While back, we did a blog about how our Head of Content, Joe Barron, grew Cognism’s content from zilch to an $88,270 machine.
In that, we hinted about some of the content marketing tools Joe and the rest of the team uses day-to-day. But what we didn’t give you was a comprehensive breakdown.
So to help you cut and paste our model to your business, we’ve listed the 13 best content marketing tools in our tech stack.
Hopefully, the success we’ve achieved with our paid tools can help you get a cash injection in your next budget.
But there are also plenty of free tools to take advantage of while you wait.
Scroll to reveal our secrets 👇
SEO tools
1. Ahrefs
Price: Plans start at $99 per month
At Cognism, Ahrefs is our go-to SEO content tool. We use the data it provides as the foundation of our SEO content strategies, while also using it to track keyword rankings.
And there’s one big reason why we use it over competitors like SEMrush:
The strength of its content.
This makes absolutely sure that you get the most out of the tool that you pay for. On their YouTube channel, for example, you can find a ton of tutorials for every level of SEO.
So from a practical standpoint, it saves you time. But it also helps you upskill your whole content team.
2. Ubersuggest (Chrome Extension)
Price: Free
Neil Patel is one of the most respected people in the content and SEO game.
Because of that, it’s probably a good idea to get your hands on his free SEO Chrome extension, Ubersuggest.
This gives you an instant breakdown of keyword volumes, domain authority, and traffic estimates for every result you see on the SERP.
3. Technical SEO Schema Markup Generator
Price: Free
Schema markup isn’t something you hear about too often. Which is strange, given how helpful it can be to your SEO content marketing.
The deal is this:
Schema tells search engines what the content on your page means. And, long story short, this helps your content rank better.
Technical SEO Schema Markup Generator may be a gobstopping mouthful, but it helps you do this with ease.
4. SERPsim
Price: Free
SERPsim is another freebie worth checking out. Its purpose is to help you optimise your SEO titles and meta description, and you can do that simply by pasting your blog URLs into the search bar.
Chcek out the list of the best tools for B2B marketers.
Content management and collaboration
5. HubSpot
Price: Plans start at €252 per month
Including HubSpot in this list may seem tokenistic, but hear us out:
WordPress is an absolute mess!
With HS, it’s easy to make your blog look great. For example, building menus with anchor links takes 5 minutes. I don’t even wanna think about doing the same in WP.
6. Trello
Price: Free (paid plans available)
Although not a content tool as such, Trello helps you manage your workload and workflows.
On our team board, we allocate different content titles to writers, giving everyone visibility on what’s in play.
On personal boards, you can include the small tasks you need to do throughout the week.
And trust us:
Moving each card over to “Complete” is weirdly satisfying.
7. Slack
Price: Free (paid plans available)
Once upon a time, Slack was all about collaborating with your teammates. Now, that’s only a small part of it.
That’s because of the thousands of Slack communities that give content marketers a direct line to their ICPs. This helps them better understand their pain points, speak their language and create content that resonates.
Further than that, there are Slack communities out there just for content people. ContentUK is one of them, giving members the chance to connect with like-minded content professionals and learn from regular masterclasses.
Analytics and performance
8. Google Analytics
Sure, Google Analytics tells you how many unique page views you're getting on your blog. But that’s only scratching the surface.
GA is your ticket to becoming an advanced content marketer. That’s because it can help you demonstrate ROI to the wider marketing team and business.
To do that, you need to delve into the “Behaviour” tab and understand how your blogs convert.
9. Agorapulse
Anyone who looks after their business' social account understands how irritating manual reporting can be.
So instead of tearing your hair out, use Agorapulse. The platform gives you all the insights you need and everything is simple to understand.
10. SHIELD
For those of you interested in building your LinkedIn personal brand, SHIELD is a must-have.
The platform allows you to track the performance of your posts over time, and optimise the content you put out there.
3 bonus content marketing tools we love
11. Cognism Chrome Extension
Price: Available on request
Ever wanted to collaborate with a big influencer in your field without having any idea how to get in touch with them?
Then Cognism’s Chrome Extension is the answer to your prayers.
It puts up-to-date email addresses and direct dials at your fingertips, making high-value collaborations possible.
12. Hemingway Editor
Price: Free
Hemingway Editor is a great tool for starter content marketers. That’s because many grads are in the habit of writing long, hard to read sentences.
These are fine for academic papers, but they don’t work in B2B SaaS.
With Hemingway’s web app, writers can see where they’re going wrong and amend it before a first draft ever lands on a Content Manager’s desk.
13. Vidyard
When you’re working remotely, this screen and voice recorder can help you solve problems fast.
Say a new team member is struggling with formatting in your CMS. All you need to do is use Vidyard, and you’ll never need to explain yourself again.
