Top 10 Marketing Tools Every UK Small Business Should Be Using in 2025

Effective marketing doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. In fact, many powerful tools are free or low-cost, letting small businesses – from local tradespeople to online retailers – punch above their weight. Here are the top 10 tools to simplify your marketing, grouped by category. Each entry explains what the tool does, why it’s valuable, and how a UK small business can use it.

10. Google Business Profile (Free Local Listings)

Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is a free listing service that puts your business on Google Search and Maps. By claiming and completing your profile – adding your address, hours, photos and collecting reviews – you improve local search visibility and customer engagement. This means when nearby customers search for your services, Google is more likely to show your business. You can post updates (like special offers or new services) and answer customer reviews directly on the profile.

Pro Tip: Encourage happy customers to leave a Google review; a higher star rating builds trust and can boost your ranking in local searches. Update the profile regularly with fresh photos and posts to keep it active.

9. Meta Business Suite (Free Facebook & Instagram Management)

Meta Business Suite is Facebook’s free tool for businesses. It lets you manage Facebook, Instagram (and Messenger) in one place. You can schedule posts, respond to messages and comments, and view engagement analytics for all your pages. The Suite also allows you to run simple ad campaigns on Facebook/Instagram if you choose paid ads. For busy tradespeople, it means you can maintain a consistent social media presence without logging into multiple apps.

Pro Tip: Use the Suite’s unified Inbox to respond quickly to customer enquiries on both Facebook and Instagram, keeping your audience engaged. Plan a content calendar a month ahead to save time, then let the tool schedule your posts automatically.

8. Buffer (Social Media Scheduling)

Buffer is a social media scheduler that supports platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. With Buffer, you can compose posts for all channels at once and schedule them in advance. This frees you from having to post in real time – perfect for fitting social media into a busy workweek. Buffer’s analytics help you see which posts are performing best. For example, you might schedule twice-weekly before-and-after photos of your work (e.g. a renovated room or a repaired engine), then check Buffer’s dashboard later to see which images or captions attracted the most engagement.

Pro Tip: Set up a regular weekly schedule (e.g. “Motivation Monday”, “Tip Tuesday”) and plan 2–4 weeks of posts in advance. Buffer’s free plan allows up to 3 social channels and 10 scheduled posts, which is usually enough for a lean content calendar.

7. Canva (Graphic Design for Non-Designers)

Canva is a user-friendly design tool ideal for creating social media graphics, posters, flyers and more. It provides hundreds of templates – all fully customisable – so anyone (even without design skills) can produce professional visuals. For a tradesperson, Canva can be used to make branded images like a calendar of upcoming offers, or a “Meet the Team” graphic. There’s a free tier with thousands of templates and images. Small businesses value Canva because it saves on designer costs and keeps branding consistent across materials.

Pro Tip: Use Canva’s built-in brand kit (logo, colours, fonts) so all your designs have a unified look. Try their free stock photos and icon library to quickly illustrate your services (e.g. plumbing tools or bakery items) without paying for images.

6. SEMrush (SEO and Competitor Analysis)

SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO and marketing suite. It helps you research keywords, track your website’s rankings, audit your site for SEO issues, and spy on competitors’ strategies. For example, a small business could use SEMrush to find out which search terms people in your area use (like “best plumber in Manchester”) and then optimise your website content for those terms. It can also check if your site has broken links or slow pages. While SEMrush has paid plans, it offers limited free features that can be invaluable for improving your Google ranking.

Pro Tip: Run a free site audit to identify quick wins (like missing meta descriptions or slow-loading images) and fix them. Use the Keyword Magic tool to build a list of target phrases, and then weave those naturally into your website and blog content.

5. HubSpot CRM (Free CRM and Marketing Hub)

HubSpot CRM is a free customer-relationship management platform with optional marketing features. It lets you store customer contacts, track interactions, and automate tasks like follow-up emails. For example, you can log sales calls or service visits, then use the CRM to remind you to send a thank-you note or special offer to that customer later. The free plan includes email templates, contact management and even basic email marketing. Small businesses love it because it consolidates their marketing, sales and support in one place. (Plus, HubSpot’s Marketing Hub lets you send newsletters or create simple landing pages without coding.)

Pro Tip: Connect HubSpot CRM to your email (e.g. Gmail or Outlook) so that emails to customers are logged automatically. Use the built-in form builder to capture leads from your website and have them flow straight into your CRM – then follow up with automated welcome emails.

4. Google Analytics (Website Traffic Insights)

Google Analytics is the gold-standard website analytics tool (now GA4). It tracks who visits your site, how they found you, and which pages they view. In plain terms, it tells you if your marketing is working: which blog posts get read, or if a new Facebook post drives people to your site. Google Analytics is free and essential for understanding your audience. By analysing metrics like bounce rate and session duration, you can see if visitors are engaged or if something needs fixing. For instance, if a lot of people abandon your contact page, you might need to simplify it.

Pro Tip: Set up goals in Analytics (e.g. a customer filling out a contact form or signing up for a newsletter). This way you can measure real conversions. Also connect [Google Search Console] with Analytics to see what search queries bring visitors – helping you fine-tune your content.

3. Mailchimp (Email Marketing)

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform with a generous free tier. It provides easy drag‑and‑drop email templates and basic automation. Mailchimp lets you build mailing lists, send newsletters and follow up automatically (for example, sending a “welcome” email to new subscribers). For small businesses, email is incredibly cost-effective – on average, email marketing delivers a high ROI (often cited as around £30–£40 back for every £1 spent). Tools like Mailchimp handle unsubscribes, bounces and spam compliance for you. They also include analytics so you can see open and click rates. Platforms like Mailchimp make scheduling, segmenting and personalising emails straightforward.

Pro Tip: Start with a simple welcome email series. For instance, when someone signs up, send an automated 2‑email series: one with a freebie or useful tip and another highlighting your services. Use A/B testing in Mailchimp to compare subject lines and optimise open rates.

2. Zapier (Automating Workflows)

Zapier is a no-code automation tool that connects your favourite apps. It works with over 7,000 apps, from Gmail and Google Sheets to Shopify and beyond. With Zapier you can create “Zaps” (automated workflows) so that routine tasks run themselves. For example, you might automatically add new email subscribers from Mailchimp to your Google Sheets, or send yourself a Slack alert when someone fills in a web form. This saves time and reduces manual errors. Even without technical skill, small businesses can use Zapier to ensure information flows smoothly between tools (CRM, spreadsheets, email, etc.).

Pro Tip: Identify a repetitive task (like copy-pasting contact info between tools) and automate it with Zapier. Many Zaps have premade templates – e.g. “Add new Facebook leads to my CRM” – so you can set them up in minutes.

1. WordPress (Website CMS)

WordPress is the world’s leading website platform, powering about 43% of all sites. As a free, open-source CMS (content management system), it lets you build a website or blog without coding. Small businesses favour WordPress because of its flexibility and huge ecosystem of plugins and themes. (For example, install the free Yoast SEO plugin to optimise pages, or WooCommerce to add an online store.) A well-built WordPress site can grow with your business.

Consider this: your website often serves as the hub for all marketing (it’s where Google Analytics, SEO and email sign-ups come together). For a professional site built to convert visitors into customers, our [Web Design service] specialises in WordPress design and optimisation. We also offer a [Pay Monthly Web Design] option for smaller budgets, letting you spread the cost of a custom site.

Pro Tip: Keep WordPress, your theme and plugins updated to maintain security and performance. Use an SEO plugin to add meta tags and structured data – these small steps help your site rank higher in search.

Looking for more help? For further tips and guides on using these tools, see our Digital Marketing Resources page. And if you’d like expert support – whether it’s setting up your analytics, automating processes with Zapier, or designing a high-performing website – our team can help. Explore our Web Design services or Pay Monthly Web Design plan to get started.