Our essential startup toolkit features platforms and services that help startups, entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses scale and automate their marketing.
Here are the tools we set up during on-boarding for all our digital marketing clients:
MUST HAVES
![]() |
Google AnalyticsGoogle Analytics measures your site performance and online advertising ROI. Track the growth of your traffic and understand how users find and interact with your site. Cost: FREE |
|
|
![]() |
Google Search ConsoleSearch Console helps you monitor and maintain your site's presence in Google Search results. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
WordpressWordPress is an online website creation tool. It's the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management system (or CMS) available. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
MailchimpMailChimp is a simple email marketing software (EMS) which gives you a number of easy options for designing, sending and saving templates of your emails. Cost: Free up to 2,000 subscribers |
Required Reading: Must Have Resources
Startup Marketing
GrowthHackers
Content Marketing Institute
Buffer Blog
Moz Blog
CONTENT MARKETING
![]() |
MediumMedium is a blogging platform that brings your blog content to a wider audience. Cost: Free |
![]() |
BuzzSumoBuzzsumo allows you to find out what content is popular by topic or on any website. Helpful for gathering blog content ideas. Cost: $79/ month |
![]() |
Hemingway EditorThe Hemingway Editor is an proofreading tool for writers that cuts the dead weight from your writing. Perfect for marketing writers who don't have an editor. Cost: $20 |
![]() |
DraftinPerfect for teams that collaborate on blog writing and editing. Draftin offers easy version control and collaboration to improve your writing as a team. Cost: Free |
Required Reading: Content Marketing
Content Strategy for Startups (The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide)
How To Get Over 50,000 Visits to Your Blog in the First Month
My Mantra to Blogging that Made $20,000: Remix, Reuse, and Republish
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
![]() |
Yoast SEOYoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that handles the technical optimization of your site and helps you monitor and manage your content for SEO optimization. Cost: FREE
|
![]() |
Moz Open Site ExplorerWe start SEO research with OSE. Look for content and link building opportunities, track your site's link profile over time and compare to competitors for intelligent, targeted link building. Cost: Free
|
![]() |
Keyword ToolKeyword Tool is a keyword research tool that generates hundreds of relevant long-tail keywords for any topic. Cost: Free
|
![]() |
Majestic SEOOffers link intelligence and domain metrics to do indepth SEO audits and competitive research. Cost: $50/month
|
![]() |
SEO Site CheckupAdvanced SEO analyzer tool for a quick SEO audit. Includes a simple checklist of improvements to help understand which tasks to prioritize. Cost: Free
|
Required Reading: Search Engine Optimization
Google Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide
Beginner's Guide to SEO - Moz
Advanced Guide to SEO - QuickSprout
Search Engine Land’s Guide To SEO
GROWTH HACKING (Automation & Lead Generation)
![]() |
HubspotHubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers. Cost: $200 / month
|
|
|
![]() |
PipedrivePipedrive is a sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system and pipeline management application. It's simpler and has a better UX than many other similar tools. Cost: $10 / month per user
|
|
|
![]() |
UnbounceUnbounce is a landing page builder. You can create, publish and test your landing pages. Cost: $79 / month
|
|
|
![]() |
ZapierZapier is a web automation app. With Zapier you can automate digital tasks you want to do over and over. They support hundreds of apps. You can mix and match actions to automate just about anything. Cost: Free
|
![]() |
InfusionsoftUse Infusionsoft to automate your small business sales and marketing, while combining your CRM, email marketing, lead capture and e-commerce in one place. Cost: $299 / month
|
Required Reading: Growth Hacking
Growth Hacking Made Simple
13 Critically Important Lessons From Over 50 Growth Hackers
How We Put Facebook on the Path to 1 Billion Users
Growth Hacker TV
ADVERTISING
![]() |
AdRollAdRoll is a retargeting and prospecting app that works by keeping track of people who visit your site and displaying retargeting ads to them as they visit other sites online. Cost: Pay as you go
|
|
|
![]() |
Google AdwordsGoogle AdWords is Google's advertising system. Advertisers bid on certain keywords in order for their clickable ads to appear in Google's search results. Cost: Pay per click
|
|
|
![]() |
Keyword PlannerGoogle AdWords Keyword Planner is a keyword research tool that allows you to find the right keywords to target for display ads, search ads, video ads, and apps. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
SEMRushSEMRush is a tool for finding profitable keywords. The software offers website analysis tools and research reports to take the guesswork out of your market research and SEO. Cost: Free |
Required Reading: Advertising
The Definitive Guide to Digital Advertising
5 Things You Must Do Before Jumping Into Paid Internet Advertising
The Last Guide to AdWords Account Structure You'll Ever Need
Your guide to AdWords
SOCIAL MEDIA
![]() |
HootsuiteHootSuite is a social media management tool for scheduling posts to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, and WordPress from the HootSuite dashboard. Cost: FREE (1 user) |
|
|
![]() |
LaterFor Instagram super-users, Later helps you upload and schedule Instagram posts from your computer or mobile phone. Search and repost other Instagram posts and manage multiple Instagram Cost: FREE (1 user)
|
|
|
![]() |
IFTTTIf-This-Than-That automates simple tasks between apps. Create commands that trigger actions. Connect Amazon Alexa, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Fitbit, Slack, Skype, and hundreds more. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
PabloCreate beautiful text-over-images for social media quickly and easily with Pablo, an app created by the team at Buffer. Cost: FREE
|
Required Reading: Social Media
The Essential Guide to Social Media Marketing
12-Step Guide for Social Media Marketing Success
Social Media: The Free Beginner's Guide from Moz
PRESS
![]() |
HAROHelp a Reporter Out (HARO) is an online service for journalists to quickly gather feedback from the public. It connects them to experts to get valuable advice and quotes for stories they are covering. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
JustReachOutAn easy way to find and pitch relevant journalists daily without using expensive PR firms. Cost: FREE
|
|
|
![]() |
Places to Post Your Startup (LIST)An open source list of websites and places where you can post your startup to get beta users. Cost: FREE
|
Required Reading: Press
A Beginner’s Guide To Public Relations For Tech Startups
27 Websites to Submit your Startup after Launch
Kickstarter Lesson #5: Connecting with Bloggers
Get a free consultation and start building the perfect digital marketing campaign.