I figured it might be helpful to share my marketing tool stack<\/strong> with other practitioners, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, this expert-tested and carefully curated collection will help you find your next virtual helper \u2013\u00a0and save you many hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, you can find my go-to tools and software in 5 categories:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But first, I’ve included some thoughts on the subscriptions industry, as well as recommendations on how to select the best marketing tools for your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re looking for the list of tools, scroll right down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early 2020s. The main subscription-based articles in our lives are SaaS tools and gym memberships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Year 2025. Most of us are signed up for 20+ subscriptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo way, the number can\u2019t be that high,\u201d you say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now consider your recurring payments to mobile apps, newsletters, video streaming, music, news, magazines, podcasts, groceries, coffee, Amazon Prime, health & beauty products, gym & classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The greatest evil must be Apple\u2019s iCloud Storage, designed to grow YoY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Name one thing that can\u2019t<\/em> be found in subscription format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Animals? Wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did we end up in a world where even toothpaste is subscriptionised?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past 5 years, the subscription economy has been fuelled by many things, among them Covid-induced laziness of the Western urban population and laws allowing marketplaces to elude social taxes of precarious workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No small role was also played by the tech investors dreaming of hockey-stick growth charts of ARR.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to procure the ARR as a brand with a physical consumer product? Introduce monthly subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the Era of Subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having recently adopted many new productivity and marketing tools (free + paid), I was curious to see how much the invoices in my inbox and bank account add up to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found a sleek (and free)\u00a0Subscriptions Tracker<\/a>\u00a0template on Notion Marketplace and entered all my expenses under 7 categories. \u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n Work & Marketing software:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lifestyle & intellectual interests:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Monthly spend: \u20ac618<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My initial reaction was a big “Ughhh!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I knew there were a few expensive marketing tools there, but I wasn\u2019t expecting the total sum to be this much<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alright, it’s not that<\/em> bad, I thought, when looking at the per-month aggregate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But then I switched the chart input to calculate the yearly budget\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Annual spend: \u20ac7,429<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n The resulting sum is, frankly, horrifying<\/p>\n\n\n\n How on earth!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I don\u2019t even subscribe to food delivery or streaming services…!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll find the full list of my subscription expenses below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But first, a bit of life philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After overcoming the initial mini-shock, I went deeper and considered what value each tool adds to my work and life:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And so on\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re planning to do the same exercise, here are 3 POWs that might be helpful.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Pragmatic: cost \/ value<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Am I making more money thanks to a tool than I spend on it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Productive: cost \/ time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Saving money feels great, but isn\u2019t your saved time even more valuable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Emotional: cost \/ happiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Is the subscription making a significant improvement to your quality of life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n These days, ever more distractions compete for our 16 hours of daily waking time.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There also seems to be more worthwhile projects these days, compared to 10 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In personal life, this means more friends to catch up with, events to socialise at, articles and books to read, recipes to try, cities to (re)visit, exhibitions to see, barre classes to attend, cafes to linger at, and moments to capture and share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the work side, I\u2019m a freelance marketing consultant who also maintains a blog, newsletter, and creates marketing courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wince at the thought of all the hours I\u2019ve spent on LinkedIn to build new connections, write and design posts, and keep in touch with colleagues and clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t even mention Instagram\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saving money feels great until you realise your time is even more valuable.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When selecting the tools for my work, I\u2019d rather spend a bit more to get the industry\u2019s best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Going with a cheaper option might save you \u20ac\/$\/\u00a3100 here and there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But product limitations (fewer features, low-quality design) + the extra time spent are simply not worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As to productivity and lifestyle subscriptions, some save you time while others, in fact, waste it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself whether that Netflix subscription is actually making you happier \u2013 or smarter…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ok, let\u2019s return the focus on marketing software now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past 6 months, I\u2019ve spent ca \u20ac2,500 on:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The sum seems rather exuberant in retrospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, there\u2019s no other way I could have delivered all my projects without this investment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, I could have chosen a cheaper blog theme than Blocksy Pro (\u20ac289\/lifetime). Or a cheaper course platform than Kajabi (\u20ac209\/month). Or used Mac\u2019s free screenshot tool instead of Cleanshot ($29\/lifetime).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, I would have saved ca \u20ac500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Certainly, I would have paid in tens (if not 100+) of extra hours, lower-quality branding, and the resulting lost opportunities. Do I regret spending a little fortune on software & tools in 6 months?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, the investment has well paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m even considering getting two extra tools: \ud83d\udc12<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was listening to a recent Delivering Value podcast episode<\/strong><\/a> with Maja Voje.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said that it took her years to realise: \u201cIn order to make money, you need to spend money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The logic rings more true than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past 6 months, I have\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200b We all have to work, and many of us enjoy the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love learning new skills; I thrive when (self-)challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The list is the key reason why I looked up and tested tens of new marketing tools and began paying for several of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I also made several one-off purchases of other marketing experts\u2019 resources (like Maja\u2019s GTM Checklist<\/strong><\/a>) to improve my skill set faster. (These are not included in the Notion doc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below, you can see the full list of the paid and free tools that I use in my marketing projects and personal life \u2013 my Mary Poppins bag of marketing tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, an important clarification\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mary Poppins \u201cpurse\u201d is a model of the ’60s carpet bag.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Among other paraphernalia, it contained a hat stand, a mirror, a houseplant, and a floor lamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thx God the marketing tools are virtual. The only thing they weigh down is one\u2019s bank account balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the marketing and productivity tools mentioned are ones that I currently use or have used for some client projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hands-down recommend them all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Without further ado, here they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bFigma PRO<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Design for website, ad creatives, social media posts, newsletter, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bCanva<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Design tool for marketers who haven\u2019t yet learned to use Figma<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bAdobe Firefly<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> AI-generated images, e.g the featured images in this blog<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bAdobe Express<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Editing images, e.g. removing background and changing size<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bGrammarly<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Checking spelling mistakes in my Google Docs, newsletter, social posts<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bCleanShot<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Taking high-quality screenshots and adding special edits + recording GIFs<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bChatGPT<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Researching ideas and topics, getting copywriting angles (never<\/em> the full text)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bMiro<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Workshops and brainstorming for consulting projects<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bKIT<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> My go-to newsletter marketing tool for Marketing Fix<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bSparkloop<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Newsletter referrals for Marketing Fix<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bTaplio<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> The very best LinkedIn tool for analytics and content generation<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bTexts<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Mac desktop app that consolidates all your messages, e.g. from LinkedIn and Instagram<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bOctopus CRM<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> My go-to tool for growing LinkedIn follower base with automated invitations and welcome messages<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bInstantly<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0The best sender domain warmup tool to ensure your emails land in the Inbox<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bBlocksy PRO<\/strong><\/a>: Super flexible & high-quality WordPress theme used for this blog<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bWisepops<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>Hands down the most flexible and good-looking pop-up tool<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bLasso<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Website add-on for beautiful product offer layouts<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bWappalyzer<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>Browser extension that shows all the tools and pixels on any website<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bMoz<\/strong><\/a>: Top SEO tool, I use their free browser extension for optimisation & research<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bSemRush<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Top SEO & PPC tool, I use the free version extension for research<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bSimilarWeb<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Web and SEO analysis tool, I use it for site traffic analysis<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bKajabi<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> All-in-one course management platform, best in the industry<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bTally<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Typeform-style tool for collecting user feedback and doing website surveys<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bSenja<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> The very best tool for collecting and showcasing testimonials<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bTypeform<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Top website form tool with lots of features and layouts<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bCalendly<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Meeting scheduling<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bTeamweek<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Now Toggl Plan, I\u2019ve used it for task management for 5+ years<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bToggl<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Time tracking for freelance projects and every other work-related task<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bNotion PRO<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Project management and documentation + content management<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bSlack<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Better turn your phone notifications off<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bEvernote<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Desktop app that I use for note-taking and drafting texts<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200b The awful \u2013 or good \u2013 thing is that looking at this list, there’s nothing I’d willingly give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, I’m going to play Easter Egg hunt this weekend and hide some of those from my bank account for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This time, too much\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wondering what to do next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get bi-weekly marketing and growth advice by joining 15k+ marketers<\/a> <\/strong>in the Marketing Fix newsletter community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recommended articles for further reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tested & curated, here are the go-to tools that I need across my marketing projects.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[122,11,42,4],"tags":[143,141],"class_list":["post-7174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-122","category-growth","category-guide","category-in-depth","tag-marketing-software","tag-marketing-tools"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Welcome to the Era of Subscriptions, A.K.A. order a puppy for 5 hours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"marketing](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/marketing-tool-subscriptions.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnnual subscription fee: $7,600+<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"marketing](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/CleanShot-2025-04-16-at-13.19.13@2x.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/CleanShot-2025-04-16-at-13.50.34@2x.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"marketing](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/marketing-tools-cost.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow much is\u00a0too<\/em>\u00a0much to pay for marketing tools?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"digital](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raccoon-clouds.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCheap = expensive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"gif](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/kikis-delivery-service-ghibli-1.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInvesting in tools = investing in growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"social](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/money-gold.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
In order to make money, you need to spend money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I was reminded of this point of view last weekend, while weeding my garden.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe list is not a complaint. Nor is it a boast.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"marketing](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/marketing-tools.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMy Mary Poppins bag of marketing tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"mary](\"https:\/\/karolakarlson.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_gv8IzohyyFkqwyvmfUs9qQ.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. Marketing tools for ideation, copywriting, and visuals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Social media and email marketing tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Web design, optimisation, and SEO software<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Tools for creating courses, workshops, videos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Productivity and time tracking apps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Et voil\u00e0, this was my list of marketing tools and software that I use daily.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n