From 0 to 100: 15 Accounts and Free Software to Secure as a New Brand

When you're building a new business, free software is your bread and butter. In a world where everything seems stuck behind a paywall or a subscription, there are still some great platforms and resources available at no cost to you. These tools can get your brand on its feet and connect with customers long before you need to open up the wallet for pay-by-the-seat enterprise software.

Get These 15 Free Marketing Resources

Whether you’re a small business revving up for launch, a budget-conscious independent contractor or an enterprise company seeking to optimize your spend, these 15 free resources will come in clutch!

1. Google Analytics

Everyone—and we mean everyone—uses Google Analytics to track their website metrics, user engagement and goal conversions. Google Analytics (GA) is one of the quintessential examples of Google’s dominance in the free marketing software game. Plug it into your website and watch the data roll in along with plenty of useful analysis tools and visualizers on the inside.

2. Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is also a useful toolkit that you can use for on-site web analytics. Whereas Google Analytics tracks incoming traffic, Microsoft Clarity offers visual insights into user activity and engagement on your local pages.

3. Google Lighthouse

Google Lighthouse is a free automated tool that sheds light on technical website issues so you can improve your user experience (UX), site performance, search optimization and accessibility. It may sound overwhelming, but it has a great interface that integrates with Google Chrome and shares clear action items.

4. Google Search Console

Google Search Console will help you determine how effective your SEO and search engine advertising has been. It tracks search performance and gives you clues about how to boost your visibility on Google. It’s also a great source of keyword inspiration for blog posts and other content.

5. Google Business Profile

Put your business on the map (literally and figuratively) by completing your Google Business Profile, formerly called Google My Business. To claim your profile, you have to fill out the forms and receive a physical mailer at your business address, so it takes a bit of time, but it’s worth it. You can use it to track online orders, book calls, and create and control a content-rich search profile.

6. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword research tool. You can use it to discover effective and cost-efficient keywords to use in your search ads. While Google Ads is generally a pay-to-play advertising platform, many people don’t know that it also offers free Google Shopping listings!

7. Canva

Canva is the marketing industry’s new favorite free software. Gone are the days of having to hire a graphic designer for simple, sleek collateral. Canva lets you leverage templates to develop graphics, flyers, brochures and other basic visual designs. It’s always dropping new features, too, like it’s recent AI image generator.

8. Unsplash or Pexels

When you need free stock photos, look to Unsplash and Pexels. These two websites have a diverse collection of free stock images you can use on your website, in print collateral or on ads. Both are license-free and royalty-free, which means they’re 100% yours to use however you want.

9. Social Media Profiles

Lock down your branded social media handles before someone else does. It's free to make and manage social media accounts even before you have a publishing schedule. Plus, social media is great for building and connecting with an audience as your brand grows.

10. Meta Business Suite

Meta, the umbrella for Facebook and Instagram, offers free business accounts so you can create and manage your Facebook and Instagram business profiles. The Meta Business Suite platform gives you the power to schedule content, review metrics and manage multiple pages and users with ease.

11. Buffer

Scheduling content is essential to save time and optimize your marketing efforts. Use Buffer to schedule social media content in advance. This can help you launch posts at exactly the right time of day to connect with your target audience, and line up campaign-related content weeks in advance.

12. Grammarly

Grammarly is a fantastic tool for copywriting and editing. It has spell-check, grammar/syntax check, plagiarism check and much more. Your copywriters can all start with free accounts, and once you’re able, you can upgrade later to bring the whole team together.

13. Mailchimp

If you're ready to start sending and automating emails, Mailchimp is a useful and free place to start. Mailchimp offers businesses the ability to launch beautiful, branded email marketing campaigns before they invest in more robust and expensive systems.

14. Google Alerts

Google Alerts is a free service that sends you email alerts whenever certain keywords are mentioned anywhere across the web. A great tool for sourcing social media content or tracking public relations efforts, it can let you know in real-time when other sites mention your brand.

15. Connectively

Lastly, there's HARO (Help A Reporter Out) which has become Connectively. This service connects reporters and bloggers with the brands and individuals they need for quotes and insights. While there is an upgraded paid version, the free profile lets you search hundreds of topics that publications are writing about right now so you can support their work as a subject matter expert.

Secure Your New Marketing Agency

Securing these 15 accounts is one thing, and using them properly is another. If you're ready to elevate your brand but don’t have the bandwidth (or, let’s be real, the desire) to do it all on your own, talk to us about our discovery process today. We’ll get you set up in all the right places and give you the strategic insights you can leverage to take your business to the next level.