As a sister-run agency, our world is a mix of creativity and productivity, sprinkled with a bit of sibling rivalry (just kidding...or are we?). Every day, we strive to turn big ideas into even bigger realities, and honestly, we couldn’t do it without a little help from our digital friends. These tools aren't just about making our jobs easier—they spark joy, ignite creativity, and sometimes, make us wonder how we ever managed without them.
Here’s a peek at the tools that not only increase our productivity but also inspire us and, dare we say, make the marketing magic happen.
These are all great tools we recommend for our clients, other agencies, and marketing managers who are ready to uplevel their marketing game.
Our Favorite Marketing Tools
1. Notion
Mikaela’s #1 pick
Creator: Ivan Zhao & Simon Last
Notion is our organizational powerhouse. It's our go-to project management tool to keep track of all our individual and collective tasks. Additionally, we use it for content planning and organization. It allows us to keep track of our marketing goals, initiatives, and content calendars all in the same place. Another great tip? Notion is great for sharing. That’s why we’ve also built client-facing dashboards to keep track of client action items, metrics and agendas. Imagine a world where everything you need is in one place, perfectly organized, and eternally patient. Okay that may be impossible, but Notion is as close as it gets for us. That’s Notion for us!
Why we love it: Its versatility makes it a workspace chameleon—part project manager, part planner, part database, and all parts amazing.
2. Harvest
Emily’s #1 Pick
Creator: Harvest Team
Harvest isn’t just about tracking time; it’s about understanding where our time goes, especially in a bustling agency. It’s crucial for keeping us on track and within budget (while making sure we have time for a coffee run). It allows you to track contractors and staff time by project and task, while providing budget and project notifications.
Why we love it: It’s like having a project manager and a stopwatch in one. Efficiency at its best!
Creators: Google
Google Workspace is like the supercharged version of the office toolkit we all know and love. We know it may not be as “sexy” as another marketing tool but we’d be hard pressed to do our job without it. It encompasses everything you expect from its predecessor, Google Suite, but with even more integrated tools designed for seamless collaboration and efficiency. From managing files on Google Drive to scheduling on Google Calendar and collaborative writing and editing on Google Docs, it’s our digital command center.
Why we love it: Google Workspace offers a robust, all-in-one cloud office suite that keeps our entire team connected, whether we’re working from home or from the beach. It’s dependable, intuitive, and makes collaboration as easy as sharing a link.
4. Google Jamboard (or Mural)
Jamboard Creator: Google
Mural Creators: Patricio Jutard, Mariano Suarez-Battan, and Agustin Soler
Virtual brainstorming is extremely difficult without the right tools. Google Jamboard has been our go-to for the past few years to make our creative process easier. It’s like a whiteboard got a techy makeover and decided to go online. Unfortunately, Google announced they are sunsetting the tool in October 2024.
Finding another platform has been top priority and thankfully, our friend and partner, Paul Sears, owner of The Navigator Collective, turned us onto Mural. It’s similar to Jamboard but with much greater functionality and still allows for easy sticky board collaboration for when we are hosting strategy sessions and branding workshops. The best part is Mural integrates with ChatGPT so we can easily copy and paste ideas from Chat into Mural and export files. Whether we’re doodling ideas or pinning virtual sticky notes, Mural will keep the creative juices flowing and the sisterly debates lively.
Why we love it: It lets us collaborate and visualize ideas, no matter where we are. It’s the closest alternative to being in a room with a whiteboard. We use it religiously for branding workshops, strategy sessions, and content brainstorms.
5. ChatGPT
Creator: OpenAI
ChatGPT has revolutionized the way we brainstorm and edit content. We’ve heard the phrase that ChatGPT is not a content writer, it’s your writing assistant. However, we’ve also realized the power of the tool for brainstorming, especially if you are able to provide thoughtful prompts. It’s like having a brainstorming buddy who never runs out of ideas and is always in the mood to chat. Don’t worry, we don’t copy and paste. The final product should always be edited for maximum engagement!
Why we love it: It never judges our weird ideas and always keeps up with our rapid-fire brainstorming sessions. Whether it’s drafting blog outlines or spicing up social media captions, ChatGPT is our go-to for creative assistance.
6. Canva
Creator: Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams
For most things design, Canva is our knight in shining armor. It’s user-friendly and packed with features that turn our wildest design dreams into stunning visuals. We love using this for social media graphics and simple designs. Plus, it’s always fun to see who can create the better design. Spoiler: It’s usually a tie.
Don’t worry, we still love Adobe for big design projects as it can’t be beat!
Why we love it: It allows us to create simple, sharable designs that can be easily edited by others.
7. StreamYard
Creators: Geige Vandentop and Dan Briggs
When we need to record or stream video content, StreamYard is our studio-in-a-box. It’s perfect for hosting webinars, interviews, or any live event where we want to connect with our audience in real-time. It makes hosting LinkedIn Lives a breeze!
Why we love it: It makes us look and sound good, even on days when technology seems to be against us.
Marketing Tools, Honorable Mentions
We can’t forget these important tools. Each deserves a shoutout for keeping our marketing wheels smoothly turning. Whether it's managing campaigns, streamlining communications, or connecting us with top talent, these tools are vital cogs in our marketing machine.
HubSpot - Our CRM with amazing marketing functionality. Build email campaigns, landing pages, while tracking sales deals.
Mailchimp - An email marketing platform great for smaller clients. The drag and drop editor is a breeze to use.
CapCut - Our go-to for quick, slick video editing right from our phones. Perfect for creating engaging, professional-looking content on the fly.
Loomly - Our social media scheduler that we are slightly indifferent about. (Have a social scheduler recommendation? Let us know!)
Flowpage - A tool to make your Instagram link in bio look good.
Using the right tools can turn a mountain of work into a molehill of tasks. They help us stay on top of our game, keep our creative fires burning, and most importantly, allow us to have fun while doing what we love. Stay tuned for more insights, and remember, in marketing as in life, the right tools make all the difference!
Emily and Mikaela, signing off with a virtual high-five!