35 Essential Agency Tools to Streamline Your Marketing Workflows

Marketing agencies are facing increasing demands for efficiency, productivity, and exceptional client service, especially when first starting out. Even with little or no agency experience, the right agency tools can make all the difference, empowering your business to streamline its workflows better, deliver outstanding results, and stay on budget.

In this article, we'll explore 35 agency tools that every marketing agency owner should consider incorporating into their arsenal.

So, buckle up and get ready to work smarter, grow your agency skills, impress your clients, and make more money with these expert agency tools. 

Project Management Tools

Project management tools serve as the backbone of any marketing agency, helping teams navigate challenges, organize tasks, allocate resources, set scopes of work, and track progress with ease. 

By centralizing project-related information and encouraging better collaboration, these tools ensure that everyone stays on the same page, leading to smoother workflows and timely project delivery. Let's take a look at some tools up to the task:

1. Asana

Asana offers a user-friendly interface with features like task assignment, project timelines, and progress tracking. Teams can create customizable workflows and set reminders, and the user-friendly design makes it easy to collaborate.

2. Trello

Trello's visual board and card system make it easy to organize tasks and workflows. Users can move cards through different stages of completion, attach files, and add comments to facilitate communication. This is a great choice for creatives or those who work better with visuals.

3. Basecamp

Basecamp provides a centralized platform for team communication, file sharing, and project management. With features like to-do lists, schedules, and message boards, teams can collaborate effectively and stay organized.

4. Vendasta

Vendasta’s project management and fulfillment software, Task Manager, allows you to transparently share the progress of projects directly with your team as well as your clients in Business App. You can also hide internal tasks and have private or public conversations with team members and clients so the right people are always in the loop. 

Social Media Management Tools

Social media management tools are essential for agencies tasked with managing multiple client accounts across various platforms. These tools simplify the process of scheduling posts, monitoring engagement, analyzing performance metrics, and maintaining a consistent brand presence.

Let's explore some examples found out there in the digital marketing ecosystem:

5. Hootsuite

Hootsuite offers a comprehensive suite of social media management tools, including post scheduling, content curation, and analytics tracking. Users can manage multiple social accounts from a single dashboard and collaborate with team members.

6. Sprout Social

Sprout Social provides robust social media listening and engagement tools, allowing users to monitor brand mentions, respond to comments, and track audience sentiment. The platform also offers reporting and analytics features to measure the impact of social efforts.

7. Vendasta

With Vendata’s social media manager, you can manage thousands of client accounts, streamline workflows, and unlock revenue opportunities. You, as well as your clients, can plan, schedule, and publish content for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Google My Business, all from one easy-to-use product. 

8. Buffer

Buffer simplifies the process of scheduling and publishing social media content across various platforms. Users can create content calendars, queue posts for optimal timing, and analyze performance metrics to refine their marketing agency strategy.

Email Marketing Tools

Email marketing remains a cornerstone of digital marketing strategies, and specialized tools can greatly aid your hard work. From designing eye-catching campaigns to segmenting subscriber lists and automating follow-up sequences, these tools offer a comprehensive suite of features to optimize your email marketing efforts. Let's explore some tools that are up to the task:

9. Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop email builders, customizable templates, and audience segmentation tools. Users can create targeted campaigns, track email performance, and even automate follow-up sequences to nurture leads. 

10. Vendasta

Vendasta’s marketing automation tools allow you to send hundreds (even thousands) of emails simultaneously while still including personalized information and deep research that turns heads and gets clicks. 

11. Constant Contact

Constant Contact provides a range of email marketing tools, including customizable templates, contact management, and list segmentation features. Users can track email opens, clicks, and conversions to measure campaign success.

12. Yesware

Yesware (which is included with a Vendasta plan) is a suite of tools that includes an easy-to-use email campaign feature that integrates right inside your Gmail or Outlook inbox. Users can create multi-touch, multi-channel campaigns that send on their own with automated follow-ups and reporting on recipient engagement. 

13. HubSpot

HubSpot's email marketing tools integrate fully with its CRM platform, allowing users to create personalized campaigns, automate workflows, and track engagement metrics. The platform also offers A/B testing and optimization features to improve email performance.

Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for an agency tool that plays nicely with your sales, proposals, and fulfillment tracking software. This way, once a prospect shows interest in your offerings, they can purchase them quickly without any roadblocks. With Vendasta’s integrated Marketplace, CRM, and Payments systems, we check a lot of these boxes.

Analytics Tools

Analytics tools provide a treasure trove of insights into website traffic, user behavior, and campaign performance, enabling digital marketing agencies to make data-driven decisions and optimize their strategies for the biggest impact. 

Whether you're looking to better track conversions, monitor audience demographics, or fine-tune your marketing funnels, tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Hotjar have you covered. Let's explore the capabilities of each:

14. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a robust web analytics platform that provides detailed insights and metrics. Users can track key performance indicators, set up custom reports, and analyze audience demographics to inform their marketing strategies.

15. Mixpanel

Mixpanel specializes in event-based analytics, allowing users to track user interactions and behavior across web and mobile platforms. With features like funnel analysis, cohort analysis, and A/B testing, Mixpanel helps agencies understand how users engage with their products and services.

16. Hotjar

Hotjar offers some pretty cool stuff, including heatmaps, session recordings, and user surveys to help agencies understand how visitors interact with their website. By visualizing user behavior and gathering feedback, agencies can better identify areas for improvement and optimize their website for better performance.

Did you know? Vendasta’s WordPress hosting solution, Website Pro also integrates AI for PHP error reporting. If the program sees something amiss in your code, it will notify you where it is and how to fix it, saving you and your developers a lot of time and headache. Check it out:

SEO Tools

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important component of any digital marketing strategy, and specialized agency tools can help your team navigate the complexities of SEO, no sweat. 

From conducting keyword research to monitoring backlinks and analyzing competitor strategies, tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz offer a wealth of features to boost your website's visibility and drive organic traffic. Let's explore their capabilities:

17. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO toolset that offers features like keyword research, backlink analysis, and competitor analysis. With Ahrefs, agencies can uncover valuable insights into their website's SEO performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

18. SEMrush

SEMrush provides a comprehensive suite of SEO tools, including keyword research, site auditing, and rank tracking. Users can track keyword rankings, analyze competitor strategies, and discover new content opportunities to improve their website's visibility.

19. Moz

Moz offers a range of SEO tools, including keyword research, link building, and site auditing features. With Moz, agencies can track keyword rankings, identify technical SEO issues, and monitor their website's overall health to drive organic traffic and improve search engine rankings.

CRM Tools

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are indispensable for agencies desperately looking to manage client relationships more effectively, keep track of interactions, and better nurture leads throughout the sales cycle. 

By putting customer data in one centralized place and automating key processes, tools like Vendasta, HubSpot, and Salesforce help agencies deliver personalized experiences and scale faster. Let's take a look at each more closely:

20. Vendasta

Vendasta's CRM platform offers a range of features for managing client relationships, including contact management, deal tracking, and pipeline management. With Vendasta, agencies can keep tabs on interactions, automate follow-up sequences, and provide personalized experiences to clients. 

21. HubSpot

HubSpot's CRM platform integrates with its marketing, sales, and service tools, allowing agencies to manage customer relationships across the entire lifecycle. With features like contact management, email tracking, and lead scoring, HubSpot helps agencies deliver great customer experiences.

22. Salesforce

Salesforce is a leading CRM platform that offers a range of features for managing customer relationships, including contact management, opportunity tracking, and forecasting. With Salesforce, agencies can automate key processes, track interactions, and drive revenue growth.

Content Creation Tools

Compelling content lies at the heart of successful marketing campaigns, and content creation tools empower agencies of any business structure to produce high-quality content efficiently. Whether you're crafting blog posts, designing graphics, or editing videos, tools like Grammarly, Hemingway, and Canva streamline the creative process and ensure polished results. Let's explore the capabilities of each:

23. Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistant that helps users improve their grammar, punctuation, and style. You’ve probably seen a commercial or two about them in the past. With features like real-time editing and plagiarism detection, Grammarly ensures that your content is clear, concise, and error-free.

24. Hemingway

Hemingway is a writing app that helps users improve the readability of their content. By highlighting complex sentences, passive voice, and adverb usage, Hemingway is a great alternative to Grammarly, and helps agencies create content that is easy to read and understand.

25. Canva

Ok, let’s switch gears to visual content creation. Canva is a graphic design platform that offers customizable templates and design tools for creating professional visuals. With Canva, agencies can design social media graphics, presentations, infographics, and more, without the need for graphic design expertise.

Pro Tip: Have about as much creativity as a rock? Vendasta’s content creation and management tools are AI-powered, helping you write both long and short-form content, including responses to comments and reviews. Need more of a human touch? We also offer white-label marketing fulfillment services.

Workflow Automation Tools

Your clients are demanding fast results and instant replies, how do you keep up? Automation is the key. Workflow automation tools enable agencies to automate repetitive tasks, clean up processes, and put into place systems for better operations. Let’s look at a few tools that can help you achieve this for your digital agency:

26. Vendasta Automation

Vendasta offers customizable automation solutions tailored specifically to the needs of marketing agencies. With Vendasta's automation platform, agencies can automate a wide range of tasks, from client onboarding and lead nurturing to reporting and campaign management.

27. Zapier

Zapier is a popular automation tool that connects over 2,000 apps and services, allowing users to create custom workflows without writing a single line of code. With Zapier, agencies can automate tasks like lead generation, data synchronization, and email marketing, saving time and improving your productivity for the better.

28. IFTTT (If This, Then That)

IFTTT is a simple yet powerful automation tool that allows users to create "recipes" that trigger actions based on specific events. With IFTTT, agencies can automate tasks like social media posting, content syndication, and file management, freeing up valuable time and resources.

29. Integromat

Integromat is an advanced automation platform that offers powerful features like multi-step workflows, data transformations, and conditional logic. With Integromat, agencies can automate complex processes across multiple apps and services, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

Video Editing Tools

Video content has emerged as a powerful marketing tool, and agencies need strong video editing capabilities to create quality content that truly resonates with their audience. Let's take a look at a few top choices:

30. Adobe Premiere

Adobe Premiere is a professional video editing software that offers a wide range of features for creating high-quality videos. With Adobe Premiere, agencies can edit footage, add effects, and create transitions to produce engaging content that captivates viewers.

31. Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is another popular video editing software, specifically with Mac users that offers advanced editing tools and intuitive controls. With Final Cut Pro, agencies can edit videos, add motion graphics, and apply visual effects to create stunning visuals that drive engagement and conversion.

32. Animoto

Unlike our other two mentions, Animoto is a cloud-based video creation platform. It offers easy-to-use tools for creating professional-quality videos. 

With Animoto, agencies can choose from a library of templates, add text and music, and customize their videos to suit their brand and message. Animoto's drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create videos quickly, allowing agencies to produce content on even the shortest of deadlines.

Collaboration Tools

How are you supposed to get anything done if no one can talk to each other? Effective collaboration is absolutely essential for agency success.

Collaboration tools facilitate seamless communication, file sharing, and teamwork among internal teams and external clients. Here are some tools you should consider for better communication:

33. Slack

Slack is a popular messaging platform that offers real-time communication, file sharing, and collaboration features. With Slack, agencies can create channels for different projects or teams, share files and documents, and collaborate on projects in real-time. 

Slack's integrations with other tools and services like Zendesk, Jira, and Confluence make it easy to streamline workflows and stay productive.

34. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a collaboration platform that offers chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and project management features. With Microsoft Teams, agencies can host virtual meetings, collaborate on documents, and manage projects from one place. Microsoft Teams' integration with other Microsoft 365 tools makes it easy to collaborate across different apps and programs.

35. Google Workspace

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is a collection of productivity tools that includes Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and more. With Google Workspace, agencies can collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real-time, share files and folders securely, and communicate with team members via email, chat, and video conferencing. 

Google Workspace's cloud-based platform enables seamless collaboration from anywhere, on any device, making it ideal for remote teams and distributed workforces.

Did you know? Google Workspace is available through the Vendasta Marketplace. Leverage this useful suite for you, and offer it to your clients at the same time.

See more agency guides here:

• How to start a digital marketing agency
• How to grow your digital marketing agency
• Uncovering the costs of starting your own digital marketing agency
• 10 marketing agency business models

What is the Right Mix of Tools for Your Agency?

No matter what type of agency you are, finding the perfect combination of tools for your business isn't just about adopting the latest shiny software on the market—it's about crafting a toolkit that aligns with your agency's unique workflows, goals, and client needs.

As you assess your current collection of tools and explore new solutions, always keep your agency's specific requirements and goals at the forefront. With the right mix of agency tools, you can greatly impact your marketing workflows, boost efficiency, and deliver the outstanding results your clients are looking for.