The most underrated tool in my marketing stack is Google Search Console. It's a free goldmine that often gets overlooked because it's not flashy, but it tells you exactly what search terms drive traffic to your site, which pages rank, and where you're losing clicks. For example, I found a blog post on my website that was getting impressions for "rental hacks" but no clicks—I tweaked the title, and traffic jumped 30%. It's like having a direct line to what Google's users want. Most marketers chase shiny tools with bells and whistles, but this quietly shows you where to focus—whether it's fixing broken links or doubling down on high-potential keywords—saving time and boosting ROI without spending a dime.
Jason Moss, Owner, Moss Technologies
The most underrated tool in our marketing stack isn't a flashy new platform or a sophisticated analytics dashboard; it's our consistently nurtured and actively listened-to customer feedback loop. Moreover, while many focus on outbound marketing efforts, the direct insights we gain from our customers—their pain points, their successes, their suggestions—are invaluable and often overlooked. This isn't a single piece of software, but rather a process involving surveys, direct communication channels, and a system for categorizing and acting upon the feedback we receive.
Here's what makes it so powerful: this direct line to our users provides a real-time understanding of what's working, what's not, and where we have opportunities for improvement in both our product and our marketing messaging. For example, a seemingly small piece of consistent feedback about a confusing aspect of our onboarding process directly informed a series of tutorial videos that significantly improved user activation. While not as glamorous as some other tools, this continuous feedback loop provides the most authentic and actionable data we have for refining our strategies and ensuring we're truly meeting the needs of our audience.
Michael Lazar, CEO, Content Author
A surprisingly underrated tool has been Google Trends. It is quick, free, and gives a real sense of what people care about right now. I use it to test ideas, spot shifts in interest, and choose topics that actually match what the audience is searching for. It helps cut through the guesswork and keeps the content grounded in real-time curiosity. It is not flashy, but it works.
Bhavik Sarkhedi, Founder & Content Lead, Ohh My Brand
One of the most underrated tools in my marketing stack is Featured.com. While many marketers focus heavily on traditional backlink outreach or paid placements, Featured offers a streamlined, organic way to build high-quality backlinks and authority by connecting directly with journalists and publishers seeking expert insights.
What sets it apart is the opportunity to contribute valuable content to reputable websites without the need for cold outreach. It helps establish thought leadership, improves SEO through authoritative links, and builds brand visibility—all in one platform. It's an efficient, relationship-driven tool that quietly plays a powerful role in our long-term content strategy.
Muhammad Nurul Afsar, SEO Manager, Numinix
It's not as flashy as TikTok, and it's not as popular as Instagram, but we believe email marketing is one of the most underrated marketing tools that leads to success for businesses. Sure, it's old school, and some might say it's outdated, but a well-timed, personalized email can drive conversions and nurture customer loyalty like no other channel can.
An automated series for onboarding new clients is a great example of something we've done. We've walked them through our services step by step, which not only helps clients feel supported but also increases any upsell opportunities we might have.
Email means we can stay in touch directly with our audience and provide tailored content that actually resonates with them, whether it's a promotion, an upgrade, or even if we're simply saying thank you. It's low cost, high impact, and, let's face it, it continues to outperform any newer platforms when it comes to engagement and return on investment.
Esther Buttery, Director, CLIQ Marketing Content
One of the most underrated tools in my marketing stack is Google Analytics. It's often seen as a background tool, but few marketers tap into what makes it effective. Most chase social trends or spend big on ads while ignoring data that's already available. Google Analytics shows how people interact with your site. That alone can tell you what's working and what's not.
With a little attention, it gives you clear insights that guide better decisions. You don't need a deep technical background. Just look at where users go, what they ignore, and when they leave. That tells you what to improve. Small shifts based on real data can lead to stronger results than guessing or copying competitors.
If you set goals and track actions, you start to see patterns. Patterns reveal what drives success. Without that, your marketing runs on guesses. This tool grounds your strategy in facts. It helps you work smarter, not louder. Most overlook it. Few use it well. The ones who do gain an edge.
Darcy Cudmore, Founder, RepuLinks
I'd say the most underrated tool in my marketing stack is the email newsletter. A lot of people overlook its power, but when done right, it's incredibly effective. It's direct, personal, and gives you a chance to engage with your audience consistently. I use it not just to promote, but to educate and share insights, which builds trust over time. For instance, when we're launching a new property investment opportunity, we send out a tailored newsletter with relevant market trends and tips, ensuring our clients feel confident in their decisions. It's a simple tool, but it's reliable and still one of the best ways to stay in touch with potential and existing clients.
Austin Rulfs, Founder / Property & Finance Specialist, Zanda Wealth
One of the most underrated tools in my marketing stack has to be a proper campaign cleaner. It's not as flashy as analytics dashboards or automation software, but its impact is undeniable. A clean, well-organized campaign ensures your messaging reaches the right audience without unnecessary clutter. I've seen firsthand how this tool helps in maintaining consistent and trackable campaigns across platforms, reducing confusion and boosting efficiency.
It's saved me hours of manually cleaning up parameters and broken links, allowing me to focus more on creating engaging content. From a personal perspective, it's a game-changer for managing long-term campaigns and making data analysis accurate and actionable. I believe no marketing strategy is fully complete without attention to the smaller, less-noticed tools that streamline the process behind the scenes.
Corina Tham, Sales, Marketing and Business Development Director, CheapForexVPS
Canva is undoubtedly the most underrated tool in my marketing stack.
I'm not a designer, nor do I pretend to be. However, in marketing, visuals need to be produced quickly—social posts, email banners, landing page blocks, client mockups. I used to waste hours waiting for design assistance on tasks that simply needed to be completed. Now, I open Canva and handle it myself.
It's not about creating fancy graphics. It's about maintaining brand consistency, being efficient, and maintaining momentum. I've used Canva for pitch decks, campaign previews, and even sales enablement documents. The brand kit feature alone has saved me from countless back-and-forth exchanges.
Sometimes I'll sketch out an idea in Canva, send it to the designer, and they instantly understand my concept. No lengthy emails. No confusion.
It's the kind of tool that quietly does its job and keeps your day moving forward. Not flashy, just incredibly useful.
Shankar Subba, Head of SEO, WP Creative
AlsoAsked has quietly become one of the most valuable tools I use in our content planning. I use it every time I am writing or updating service pages for our website, especially for offences where people are searching in a panic. Most legal content is written to impress other lawyers. It's packed with dense language, legislation, and long explanations. But someone facing court next week isn't searching for statutory definitions. They're looking for straight answers.
So I use AlsoAsked to pull up related queries that show what people actually type when they're worried, confused, or trying to sort through next steps. When I rewrote our traffic offences page in mid-2023, I built a section around driving while disqualified using those live search questions. Queries like "Can I go to jail for driving while disqualified?" "Is it a criminal offence in Victoria?" and "How long is the disqualification period?" shaped the structure and flow of that content.
Following the update, organic traffic rose by 43%. A supporting blog on the same issue brought in more than 7,000 unique visitors within five months. That growth came from using the language people already use when they're searching for help.
Marcus Denning, Principal & Senior Lawyer, MK Law
Honestly, Google Sheets. I know it sounds basic, but that tool has powered some of the scrappiest, highest-impact marketing tests we've ever run. Before anything gets pushed into fancy dashboards or tools, we map out customer journeys, email flows, landing page tests, and budget allocations, all in Sheets. It's where we catch patterns quickly, slice campaign data however we want, and get really hands-on with what's working and what's not. I've scaled campaigns off a spreadsheet before pulling the trigger on more expensive platforms.
Todd Stephenson, Co-Founder & Marketing Specialist, Roof Quotes
Bonjoro is one of the most underrated tools I use in our marketing stack. Most people chase the next CRM integration or automation plugin, but this one lets you send short, personalized video messages to leads or customers. That sounds simple, but the impact it has on conversion and loyalty is much bigger than people expect.
I use it at key moments, such as right after a quote request, before a scheduled consultation, or after a project wraps. It replaces the generic email with something direct and grounded, and it gets responses that no automated funnel ever did.
Over the past six months, our reply rate on Bonjoro messages has averaged 65%, and leads that received a video message converted 28% faster than those who didn't. It turns a cold interaction into something more familiar, which has made a difference in how our sales conversations begin.
Johannes Hock, President, Artificial Grass Pros
The most underrated tool I use is the notes section of Square, right inside the customer profile. It allows my team to log small details after each interaction, such as "prefers dehydrated treats" or "always asks for hypoallergenic toys." While this might seem minor, it's how we've been able to encourage repeat visits without sending out coupons or running constant promotions. When a customer walks in and someone remembers their dog's name and mentions a new version of something they bought before, it feels personal.
We tracked return rates and noticed that people we had notes on were coming back 30 percent more often than those we didn't. That one feature turned into a system. I trained staff to enter quick notes before checkout ends, even just a word or two. It's free, it's simple, and it's one of the biggest reasons people say they'd rather shop with us than order online. I've run Pets Avenue long enough to know that remembering details is more powerful than retargeting.
Eunice Arauz, Founder, Pets Avenue
"Hotjar's session recordings" might sound basic, but they've become our secret weapon for understanding how different cultures interact with our website. Most marketers use heatmaps to track clicks, but watching full recordings of user sessions revealed something fascinating. People from high-context cultures like Japan navigate our site completely differently than those from direct communication cultures like Germany.
Japanese visitors would carefully read every piece of supplemental content before committing to a quote request, while German users would scroll straight to pricing tables. Arabic speakers spent more time on trust signals like certifications, whereas American clients wanted immediate access to samples. These insights enabled us to design culturally-optimized landing pages that increased conversions by 37% without changing any core messaging.
Danilo Coviello, Digital Marketing Specialist & Founding Partner, Espresso Translations, Danilo Coviello, Digital Marketing Specialist & Founding Partner, Espresso Translations
Microsoft Clarity has been one of the most underrated tools in our marketing stack, and it continues to surprise me with how useful it is, especially when paired with paid media efforts. We spend a lot of time refining the post-click experience. Getting the traffic is one thing, but what people do once they land on the site tells a much bigger story.
Clarity gives us session recordings, click maps, and scroll depth data, which lets us identify exactly where the experience breaks down. I've watched recordings where users hit a product page, start to scroll, then freeze on a spec table or back out during a delivery options step. No amount of traffic volume will make up for confusion on a landing page. Seeing these behaviors unfold without guessing has helped us rethink layout structure, reword product highlights, and rework the flow of content blocks.
Kyle Sobko, Chief Executive Officer / Marketing Specialist, SonderCare
Google Docs—it's like the stage manager behind the scenes that's crucial in helping us brainstorm, plan, and execute any campaign. We use it every day for any kind of marketing requirement like copywriting, creating reports, planning the quarter, or just brain dumping information. Yet it seems to be overlooked as a “marketing tool.”
Tazmeen Nazir, SEO Manager, Mailmodo
Linkter.ai is an underrated tool in my marketing stack, and it has actually saved my team's time and sanity.
Internal linking used to be a nightmare for us. We'd go through sitemaps, open old blog posts, edit content to fit links, and track every single change in a spreadsheet. It was time-consuming and, honestly, very exhausting.
Then I found a comment on a Reddit post suggesting this tool, and it changed everything. It suggests internal links, shows me three paragraph options where the link would fit naturally, and even rewrites the content using AI if I want. I can pick the keywords, choose the anchor type, and get it done in minutes.
Here's what most people miss—internal linking isn't just an SEO checkbox. It builds momentum. The more relevant links you add, the stronger your site becomes. But you have to do it right. And often.
This tool has helped us scale content without burning out. It's simple, it works, and I honestly wish I had found it earlier.
Prerak Mehta, Founder, NetMafia
I've found that one of the most underrated tools in my stack is Loom. It's a video messaging tool that makes communication with clients and the team a lot more personal and clear. In logistics and transportation, explaining complex processes or providing status updates can be challenging through just emails or calls. Loom allows me to quickly record a video explaining specific details or updates, so clients and colleagues can watch and refer back to them when needed.
For instance, instead of sending long email chains back and forth with clients about shipment tracking or logistics issues, I can record a quick video explaining exactly what's happening, how we're addressing the issue, and what they can expect. This approach saves time and adds a personal touch that emails can't match. The ability to communicate visually and verbally in one message has streamlined many of our workflows and improved client satisfaction.
Allan Hou, Sales Director, TSL Australia
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