If no, you’re not alone. Less than 20% of marketers say they do. But, in today’s B2B landscape, using the right AI marketing tools is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity.

But what to use? For early-stage companies, where every decision can have a significant impact, it’s essential to invest in tools that deliver real value. With an overwhelming number of options in the market, the real challenge lies in identifying the tools that are not only innovative but also practical and effective for your specific needs.

Here are our list of top AI marketing tools that we think you should invest in for 2024.

The StepUp Approach to AI in Marketing

At StepUp we focus on AI solutions that show clear potential for boosting efficiency and driving growth, particularly for early-stage companies. Our recommendations are guided by a commitment to suggest only those tools that demonstrate real promise, helping our clients make well-informed investments in their marketing technology.

We go for AI tools that stand out in specific marketing areas, not the all-in-one types. Here’s what we look for:

1. Strong in One Thing: Each tool must be a star, tackling a particular marketing challenge better than the rest.
2. Easy to Use: It’s got to be user-friendly. We choose tools that anyone on our team can quickly get the hang of and start using right away.
3. Grows with You: The best tools can handle our growing needs, scaling up as our business and marketing efforts expand.
4. Smart with Data: We look for tools that not only gather data but also make sense of it, giving us insights we can use to make better marketing decisions.
5. Plays Well with Others: A great tool fits smoothly into our existing marketing tech stack, linking up easily with other systems we use.

We find these five criteria to be crucial for whether the AI catches on in your business or not, and beyond that, that it’s worth the money.

Now — here’s the list!

The Best AI Tools for Content Writing

AI tools for content creation are essential for crafting compelling, efficient, and SEO-optimized content. There are hundreds of tools out there, but it’s our experience that only a few of them deliver consistently.

ChatGPT 4 (Best All-Around Content Generator)

ChatGPT 4 brings significant improvements for content creators with its enhanced creativity, understanding, and interaction capabilities.

Key Features:

• Creative and Technical Writing: Machine learning sees that GPT will learn your voice and tone, the results are astounding​​.
• Visual Input and Web Search: Can interact with images for a more dynamic content creation experience, and can scan websites to learn what you need.
• Extended Context Handling: Manages long-form content effectively, maintaining coherence over extended text​.
• Increased Interactivity: Offers dynamic conversation capabilities, essential for engaging and context-aware content​.
• Steerability: Adapts its responses based on user-directed style and task, allowing customized interactions​.

Use It For:

1. Social Media and Editing
2. Idea Expansion
3. Summarizing and Tone Adjustment
4. Basic Research Support:

Beware: It’s not always correct, you still need to be a content expert.

Jasper AI (Best for Content Versatility)

Jasper AI, utilizing the GPT-3.5 model, is an advanced AI tool designed for efficient, high-quality content generation. It’s known for its context understanding and versatile content creation across various formats​​​​.

Key Features

• Tone Customization: Adapts to various writing styles and tones.
• SEO Optimization: Enhances content for better search engine ranking.
• Language Support: Offers multi-language capabilities.
• Content Templates: Provides templates for various writing needs​​.

Use It For:

1. Drafting SEO optimized blog posts and articles.
2. Creating marketing and email copy.
3. Generating social media content.

Pros: Quick content generation, diverse templates, style adaptability.

Cons: Requires plagiarism checks, potentially costly for larger teams, limited to pre-2021 knowledge​​​​.

Jasper AI vs ChatGPT 4

Jasper AI (3.5 dependant) focuses more on specific content generation like SEO and marketing, while ChatGPT 4 offers broader capabilities in creative writing and extended interactions​​.

Frase (Best for SEO Optimized Content)

Frase is an AI-powered content optimization platform that enhances website SEO and user experience. It provides real-time content suggestions, making it essential for content creators and website managers​​.

Key Features

1. AI-Powered SEO Suggestions: Frase analyzes user intent and offers real-time content improvements​​.
2. Live SEO Guidance: It suggests SEO optimizations as you create content​​.
3. Content Briefs: Generates topic relevance, keyword suggestions, and competitor analysis for content planning​​.
4. CMS Integration: Seamlessly works with popular CMS like WordPress and HubSpot​​.
5. Data-Driven Insights: Offers analytics for content and keyword performance tracking​​.

Pros:

• AI-driven content optimization.
• Real-time SEO guidance.
• Content briefs for planning.
• Data-driven insights​​.

Cons:

• Pricing may not fit all budgets.
• Learning curve for full utilization​​.

The Best AI Tools for Editing

In the fast-evolving world of digital marketing, AI tools for image creation and editing are game-changers, offering unparalleled efficiency and creativity. Here are our recommendations.

Grammarly (Best for Content Editing)

Grammarly is a versatile app and browser extension that offers real-time checks for grammar, spelling, and plagiarism across various platforms. It helps users produce cleaner and more professional content​​.

Key Features

1. Grammar and Spelling Checks: Highly accurate grammar and spelling correction​​.
2. Real-time Corrections: Provides instant feedback on errors​​.
3. Explanation of Errors: Offers explanations for suggestions​​.
4. Customization Options: Users can customize the tool and add new words​​.
5. Plagiarism Checker: Ensures content originality (Premium feature)​​.
6. Genre-specific Writing Style Checks: Tailors suggestions to specific writing genres (Premium feature)​​.

Pros:

• Exceptional at detecting and correcting errors in real-time.
• Highly customizable, even in the free version.

Cons:

• Limited features in the free version.
• Compatibility issues on some platforms.

Hemingway (Best for Writing Improvement)

Hemingway Editor is a user-friendly writing tool that helps users improve the clarity and readability of their content. It highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and suggests simpler alternatives, making it an excellent choice for writers looking to create clear and concise text​​.

Key Features

1. Readability Analysis: Hemingway Editor assesses your text’s readability, making it easier for readers to understand and engage with your content​​.
2. Highlighting Complex Sentences: It identifies and highlights complex sentences, enabling you to simplify your writing​​.
3. Passive Voice Detection: Hemingway Editor detects passive voice instances and recommends active voice alternatives for more impactful writing​​.
4. Formatting Assistance: It provides formatting suggestions, such as using bullet points and headings, to improve content structure​​.
5. Integration with Word Processors: Hemingway Editor can be used as a web app or integrated into popular word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs for seamless editing​​.

Pros:

• Simplifies complex writing.
• Enhances readability.
• Identifies passive voice.
• Formatting assistance.
• Integration with word processors​​.

Cons:

• Limited in-depth grammar checking.
• Requires some manual editing.

Wordtune (Best for Eliminating AI-Sounding Content)

Wordtune is an AI-powered writing enhancement tool that offers real-time suggestions to improve the quality and impact of your writing. It helps users rephrase sentences, choose more engaging words, and fine-tune their content for better communication​.

Key Features

1. Sentence Rewriting: Wordtune suggests alternative sentence structures to enhance clarity and impact​​.
2. Word Choice: It recommends more engaging and appropriate words.
3. Style: Wordtune offers style suggestions, allowing you to tailor your content to a specific audience​​.
4. Real-time Feedback: It provides instant feedback as you write.
5. Integration with Browsers and Editors: Wordtune seamlessly integrates across various platforms​​.

Pros:

• AI-powered writing enhancement.
• Sentence rewriting for clarity.
• Improved word choices.
• Real-time feedback​​.

Cons:

• Limited free features.
• Learning curve for advanced usage.

The Best AI Tools for Image Creation and Editing

AI tools for image creation and editing are game-changers. Here are our recommendations.

DALL-E by OpenAI (Best for from-scratch image creation)

In the realm of digital marketing, AI tools for image creation and editing are becoming indispensable. DALL-E by OpenAI is one such tool that’s making a significant impact with its advanced capabilities.

Innovative Image Creation: DALL-E transforms textual descriptions into images.

Versatile Range: It excels in creating a variety of image styles, from realistic portrayals to artistic renderings.

Customization Options: DALL-E allows for considerable customization, enabling users to guide the creative process to meet specific needs.

What Stands Out: DALL-E is impressive for its ability to generate unique images quickly and effectively, a valuable asset for marketing and social media content.

Room for Improvement: While DALL-E is versatile, it sometimes requires fine-tuning to get highly specific results.

Ideal For: Marketers, content creators, and anyone seeking to create visually engaging content without needing extensive graphic design skills will find DALL-E particularly useful.

Adobe Photoshop (Best for Image Editing)

Adobe Photoshop’s evolution includes a significant leap into AI, especially with the introduction of Adobe Firefly, a generative AI technology enhancing its core capabilities.

Advanced AI Integration: Firefly powers features like Generative Fill and Expand, allowing users to make creative changes using simple text prompts. This includes adding elements to an image or creatively expanding its borders with contextually relevant content. The AI models are trained on a diverse set of images, including Adobe Stock and public domain content, ensuring quality and versatility in the generated results​​​​.

Efficiency in Editing: With AI tools such as Content-Aware Fill and Object Selection, Photoshop streamlines the editing process. These tools are designed for ease of use and precision, simplifying tasks that traditionally required more manual effort.

The Firefly Edge: Adobe Firefly is known for its quality and control in creative workflows. The latest updates include the Firefly Image 2 Model, enhancing creator control and image quality for more photorealistic, artistic, or surreal outcomes​​.

Balanced Perspective: While Photoshop’s AI features are innovative, there may be a learning curve for new users or those unfamiliar with AI tools. The opportunity for even more nuanced control and customization would be a welcome enhancement.

Pricing Model: Photoshop is available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions, offering various plans to suit different user needs and budgets.

Ideal for Diverse Needs: These AI features make Photoshop a top choice not just for professional graphic designers but also for marketers and creatives seeking advanced image editing and creation tools.

The Best AI Tools for Social Media

There are probably hundreds of social tools — but these are the standouts — integrating machine learning with content optimization and social listening, they’re the best of the best. Here are our recommendations for the best social media AI.

Taplio (Best for Integrating Machine Learning to Optimize Posting)

Taplio is a specialized tool designed to optimize LinkedIn posts, making it an ideal choice for professionals and businesses looking to maximize their impact on the platform. It offers features tailored to enhance engagement and visibility on LinkedIn​​.

Key Features

1. LinkedIn Post Analysis: Taplio helps optimize LinkedIn to reach a wider audience and get more engagement​​.
2. Content Scheduling: Schedule posts at optimal times for your target audience, ensuring maximum visibility​​.
3. Hashtag Recommendations: Taplio suggests relevant hashtags to improve post discoverability​​.
4. Performance Tracking: You can track the performance of your posts over time, gaining valuable insights into what works best on LinkedIn​​.

Pros:

• Specialized for LinkedIn post optimization.
• Provides insights and recommendations.
• Easy-to-use content scheduling.
• Performance tracking for continuous improvement​​.

Cons:

• Limited to LinkedIn post optimization.
• May not cover other social media platforms.

Canva (Best for Great Graphic Design)

Canva is a versatile design tool known for its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates. It’s an excellent choice for creating stunning social media graphics that captivate audiences across various platforms​.

Key Features

1. Template Library: Canva offers a vast collection of templates specifically designed for social media, simplifying the graphic creation process​​.
2. Drag-and-Drop Editing: Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to customize templates or create designs from scratch​​.
3. Stock Media: Canva provides access to a library of stock photos, illustrations, and videos to enhance your social media graphics​​.
4. Collaboration Tools: You can collaborate with team members, making it ideal for businesses with multiple contributors​​.
5. Publishing Integration: Canva integrates with various social media platforms, allowing you to publish directly from the tool​​.

Pros:

• User-friendly design tool.
• Extensive template library.
• Drag-and-drop editing for customization.
• Access to stock media.
• Integration with social media platforms​.

Cons:

• Free version limitations.
• May not cover advanced graphic design needs​.

The Best AI Tools for Email Marketing

In the fast-evolving world of digital marketing, AI tools for image creation and editing are game-changers, offering unparalleled efficiency and creativity. Here are our recommendations.

TheSeventhSense (Best for Email Optimization)

TheSeventhSense is a powerful email marketing tool that leverages AI to optimize email campaigns for maximum engagement and deliverability. It’s an excellent choice for businesses seeking to enhance their email marketing strategies and drive better results​.

Key Features

1. Send Time Optimization: TheSeventhSense analyzes recipient behavior to determine the best times to send emails, ensuring they are more likely to be opened and read​​.
2. Personalization Recommendations: It offers personalized content and subject line recommendations to increase email relevance and effectiveness​​.
3. A/B Testing: The tool facilitates A/B testing to help users refine their email campaigns based on data-driven insights​​.
4. Analytics and Reporting: TheSeventhSense provides comprehensive analytics and reporting, allowing users to track email performance and make informed decisions​​.

Pros:

• AI-driven send time optimization.
• Personalization recommendations.
• A/B testing for campaign refinement.
• Enhanced email engagement and deliverability​​.

Cons:

• Pricing based on email volume.
• Focuses on email optimization rather than full-scale email marketing suite​​.

HubSpot (Best for Complete Funnel Visualization and AI-Powered Learning)

HubSpot is a comprehensive marketing automation platform that includes AI-powered email marketing features. It caters to businesses looking for an all-in-one solution for email marketing, lead generation, and customer relationship management​.

Key Features

1. Personalization: HubSpot uses AI to personalize email content, subject lines, and send times to maximize engagement and conversion rates​​.
2. Lead Scoring: It employs AI algorithms to score leads based on behavior, helping businesses prioritize and nurture prospects more effectively​​.
3. Automation Workflows: HubSpot’s workflow automation allows users to create complex email nurturing sequences with AI-driven triggers and actions​​.
4. A/B Testing: The platform offers A/B testing capabilities to optimize email campaigns for better performance​​.
5. Analytics and Reporting: HubSpot provides detailed analytics and reporting to track the success of email marketing efforts​​.

Pros:

• Comprehensive marketing automation platform.
• AI-driven personalization and content generation.
• Robust analytics and reporting​.

Cons:

• Pricing can be on the higher side for smaller businesses.
• Learning curve for mastering the platform

Trust and Pricing

HubSpot is a trusted name in marketing automation. Pricing varies based on the level of features and scale required, making it suitable for businesses of different sizes​​.

AI Tools to Watch in 2024

Here are three we didn’t recommend but we’re keeping our eyes on.

ByWord: Streamlined Content Creation

ByWord is a content creation tool that focuses on simplicity and efficiency. It streamlines the writing process, allowing users to focus on their content without distractions. Its minimalist interface and distraction-free environment make it an attractive option for writers looking to boost productivity and concentration.

Warmly: AI-Powered Email Personalization

Warmly is an AI-powered email personalization tool that helps businesses create highly personalized email campaigns. It leverages AI to analyze recipient data and generate personalized email content and subject lines. With Warmly, businesses can enhance their email marketing efforts by delivering tailored messages that resonate with their audience.

WritePanda.Ai: AI-Generated Content

WritePanda.Ai is an AI-powered content generation tool that simplifies content creation. It uses AI algorithms to generate written content, making it a valuable tool for writers looking to speed up their content creation process. With WritePanda.Ai, users can quickly generate written content on various topics, saving time and effort in the writing process.

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In a world inundated with AI tool recommendations, it’s crucial to distinguish the truly beneficial tools from the hype. Here are the AI tools that we’ve found to be genuinely helpful for enhancing marketing strategies in early-stage B2B companies.

Give these a try (most of them have free versions or features) and when you’re ready, consider integrating them, or, hiring StepUp as your marketing team! 

The post The Best AI Marketing Tools for Early-Stage B2Bs in 2024 appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

The Imperative to Adapt and Maintain Momentum

Adaptability isn’t just a business buzzword; it’s a survival trait, especially during crises. When resources are limited and pressure mounts to meet quarterly goals, the importance of agility can’t be overstated.

Core Strategies for Immediate Impact

1. Reassess Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Traditional KPIs may not hold up in extraordinary times. Instead of focusing solely on long-term goals, establish new, short-term KPIs that can yield quick wins. This realignment makes your team more responsive to the ever-changing landscape.

2. Leverage Existing Customer Relationships

New customer acquisition can be slow and expensive. In contrast, existing customers already believe in your product or service. Look for opportunities to upsell or cross-sell, providing additional value that your customers will appreciate, especially in challenging times.

3. Time-Limited Promotions

Time-sensitive promotions can generate a quick uptick in sales by creating a sense of urgency. This can be particularly effective when consumers are hesitant to spend. Even a modest promotion can spark interest and drive short-term revenue gains.

4. Engage in Virtual Networking

With in-person meetings and events largely off the table, virtual networking has never been more crucial. Utilize LinkedIn and other professional social media platforms to make targeted connections. A single virtual meeting can open doors to immediate opportunities that align with your revised KPIs.

5. Optimize for Mobile

As more people browse and shop using mobile devices, a mobile-optimized website isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity. Simple changes, such as improving load times and simplifying navigation, can result in immediate improvements in conversion rates.

6. Streamline Communication Channels

Miscommunication can be costly. Utilize efficient project management and communication tools to ensure that everyone is aligned. This organizational clarity can accelerate decision-making and project execution, leading to quick wins.

7. Cut Non-Essential Costs

Review your expenditure to identify areas where you can minimize costs without hampering productivity. Reallocating resources to critical aspects of the business can help you achieve quick financial gains.

8. Repurpose Existing Content

Creating new marketing content can be time-consuming. Consider repurposing existing assets, like turning blog posts into social media snippets or webinars, to maintain your brand visibility with less effort.

9. Maximize Social Proof

Reviews and testimonials can go a long way in building credibility quickly. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, and prominently display these on your website and marketing materials.

10. Quick Market Surveys

Conduct rapid market surveys to understand current customer pain points. This information can guide you in tailoring offers that meet immediate needs, potentially driving quick sales.

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In a crisis-stricken landscape where achieving Q4 targets seems like a formidable challenge, focusing on quick wins is not just smart—it’s essential. By reassessing KPIs, leveraging existing relationships, and implementing time-sensitive strategies, you can navigate your startup effectively through these tough times. The road ahead may be uncertain, but with adaptability and focused action, you can still close the quarter strong.

The post Achieving Quick Wins in Q4: Crisis-Resilient Strategies for Early-Stage Startups appeared first on StepUp Marketing.

This case study sheds some light on how StepUp used excellent strategies and HubSpot tools to improve the marketing approach of Elsight. Working with the marketing team on optimizing their processes, we saw a 470% increase in MQLs and a 26% increase in organic traffic. 

Client profile

Elsight strives to revolutionize the connectivity market and reduce the existing digital divide through its unique software and hardware solutions. The company develops comprehensive end-to-end connectivity solutions to propel businesses towards success in a seamlessly connected environment. Elsight specializes in customized and mass-market solutions for various industrial sectors and keeps everyone connected on-site and on the go.

The company started in 2009 and currently operates from Tel Aviv, Israel.  Elsight has established itself as a top brand with multiple projects for public security organizations, militaries, fleet management companies, government offices, logistics/fleet management companies, and other essential industries.

The major challenges

Elsight approached us with little to no experience in the digital marketing domain. lack of a digital marketing strategy meant Elsight was significantly lacking digital presence. The marketing team was stressed because higher management demanded tangible results and new leads.

StepUp started by identifying Elsight’s key challenges and worked with the marketing team to address them. We also trained Elsight’s marketing team on using Hubspot Marketing Pro which provides the tools they needed to maximize productivity. Check out what Asaf, Elsight’s marketing director, has to say about our services:

“When I reached out to StepUp I was a young marketing manager. Elsight had minimal digital presence or processes in the B2B environment. StepUp coached, taught, and made everything work for Elsight in the digital marketing sphere, ‘from zero to one’ and more. Hiring outsource services is not an easy decision to make, there are a lot of doubts and questions in the beginning. With StepUp everything was clear, with a plan, timeline, and transparency to the highest level….”

Here are the three main issues Elsight had that needed immediate attention:

Connecting the digital marketing strategy to Elsight’s marketing goals

Elsight was new to digital marketing. The marketing department did not have a customer segmentation system or helpful personas to target through its content strategy. This meant that the overall marketing effort focused on hitting KPIs but lacked a clear digital marketing path.

Improving departmental alignment

Converting a lead requires seamless operations and collaboration from all concerned departments. But marketing and sales alignment can be very complex. Most organizations don’t even realize how much of a priority it is and a key factor of success. Luckily, Elsight’s leadership understood the importance and jumped on our plan to create a joint system that would enable a productive and collaborative operation between marketing and sales.

Limited marketing budget

Elsight’s marketing department had found themselves in a challenging position. They felt there was a discrepancy between the KPIs put in place that was expected of them to hit in comparison to the budget they had to work with. The primary challenge was in understanding how to correctly assess and prioritize the KPIs and calculate according to the budget at their disposal. This left them with the decision to either not fully reach each KPI or to prioritize a select few whiles completely giving up on the rest. 

Our solutions

After understanding the expectations and challenges of Elsight’s marketing team, we implemented a series of effective changes for immediate results. 

Identifying Elsight’s Buyer Persona and Developing a Content Strategy 

We started by revamping the content strategy and introducing basic customer segmentation to optimize the process. Appropriate buyer personas from each segment were developed, and we built a content strategy around each profile.

Leveraging Technology for structured and systemized growth

We used HubSpot to ensure a seamless and automated onboarding process. HubSpot allows users to manage all campaigns and conversions from a single platform, so tracking progress became simpler. We also worked with the marketing team to develop functional KPIs that allowed the department to gauge its performance and take corrective measures when needed. HubSpot’s reporting feature proved to be most helpful as it allowed Elsight to track its incoming traffic and keep a record of MQLs from digital sources.

The reports and insight feature of HubSpot allowed us to track and measure the performance of ongoing marketing activities and determine the best course according to a situation. Our team worked with Elsight to create a comprehensive marketing plan with an attractive campaign and distribute the brand’s message across various media platforms. The insights from HubSpot also allowed us to further optimize Elsight’s customer segments and come up with a razor-sharp approach for guaranteed results.  

Training the marketing team for consistent performance

While working on the strategy and integrating the necessary technology in Elsight’s existing setup, we also trained them on the basics and demonstrated how to deal with prospective clients according to their digital journey. Our team worked with the clients to show them how to effectively use insights to make informed decisions.

The impact

Elsight’s marketing department immediately saw the potential of our solutions. The project was a success for Elsight as they saw an immediate spike in organic traffic and gained new customers in a short time.

Some of the most noteworthy benefits we were able to introduce are:

1 – 470% increase in marketing qualified leads (MQL)

Our targeted content, along with excellent distribution strategies increased Elsight’s engagement with potential customers. Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) are an industry-standard metric for gauging the success of a marketing campaign. In only 4 months, we were able to increase them by 470%, which shows just how much of a difference strategizing can make.

2 – Significant increase in digital marketing budget

Once the marketing department started showing results and generating converting leads, increasing their overall budget was imperative. Many new clients appreciated the professional content Elsight was creating with us and admitted that it was among the major reasons for their consideration. This indicated the importance of inbound marketing to the management, who complied with the department’s demand and increased their budget by five times.   

3 – Optimized resource allocation through HubSpot

HubSpot tools are a must-have for any effective marketing team. Having all the key data in a single platform allows the concerned parties to make informed decisions at the right time and improve their overall marketing strategy. This platform also allows the users to effectively allocate the resources at their disposal and seamlessly work towards capitalizing on new opportunities.

Summary: StepUp helps effective demand generation campaigns using HubSpot tools

StepUp successfully changed the marketing approach of Elsight in a short time span. Our proven methodology and focus on efficiency through automation was well received by the client, who wholeheartedly recommend our services. Asaf declares that:

“I have never experienced anything like it. I trust them, I enjoy working with them, and will continue to work with them, as they are one of the main reasons we are now scaling, generating valuable accurate leads, and marketing our products to the right people while reaching our quarterly and yearly goals like a charm. Oh, due to my work with StepUp I got promoted to become a marketing director. Not only the work done helped the company, but my personal career path changed, as I got a significant promotion.”

Thinking about getting started with HubSpot? Are you an existing user looking to make the most out of the tools in hand? Contact StepUp today and revolutionize your marketing approach.

The post Case Study: How through Transformational Quick-Win Strategies and HubSpot Onboarding Process, Elsight Gains Vision For Growth appeared first on StepUp Marketing.