“Good Marketing Makes A Business Look Smart, Great Marketing Makes A Customer Feel Smart .” - Joe Chernov

Introduction:

As a small business owner myself and someone who used to pay $500+ a month to run an effective marketing ecosystem in my business, I can most definitely confirm that it is not easy to have to fork out that amount of money every month. Let’s be real, there is so much more what you can do with that amount of money. You can save that up and take your family on a great little holiday or invest it in a Virtual Assistant or even just treat yourself to a massage! 

So how on earth do you cut down the cost on all the softwares you need in your business to run a comprehensive and effective marketing automation ecosystem that generates leads and sales on automation? 

With that said, here are 9 Top Softwares you need you run an effective marketing ecosystem (including the average cost per month) 👊

1. Website builder software

There are so many out there to choose from, and they all vary in price, but if I list the top 3, it would be Wordpress, Wix and Squarespace. On average and obviously depending on your plan, you will pay around $29.00 a month for your website. And that might exclude or include your domain name hosting.

2. Sales Funnel Builder

Yes you do need a sales funnel. If you don’t know what a Sales Funnel is a visual representation of the process that a prospect goes through to become a customer. In essence, it is a series of steps that guide a prospect from their initial awareness of your business to making a purchase. (You can read more about Sales Funnels here:). Sales Funnels have been proven to be the best sales person on autopilot, so the short answer is, you need a sales funnel. There are heaps of sales funnel builder software out there. I have used most of them for clients in the agency or played with them. Out of my experience, if the builder is cheap, it comes with issues. You won’t buy a Toyota and expect it to have the luxury and speed of a Ferrari. On average you will pay around $97.00 a month for a sales funnel builder that is reliable for both support and functionality. 

3. Social Media Planner

When it comes to creating social media posts, the best approach is to batch create your social media content. It doesn't matter if it is video recording, or written content. By approaching it this way, you create your content for the month or even three months ahead. And once the creation process is complete, it is best to immediately start to scheduling out your posts. A Social Media Scheduler can start from $29.00 a month to even higher, it mostly depends on how many social media platforms you post on. If you have Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok, then you would need a social media planner / scheduler software that covers all those platforms. 

4. Bookings & Appointments

Of Course you can use Google or Outlook as your booking system, but if you work internationally or you need to set up a podcast interview, group calendar meetings with your staff or different types of calendars, you need to be running an effective calendar that comes at an additional cost. Also, it is important for potential prospects or existing customers to book your time. The best approach is to have different calendars for different purposes. For example, I have a different calendar for my podcast, for my existing customers and for new prospects. I used to use a software called Calendy. On average you pay around $29.00 a month.

5. CRM & Pipeline Management

Every business needs a CRM software. Back in the day when I was in corporate sales I used Sales Force or Pipedrive. The days that you use Excel or Google sheets for your CRM is out the door. There are much better options that provide a comprehensive solution. A good CRM comprises out of an easy-to-use Interface, customizability, scalability, automation, integration, security, analytics, mobile compatibility and customer support.

By incorporating these features, a good CRM system can help your business better manage your customer interactions, streamline their sales and marketing efforts, and ultimately, drive revenue growth. A software like this will cost on average around $99 a month.

6. Email Marketing Software

Don’t even think about skipping email marketing in your business because you think it is a waste of time, or because it is just too time consuming. Email is not dead. If anything you can make good money with building your email list and selling to your new prospects on your list.

I actually did a Youtube Video on Email Marketing Mastery. Did you know that more people look at their email everyday than their social media? Some research show that the most popular options out there are MailChimp, Active Campaign, Aweber, Get Response, Campaigner and MailerLite. Most email marketing software is “free” to a certain extent, but then you have to pay for it. It can become very expensive depending on the size of your email list and how many emails you send out on a weekly / monthly basis. On average you will pay around $97.00 a month. Again depending on the size of your email list, how many emails you send out, the tracking you want to do on your emails etc.

7. Surveys and Forms

Surveys and Forms are very important if you take client centricity serious. This is needed in any business. Forms are also used for signing up to offers, emails and more. It is one of the most important functions of any marketing ecosystem in a small business. But yet also very underrated. For a software to create surveys and forms, you will pay on average about $49.00 a month.

8. Selling A Membership or a Course

Do you sell a course? If not this is something I seriously will recommend for a really awesome little side hustle or passive income. But if you are an expert in your field and you are selling your expertise in the form of a course or monthly membership then you know first hand that a good course builder / Membership platform can cost you a pretty penny every month. Especially if you have to use Zapier to Zap things together or just some basic integrations. You will easily pay around $49.00 a month, and that is minimum. Mostly it will be close to $97.00 a month.

9. Blogging Platform

To have a blog like this one, you do need to have a Blog Software. Sure there are many of them out there. Wordpress, Drop In Blog and many others. Again just another cost you have to pay for, for your marketing. You want and need something that is easily integrated into your website. And for you to upload with ease every time you upload your blog. SEO is also important. Something very important to keep in mind is also all the plugins that go with a blog that rakes up the cost very fast. So if you pay $5 a month, how much will you actually pay after everything you need to make the blog work is plugged in. On average you will pay around $49.00 a month to host your blog.

So where do we stand with the basic marketing software monthly pricing? Let's recap the pricing mentioned above:

1. Website builder: $29.00 

2. Sales Funnel Builder $97.00

3. Social Media Planner: $29.00 

4. Bookings and Appointments: $29.00

5. CRM and Pipeline Management: $99.00 

6. Email Marketing: $99.00 

7. Surveys & Forms: $49.00 

8. Course Builder $97.00

9. Blog Hosting Site: $49.00

TOTAL: $577.00 

Disclaimer: I worked the prices out on the average of the software that are out there for building an effective marketing ecosystem. It could be less or more for your business, depending on what you do and what product you sell. Also out of personal experience I used to pay close to $600 a month. 

How Do You Actually Save At Least 80% Of The Costs A Month?

The software I use to replace all the above software and at a low cost of $97 a month is called GoHighLevel. I have been using this software for myself and my clients for the last two years. And it is by far the best software for several compelling reasons. Over and above the money that you will save every month.

GoHighLevel is an excellent choice for businesses that are looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one sales and marketing platform that is easy to use, customizable, and offers powerful automation capabilities.

Here are some of the key benefits of using GoHighLevel for your business:

1. All-in-one platform: GoHighLevel is an all-in-one platform that provides a wide range of features and tools to help businesses manage their sales and marketing operations. With GoHighLevel, you can manage your customer data, automate your sales processes, track your leads, build sales funnels and websites, create and sell your course and much more, all in one place.

2. Easy-to-use interface: GoHighLevel has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and understand, even for users who are not technically savvy. The platform is designed to be intuitive and straightforward, so you can get up and running quickly.

3. Automation capabilities: GoHighLevel offers a range of automation tools that enable businesses to automate their sales and marketing processes. With GoHighLevel, you can automate tasks such as lead generation, follow-up, and appointment scheduling, freeing up your time to focus on other areas of your business.

4. Customizable workflows: GoHighLevel enables businesses to create custom workflows that match their unique sales and marketing processes. You can customise your workflows to fit your specific needs, ensuring that your sales and marketing operations run smoothly and efficiently.

5. Integrations: GoHighLevel integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and services, enabling businesses to connect their existing tools to the platform. This makes it easy to share data and information between different systems, streamlining your operations and reducing the risk of errors.

6. Comprehensive reporting: GoHighLevel provides comprehensive reporting and analytics tools that enable businesses to track their performance and measure the effectiveness of their sales and marketing efforts. With GoHighLevel, you can see detailed metrics on your leads, sales, and other key performance indicators, helping you to make informed decisions about your business.

If you are still not convinced about GoHighLevel, then please follow this link to a tutorial video: https://ghl.unleashyourmarketing.co/

OTHER USEFUL SMALL BUSINESS VIDEOS:

Discover more about how to master your Email Marketing:

EMAIL MASTERY Presentation: https://youtu.be/rJ8Rolvc-kQ