Guide To Understanding Types of Marketing Tools

Businesses and professionals working in the marketing industry have a wide range of marketing tools available to them. Marketing tools can help a business or marketing professional accomplish several things, including increasing brand awareness, driving lead generation and sales, and gathering valuable customer and market information and data. Knowing the different types of marketing tools available to you can help you build a strong marketing strategy that contributes to your company's success.

In this article, we discuss what marketing tools are and provide a list explaining different types of marketing tools.

What are marketing tools?

Marketing tools are the systems, techniques, strategies, resources, technology and materials used by companies or marketing professionals to create and implement marketing campaigns that successfully promote their products and services. Your company's marketing campaign is the direct link between the company and its customers, so it is important to choose the marketing tools that are most effective for your customers. There are several types of marketing tools available, and each type of marketing tool serves a unique purpose. It is common for businesses and marketing professionals to use a combination of marketing tools in their overall marketing strategy.

Types of marketing tools (list of at least 10)

There are several types of marketing tools companies and organizations can choose from. A few of the most common marketing tools include:

1. Print advertising
2. Digital marketing
3. Search engine optimization (SEO)
4. Social media marketing (SMM)
5. Press releases (PR)
6. Commercial advertising
7. Customer loyalty programs
8. Brand reputation management
9. Event marketing
10. Information gathering

Print advertising

Print advertising is a marketing tool that uses physically printed materials to raise brand awareness and generate customer interest. Print advertising includes materials such as classified ads, billboards, business cards, brochures, direct mail campaigns, catalogs, sales letters, order forms and more. These are some of the most traditional types of marketing tools, however, many of them are still effective. You can even use your print advertising to drive your customers to your digital marketing campaigns by directing them to your website or social media pages.

Related: 7 Ways To Market a Small Business

Digital marketing

The increased use of the Internet by consumers has made it necessary for companies to have a website. There are several roles your company's website will have as a marketing tool. You can use your company's website to build brand awareness, educate and inform potential customers, advertise your products and services, communicate with customers, generate leads and make sales. It is also important to make sure your website is optimized for speed, design, function and various platforms such as computers, cellphones and tablets.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Another marketing tool closely related to your website marketing is search engine optimization, also commonly referred to as SEO. Search engine optimization involves optimizing both the on-site and behind-the-scenes content of your website to rank higher in major search engine results pages (SERPs). Search engine optimization refers only to natural search results rankings, not paid links at the top of the SERP. Effective search engine optimization involves the creation of high-quality content that consumers will find relevant to their search.

The higher your website ranks in the search engine results page algorithms, the more likely your website is to show up on the first couple pages of a keyword search related to your business. Because most consumers only look at the first page of search results, the higher your SEO ranking is, the more effective your website marketing will probably be.

Social media marketing (SMM)

Another type of marketing tool that has become increasingly important is social media marketing. Social media marketing involves using company profiles on social media websites to raise brand awareness, engage with customers and advertise products or services. Social media marketing tools include things such as blogging, micro-blogging, posting, sharing, commenting and bookmarking.

Read more: Creating a Successful Social Media Marketing Strategy

Press releases (PR)

Press releases are advertisements that take the form of a news article or story in a newspaper, magazine or online publication. Many consumers may not realize that these newspaper and magazine articles are often written by businesses or marketing teams and then distributed to several publications for printing.

Commercial advertising

Commercial advertising traditionally refers to paid advertisements that are played on television or over the radio. However, the widespread use of the Internet for marketing has led to paid commercials being played at the beginning of videos posted online and throughout video streaming services.

Customer loyalty programs

Customer loyalty programs are used as a marketing tool to generate customer interest and encourage customer retention. Customer loyalty programs involve providing rewards to customers who can use those rewards to earn discounts or free products or services from your business in the future. Customer loyalty programs are available in several forms, ranging from a program as simple as offering customers a card that can be stamped on each visit to using customized mobile applications and other digital systems to manage your loyalty program.

Brand reputation management

It is very important for companies to protect their brand's reputation. Media monitoring tools are marketing tools that help your company search the internet for any mention of your company to ensure you can engage and respond to comments and reviews being made about your business. This helps you build your brand awareness and also ensure you are protecting your business from negative reviews or remarks.

Event marketing

Event marketing is a promotional marketing tool that involves the engagement of a brand's representatives with potential and existing customers and the community at promotional events. Common types of promotional events you can use for event marketing include networking events, conferences, seminars, speaker presentations, workshops, trade shows and expos, parties, competitions and awards.

Information gathering

Information gathering is the process of reviewing and analyzing data and information about customers, the market and your industry. Information gathering is a very important marketing tool because it gives your company insight into how well your other marketing techniques are working. Information gathering can include things such as customer surveys and web analytics. Many marketing tools will provide you with data that you can use to analyze how well that specific marketing tool is performing.