Toolkit
Not a sponsored list, not a roundup of everything that exists. These are the tools I recommend to clients and use myself. Practical, proven, mostly free to start.
Good marketing does not require expensive software. But it does require the right software. This is the toolkit I come back to, organised by what you are trying to do.
Managing relationships and nurture
Your CRM is the engine room of your marketing. If your contacts, pipeline and email activity are not in one place, you are working harder than you need to.
HubSpot
Free tier availableThe most complete free CRM available. Contacts, deals pipeline, email marketing, forms, landing pages and analytics in one place. The free tier is genuinely useful.
Visit HubSpot →Mailchimp
Free tier availableIf you just need to send a clean email newsletter to a small list and do not need a full CRM, Mailchimp is still a solid, simple starting point.
Visit Mailchimp →Calendly
Free tier availableRemoves all friction from booking calls. Share one link, prospects pick a time, it lands in both calendars. Essential for anyone selling a service.
Visit Calendly →Looking the part without an agency
You do not need to spend thousands on design to look professional. These tools let you produce on-brand work quickly, without compromising quality.
Canva
Free tier availableThe fastest way to create on-brand social graphics, presentations, one-pagers and pitch decks. Set up your brand colours and fonts once, then everything stays consistent.
Visit Canva →Figma
Free tier availableFor more detailed brand work, website design, or collaborating with a designer or developer. The free tier is enough for most early-stage brand projects.
Visit Figma →Unsplash
FreeHigh-quality, royalty-free photography for websites, presentations and social content. A huge library of professional images available without a subscription.
Visit Unsplash →Getting found by the right people
SEO is a long game, but the foundations are free. Start with the tools Google provides before investing in anything else.
Google Search Console
FreeShows exactly which searches bring people to your site, which pages rank, and where there are technical issues. Free, essential, and massively underused by small businesses.
Visit Search Console →Semrush
PaidWhen you are ready to invest in SEO properly. Keyword research, competitor analysis, content gap audits and rank tracking in one platform.
Visit Semrush →Netlify
Free tier availableFast, reliable hosting for static websites with automatic deploys from a folder or GitHub. Free tier is generous and more than enough for most small business sites.
Visit Netlify →Understanding what is working
Vanity metrics are easy to produce. These tools help you understand the behaviour behind the numbers.
Google Analytics 4
FreeThe standard for website analytics. Traffic sources, behaviour, conversions and audience data. Free, powerful, and required if you are making data-informed decisions.
Visit GA4 →Hotjar
Free tier availableHeatmaps and session recordings that show where people click, how far they scroll, and where they leave. Invaluable for improving website conversion without guessing.
Visit Hotjar →Microsoft Clarity
FreeA completely free alternative to Hotjar. Session recordings, heatmaps and rage-click tracking. No limits on traffic, no subscription required.
Visit Clarity →Creating content that actually works
B2B buyers consume content before they ever speak to sales. These tools make creating that content faster, cheaper and more consistent.
Loom
Free tier availableRecord and share short videos instantly. Brilliant for product walkthroughs, personalised outreach, client updates and internal async communication.
Visit Loom →CapCut
FreeThe fastest way to edit short-form video for LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Auto-captions, templates and simple editing with no learning curve.
Visit CapCut →Notion
Free tier availableStrategy documents, content calendars, campaign briefs and brand guidelines. Notion keeps marketing thinking organised and accessible to the whole team.
Visit Notion →