10 Best Tools Every Digital Marketer Should Be Using
- Glen Pfaucht
- Jul 9
- 7 min read
2025 has turned the marketing world on its head. With so many changes in the landscape, algorithms that are smarter than ever, and attention spans shorter than ever (thanks TikTok), if you’re not running your campaigns with the right tools, you might just be wasting your time. Whether you're a solo freelancer trying to stretch your hours, or part of a team juggling SEO, social, and sales all before lunch, your toolkit can make or break your sanity and your ROI.
So, let’s jump in. Here are the ten best digital marketing tools every marketer should have in their back pocket for a more efficient workflow.
1. ChatGPT (with Custom GPTs) — Your AI Swiss Army Knife
You're probably already using AI and I'm sure you've already used ChatGPT. It's the most famous AI tool of them all. The question is how well are you using ChatGPT. With ChatGPT’s 2025 rollout of fully customizable GPTs (a.k.a. your own AI interns), marketers are building bespoke assistants to write emails, create ad copy, script videos, and even do light SEO audits.
What it’s great for:
Brainstorming content ideas in seconds
Automating client reports
Creating ad variations that don’t sound like a robot choked on a thesaurus
A practical use: Build a GPT tailored to your brand voice. It's like cloning your best copywriter, minus the coffee breaks. Let’s say you’re managing a real estate client. You can train a custom GPT to write 3 email variations for new property listings in their tone of voice, while also generating catchy headlines for their next Instagram carousel all in seconds.
Related: The 10 Best GPTs to Use With ChatGPT
2. Notion — Where Your Brain Goes to Declutter
Notion is still the reigning king of workspace organization, and it’s not even close. In 2025, with even smoother AI integration, you can map out content calendars, launch funnels, and onboarding workflows all in the same tab. It’s flexible, pretty, and it replaces about five other tools. But a fair warning, it’s addicting. You will spend three hours designing a dashboard you might barely use. (But hey, at least it’ll look gorgeous.)
A practical use: You're building a quarterly content calendar for multiple clients. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and Slack messages, you set up a Notion board with a “To Draft,” “In Review,” and “Published” section shared with your team and clients for seamless collaboration.
3. Ahrefs — Winning at SEO With Intel
Sure, you could use a free keyword planner. Or you could actually know what your competitors rank for, why you’re not ranking, and where your backlinks are dying quietly.
Yes, Ahrefs is still pricey, but worth every cent if SEO is something you're going to dive deep into. Even their free tools in 2025 offer stripped-down keyword analysis and basic audits. Google's algorithm has basically become a moving target, but Ahrefs helps you aim better.
A practical use: Let's say you’re working on SEO for a fitness app. Ahrefs shows that your competitors are ranking for “at-home workouts for busy moms” with weak content. You jump in, create something 10x better, and track its rise to Page 1 over a few weeks. And just like that, qualified traffic.
4. Metricool — The Overlooked Social Media MVP
You know how everyone talks about Buffer or Hootsuite? Metricool quietly walked into the room, did some cleaning, and now runs the whole house. It lets you schedule posts, track analytics, and run ad campaigns from one dashboard. Its Instagram Reels analytics are actually helpful so you can track what's working and what isn't. It’s underrated because:
Schedule across all platforms
Visualize performance
Monitor paid + organic together
A practical use: Imagine you’re handling content for a nutritional supplement company. Metricool lets you schedule a month of posts for Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, while also tracking how boosted posts impact engagement. And it gives client-ready PDF reports automatically. Isn't that easy!
5. Surfer SEO — Your Invisible Content Coach
Imagine writing a blog post and having someone there to tell you what more you could be doing, like:“Use the word ‘AI marketing’ one more time. Or this post needs more of your "keyword". Surfer SEO analyzes what ranks and shows you how to write, not just what to write. With AI-generated content flooding the web, structure and semantic depth are your edge. Surfer keeps you grounded in what Google actually wants.
A practical use: After you've written a blog post on “Email Marketing Trends in 2025.” Pop it into Surfer, and it tells you what subtopics to include, how many words, and even how often to use “email automation” or “open rates.” You just follow the roadmap and watch rankings climb.
6. Canva — Still the Design Hero for Non-Designers
You thought we’d outgrow Canva? Not a chance! It’s evolved like crazy, with AI tools, video templates, and brand kits that keep your content looking fresh without needing a degree in Adobe. The 2025 update includes auto-resizing with content adaptation. Not just cropping but actual design sense. Hallelujah!
Why it’s a staple:
Templates galore
Branding made easy
No design degree needed
A practical use: Let's imagine you’re prepping a lead magnet for your agency: “10 Local SEO Tips.” Canva helps you design a slick, branded PDF with icons, page numbers, and smart visual flow all in under an hour. You can export and add it to your email opt-in funnel. Lead growth activated.
7. Google Looker Studio — Data, But Pretty
Your client doesn’t want a spreadsheet. They want a dashboard that moves, sparkles, and tells a story. Looker Studio (formerly Data Studio) connects your GA4, Google Ads, Search Console, Sheets, you name it and it has it to give you interactive reports that actually make you look smart. And it's not just a pretty face. You can blend data sources, which means your CRM + PPC + TikTok ad stats are in one place.
A practical use: If your client asks, “How’s our SEO doing?” You can send them a Looker Studio dashboard showing impressions, clicks, rankings, and bounce rate all pulled live from Google Search Console and GA4. They’re impressed, you look like a winner, and you get more budget.
8. Zapier — Glue for Your Frankenstack
Zapier is a fantastic automation program. Let’s say a lead fills out a form and you want it to ping your Slack, add a row to Google Sheets, send them a welcome email, and tag them in your CRM. You could do it manually, or you could use Zapier. With no-code automations that are made simple, even your technophobic coworker can use it.
Why it saves time:
Automates tedious tasks
Connects 5000+ apps
No dev help needed
A practical use: A lead fills out a Facebook form. Zapier triggers:
Adds them to your CRM
Sends a Slack notification
Emails them a thank-you with your free ebook
Logs the lead in Google Sheets
9. TidyCal — Your Booking Assistant
You might have heard of Calendly, it's nice. But TidyCal? It’s affordable, clean, and comes with a lifetime deal. It has AI-based slot suggestions, fewer emails and it knows where you are and exactly what you need. No “What time zone are you in again?” chaos. Another benefit is that it connects with Zoom, Google Calendar, Outlook, and probably your smart fridge.
Why I prefer it over others:
Clean UX
Affordable (often one-time fee)
Smart time syncing
A practical use: Let's assume you’re running a PPC audit offer. A prospect clicks your ad and lands on your calendar. They book a 15-minute discovery call, choose their timezone, and get a calendar invite with a Zoom link all without you lifting a finger. That's efficient!
10. Descript — The Editor That Thinks Like a Marketer
Descript isn’t just a video editor, it’s like Google Docs met Final Cut Pro. It's become the go-to for content marketers and podcast creators. You can edit videos by editing the text transcript, remove filler words in one click, and even use their AI voices to fill in missing audio.
A practical use: Imagine you’re repurposing a webinar into 3 short clips for Instagram and LinkedIn. Drop the recording into Descript, auto-transcribe it, cut the best soundbites just by deleting paragraphs, and add captions automatically. And if you need to rephrase a line you forgot to say? Descript can clone your voice and say it for you. Amazing right?!
Bonus — Mastering ChatGPT: 400+ Expert Prompts — My eBook For ChatGPT Success
ChatGPT is powerful, we know this, but only if you know how to talk to it. Mastering ChatGPT is a field manual for marketers who want more than generic replies. It’s packed with ready-to-use prompts, frameworks, and creative jumpstarts tailored for real-world use: from SEO and sales copy to emails, funnels, YouTube scripts, and even business strategy.
A practical use: Say you’ve got five clients breathing down your neck for blog posts, ads, and email flows, and they want them yesterday. Instead of starting from scratch, you open the guide, grab a high-converting prompt, paste it into ChatGPT, tweak the tone… and you're back on track! You’ve got a draft in minutes that doesn’t sound like AI mush and your clients are happy.
If you're interested you can get it here:
Final Thoughts: Best Digital Marketing Tools
Think of marketing tools like gym memberships. You can sign up for one, but if you never use them properly, you’re not getting the results you want. And a reminder to not chase shiny new platforms just because everyone on LinkedIn is hyping them. Instead, figure out what your bottleneck is. Maybe it's traffic, time, talent? Then stack your tools around that.
Because the best marketers aren't the ones who use the most tools, they’re the ones who actually use the right ones well.
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Got a tool you swear by that’s not on this list? Shoot me a message. I’m always on the lookout for the next hidden gem.