9 top content marketing tools for effective marketing
Afoma Umesi
GatherContent Contributor, Writer
Content teams need high-quality content to stand out. But to create leading, competitive content, every step of the content creation process must be as efficient and productive as possible. This is where content marketing tools come in. There are dozens of options to maximize your content production process—so how do you choose?
We’ll highlight nine top content marketing tools to include in your tech stack and help you decide which ones are best for your team’s needs.
9 Top content marketing tools in 2022
Content marketing tools speed up a wide range of responsibilities, from keyword research to website analytics to video content production. No matter what your content needs may be, here are nine great tools worth having.
1. GatherContent
GatherContent is an all-in-one content hub.
GatherContent is a content operations platform that makes it possible to create and publish content at scale.
Top features
Plan, create, and review content in the all-in-one content hub—without leaving the platform
Make concrete future content creation plans with the Editorial Calendar
Review and edit written articles easily with the Editor feature
Maintain brand consistency and use Content Templates to produce similar types of content
Ensure each team member knows when it’s their turn to tag in with Content Workflows
Add content guidelines to maintain the brand’s style with every piece of content
Pros
Intuitive interface is familiar and easy to use
Integrates with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress for seamless publishing
Specifically designed for content teams collaborating on written content
Cons
Might be pricey for smaller teams
Best for: Marketing teams streamlining their content production process while scaling their content volume
Pricing: $99/month and $1,069/year
Good to Know: Platforms like GatherContent are uniquely capable of executing complex editorial strategies.
2. Ahrefs
Keyword research is easy with programs like Ahrefs.
Ahrefs is a comprehensive search engine optimization (SEO) tool designed to help marketers rank on search engine result pages (SERPs) and drive website traffic.
Top features
Stay up to date with your site’s SEO health status with the SEO audit tool
View in-depth information, including keyword difficulty and search volume from the keyword research tool
See how much traffic any site generates and which keywords it ranks for with Site Explorer
Get a peek at how many backlinks websites have with the backlink profile feature
Pros
Easier to use and understand than its competitors
Dashboard provides comprehensive at-a-glance information
Quickly and efficiently analyze websites for broken links
Cons
No free trial
No mobile app
Best for: SEO experts looking for a full-suite program—especially if you’re working with backlinks
Pricing: Monthly plans start at $99/month
3. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an in-depth tool that illustrates data on several different areas of website performance.
Google Analytics helps website owners track website performance, from website traffic to user sessions and marketing data.
Top features
Keep track of metrics like the number of website sessions, page views, and bounce rate
Monitor audience behavior by viewing traffic sources, returning users, and devices used
Track marketing campaigns with ease
Monitor website conversion rates, landing pages, and ad performance
Pros
Free to use
Easy to set up
Offers a wealth of insights about website user behavior
Integrates well with other marketing tools and platforms
Cons
Requires a Google account to use
Crowded user interface can make it difficult to navigate
Best for: In-depth look at website insights beyond page views and visitor count
Pricing: Free tool
4. Asana
Project management tools like Asana give teams a bird's-eye view of tasks and projects.
Asana is a project management tool that allows teams to collaborate seamlessly on work tasks while keeping track of goals and long-term projects.
Top features
Manage projects using the timeline or Kanban-style views
View messages related to projects and leave comments for team members
Keep track of project-related documents in the Files section
Motivate the team with delightful unicorn incentive feature
Hubspot's layout makes it easy to keep track of the people involved in any given project.
Hubspot is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that allows marketers to record, track, and use marketing, sales, and customer service data.
Top features
Find a host of features to support lead generation in the marketing hub, including video hosting, analytics dashboard, and SEO tools
Speed up the sales funnel with Sales Hub features like predictive lead scoring, customizable reporting, and e-signatures
Receive top-notch customer service with access to sales and marketing data
Build blogs quickly with the CMS tool
Pros
Supports team collaboration
Easier to learn than its competitors
Allows for easy data management
Has integrations with several software tools and platforms including Slack and Shopify
Cons
Software can be slow to use
Can miss duplicate contacts
Best for: Marketers looking for a tool to keep track of their marketing efforts
Pricing: Starts at $45/month billed annually
7. Canva
Canva simplifies graphic design with its accessible user interface.
Canva is a graphic online design tool for creating various digital assets including visuals for social media posts, blog post headers, email marketing, infographics, logos, and videos.
Top features
Use a vast selection of elements and templates available for just about any kind of design
Easily navigate through a visually appealing user interface
Resize designs for added versatility
Drag-and-drop to effortlessly create and reorganize
Import your photos for visual content
Pros
Collaborative; allows users to set up teams and work simultaneously on projects
Offers access to stock photos—especially on Premium plans
Available as a mobile app
Cons
Subpar photo editing feature
Limited output formats
Mobile app is challenging to use
Best for: Marketing teams and content creators not ready to invest in staff graphic designers.
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $12.99/month
8. Grammarly
Grammarly offers suggestions to make your written content shine.
Grammarly is an artificial intelligence (AI) grammar checker software that spots typos, fixes sentence structure, and improves text clarity.
Top features
Check that customers publish original content with a nifty plagiarism checker
Find word substitutes to avoid repetition with the thesaurus
Use as a spellchecker and catch typos
Provides a tone checker to see which notes your message strikes with users
Pros
Available in various formats—as a Chrome extension, mobile keyboard, on Google Docs, and on Word
Business plan allows users to build a customized team style guide
Great customer service
Cons
Suggestions are sometimes inaccurate
The browser extension crashes often requiring users to reload tabs
Best for: Marketers looking for a reliable grammar checker to supplement their editor’s services.
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $12/month
9. Loom
Loom cuts down on unnecessary meeting time with video messages.
Loom is a screen and video recording tool for asynchronous work communication. It allows users (especially in remote teams) to send video messages in place of long video meetings.
Top features
Watch high-resolution playback sped up or slowed down
Utilize highly accurate transcription for video playback
Record from any tab with the popular Chrome extension
Store recorded clips—great for documentation
Be notified users when recipients watch recorded videos
Pros
Super easy to use; as easy as pressing “record”
Integrates well with Slack
Delightful user interface
Cons
Software crashes from time to time both on desktop and browser-based platforms
Best for: Remote teams who want to ditch unnecessary meetings or document processes more visually
Tools aren’t the only things that matter for successful content marketing (don’t forget a killer content marketing strategy). But practical tools can lighten your load and make it easier to collaborate with team members. When the content creation process runs smoothly, you create relevant content to connect with your target audience.
"Practical tools can lighten your load and make it easier to collaborate with team members. When the content creation process runs smoothly, you create relevant content to connect with your target audience.”
Still, budgets vary, so it’s wise to count the cost of your content production. Our content cost calculator will help if you're unsure how.
Whichever tools you choose, you’ll need a hub to brainstorm content ideas, plan your content, assign, draft, and edit before shipping. We recommend GatherContent—and not just because it’s ours. GatherContent is perfect for teams who’d rather spend time working than switching between multiple tools when you can do it all on one platform.
We’ll highlight nine top content marketing tools to include in your tech stack and help you decide which ones are best for your team’s needs.
9 Top content marketing tools in 2022
Content marketing tools speed up a wide range of responsibilities, from keyword research to website analytics to video content production. No matter what your content needs may be, here are nine great tools worth having.
1. GatherContent
GatherContent is an all-in-one content hub.
GatherContent is a content operations platform that makes it possible to create and publish content at scale.
Top features
Plan, create, and review content in the all-in-one content hub—without leaving the platform
Make concrete future content creation plans with the Editorial Calendar
Review and edit written articles easily with the Editor feature
Maintain brand consistency and use Content Templates to produce similar types of content
Ensure each team member knows when it’s their turn to tag in with Content Workflows
Add content guidelines to maintain the brand’s style with every piece of content
Pros
Intuitive interface is familiar and easy to use
Integrates with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress for seamless publishing
Specifically designed for content teams collaborating on written content
Cons
Might be pricey for smaller teams
Best for: Marketing teams streamlining their content production process while scaling their content volume
Pricing: $99/month and $1,069/year
Good to Know: Platforms like GatherContent are uniquely capable of executing complex editorial strategies.
2. Ahrefs
Keyword research is easy with programs like Ahrefs.
Ahrefs is a comprehensive search engine optimization (SEO) tool designed to help marketers rank on search engine result pages (SERPs) and drive website traffic.
Top features
Stay up to date with your site’s SEO health status with the SEO audit tool
View in-depth information, including keyword difficulty and search volume from the keyword research tool
See how much traffic any site generates and which keywords it ranks for with Site Explorer
Get a peek at how many backlinks websites have with the backlink profile feature
Pros
Easier to use and understand than its competitors
Dashboard provides comprehensive at-a-glance information
Quickly and efficiently analyze websites for broken links
Cons
No free trial
No mobile app
Best for: SEO experts looking for a full-suite program—especially if you’re working with backlinks
Pricing: Monthly plans start at $99/month
3. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an in-depth tool that illustrates data on several different areas of website performance.
Google Analytics helps website owners track website performance, from website traffic to user sessions and marketing data.
Top features
Keep track of metrics like the number of website sessions, page views, and bounce rate
Monitor audience behavior by viewing traffic sources, returning users, and devices used
Track marketing campaigns with ease
Monitor website conversion rates, landing pages, and ad performance
Pros
Free to use
Easy to set up
Offers a wealth of insights about website user behavior
Integrates well with other marketing tools and platforms
Cons
Requires a Google account to use
Crowded user interface can make it difficult to navigate
Best for: In-depth look at website insights beyond page views and visitor count
Pricing: Free tool
4. Asana
Project management tools like Asana give teams a bird's-eye view of tasks and projects.
Asana is a project management tool that allows teams to collaborate seamlessly on work tasks while keeping track of goals and long-term projects.
Top features
Manage projects using the timeline or Kanban-style views
View messages related to projects and leave comments for team members
Keep track of project-related documents in the Files section
Motivate the team with delightful unicorn incentive feature
Hubspot's layout makes it easy to keep track of the people involved in any given project.
Hubspot is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that allows marketers to record, track, and use marketing, sales, and customer service data.
Top features
Find a host of features to support lead generation in the marketing hub, including video hosting, analytics dashboard, and SEO tools
Speed up the sales funnel with Sales Hub features like predictive lead scoring, customizable reporting, and e-signatures
Receive top-notch customer service with access to sales and marketing data
Build blogs quickly with the CMS tool
Pros
Supports team collaboration
Easier to learn than its competitors
Allows for easy data management
Has integrations with several software tools and platforms including Slack and Shopify
Cons
Software can be slow to use
Can miss duplicate contacts
Best for: Marketers looking for a tool to keep track of their marketing efforts
Pricing: Starts at $45/month billed annually
7. Canva
Canva simplifies graphic design with its accessible user interface.
Canva is a graphic online design tool for creating various digital assets including visuals for social media posts, blog post headers, email marketing, infographics, logos, and videos.
Top features
Use a vast selection of elements and templates available for just about any kind of design
Easily navigate through a visually appealing user interface
Resize designs for added versatility
Drag-and-drop to effortlessly create and reorganize
Import your photos for visual content
Pros
Collaborative; allows users to set up teams and work simultaneously on projects
Offers access to stock photos—especially on Premium plans
Available as a mobile app
Cons
Subpar photo editing feature
Limited output formats
Mobile app is challenging to use
Best for: Marketing teams and content creators not ready to invest in staff graphic designers.
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $12.99/month
8. Grammarly
Grammarly offers suggestions to make your written content shine.
Grammarly is an artificial intelligence (AI) grammar checker software that spots typos, fixes sentence structure, and improves text clarity.
Top features
Check that customers publish original content with a nifty plagiarism checker
Find word substitutes to avoid repetition with the thesaurus
Use as a spellchecker and catch typos
Provides a tone checker to see which notes your message strikes with users
Pros
Available in various formats—as a Chrome extension, mobile keyboard, on Google Docs, and on Word
Business plan allows users to build a customized team style guide
Great customer service
Cons
Suggestions are sometimes inaccurate
The browser extension crashes often requiring users to reload tabs
Best for: Marketers looking for a reliable grammar checker to supplement their editor’s services.
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $12/month
9. Loom
Loom cuts down on unnecessary meeting time with video messages.
Loom is a screen and video recording tool for asynchronous work communication. It allows users (especially in remote teams) to send video messages in place of long video meetings.
Top features
Watch high-resolution playback sped up or slowed down
Utilize highly accurate transcription for video playback
Record from any tab with the popular Chrome extension
Store recorded clips—great for documentation
Be notified users when recipients watch recorded videos
Pros
Super easy to use; as easy as pressing “record”
Integrates well with Slack
Delightful user interface
Cons
Software crashes from time to time both on desktop and browser-based platforms
Best for: Remote teams who want to ditch unnecessary meetings or document processes more visually
Tools aren’t the only things that matter for successful content marketing (don’t forget a killer content marketing strategy). But practical tools can lighten your load and make it easier to collaborate with team members. When the content creation process runs smoothly, you create relevant content to connect with your target audience.
"Practical tools can lighten your load and make it easier to collaborate with team members. When the content creation process runs smoothly, you create relevant content to connect with your target audience.”
Still, budgets vary, so it’s wise to count the cost of your content production. Our content cost calculator will help if you're unsure how.
Whichever tools you choose, you’ll need a hub to brainstorm content ideas, plan your content, assign, draft, and edit before shipping. We recommend GatherContent—and not just because it’s ours. GatherContent is perfect for teams who’d rather spend time working than switching between multiple tools when you can do it all on one platform.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Share with email
