A good marketer typically has superb problem-solving skills and an abundance of creativity, but even great marketers can be even more effective—and downright unstoppable—with the right tools at their disposal. That, of course, is where marketing technology comes in.
Technology has completely changed the journey of the modern shopper, so with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that marketers should also be leveraging technology to transform the way we market to shoppers and buyers alike. Marketing technology provides vital tools that help businesses grow by allowing them to increase the effectiveness, measurability, and reach of their marketing programs. Plus, marketing technology is key for developing deeper relationships with shoppers–consider how your own relationship with brands has changed since Facebook came along, and you will see what we mean!
We’ve rounded up 5 of our favorite game-changing marketing technology tools that we recommend investing in to help your business prosper:
Best Marketing Software for Produce Marketers: Our Recommendations
HubSpot: A Marketer’s Golden Egg
We’ll be 100% honest: we consider HubSpot to be a dream tool for marketers. This powerful Customer Relationship Management tool—or CRM—combines email, blog, website, landing pages, sales tracking, analytics, and more. (seriously, anything a marketer might need) into one easy platform. If you have dreams of building and maintaining a robust, informative database of shoppers or buyer contacts (or both!), Hubspot is a tool we highly recommend.
“What about the learning curve,” you might ask. Any new software can be a bit overwhelming at first, but luckily, HubSpot has a great tool called HubSpot Academy that offers in-depth, digestible courses and tutorials on how to make the most of its features.
For more information about HubSpot, click here or contact us. We’re a Platinum-Certified Hubspot Partner Agency, so we can help answer any questions you may have!
Cision: Public Relations’ Best Friend
Cision is a media and coverage monitoring software that public relations teams around the world keep in their toolbox. Not only does Cision allow you to track brand mentions in real time, it also provides more than 1 billion influencer and journalist profiles, allowing you to target the exact niche audience you need to reach when pitching a specific story. No more “spray and pray” marketing tactics when you have Cision at your disposal!
Brand partners include PBS, Comcast, Bayer, and 75,000 other companies. However, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, Cision can be expensive if you want to buy it “off the shelf.” How can produce companies work around that? We’ll let you in on a secret: one of the perks of working with a marketing or PR agency often includes access to Cision at a deeply discounted price.
For more information about Cision, click here.
Promotion Pod: A Couponer’s Dream
Not only does Promotion Pod offer the ability to create location-specific coupons, it also has the capability to create retailer-specific coupons and campaigns. With technology like this, your brand can build a relationship with retailers and your current consumer database with one singular promotion. (Two birds, one stone!) We love Promotion Pod because, unlike many competitors, it employs the latest technology to create a seamless experience for the end user—that means no downloading those pesky .exe files!
Promotion Pod also integrates with the following platforms:
Email service providers
- Mail Chimp
- HubSpot
- Constant Contact
- iContact
Customer Relationship Management
- Salesforce
- NetSuite
- Wilke Global
Third-Party Tracking
- Google Analytics
- Google AdWords
- Facebook Advertising
- DoubleClick
Get more information about Promotion Pod
Destini: A Retail-Level Analytics Genie
Before we name-drop Amazon, Target, Califia Farms, King Arthur Flour, or any of the other 1,000+ large companies that use this software…know that having a product locator on your website is one of the smartest investments for fresh produce companies, regardless of size.
As professionals who manage social media platforms for dozens of fresh produce brands, we can attest that one of the top questions we receive from shoppers on social media is, “Where can I buy your product?” By making this answer easier for shoppers to easily find on your site, you can begin building stronger brand loyalty (and net some extra sales along the way!).
Destini pulls from more than 100,000 different retail locations and affiliate sales reports to provide the most up-to-date scan data for brands. Plus, its analytics dashboard allows you to see exactly what consumers are searching for—and where. Quite the powerful tool to have at your disposal for your next customer meeting!
For more information about Destini, click here.
Sprout Social: A Social Media Secret Weapon
In the past, social media marketers have often used tools like Hootsuite to comb through popular hashtags related to their brand in order to “listen” to shopper conversations on the Twittersphere and across the web. Yet this level of deep engagement and social listening also takes a LOT of time, so the clever team at Sprout Social has created a technology solution for marketers who may be a little short on extra hours (read: all of us!).
This tool can comb through comments across social media networks (and the internal in general) to provide insights into what shoppers are saying about YOUR products…and at the click of a button. If you’re seeking deep insights on shopper sentiment as it pertains to lifestyle in general and your products and brand in particular, Sprout Social is the tool for you.
For more information about Sprout Social
These are just a few of the marketing technology solutions we’re obsessing over right now and we’re always on the lookout for more! Subscribe to The Core to stay up-to-date on our favorites throughout the year.
What marketing technology solutions have been game-changers for your brand? Leave us a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter at @TheCoreBlog!
