize your content for search engines, ensuring it ranks higher in search results.
- Schema Generator: Generate perfectly formatted schema markup and increase your chances of ranking with rich snippets in Google. No code required.
- Redirection Manager: Manage redirects and eliminate 404 errors, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site.
- And more
For step-by-step instructions on how to install AIOSEO, check our detailed installation guide.
If you run an eCommerce store built on WooCommerce, AIOSEO also has features tailored to help with help your product pages rank. Check out our WooCommerce SEO Guide to see how you can use AIOSEO to outrank your competitors.
Additionally, AIOSEO also has modules to help with local SEO, on-page SEO, and technical SEO. All these features make it easier to grow your business organically. That means lower customer acquisition costs. 💪
Pricing: Starts at $49.60. A free plan is also available.
Why it's essential for small businesses: For a small business, time is money. AIOSEO is designed to be the most beginner-friendly SEO plugin on the market. It takes the complex world of search engine optimization and turns it into a simple, guided process that you can manage in just a few minutes per page, helping you rank higher without the steep learning curve.
2. LowFruits

LowFruits is the best small business marketing tool for keyword research. It’s a unique tool created to help you identify low-competition keywords by analyzing Google’s SERPs. This unique combination of keyword research and SERP analysis makes it a standout tool compared to other platforms.
LowFruits also offers a range of other features, such as:
- Rank Tracker: LowFruits' Rank Tracker provides a visual representation of historical and current ranking data. You also get a list of the top 10 organic results for the keyword.
- Domain Explorer: The Domain Explorer shows you a list of competitors within your niche. You can add these websites to your extraction list and get their keywords.
- Keyword Extractor: The ranking keyword extractor tool extracts the top-ranking keywords from competitors' websites.
LowFruits is an effective keyword research tool that I turn to for most projects. It's great at uncovering relevant and easy-to-rank keywords. It also offers tools to help me spy on competitors, empowering me to outrank them.
For example, the list below shows weak competitors that the tool uncovered within the florist industry. When you see one similar to you, you can click the + button to add it to your extraction list.

Once you’ve added competitors to your list, you can use the Keyword Extractor to get a list of competitors’ keyword ideas, ranking keywords, or even their sitemaps.
LowFruits Pricing: LowFruits has 2 types of plans you can choose from—pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pricing and subscriptions. PAYG packages are based on credits and start at $25 for 2,000 credits. A standard subscription is $21/month and comes with 3,000 credits.
Why it's essential for small businesses: LowFruits helps you find low-competition keywords, so you can rank faster by targeting topics your bigger competitors have ignored.
3. Broken Link Checker

Another essential small business marketing tool that can help boost your SEO is Broken Link Checker (BLC). Developed by the same reliable team behind the popular All In One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin, you can expect clean and effective code.
As the name suggests, BLC helps you identify and remove broken links from your WordPress site. This is critical for SEO, as links are among the top ranking factors search engines use to rank content. Plus, broken links on your site can hinder crawling and indexing, costing you:
- Traffic
- Rankings
- Conversions
That’s why your marketing toolbox must include a broken link checker like BLC.
Broken Link Checker is a fantastic tool for maintaining your site’s health and ensuring you nail your technical SEO. The plugin automates the task of finding and fixing broken links, saving you a lot of time as you won’t have to look for them manually. And when you find a broken link, you have many options for handling it, including editing the URL, unlinking it, rechecking it, or redirecting it!

Broken Link Checker is undoubtedly one of the first small business marketing tools you should install on your site if you’re serious about using your site as a lead generation or sales machine.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $4.99.
Why it's essential for small businesses: BLC automatically finds and helps you fix broken links, which keeps your site looking professional and trustworthy to both visitors and Google.
4. SEOBoost
Another SEO tool I recommend adding to your marketing tool stack is SEOBoost. This is an excellent tool I use to create content that ranks.

SEOBoost is a full-suite content management platform designed to help you create and manage your SEO content creation workflow from start to finish. Some tasks you can use it for include:
- Creating content briefs and outlines
- Creating topic reports
- Speeding up content optimization using AI
I also find SEOBoost helpful for keyword research, as it helps me discover relevant secondary and LSI keywords to incorporate into my content.

I've found SEOBoost to be most helpful when updating existing content. It audits content based on the target keyword and compares it to top-ranking content on SERPs. All I have to do is input the URL of the page I want to audit and my focus keyword. SEOBoost will conduct an audit and provide a detailed report.
Once the audit is complete and I’ve analyzed the data, I simply click the Optimize Content button.

Doing so takes me to a page where I can use the content audit results to optimize my content. This feature is especially useful when bulk optimizing existing product pages and landing pages.
SEOBoost Pricing: Paid plans start at $30/month. SEOBoost also offers a 14-day free trial.
Why it's essential for small businesses: SEOBoost helps you get more traffic from content you've already written, giving you a quick win without having to start from scratch. It can also help you come up with a content strategy for new posts and pages.
5. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights is the best small business marketing tool for tracking your site’s analytics. It’s the most popular WordPress Google Analytics plugin on the market, boasting over 3 million users.
MonsterInsights’ popularity stems from its ability to deliver the robust capabilities of Google Analytics through a remarkably easy-to-use interface. By bringing all your essential website data directly into your WordPress dashboard, MonsterInsights offers unparalleled convenience for understanding your site's performance.
MonsterInsights offers in-depth insights into where your site visitors come from and how they interact with your content. This enables you to optimize your site and content for maximum conversions based on real user behavior.
If you use WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads to sell on your website, MonsterInsights also offers enhanced eCommerce tracking features. These help you to optimize your site and landing pages for improved sales.
Pricing: Starts at $99.50/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: MonsterInsights makes Google Analytics easy to understand by putting simple, clear reports right inside your WordPress dashboard.
6. SEO Analyzer by AIOSEO

SEO Analyzer is a powerful tool that crawls and audits your site to identify critical errors that may be hindering your SEO efforts. It also provides actionable insights to help you enhance your SEO.
In essence, SEO Analyzer functions as your personal SEO checkup, identifying areas where your site may be lagging and offering solutions to improve. Examples of how AIOSEO's analyzer helps you implement SEO best practices include:
- Find SEO issues: Easily find SEO-related issues on your site and get actionable data to fix them before they become problematic.
- Fix critical issues: Overhaul your site and eliminate all SEO issues negatively impacting your site.
Besides analyzing your site, you can use SEO Analyzer for your competitor analysis. Simply enter your competitor’s URL, and the tool will provide a report on their SEO. You can use this to determine their strengths & weaknesses and identify gaps in their strategy.
Pricing: Free.
Why it's essential for small businesses: SEO Analyzer is a free tool that gives you a quick report card on your website's SEO health, showing you exactly where to start improving.
7. Semrush

Semrush is another top-ranking small business marketing tool to consider as you build your business. It’s a full-suite SEO and content marketing tool that’s used and loved by many marketers. Some of its most popular use cases include:
- Keyword research
- Search intent analysis
- Backlink analysis
- Competitor research
- And more
An advanced feature you’ll love is the Site Audit tool. It reports on domain-level and page-level SEO performance, so you know exactly how your SEO campaigns are performing. The tool also runs technical SEO audits, analyzes your competitors’ SEO strategies, analyzes any domain's backlink profile, and more.
With so many features and use cases, Semrush certainly deserves a spot among the best SEO marketing tools on the market. However, one of the biggest drawbacks of Semrush is the price tag, which puts it out of reach for many small businesses.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $139.95/month. A free plan is available, but it’s limited.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Semrush is an all-in-one toolkit that lets you see what's working for your competitors, saving you time and money on market research.
8. Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is the best free marketing tool for small businesses. It’s a free digital marketing tool by Google that allows you to track your site’s performance and identify technical issues that may be impacting it. You can also use it to monitor your keyword rankings, impressions, clickthrough rates, and other essential SEO data.
However, one of GSC's biggest drawbacks is that the reports can contain so much data that they can overwhelm beginners. This is one of the main reasons we recommend using AIOSEO’s Search Statistics instead. With Search Statistics, you get the data presented in an easy-to-digest format, helping you make data-backed decisions.
One reason SEOs love GSC is that you can use it to submit sitemaps for faster crawling of content. This improves your chances of ranking high on search engines. And with AIOSEO's GSC integration, your sitemaps are automatically synced with Google!

This feature in AIOSEO means I have one less thing to worry about when it comes to ensuring the indexation of my content.
Pricing: Free.
For a more comprehensive list of tools in this category, check out our expertly curated list of the best SEO marketing tools for any business.
Why it's essential for small businesses: This free tool is your direct line of communication with Google, providing essential data on your site's performance that you can't get anywhere else
Quick Comparison of Small Business SEO Tools
| Tool Name | Purpose | Key Features | Pricing | Suitable For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All In One SEO (AIOSEO) | SEO for WordPress websites | Keyword optimization, sitemap generation, schema markup | Free version available, paid plans start at $49.60/mo | Small businesses seeking improved search visibility |
| LowFruits | Keyword research and content optimization | Keyword suggestions, competition analysis | Pay-as-you-go credits, plans start at $21/mo | Content creators and marketers |
| Broken Link Checker | Website health and link management | Detects broken links, reports issues | Free, paid plans start at $4.99/mo | DIY SEOs and website administrators |
| SEOBoost | SEO content planning | Site audits, keyword tracking | Free trial, plans start at $30/month | Businesses aiming for SEO growth |
| MonsterInsights | Website analytics and insights | Google Analytics integration, real-time stats | Starts at $99.50/year | Small businesses tracking website traffic |
| SEO Analyzer by AIOSEO | SEO audit and analysis | Site audits, actionable recommendations | Free | Users needing comprehensive SEO audits |
| Semrush | All-in-one digital marketing toolkit | Keyword research, competitor analysis, PPC tools | Limited free version, subscriptions start at $139.95/mo | Businesses seeking in-depth marketing insights |
| Google Search Console | Google search performance monitoring | Indexing status, search analytics | Free | Everyone |
Step 2: Turn Visitors Into Customers (Lead Generation Tools)
Every business thrives on a steady stream of leads. To that end, some of your most valuable marketing investments should be in lead generation tools. Here are some I highly recommend:
9. WPForms

WPForms is the best contact form plugin for WordPress. The plugin is renowned for its ease of use and ability to capture visitor data seamlessly, enhancing the user experience.
One of the things I love the most about WPForms is its simple installation and deployment. Couple that with a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder and a vast library of 700+ templates, and it makes it easy for lean or even solo marketing teams to create any type of form effortlessly.
With WPForms on your site, you can easily create:
- Contact forms
- Email subscription forms
- Online order forms
- Payment forms
- Surveys and polls
- And more
WPForms also facilitates financial transactions by integrating with popular payment platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.net. This allows you to collect payments directly through your online forms easily.
Another advantage of WPForms is that it offers advanced features not found in other form builders. Examples include conversational forms, user journey tracking, form abandonment, and geolocation tracking, among others.
With all these features and more, WPForms stands out as one of the best small business marketing tools for lead generation.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $49.50/year
Why it's essential for small businesses: WPForms is the easiest way to create a simple contact form, so potential customers have a reliable way to get in touch with you.
10. OptinMonster

OptinMonster consistently ranks among the top digital marketing tools, renowned as a powerful conversion rate optimization (CRO) plugin designed to significantly expand your subscriber and customer base.
If you run an eCommerce store, you can also use OptinMonster’s advanced features to reduce cart abandonment, increase sales, grow your email list, and more. That’s because OptinMonster is perfect for creating highly targeted, personalized offers that your site visitors can’t resist. For example, you can show your site visitors popups based on the items in your customer’s cart, a blog post they’re on, and much more.
No technical or design skills?
No problem! With OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop builder, creating eye-catching popups that can help grow your business is easy.
Pricing: Starts at $7/month (billed annually).
Why it's essential for small businesses: OptinMonster helps you convert abandoning website visitors into email subscribers, building a valuable audience you can market to for free.
11. SeedProd

SeedProd is one of the best WordPress plugins to consider if you’re a small business looking for a super-easy way to create a beautiful WordPress site in minutes. It’s a very popular drag-and-drop website builder for WordPress, used on over 1 million sites. The plugin enables you to easily customize your website design and create custom page layouts without requiring any coding.
Already have a website?
You can also use this versatile plugin to build lead generation assets. For example, you can use SeedProd to build high-converting landing pages for your site. You can also use it to create impactful sales funnels to help convert your website visitors into customers.
Additionally, if you want to build an eCommerce store, SeedProd also offers custom WooCommerce blocks. You can add these to your store to make it easier for shoppers to interact with your products. Examples of these blocks include:
- Add-to-cart buttons
- Shopping carts
- Checkout pages
- Product grids
These make it easy to customize your WooCommerce site, checkout pages, product pages, and more. Plus, they also help boost conversions on your product-focused landing pages.
Pricing: Paid plans start from $39.50/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: SeedProd lets you create professional-looking landing pages for your sales or events in minutes, without needing to hire a designer.
12. Thrive Leads

Thrive Leads is the marketing tool for growing your email list. It’s a WordPress plugin that has various opt-in forms, including 2-step opt-ins, lightbox forms, slide-in forms, and more. This makes it super easy to capture leads on your site.
And if you’re wondering—yes, you do need an email list, especially if you want to grow your brand by building a loyal customer base. Check out our article on combining SEO and email marketing.
Besides helping grow your email list, Thrive Leads also has conversion rate optimization (CRO) tools. It comes with powerful features like lead groups, which allow you to segment your list based on specific criteria. You also get A/B testing tools, dynamic text replacement for personalization, and much more.
If you want to grow your email list fast, Thrive Leads is the best small business marketing tool for the job.
Pricing: Starts at $99/year. You can also get the complete ThriveSuite (5 plugin bundle) for $299/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Thrive Leads provides a suite of conversion-focused tools to help you grow your email list, a critical asset for any small business.
13. RafflePress

Giveaways are an excellent way to increase brand awareness and generate excitement around your products. This is where small business marketing tools like RafflePress come into play.
RafflePress is the best WordPress giveaway plugin, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for a digital marketing tool to make your brand go viral. The tool simplifies the process of creating engaging giveaways and contests, making it incredibly effective for quickly building your email list and expanding your subscriber base. For lead generation campaigns demanding swift outcomes, RafflePress is an ideal choice.
Creating viral contests is super easy with RafflePress’s drag-and-drop giveaway builder. The plugin also comes with an easy-to-use landing page builder, making it easy to drive traffic to your contests. Once you’ve set up your landing page, users simply need to click a button and follow the instructions to enter your giveaway. And to ensure your contests are fair, the plugin also comes with built-in fraud protection.
Pricing: Starts from $39.50/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: RafflePress makes running a giveaway simple and fun, which is one of the fastest ways to generate buzz and new leads for your business.
Quick Comparison of Lead Generation Tools for Small Businesses
| Tool Name | Purpose | Key Features | Pricing | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPForms | Lead generation and contact forms | Drag-and-drop form builder, customizable templates | Free basic plan; premium plans start at $49.50/yr | Small businesses needing easy-to-use forms |
| OptinMonster | Lead capture and conversion optimization | Exit-intent technology, A/B testing, targeting rules | Plans start at $7/mo billed annually | Businesses aiming to grow email list and improve conversions |
| SeedProd | Coming soon and maintenance pages | Drag-and-drop page builder, pre-designed templates, integrations | Starts at $39.50/yr | Businesses requiring professional landing pages |
| Thrive Leads | List building and lead generation | Multiple opt-in form types, A/B testing, advanced targeting | Starts at $99/yr | Marketers focused on high-converting lead forms |
| RafflePress | Giveaway and contest management | Easy giveaway creation, viral sharing tools, entry tracking | Starts at $39.50/yr | Businesses seeking to increase engagement and grow audience |
Step 3: Grow Your Audience (Social Media & Email Tools)
Social media boasts over 5.04 billion users, making it a powerful marketing channel for small businesses. This means your marketing toolbox is incomplete if you don’t have tools to help you tap into this audience.
For more on this, check out our article on social media and SEO.
What marketing tools do I recommend for small businesses?
Here’s my list of the top tools you need to run impactful social media marketing campaigns.
14. Facebook Feed Pro

Facebook Feed Pro is a fantastic social media marketing tool that makes it easy to display Facebook posts on your site.
With the free version, you can integrate text and links from Facebook posts into your site. However, to fully leverage your Facebook content by displaying photos, videos, and comments, the premium version of the plugin is essential.
By default, the embedded Facebook feeds inherit the styling of your WordPress theme. However, for complete control, the plugin offers extensive customization options through its visual feed customizer. This allows you to modify every aspect of your Facebook posts and feed.
If your target audience uses Facebook, then the best marketing tool for your social media campaigns is Social Post Feed.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $49. You can also get the full suite of social media plugins for $299/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Automatically displays your latest Facebook post to your site to build social proof.
15. Instagram Feed Pro

Instagram Feed Pro is the go-to social media marketing tool for running Instagram campaigns. It’s a popular WordPress plugin for displaying Instagram photos and posts on your site. It’s highly customizable and easy to manage, making it an excellent choice for both pros and absolute beginners.
Instagram Feed Pro even lets you display Instagram posts from multiple Instagram accounts in the same or different feeds. Plus, you can also create multiple Instagram feeds on the same page and customize the style to match your brand.
Want to convert your site visitors into Instagram followers?
Instagram Feed Pro enables you to add a ‘Follow on Instagram’ button to the feed on your site. This enables you to connect on a deeper level with your target audience and provides the opportunity to run more effective social media campaigns.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $49. You can also get the full suite of social media plugins for $299/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Automatically displays your latest Instagram post to keep your website looking fresh without any extra work.
16. YouTube Feed Pro

YouTube has become one of the biggest search engines people use to search for products. This is why you need a marketing tool like YouTube Feed Pro. It’s the best plugin for displaying YouTube videos on your site without needing to modify any code. This makes it a fantastic tool if your target audience prefers to consume content in video format.
One thing I love about the plugin is that you can customize it and change the look and feel of how your videos are displayed. It also offers multiple options for displaying YouTube videos, including gallery, list, and grid layouts.
The best part about the plugin is that you can also create multiple feeds from different YouTube channels!
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $49. You can also get the full suite of social media plugins for $299/year.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Automatically displays your latest Instagram post to keep your website looking fresh without any extra work.
Note: Smash Balloon also has other social media plugins for platforms like TikTok and X (Twitter). You can even opt for the Social Wall plugin that combines feeds from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube!
17. Buffer

Buffer is a powerful social media management tool that can help you streamline and optimize your social media marketing efforts. It’s particularly loved for making content scheduling and publishing easy. The tool enables you to schedule posts in advance for multiple social media platforms, such as Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and more.
Because you can plan and organize your social media calendar, having a consistent presence across your social channels is easier. Plus, it can also help you scale your social media activities. The best part is you don’t have to log in to each platform individually to post updates manually.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $5/month/channel.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Buffer saves you hours every week by letting you schedule your social media posts in advance.
18. ClickSocial

Looking for a Buffer alternative but with more power and a lighter price tag?
ClickSocial is it.
ClickSocial offers an innovative approach to social media management by seamlessly integrating with your WordPress dashboard, empowering you to efficiently handle multiple social media accounts from a unified interface.
The plugin is designed to streamline the process of scheduling and posting content across various platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter). Connecting your social media accounts to ClickSocial enables you to create and schedule posts directly from your WordPress site, eliminating the need to log in to each account separately. This saves time and simplifies the workflow for bloggers, marketers, and businesses looking to enhance their online presence.
ClickSocial is undoubtedly the best social media management tool for small businesses. If SMM is one of your marketing channels, you definitely have to invest in it.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $3.99/month.
Why it's essential for small businesses: ClickSocial automatically shares your new blog posts to your social media channels, driving traffic back to your website on autopilot.
19. WP Mail SMTP

WP Mail SMTP is a WordPress plugin you should consider if you plan on sending emails from your site. This SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) email service API boasts a strong track record of inbox delivery, preventing your website's emails from landing in spam folders. Its effectiveness has made it the choice for over 3 million websites sending various types of email.
WP Mail SMTP is undoubtedly the best WordPress SMTP and PHP mailer plugin and can be connected to your favorite email platforms like Sendlayer, SendinBlue, Constant Contact, and more.
Why is an SMTP service important?
To keep your audience informed, you might want your WordPress site to send email notifications. However, because WordPress utilizes the PHP mail() function, which is frequently misconfigured or blocked by hosting providers, this essential email functionality often breaks down.
Enter SMTP plugins like WP Mail SMTP, designed to effortlessly overcome WordPress's email limitations. By installing and configuring it—no code needed—you unlock the ability to send crucial emails like transactional confirmations and shipping updates to your audience with confidence. WP Mail SMTP prioritizes deliverability, so you can trust that your emails will reach their destination.
With email marketing integral to growing an online business, a plugin like WP Mail SMTP is undoubtedly one of the must-have small business marketing tools if you’re to thrive in your online business.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $49.00/month.
Why it's essential for small businesses: WP Mail SMTP makes sure all your website's emails (like from contact forms) actually make it to your inbox, preventing lost leads.
20. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the best email marketing platforms for small businesses. One reason for this is that it’s easy to use, despite having unparalleled functionality compared to other eCommerce email marketing solutions. Another is that it makes it super easy for a 1-person team to execute impactful email marketing campaigns.
To effectively expand your business, prioritizing the growth of your email list is key. Constant Contact not only facilitates easy list building but also empowers you to execute focused email marketing campaigns with remarkable simplicity. This is made possible by its extensive library of professionally crafted email templates designed for a wide array of niches.
The best part is that the plugin also allows you to create multiple email lists and custom funnels. This helps you personalize your campaigns and boost your conversions.
If you’re looking for an email marketing software to help drive business growth, Constant Contact is a fantastic choice.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $12/month.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Constant Contact is a beginner-friendly, all-in-one platform for email marketing that's known for its excellent customer support, which is perfect if you're just starting out.
21. Omnisend

Omnisend is another email and marketing automation platform that ranks high on many digital marketing tool lists. It’s an all-in-one email and SMS marketing solution that helps you run personalized marketing and sales campaigns.
Designed to fuel your eCommerce growth, this plugin offers powerful tools such as email marketing features to help you build your email list and create engaging, personalized campaigns.
Furthermore, its SMS marketing functionality allows you to reach customers with targeted offers via text, expanding your outreach.
You can also create reusable workflows to automatically send targeted email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp messages to your customers based on their behavior, preferences, and purchase history.
Omnisend empowers you to send incredibly relevant and personalized messages to both your email and SMS subscribers through its robust segmentation and personalization tools. These powerful features, among others, position Omnisend as a leading email marketing solution for expanding your customer base and boosting sales.
Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $11.20/month.
Why it's essential for small businesses: Omnisend is the perfect choice for small eCommerce stores, as its powerful automation features can help you generate sales from things like abandoned carts.
Quick Comparison of Social & Email Tools for Small Businesses
| Tool Name | Purpose | Key Features | Pricing | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed Pro | Social media integration | Embeds Facebook feeds, customizable display options | Free version, paid plans start at $49/yr | Businesses leveraging Facebook |
| Instagram Feed Pro | Social media integration | Displays Instagram feeds, responsive design | Free version, paid plans start at $49/yr | Brands active on Instagram |
| YouTube Feed Pro | Video content display | Showcases YouTube videos, customizable layouts | Free version, paid plans start at $49/yr | Content creators and video marketers |
| Buffer | Social media scheduling | Post scheduling, analytics, multi-platform management | Starts at $5/mo/channel | Small to medium businesses |
| ClickSocial | Social media automation | Automates posting, engagement tracking | Free version, paid plans start at $3.99/mo | Digital marketing agencies |
Your Next Step: Building Your Small Business Marketing Stack
Choosing the right marketing software can feel like a huge task, but you don't need every tool available to start growing your business. The secret is to start simple and build a solid foundation.
If you take only one thing away from this guide, let it be this simple 3-step plan:
- First, get found. Before you do anything else, make sure potential customers can find your website on Google. Installing a foundational tool like All in One SEO is the single most important first step you can take.
- Next, understand your visitors. You can't grow what you don't measure. A tool like MonsterInsights will show you how people are finding your site and what they do when they get there.
- Finally, start a conversation. Add a simple contact form with WPForms or an email signup form with OptinMonster. This opens the door to turning visitors into loyal customers.
Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. By focusing on these foundational tools first, you'll be building a powerful, sustainable engine for growth. I hope this guide has helped you take that crucial first step with confidence.
You may also want to check out other articles on our blog, like our WordPress SEO cheat sheet for beginners and our guide to WooCommerce SEO.
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FAQs About Small Business Marketing Tools
Here are some answers to the most common questions we get from small business owners about choosing the right marketing tools:
What is small business marketing?
Small business marketing encompasses all the strategies and tactics a small business uses to promote its products or services to its target audience. Unlike larger corporations with substantial budgets and extensive teams, small business marketing often involves more resourcefulness, creativity, and a focus on building direct relationships with customers.
What are small business marketing tools?
Small business marketing tools are software, platforms, or resources specifically designed to help small businesses manage and execute their marketing efforts more efficiently and effectively. These tools often automate tasks, provide insights into customer behavior, and simplify the creation, distribution, and tracking of marketing campaigns.
What marketing should a small business start with?
For most small businesses, the best place to start is with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Why? Because it helps you get found by customers who are already looking for your products or services. A foundational SEO plugin like All in One SEO is the perfect first step to ensure your website is visible on Google.
How can I market my small business for free?
You can absolutely market your business for free. Start by using the free version of essential tools like AIOSEO for SEO, MonsterInsights for analytics, Buffer for social media scheduling, and Constant Contact for email marketing. Also, don't forget to set up and optimize your free Google Business Profile.
What are the 3 most essential marketing tools for a new small business?
If you're just starting out, you need three things:
- A way to capture leads and build an audience (OptinMonster or WPForms). These three tools create a solid foundation for growth.
- A way to get found (All in One SEO).
- A way to understand your visitors (MonsterInsights).
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