Mastering Your Marketing Stack: A Guide to Choosing the Right Tools
Do you remember that saying about teaching a village to fish and they will eat forever (versus giving them fish)? In other words, rather than telling you what tool you should use (because it may fit my needs or pocketbook), we should learn how to analyze what our needs are and what tool fits those needs.
Define your objective(s)
You’ve heard this many times, I’m sure, and this article is no exception. One of the first steps in any process is to define your objective(s). This is also one of the key steps in goal hacking.
In order to identify your objective, ask yourself what it is that you would like to accomplish. For goals, you need something that is metric/measurable. An example would be to network to a point of obtaining 5,000 new Twitter followers by the last day of this year. In that case, you have a measurable quantity (5,000 followers) and a measurable timeframe (the last day of the year).
An objective, without the measurable goal, may be general and as simple as indicating that you want to have a successful digital campaign for XYZ. Granted, it is more difficult to measure when that objective has been realized, but for the purposes of this article, and getting started, you could begin your process with a general objective. As you go through this process, you will have the opportunity to learn and refine your skills and that would include identifying an objective that allows you to realize when it has been reached.
For simplicity, let’s go with the “be successful” objective.
Different tools (and functionality) but a similar process
Regardless of the tool, with an objective like the one we defined (i.e. be successful) the tool itself is not the point. It could be a tool for checking domain name availability, or keywords, like what we are discussing. Identifying the right tool for the job is important and that is why we are here, to learn how to go about doing that for our particular situation.
Let’s think in terms of visual. True, the tool doesn’t matter in terms of the definition of the objective of being successful. So, whether it is a hammer or a marketing tool, the objective is to be successful (i.e. building a house or building a successful digital marketing campaign).
However, when you look at the tool, you may know that the objective is to be successful, but the tool still needs to be appropriate. If you have a hammer in one hand and marketing software in the other, you may know that both tools work toward the objective of being successful, but identifying the right tool for the right project is ke, and that is what we are learning today.
- Will the hammer help us to be successful? Yes.
- Will the hammer help us to be successful in building a digital marketing strategy? No.
- Will marketing software help us to be successful? Yes.
- Will marketing software help us to be successful in building a house? No.
So, the objective (being successful) may be the same for both projects, but the process of identifying the right tool for the job is still needed.
Getting the picture? Ok, let’s move on and take a deeper look at and practice the process.
More than just a tool
So, we got the idea of a tool, whether building a house or creating a marketing strategy. But, there is also such a thing as a tool specialty.
In this case, the tool itself has features, which it is good at doing. Compared to another tool, there may be a different tool feature list. That is what we talked about in the last section: having the right tool for the job. But, not only is the right tool necessary, but having the right factors (features) is important, too.
Let’s use the jackknife illustration. Let’s say that the knife itself is a keyword tool. Now, let’s say that the features of this keyword tool would be the separate little tools in that jackknife. Do we use all of the tools (features)? Maybe not. But one thing is for sure. We need to use the right tool for the right job.
So, it is about having the right tool for the job (the jackknife), but it is also about having a jackknife with the right features (mini-tools). Both jackknives, above, have mini-tool scissors that will cut a thread, and they will cut paper. But, the jackknife tool on the top would be better at paper and less effective at thread, whereas the jackknife and its mini-tool scissors in the bottom image would be better at thread cutting in a tight place, but less effective with the paper-cutting.
If we think of the jackknives as the marketing keyword research/suggestion tool, both may work for keyword research (not the jackknife, but using that as an illustration,) but one feature of one tool may be more effective than one feature of another tool. So, one keyword research tool may have the competitive analysis (as a feature,) whereas another keyword research tool may not have the feature of competitive analysis. Both tools may technically work as a keyword research tool, but not as effective if they do not have the desired features.
Ok, this will make more sense as we apply it. Seriously, we are applying it now.. well, after one more section
Evaluating a marketing tool
Whenever I think of keywords and keyword research, one of the first things I think of is the keyword planner and how I should be logging into Google to do this whole keyword research thing correctly.
However, that may be like going upstairs to my office, over to my desk, and pulling out the desk scissors to clip a thread that could be clipped with those little scissors on the jackknife in my pocket. Do I want to spend five minutes longer getting a tool that may be overkill for the job? Or, do I want to use what I have readily available, that works better for the job, and get it done… and done right?
It is about using the right tool for the job (and knowing which tool that is!).
One of the undisputed top-of-the-list tasks in any search engine optimization (SEO) campaign is doing our due diligence when it comes to keyword research. This is not an area where we want to cut our efforts or attention. We do not want to optimize for a word that is not relevant to the content at hand or the campaign. We also do not want a case of over-optimizing and getting a slap on the wrist from Google.
We don’t want to spend too much effort (more than needed), nor do we want to spend too little effort (less than what is needed). And that goes for money, too, in what we spend on services or advertising campaigns.
So, it is very important that we get it right… that we do it right. Oh, sure, all of the tasks are important. All of the tools are important, but keyword research is a task that 1) most agree is a part of the process; and 2) most agree needs to be done correctly.
So, why not start with keyword research, as our case study tool category? Let’s find a tool that does that keyword research and one that we can analyze, learning the process of identifying quality tools and how to evaluate those tools for the identification of the right tool for the job. That is, the right tool for OUR digital marketing campaign.
Our case study tool: Ubersuggest
At the top of the list, comes Ubersuggest. This tool is a very comprehensive keyword tool and helps us to perform the task(s) of keyword research. It is also a tool that provides keyword suggestions (another important aspect of SEO!).
But, don’t take our word for it. We will show the screenshots, the process, and our own analysis process in just a moment.
This is your opportunity to work through that analysis process yourself and give points (or take them away) as you see fit. By doing so, you are applying the process of evaluating tools and you can use this process to select the next tool for your marketing toolbox and digital marketing campaigns.
Background and information about our case study tool
Ubersuggest has been around for a while and Ubersuggest was acquired by Neil Patel in its more recent history. With this acquisition, we not only have the opportunity to continue to use a comprehensive keyword research tool, but we also have the additional benefit of Neil’s knowledge and expertise, all rolled into one resource at neilpatel.com.
Remember we talked about the features of the tool. The tool, in this case, is the little red (or blue) jackknife, or specifically, our case study of Ubersuggest. The features are like the mini-tools, whether it is a screwdriver, a wire trimmer, or a pair of scissors.
We are evaluating the features of our case study tool, Ubersuggest.
There are two aspects that Ubersuggest identifies itself as helping you to accomplish.
One area is the search engine optimization (SEO) process for any given post, page, content, etc. The other is that of the pay-per-click (PPC) campaign that you may be using as a part of your overall digital marketing campaign, for advertising on Google, Bing, or any other PPC platform.
In order to be able to walk (or run) down that path toward either (or both) of these objectives, you need data such as the following:
- search capacity of any given keyword or phrase;
- difficulty of ranking for those keywords or phrases;
- checking out the competition (includes understanding whether the competition is ranking or obtaining their positioning through PPC).
The two areas could be used as your specific objectives, desiring to have success in SEO efforts or desiring to have success in PPC efforts. But, let’s not get overly confused, as the key is the analysis.
You see, the success of the tool is measured by way of the success that it provides to us. If there is zilch, the tool is not necessarily living up to its promises as far as functionality. Granted, the tool may be fine, and it may be that there are no keywords, but if that is the case, how do we measure it. It is easier to measure what exists (i.e., suggested keywords) than what does not exist (zilch).
In all fairness, to more easily evaluate the functionality of a tool, it is helpful to compare it to another tool that does the same thing. It would be helpful to use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your analysis. You could even break down the aspects of functionality (like the mini-tools on that jackknife) and give points to each tool that is being compared. That is an easier way to determine the number of points each compared tool gets, with less of an impact of bias.
You can add other factors to analyze, beyond the price, functionality, and any bonus points. It also depends on the tool. But, this section should get you started.
The big divide: ROI (Return on Investment)
The final component is an evaluation of price. As you recall, that is one of the comparison factors in our analysis above, but it is also what can be a major determining factor. Our case study tool, Ubersuggest, received a ten out of ten on that one because it is free.
Had we been comparing a tool that had a price tag attached, like Moz, Ahrefs, Majestic, or SEMRush, this would require more work. If there is a price tag, we would want to compare what we get out of it (what is our digital marketing success worth to us?) with what we are paying for that success (the cost of the tool). So, if we are paying $1 for a tool and making a profit of $3, that is a fair return. If we are making $300 while paying $1, that is a really good return on investment!
The reason free is so easy to evaluate is because, well, it is free. Any amount of money we are making, using the tool, is free and clear (at least as it relates to that particular tool), and so it is all profit. Again, this is only a comparison of the tool and does not take any other expenses into consideration.
This is how we need to look at it >> All things considered, is the exertion of our time and/or money resulting in a success that makes it worth it? That would be our ROI.
By evaluating our ROI, we are making the choice. If we have done our analysis correctly, or effectively, we have determined the tool that fits our needs, including functionality and our pocketbook.
After our analysis and determination, what is left to do? Well, that would be a case of putting the selected tool into action and reaching for the stars… that is, our digital marketing success! You, too, can be on special lists, everywhere, as influencers and movers and shakers.
Ann Smarty
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