Best Inbound Marketing Software Tools

In recent years, Inbound Marketing has become one of the most popular marketing strategies among businesses of all sizes. One of the key benefits of Inbound Marketing is that it can be highly targeted and personalized, making it more effective than many traditional marketing techniques. In order to get the most out of Inbound Marketing, it is important to use the right technology stack.

In this article, we will introduce you to some of the best Inbound Marketing tools that you can use to take your inbound marketing efforts to the next level.

Keyword Research Software

As a marketer or business owner, keyword research is essential in order to determine which terms and phrases are most relevant to your products or services. There are a number of different methods that can be used in order to perform keyword research, but the most important thing is to make sure that you are using the right tools for the job. There are a number of different keyword research tools available, both free and paid, so it's important to choose one that will fit your needs.

Once you have chosen a keyword research tool, the next step is to actually start performing keyword research. This involves identifying relevant terms and phrases that potential customers are likely to use when searching for your products or services. There are a number of different ways to do this, but one of the most effective is to simply use tools like Google's keyword planner tool, Semrush and Ahrefs. These tools allows you to enter specific terms and phrases that you think potential customers might use, and then it will provide you with data about how often those terms are being searched for and how difficult it will be for you to rank in the top 10 for them. 

Why is keyword research important?

Keyword research is important for a number of reasons. First, it helps you to identify the terms that people are actually using to search for your products or services. This means that you can focus your marketing efforts on the right keywords, and avoid wasting time and money on terms that no one is using. Second, keyword research can help you to understand the competition. By understanding which keywords your competitors are targeting, you can develop strategies to outrank them in the search results. Finally, keyword research can help you to identify new opportunities for growth. By identifying new keywords that people are using to search for your products or services, you can expand your reach and grow your business.

Our Favorite Keyword Research Tool

Semrush

Pricing: Semrush pricing starts at $119.95 per month for their Pro version of the subscription.  They also offer a listing management service that helps with local SEO starting around $49/mo.

Target Audience: Business Owners, Marketing Roles and SEOs

Semrush is a powerful and versatile competitive intelligence suite for online marketing, from SEO and PPC to social media and video advertising research. Semrush provides users with the data and insights they need to succeed in their online marketing efforts. In addition to its comprehensive database of campaigns, Semrush also offers a suite of tools that allow users to measure their own performance against their competitors', track their progress over time, and even spy on their rivals' campaigns. Semrush is an essential tool for anyone serious about winning the online marketing game.

Semrush offers a treasure trove of information on keyword data: monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, average Cost per Click, position changes, competitor's positions along with their paid advertising spend, keyword Search Engine Results Page (SERPs) for multiple locations and it's history.  Net-net, it's a must-have tool for anyone serious about getting found on Google.  

What we love most about Semrush:

• Massive database of actionable keyword data
• Their monthly search volume data closely aligns with Google Keyword Planner data (compared to other keyword tools such as Ahrefs)
• Daily project reports of keyword SERPs by geography and by device
• Historical organic ranking of individual keywords
• Their listing management service for local SEO is great as well has the local SEO heatmapping tool.

Our Favorite Backlink Analysis Tool

Ahrefs

Pricing: Ahrefs pricing starts at $99 per month.

Audience: Business Owners, Marketing Roles and SEOs

Ahrefs is a subscription-based SEO tool that offers users a comprehensive suite of tools for managing their website's search engine optimization. Ahrefs was founded in 2011 by Dmitry Gerasimenko and Tim Soulo, and is headquartered in Singapore. Ahrefs' main product is its Site Explorer, which allows users to research the backlinks and organic search traffic of any website. Ahrefs also offers a keyword explorer, rank tracker, site auditor, and content explorer. Ahrefs' customers include small businesses, digital marketers, SEO agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

If you are actively involved in backlink acquisition programs or about to kick one off you need a tool like Ahrefs. While Ahrefs keywords database is not as large as Semrush's it's still a really good choice for keyword research and their chrome extension is an amazing tool.

What we love most about Ahrefs:

• Content gap analysis: Enter your target URL and your competitor's URL to see what keywords your competitors rank for you where you currently don't.
• Traffic Value Report: See in real-time the value of specific URL's organic keyword positions/est. traffic had you tried to generate the same amount of traffic via paid means (Google PPC).  
• Keyword Difficulty: See how many backlinks from unique domains you need in order to rank on the first page of Google for each keyword you are targeting
• Paid Ads by Competition: See what keyword and Google ads are driving the most traffic for your competitors.

Our Favorite On-Page SEO Tool

SEOMinion

Pricing: Free

Audience: Marketers Roles and SEOs

Curious about what your top ranking competitors are using in their titles, H1's, meta description, links or the word count of their content?

SEOMinion, a handy chrome extension that provides a quick snapshot of "on-page SEO" data quickly, directly from the URL you analyzing. Ahrefs has an extension for this too, but we like the look and feel of SEOMinion's better.

Overview: Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the practice of improving the percentage of visitors to a website who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. This can be done through a variety of means, such as A/B testing, personalization, and targeted content.

A big change in conversion rate can have a huge impact on lead generation and revenue without even having to increase the amount of web traffic already coming to your website.

There are a number of different methods that can be used for CRO, including:

• A/B testing: A/B testing is a method of testing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better.
• Usability testing: Usability testing is a method of testing how easy it is for people to use your website.
• Heat mapping: Heat mapping is a method of tracking where people click on your website. This information can be used to improve the design of your website.
• Split testing: Split testing is a method of testing two versions of a web page to see which one performs better.

Our Favorite Heatmapping Tool

HotJar

Hotjar is a powerful piece of software that gives you the ability to see how users interact with your website. Hotjar uses heatmaps and recordings to show you where users are clicking, scrolling, and what they're typing. This valuable feedback can help you to make changes to your website that will improve the user experience. Hotjar is easy to use and provides valuable insights that can help you improve your website.

Pricing: Business plans start at $89/month.

Audience: Marketing and SEOs

Have you ever wondered what your traffic thinks of your website?

Or perhaps you cannot figure out why your traffic is getting stuck on a particular form and not converting?

Hotjar can provide the insights you are looking for. 

Hotjar gives marketers direct feedback on website behavior with heatmaps.

Heatmaps tell you where your visitors click and scroll, what they look at, and what they chose to ignore.

These visual insights will help you to create a better version of your site based on real traffic insights.

Hotjar also provides marketers with recordings of actual traffic sessions so you can watch how your readers interact with your website and content. 

What we love most:

• Watching real recorded interactions with our favorite web pages.
• Getting feedback on what parts of the page receive almost all views

Overview: Form Builder Software

Form builder software is a type of application that allows users to create, edit, and manage digital forms. Form builders typically come with a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to add and rearrange form fields, as well as to customize the look and feel of the form. Form builder software can be used to create online surveys, contact forms, order forms, registration forms, and more. In many cases, form builders also provide features such as data validation, conditional logic, and Payment integration. Form builder software is often used by businesses of all sizes to streamline data collection and to improve the user experience for customers and clients.

Our Favorite Form Builder Software

Typeform

Typeform is a software company that allows users to create forms and surveys. Typeform provides a range of features that make it easy to create and share forms, as well as collect responses. Typeform also offers a number of integrations with other software, making it easy to use Typeform with other tools. Typeform is an essential tool for any business that needs to gather data from customers or employees. Typeform makes it easy to create forms that are both professional and user-friendly, making it a valuable asset for any organization.

Pricing: Typeform pricing starts at $25 per month.

Audience: Marketing Roles & SEOs

Typeform natively integrates with HubSpot allowing for seamless lead conversion and workflows to be triggered off of Typeform submissions. 

What we love most:

• Native HubSpot integration
• Native Slack integration
• Native Google Sheet integration
• Build complex quizzes with zero coding

Overview: ChatBot Software

Chatbot Builder Software is a program that helps you create chatbots. Chatbots are computer programs that can mimic human conversation. They can be used to automate customer service or sales tasks. Chatbot Builder Software provides templates and tools to help you create chatbots. You can use Chatbot Builder Software to create chatbots for your website, social media, or mobile app. Chatbot Builder Software is easy to use and it’s free. You don’t need any coding experience to create chatbots with Chatbot Builder Software. Chatbot Builder Software is a great way to automate customer service or sales tasks. It can also help you generate leads and increase conversions. If you’re looking for a way to automate customer service or sales tasks, Chatbot Builder Software is the perfect solution.

Our Favorite ChatBot Software

HubSpot

HubSpot ChatBots are artificially intelligent chatbots that can be used to automate tasks, such as customer support or marketing. HubSpot ChatBots are powered by HubSpot's natural language processing (NLP) engine, which allows them to understand human conversation. HubSpot ChatBots can be used to schedule meeting, send personalized messages, or even order coffee. HubSpot ChatBots are currently available for Slack, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.

HubSpot Chatbot offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage chatbots, including: HubSpot Chatbot's drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to create and customize chatbots.

HubSpot Chatbot's free plan is perfect for small businesses and individuals. HubSpot Chatbot's paid plans start at $50/month and offer more features, including unlimited chatbots, custom branding, and integrations with popular CRM and marketing applications. 

Drift

Drift is a chat software that Drift describes as "a revolutionary new way to communicate with your website visitors in real-time." Drift is designed to make it easy for companies to talk to their customers and prospects in real-time, which Drift believes will result in more qualified leads, closed deals, and better customer relationships. 

 Drift has a number of features that are designed to make it easy to use, including: 
- The ability to chat with visitors without managing different usernames or aliases 
- The ability to see which pages your contacts are on in Drift 
- The ability to book appointments and send meeting reminders directly from Drift. 

Drift also integrates with a number of popular CRMs, making it easy for sales and customer success teams to track conversations and follow up with leads and customers. Overall, Drift is a powerful chat software that can be used to improve communication with leads and customers.

Overview: CMS Software

A Content Management System (CMS) is a software application that helps users create, manage, and deploy digital content. A CMS can be used to create content for websites, blog posts, articles, infographics, and more. Content created with a CMS can be published to a website or other online platform with just a few clicks. Additionally, CMS software often includes tools for managing website user permissions, tracking page views, and publishing content to social media platforms. Content management systems are an essential tool for businesses and organizations that need to create and publish digital content on a regular basis. For example, a news organization might use a CMS to manage its website content, while a small business might use a CMS to create and manage its blog posts and product pages. Content management systems make it easy to deploy digital content quickly and efficiently.

Some of the best CMS software include:

• WordPress: WordPress is a popular CMS that offers a number of features for creating and managing content, including a WYSIWYG editor, plugins, and more.
• Drupal: Drupal is a CMS that offers a number of features for creating and managing content, including a WYSIWYG editor, themes, and more.
• Joomla: Joomla is a CMS that offers a number of features for creating and managing content, including a WYSIWYG editor, templates, and more.
• HubSpot: HubSpot CMS Hub is a content management system that offers a number of features for managing and creating content, including a drag-and-drop page builder, SEO tools, and more.

Our Favorite CMS Software

HubSpot CMS Hub

HubSpot CMS Hub is a content management system that enables businesses to easily create and manage their website content. With CMS Hub, businesses can  create and publish landing pages, blog posts,  and other types of web content without having to code or use complex web development tools. CMS Hub also provides users with a central repository for all their website content, making it easy to find and update old or outdated pages. In addition, CMS Hub includes powerful SEO tools that help businesses  ensure their content is  visible  and  accessible  to  potential  customers.  Overall,  HubSpot  CMS  Hub  is  an  easy-to-use  and  effective  content management system that can help businesses improve their online presence.

Pricing: HubSpot CMS pricing starts at $360 per month for their "Pro" edition however their "Starter" edition starts as low as $23 dollars per month however we generally do not recommend the "Starter" edition for most businesses as it is missing some key features necessary for real growth.

Audience: Marketing Roles, Web Developers and SEOs

What we love most:

• A single platform to create, manage and measure our inbound marketing program
• The ability to quickly tie revenue directly back to specific marketing assets.
• ChatBot builder: Build simple or sophisticated chatbots/workflows with ease
• Google Search Console Integration
• Google Ads Integration

Overview: Lead Management Software

DashClicks

DashClicks’ lead management software called “Inbound” helps you organize your leads in a more effective manner. With the help of the software, you can easily manage all your inbound leads across different third party platforms and distribute them among your sales team for instant follow-up with prospects. 

The software allows you to import all your leads to a single dashboard by integrating into your favorite third party softwares. You can create campaigns using different integrations such as Facebook Ads, Kartra, PhoneSites, Unbounce, and many more.

Pricing: Pricing starts from $97 USD per month. 

Audience: Business owners 

Inbound also allows you to instantly send SMS notifications and email to the assigned sales rep as soon as a lead comes into the lead management CRM dashboard. 

The good news is you can try the software for free, no credit card required. 

What we love the most about Inbound: 

• Facebook Ads integration
• Kartra integration 
• CallRail integration 
• The ability to evenly round robin leads to your sales team

Overview: Web Traffic Insights

If you want to get an idea of who's visiting your website, reverse IP lookup tools can be a helpful resource. By tracking IP addresses, these tools can provide insights into web traffic patterns. This can be useful for identifying potential customers or understanding where your web traffic is coming from. Reverse IP lookup tools typically work by matching IP addresses to domain names. This can provide information on which companies or individuals are visiting your site. Some tools also offer additional features, such as the ability to track web traffic over time or see which pages are being accessed most frequently. While there are a number of different reverse IP lookup tools available, they all offer similar basic functionality. 

Our Favorite Reverse IP Lookup Tools

Zoominfo's "WebSights"

Zoominfo WebSights Reports is a powerful tools that provides valuable insights into a website’s traffic. It uses data from Alexa, comScore, and other sources to give you an in-depth look at how users are interacting with a website. The reports can help you understand what content is being viewed most often, how users are finding your site, and what keywords are being used to search for your site. In addition, the reports can also provide information on the demographics of your site’s visitors, including their location, age, gender, and interests. With this valuable information, you can make decisions about how to improve your website’s design and functionality to better meet the needs of your visitors.

With this visibility, you can automate the outreach of these companies and contacts into a relevant lead nurturing track via your marketing automation platform to identify who might be a match for your product or service.  

Lead Forensics

Lead Forensics software is a tool that helps businesses track down the source of their web traffic. By installing a small piece of code on their website, businesses can see where their visitors are coming from and what they're interested in. This information can be used to improve marketing campaigns and target potential customers. Lead Forensics is particularly useful for businesses that receive a lot of web traffic from organic searches or referral links. By understanding where their visitors are coming from, they can better focus their efforts on converting those visitors into customers. Lead Forensics is a powerful tool that can help businesses grow by providing insights into their web traffic.

This sort of sales intel paired with a BDR can be a winning combo to drive more sales-ready leads to your sales funnel. Currently, Lead Forensics provides integrations with CRM's such as Salesforce and a HubSpot integration coming Spring/Summer of 2022. 

Pricing: Based upon volume but generally starts at a couple of hundred dollars per month.

Audience: Business Development Reps and Sales Account Executives

Overview: Data Enrichment

Data enrichment is the process of adding missing or incorrect data to a dataset. This can be done manually (very time consuming) or through the use of software in an semi-automated fashion.

There are a number of different data enrichment software providers, including:

• Clearbit: Clearbit is a data enrichment platform that offers a number of features, including lead generation, email verification, and more.
• FullContact: FullContact is a data enrichment platform that offers a number of features, including contact management, email management, and more.
• ZoomInfo: ZoomInfo is a data enrichment platform that offers a number of features, including lead generation, contact management, and more.
• LeadIQ: LeadIQ is a data enrichment platform that offers a number of features, including lead generation, contact management, and more.
• Datanyze: Datanyze is a data enrichment platform that offers a number of features, including lead generation, contact management, and more.

Our Favorite Data Enrichment Software

Zoominfo

Zoominfo Software is a business intelligence software that provides users with detailed information about companies and individuals. The software includes a search engine that allows users to find specific information about businesses and people, as well as a directory of over 10 million businesses and 50 million people. Zoominfo also offers a range of features that allow users to customize their searches, such as the ability to filter results by industry, location, or company size.

In addition, Zoominfo offers a number of features, including buyer intent data, company technographics, company rollups, org charts and much more.

Pricing: Pricing is based upon company needs, features, and access volume but generally starts around $20k/year.

Audience: Marketing, Business Development Reps and Sales Account Executives

Zoominfo: Buyer Intent

Zoominfo's buyer intent data includes information on the type of product or service that a potential buyer is interested in purchasing. This information can be used to target potential customers with customized marketing messages. Zoominfo's buyer intent data is gathered through a variety of sources, including online search behavior, social media interactions, and website activity. This data is then analyzed to identify patterns and trends that can be used to predict future buying behavior. Zoominfo's buyer intent data is an important tool for businesses that want to generate more qualified leads and close more sales.

ZoomInfo has upwards of 4,000 intent topics to date, therefore you can be certain there are intent topics relevant to your particular business product/service offering. Want to see if there are topics relevant to your business/industry?

Check it out here: Zoominfo Buyer Intent Topics.

When you combine ZoomInfo WebSights data alongside Buyer Intent data you can quickly identify the best prospects to reach out to at the proper time with the right message making new sales funnel creation a breeze. If you have this data integrated with your CRM (e.g. HubSpot) you can essentially automate 90% of this process.  

Update for 2022: ZoomInfo is now offering real-time Buyer Intent making it even easier for outreach to take place at the same time the intent spike is initiated. 

Overview: Social Media Tools

Social media software tools are computer programs that help users create, manage and interact with social media content. These tools can be used for a variety of purposes, such as creating and scheduling posts, monitoring social media activity, analyzing social media data and measuring the performance of social media campaigns. While there are many different types of social media software tools available, some of the most popular include Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Buffer. When choosing a social media tool, it's important to consider your specific needs and goals. For example, if you're looking for a tool that will help you create and schedule posts, Hootsuite or Buffer may be a good option. However, if you're looking for a tool that will help you monitor social media activity and analyze data, Sprout Social may be a better option.

Buffer: Buffer is a social media management platform that offers a number of features, including post scheduling, social media analytics, and more.

Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a social media management platform that offers a number of features, including post scheduling, social media analytics, and more.

Iconosquare: Iconosquare is a social media management platform that offers a number of features, including post scheduling, social media analytics, and more.

SocialFlow: SocialFlow is a social media management platform that offers a number of features, including post scheduling, social media analytics, and more.

HubSpot Marketing Hub: HubSpot Marketing Hub is a social media management platform that offers a number of features, including post scheduling, social media analytics, and more.

Parting Advice

One final bit of advice that will save you substantial time and money is to consider building your marketing technology stack around an inbound marketing platform, instead of taking a best-of-breed approach.

The key is having your website (CMS), marketing automation and customer relationship management (CRM) software share a single database this will make it incredibly easy to share insights across marketing, sales, and support teams making both reporting and automation a breeze. If you are looking for this sort of solution HubSpot does this better than most.

If you are just getting started with Inbound Marketing and unsure of the software/tools you should consider, let us help.

Not only will we help you save money on software licensing but we can show you how to get immediate value from these amazing technologies to drive more revenue to your sales funnel.