The digital marketing world is becoming a technological cornucopia.

If you’re wondering what digital marketing tools will really make a difference in your bottom line, look no further than this list.

Here is our top 10 list of tech tools for anyone running or marketing a business in 2014.

1. Video.

Whether you film how-to videos on your smart phone or shell out for a professional video- customers expect you to use video in your marketing & communications.

Bonus- it’s proven to increase conversion rates, so it’ll nudge your website visitors to call, click and connect with you.

Social Video Tools such as YouTube,  Vine, Instagram make capturing & sharing video easier than ever.

2. Social Media.

You’re probably sick of hearing about social media marketing.

There is a reason why there is so much chatter over it though, and it’s time to start paying attention.

Not just a marketing tool, social media offers incredible low cost opportunities for running your business; providing live customer service or tech support, hire & collaborate with your team.

Social media has gone from a marketing tool, to a must have business tool.

Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn & Google Plus are all social media sites with lively communities and user base.

3. Surveys.

Now there is no excuse to ignore your customers. Survey them regularly and profit from knowing what they want from you, and what they want less of.

Using existing customer input in marketing to new clients is a highly effective strategy to connect with your customer’s needs & communicate your unique solution.

Free Survey Software is offered by Survey Monkey, Free Online Surveys

4. The Cloud.

The cloud is essentially online web space, or a server where data can sit. This is opposed to having files located on a device, like your computer.

Ensure your sales team always has the latest collateral. Collaborate on the go & protect your data from loss with automatic backups.

Various cloud providers are Dropbox & Google Drive.

5. Mobile Marketing.

From apps, to responsive web sites, to SMS or Text marketing, if you’re not at least considering mobile marketing you’ll be missing out on sales, period.

Research indicates that internet usage over mobile devices will soon surpass the traffic from desktop & laptops.

And if you don’t believe me, consider your own mobile usage…

6. Analytics

A fancy name for statistics,  you’ll want to measure the results of your marketing efforts for effectiveness.

Learn what pages of your website your customers use, where your web traffic comes from and how many web visitors convert to hot leads or customers.

Making decisions based on what internet users/future customers want as opposed to what you think they want will separate the profitable from the bankrupt.

7. Blogging.

A proven digital marketing method that generates better ranking on search engines and better conversion rates from web traffic, this year is the time to start blogging, even quarterly.

Blogging is as simple as writing a short word article answering your customer’s most frequently asked questions, and posting this article on your website.

As competition increases, blogging also helps establish rapport & build the credibility of your business.

8. Location Based Marketing.

If you’re a local business, you’ll want to look at tools like Google Maps, Yelp, Facebook Places to capitalize on the local search demand.

Tech savvy customers like to search by map and check in when they’ve arrived, and this behaviour is only increasing, so you’ll want to start this year.

Tap into your local marketplace by creating and maintaining a presence on these websites.

9. On Demand Customer Service.

Customer’s now expect a response within one hour of them contacting you. This can be tricky to juggle as a small business owner unless you have the right tools.

Sync as many social media & email apps as you can with your smartphone so you can be notified and check in on the go, and consider a live chat app on your website, like ZOPIM,

10. Email Marketing.

If you’re not already sending out a newsletter, this year is the time to start. Cultivate and nurture your client relationships & prosper.

Use this to: Auto respond to email newsletter sign ups, stay in touch with current and inactive clients.

Mailchimp &  Constant Contact both offer a free to paid email marketing service.

In Summary:

Like many New Year’s lists, the key to success is moving from consideration to action.

If you have specific sales goals you want to achieve this year, start planning how and when you’re going to incorporate these new tools and how you’ll measure their effectiveness.

Do you have a must-have marketing tool? Share it with us below.

As always your comments are encouraged and appreciated.

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