Best Content Marketing Tools: 15 Tools You Need To Know

Are you looking to find the best content marketing tools?

Over the last few years, we’ve used several content marketing tools for OptinMonster to bridge crucial gaps in our content marketing strategy.

After hands-on experience with most of these tools, we learned that not every tool is created equal. In fact, choosing the right tools for content marketing can be intimidating since so many options are available on the market.

Therefore, in this article, we’ll explain everything we learned from using and testing the best options on the market. 

I’ll also narrow down the best content marketing tools so you can easily choose the right one for your needs.

Let’s start with the basics first.

What Are Content Marketing Tools?

At their core, content marketing tools are software applications or platforms designed to assist in creating, distributing, analyzing, and optimizing content.

They range from simple writing assistance to complex analytics platforms that examine every aspect of your content’s performance.

The right set of tools can significantly amplify your content marketing efforts. They can help identify trends, automate mundane tasks, and provide insights into your audience’s preferences and behaviors.

Essentially, they enable you to do more with less, focusing your efforts on strategy and creativity rather than getting bogged down in logistics.

Related Content The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Content Marketing

Best Content Marketing Tools for 2024

1. OptinMonster

In content marketing, capturing and converting leads is as crucial as creating compelling content. OptinMonster emerges as a powerful tool in this arena, offering sophisticated lead generation and conversion optimization solutions. 

Our client’s journey with OptinMonster has been marked by its remarkable ability to transform website traffic into a robust subscriber base and increase overall conversion rates through targeted campaigns.

Key Features:

• Campaign Builder: OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop builder allows you to create visually appealing and highly engaging opt-in forms and campaigns without needing any coding skills.
• Targeted Campaigns: Utilize advanced targeting options based on user behavior, such as exit-intent technology, page-level targeting, and time on site, to deliver personalized messages at the right moment.
• A/B Testing: Test different elements of your campaigns, from headlines to call-to-actions (CTAs), to determine what works best with your audience and improve your conversion rates.
• Actionable Insights: Detailed analytics and conversion data help you understand the effectiveness of your campaigns, enabling you to make informed decisions and strategic adjustments.

How It Has Helped Our Users:

OptinMonster has significantly empowered our users to increase their lead generation rates and conversion percentages.

For instance, Fastrack recovered 53% visitors by implemented targeted exit-intent popups to capture the attention of visitors about to leave their site.

Another success story involves Sportique increasing conversions my 200% using OptinMonsters geo-targeting. They used multiple campaigns on their website to achieve great results.

Furthermore, OptinMonster’s detailed analytics have enabled users to gain deep insights into the effectiveness of their strategies.

Understanding which campaigns perform best and why users can continuously refine their approach ensures their content marketing efforts yield the best possible results.

OptinMonster’s integration capabilities have also been a game-changer for many users, allowing them to connect seamlessly with other marketing tools and platforms.

This integration has streamlined workflows and ensured a cohesive marketing strategy across channels, enhancing the overall effectiveness of their content marketing efforts.

By using OptinMonster, marketers can capture their audience’s attention and convert them into loyal customers, driving significant growth for their business.

Join the OptinMonster family today!

2. Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform which has singlehandedly revolutionized graphic design for content marketers.

Canva empowers marketers, bloggers, and businesses to craft professional-looking graphics without the need for advanced design skills.

Key Features:

• Template Variety: Canva offers thousands of customizable templates for social media posts, presentations, flyers, newsletters, and more, catering to a wide range of content marketing needs.
• Drag-and-Drop Editor: The platform’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create designs by simply moving elements around.
• Collaboration Tools: Canva allows teams to collaborate on designs in real-time, making it easier to share feedback and make revisions on the fly.
• Brand Kit: For businesses, Canva’s Brand Kit feature enables the consistent use of brand colors, logos, and fonts across all designs, ensuring brand consistency.

Why It’s the Best:

Canva allows content marketers to create visuals that resonate with their audience quickly.

In my experience, incorporating Canva into our content strategy significantly increased our engagement rates on social media and improved the readability of our blog posts. 

For instance, by using Canva’s infographic templates, we were able to clarify complex data into digestible visuals, making our content more accessible and shareable.

The real beauty of Canva lies in its simplicity combined with powerful features. Whether you’re creating a quick social media post or an in-depth report, Canva’s versatility makes it a vital tool in your content marketing arsenal. 

Moreover, its emphasis on collaboration and brand consistency ensures that your team can produce high-quality content efficiently.

In conclusion, Canva stands out for its comprehensive features and ability to empower marketers to tell their brand’s story visually. 

In an era of fleeting attention, tools like Canva are essential for creating content that captures and retains audience interest.

3. Ahrefs

Ahrefs stands out as a multifaceted SEO tool that is indispensable for content marketers aiming to improve their SEO game.

Renowned for its robust backlink analysis capabilities, Ahrefs offers much more, making it a critical asset for any content marketing strategy.

Key Features:

• Site Audit: Ahrefs’ site audit feature comprehensively crawls your website to identify SEO issues hindering your site’s performance in search engine results pages (SERPs). This tool provides actionable insights to improve your website’s health and SEO ranking.
• Keyword Explorer: With Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer, content marketers can dive deep into keyword research, uncovering valuable keywords with data on search volume, keyword difficulty, and click-through rates. This insight helps in crafting content strategies that align with what your audience is searching for.
• Content Explorer: This feature allows marketers to discover the most popular content within their niche, providing insights into what topics resonate with audiences. It’s an excellent tool for generating content ideas that are proven to engage and attract traffic.
• Rank Tracker: Keeping track of your content’s performance is crucial, and Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker offers a detailed view of how your keywords rank over time. This feature helps measure the effectiveness of your SEO strategies and make necessary adjustments.

Why It’s the Best:

In my experience, Ahrefs has been a game-changer for several reasons. Its comprehensive data and insights have allowed us to identify and capitalize on untapped keyword opportunities, significantly boosting organic traffic for OptinMonster. 

The Content Explorer, in particular, has been instrumental in guiding content ideation, helping to craft articles and blog posts that rank well and genuinely resonate with the target audience.

Moreover, Ahrefs’ backlink analysis capabilities has enabled us to develop more effective link-building strategies. By understanding the backlink profiles of competing websites, I’ve targeted higher-quality backlink opportunities, enhancing the authority and trustworthiness of OptinMonster.

4. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo stands out as a critical tool for marketers seeking to understand content that resonates with their audience.

Key Features:

• Content Discovery and Trends: BuzzSumo allows marketers to discover trending topics and content within their niche, providing inspiration and enabling them to tap into current conversations. This feature helps you stay ahead of the curve and ensure your content is relevant and timely.
• Influencer Identification: Finding influencers who can amplify your content’s reach is a breeze with BuzzSumo. You can foster partnerships that extend your content’s visibility and credibility by identifying key influencers in your industry.
• Engagement Analysis: Understanding what content performs best on social media platforms helps tailor your content strategy to maximize engagement. BuzzSumo’s detailed analytics offer insights into metrics such as shares, likes, and comments, allowing you to replicate success and learn from less engaging content.
• Competitor Analysis: Keeping an eye on your competitors’ content strategies is crucial, and BuzzSumo provides the tools to do just that. Analyze what works for them, identify gaps in their approach, and find opportunities to differentiate your content.

Why It’s the Best:

My personal experience with BuzzSumo has been nothing short of transformative.

Early in my content marketing career, I struggled to keep pace with the rapidly changing interests of our target audience. BuzzSumo changed that by enabling me to tap into the pulse of our industry’s most engaging content.

For example, by analyzing top-performing articles within our niche, we were able to craft a viral blog post that significantly increased our website traffic and engagement. BuzzSumo’s insights have been crucial in shaping our content strategy to be more responsive and aligned with audience interests.

5. Grammarly

Grammarly has emerged as a critical tool for writers, marketers, and content creators, ensuring their work is grammatically correct but also clear and engaging.

Key Features:

• Advanced Grammar and Punctuation Checks: Beyond basic spell checks, Grammarly identifies complex grammatical errors, helping you correct them to improve readability and professionalism.
• Contextual Spelling Checker: It recognizes misused words and suggests corrections based on the context of your sentences, ensuring accuracy in your writing.
• Tone Detection: One of Grammarly’s standout features is its ability to analyze the tone of your writing, providing feedback to ensure it aligns with your intended message and audience’s expectations.
• Plagiarism Detector: An essential feature for content marketers, Grammarly’s plagiarism checker scans your text against billions of web pages to ensure originality and avoid unintentional plagiarism.
• Writing Style Suggestions: Depending on your genre or the platform you’re writing for, Grammarly offers style adjustments to help your content resonate better with your target audience.
• Integration Capabilities: Grammarly integrates seamlessly with various platforms and tools, including Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and major web browsers, making it incredibly versatile and easy to use across different workflows.

Why It’s the Best:

This tool is invaluable for content marketers who want to maintain a professional and polished online presence. Whether you’re crafting emails, blog posts, or social media updates, Grammarly ensures your message is conveyed effectively and error-free.

After integrating Grammarly into our workflow, we noticed a significant improvement in the quality of our writing. It was like having a second pair of eyes, catching errors we had overlooked and suggesting improvements that made our content more engaging.

This tool has been a game-changer, saving us time and enhancing our reputation as a content marketing professional.

6. Semrush

Semrush has become an essential tool for content marketers seeking to boost their search engine optimization. 

As a comprehensive digital marketing research tool, it offers features designed to support all aspects of content marketing — from keyword research and competitor analysis to content creation and performance tracking. 

Its versatility and depth of data make it a favorite among marketing professionals aiming to optimize their content strategies.

Key Features:

• Keyword Research and Analysis: Semrush’s keyword research tool provides extensive data on keyword difficulty, search volume, and variations. This information is crucial for identifying high-opportunity keywords and crafting content that ranks well on search engines.
• Competitor Analysis: Understanding your competition is vital in any marketing strategy. Semrush allows marketers to peek into their competitors’ SEO tactics, content strategies, and backlink profiles, offering insights into what works and identifying potential opportunities for differentiation.
• Content Creation and Optimization: The Content Marketing Toolkit within Semrush offers a range of tools to help create SEO-friendly content. Features like the SEO Content Template and SEO Writing Assistant provide real-time recommendations for optimizing articles, blog posts, and web pages.
• Performance Tracking: With Semrush, you can monitor the performance of your content across various channels. It tracks rankings, social shares, website traffic, and more, enabling marketers to effectively measure their content’s impact and ROI.

Why It’s the Best:

Semrush has been a cornerstone of our SEO and content marketing efforts, offering a holistic view of our website’s performance and areas for improvement. 

The content marketing platform, in particular, has been a game-changer, guiding us in crafting content that resonates with our audience and aligns with search engine algorithms. 

The ability to track our rankings and monitor the SEO health of our site in real time has allowed us to be more agile and responsive in our strategy.

7. Hemingway

The Hemingway App is a standout tool that helps writers simplify and clarify their content.

Key Features:

• Readability Grade Level: Hemingway assesses the complexity of your text and provides a readability score, encouraging writing that’s accessible to a broader audience.
• Adverb and Passive Voice Minimizer: It highlights the overuse of adverbs and passive voice, promoting more vigorous, direct writing.
• Sentence Length Monitor: Long, complex sentences are flagged, prompting you to break them down for better clarity and reader engagement.

Why It’s the Best:

For content marketers aiming to make their writing more accessible and engaging, Hemingway is an essential tool.

Using Hemingway has transformed the way we approach writing for the web.

In one project, for instance, we struggled to engage a broader audience due to the technical nature of our content. By running our articles through Hemingway and simplifying the language, we saw a significant uptick in reader engagement and time spent on our pages.

This tool improved our content’s readability and made it more inclusive, reaching readers with varying expertise and reading preferences.

8. HubSpot

HubSpot seamlessly integrates content creation, management, and analysis. Its user-friendly CMS has enabled many to launch a blog that significantly increased web traffic and lead generation. 

Key Features:

• Content Management System (CMS): HubSpot’s CMS is designed for marketers, making it easy to create, manage, and optimize website content without needing a developer.
• Marketing Automation: Automate your email marketing campaigns and social media postings, ensuring your content reaches your audience at optimal times.
• Analytics and Reporting: Gain insights into your content’s performance across different channels, allowing you to make data-driven decisions.

Why It’s the Best:

The marketing automation tools of HubSpot can streamline email campaigns, making them more effective and less time-consuming. HubSpot’s comprehensive analytics allow you to refine content strategy, ensuring you continuously maximize your ROI.

9. WordPress

WordPress continues to dominate the content management system (CMS) landscape thanks to its unparalleled flexibility and extensive plugin ecosystem. 

Whether you’re running a small blog or a large corporate website, WordPress is extremely customizable to meet your specific needs. 

Key Features:

• Extensive Plugin Ecosystem: WordPress offers thousands of plugins, including SEO plugins, social media integrations, and content editing enhancements, to extend the functionality of your site.
• Theme Customization: With a wide range of themes, WordPress allows for complete customization of your site’s design to match your brand.
• User-Friendly Interface: Its intuitive dashboard makes content management accessible to users of all skill levels.

Why It’s the Best:

WordPress’s flexibility and scalability have made it the platform of choice for our website and blog. Its extensive plugin ecosystem allowed us to tailor our site precisely to our needs, from optimizing SEO to improving site speed.

The ability to customize themes enabled us to create a unique, branded experience for our visitors. WordPress’s ease of use has empowered our team to publish content quickly and efficiently, keeping our site dynamic and engaging.

10. Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 is the latest iteration of Google’s web analytics service. It offers a more integrated approach to understanding your audience’s behavior across websites and apps.

Key Features:

• Event-based Tracking: Unlike its predecessor, GA4 focuses on event-based data, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of user interactions on your website.
• Enhanced Measurement: Automatically tracks various interactions, such as page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site searches, and video engagement, without additional setup.
• User-centric Analysis: Provides a comprehensive view of how users engage with your content across devices, leveraging a data model focusing on the user journey.
• Predictive Analytics: Utilizes machine learning to predict future user behavior, such as potential revenue from specific segments, helping you to tailor your content and marketing strategies more effectively.

Why It’s the Best:

Transitioning to GA4 was a game-changer for our content marketing efforts. The shift from session-based to event-based tracking allowed us to gain deeper insights into how our audience interacts with our content.

The predictive analytics feature also proved invaluable, enabling us to focus on content and channels with the highest potential ROI.

GA4’s user-centric approach has provided us with a clearer picture of our audience’s journey, revealing what content they consume and how they interact with it across different touchpoints. This holistic view has been instrumental in optimizing our content for better engagement and conversion.

Moreover, the ability to track custom events without extensive coding has empowered our team to experiment with new content formats and strategies, quickly assessing their effectiveness and making data-driven adjustments.

The insights gained from GA4 have improved our content’s performance and overall marketing strategy, ensuring that we are always aligned with our audience’s evolving needs and preferences.

11. Trello

Trello makes it easier for teams to manage projects and tasks.

Key Features:

• Visual Project Management: Trello’s board and card system provides a visual overview of your content projects, making it easy to track progress.
• Collaboration Tools: Team members can comment, attach files, and set deadlines directly on Trello cards, enhancing team communication and collaboration.
• Integration Capabilities: Trello integrates with a wide range of apps, including Google Drive and Slack, streamlining your content marketing workflow.

Why It’s the Best:

Trello has revolutionized the way we plan and execute our content calendar. Its visual interface and collaboration tools have made it incredibly easy for our team to stay aligned on content projects, from brainstorming to publication.

The ability to integrate with other tools we use, like Google Docs and Slack, has further streamlined our workflows, making our content marketing efforts more cohesive and efficient.

12. Yoast

Yoast is an essential WordPress plugin that simplifies the complexity of SEO.

Key Features:

• SEO Analysis: Yoast SEO provides real-time feedback on your content’s SEO friendliness, including keyword density, meta descriptions, and readability.
• XML Sitemaps: Automatically generates XML sitemaps, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site.
• Breadcrumbs Navigation: Enhances user experience and site structure with easy-to-implement breadcrumbs.

Why It’s the Best:

Its intuitive interface and actionable recommendations make optimizing their posts and pages for search engines easy for content creators.

For many, Yoast SEO has been a reliable partner in ensuring that every content published is fine-tuned for maximum visibility, contributing significantly to organic growth.

13. Google Docs

Google Docs has been instrumental in fostering collaboration within our content team. The ability to work on documents simultaneously and leave feedback in real time has significantly sped up our editing and approval processes.

Key Features:

• Real-Time Collaboration: Multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously, with changes reflected in real time.
• Commenting and Suggestion Mode: Team members can leave feedback and suggest edits, which can be reviewed and applied.
• Accessibility: Access your documents from anywhere, on any device, with an internet connection.

Why It’s the Best:

Its ease of use and accessibility have ensured that content marketing team members can contribute and collaborate no matter where they are. This has been particularly valuable in maintaining our content production pace in a remote working environment.

14. Feedly

Feedly is the fastest way to research topics and trends. 

Key Features:

• Content Aggregation: Feedly compiles news feeds from a variety of online sources, allowing you to customize and organize your own news feed based on topics, interests, or industries.
• AI Research Assistant: Leverage Feedly’s AI assistant, Leo, to prioritize the most relevant content, filter out noise, and discover emerging trends.
• Collaboration Tools: Share insights, save articles, and collaborate with your team directly within Feedly to streamline your content planning process.

Why It’s the Best:

Feedly’s ability to centralize and customize content streams can save you countless hours of research. For instance, by setting up a feed for industry-specific news, you can quickly identify a breaking trend and publish a thought leadership piece of content that establishes your brand as a forward-thinking authority in the field. 

Feedly’s seamless integration into daily workflow has made it an invaluable resource for continuous learning and content ideation.

15. Mailchimp

Email marketing is vital to a comprehensive content marketing strategy, and Mailchimp excels in this area due to its user-friendly interface and powerful automation features. 

Key Features:

• Intuitive Email Builder: Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop email builder simplifies the creation of visually appealing and engaging emails without requiring advanced design skills.
• Audience Segmentation: Create targeted campaigns by segmenting your audience based on behavior, preferences, and previous interactions, ensuring your messages are highly relevant and personalized.
• Automated Workflows: Set up automated email sequences triggered by specific actions, such as welcome emails for new subscribers or follow-up messages after a purchase, enhancing the customer journey.
• Performance Analytics: Track the success of your email campaigns with detailed reports on open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, allowing for data-driven optimizations.

Why It’s the Best:

In addition to its core features, Mailchimp’s integration with other tools and platforms streamlines marketing workflows, allowing the creation of more cohesive and integrated campaigns across channels. 

Whether syncing subscriber data with CRM or using Mailchimp’s landing page builder to capture leads, the platform has provided a versatile and powerful solution for our email marketing needs.

Mailchimp is an essential tool for content marketers leveraging email as a channel for direct engagement, lead nurturing and conversion.

Its comprehensive features, ease of use, and powerful analytics make it an invaluable asset for developing and executing effective email marketing strategies.

By harnessing the power of Mailchimp, marketers can deliver personalized, impactful content directly to their audience’s inboxes, driving meaningful results for their campaigns.

What Are the Best Tools To Use for Content Marketing? (Summary)

1. OptinMonster for Lead Generation and Conversion
2. Canva for Graphic Design and Visual Content Creation
3. Ahrefs for SEO and Content Optimization
4. BuzzSumo for Content Research and Idea Generation
5. Grammarly for Writing and Grammar
6. Semrush for SEO and Content Optimization
7. Hemingway for Writing and Grammar
8. HubSpot for CMS
9. WordPress for CMS
10. Google Analytics 4 for Analytics and Performance Tracking
11. Trello for Planning and Organizing
12. Yoast for SEO and Content Optimization
13. Google Docs for Content Management and Collaboration
14. Feedly for Content Aggregation
15. Mailchimp for Email Marketing and Automation

Join the OptinMonster family today!

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