SaaS (Software as a Service) is an exploding category, so with all the great marketing tools on the market, it can be difficult deciding on the right stack for your company. What tools do we actually use here at Templafy HQ?

We put our Marketing Manager, Glen Stenstrup Hagensen, in the hotseat and asked him to tell us about his must-have marketing and productivity tools, and how they help him manage his work day:

1. HubSpot
I use this tool every day and it’s central to our marketing activities. It helps me to gather marketing data from all marketing channels in one hub, whereas previously I would have to rely on different tools. It saves me having to access data from multiple sources and makes it easier to create a personalized user experience across multiple channels.

2. Salesforce
This is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that collates all information about our current customers and potential customer leads under one single platform. It ensures that we keep track of our business leads and customers. Without Salesforce, all areas of our organization would miss out on a lot of valuable information. In terms of customer relationships, everything that has happened at Templafy since day one is logged there. It’s a critical tool.

3. Slack
Slack is an instant messaging app for teams and we use this for intra-team communication.

When I first heard of Slack, I thought, ‘why do we need another tool? We already have Skype for business and email’. But via Slack, you can create different messaging channels based on themes like ‘Admin’ or ‘Promotional Project’, and in this way, images and files shared between the team are locked into one place and one conversation. It’s a great tool to get information out, really fast.

I like that you can have multiple chats too. We have one called “coffee”, where everybody writes in when they’ve made a fresh pot of coffee.

4. Templafy
Then of course, I use Templafy – obviously! As Marketing Manager, I regularly use PowerPoint to present new initiatives and strategies. As such, I specifically rely on Templafy to ensure that I use the correct slides, images and layout. I don’t want to spend time creating slides that have been created before by someone who is better than me at design. This way it is easy, fast and I know it looks good.

5. Trello
I use Trello for my personal project management and to keep track of my tasks. It’s effectively a visual list tool, giving me a bird’s-eye view of all my projects – from the big picture to the tiny minute details. And I can invite colleagues to participate in my projects if needed.

I create boards – e.g. “Customer Relations”, and then pin lists to those boards, e.g. “To Email” or “To Follow Up” and then I drag and drop ‘cards’ – e.g. the names of clients, and shuffle them between the boards. It’s an excellent way to keep track of where I am at with my work.

6. Appear.in
When we do software demos for potential clients, we need a video to show how Templafy works. With other programs, we inevitably had connection problems. However this tool is so easy to use and provides a high quality image and crisp sound. It creates video conversations between up to 8 people. All we do is create a link and send it to the client to invite them in. Works like a charm.

7. Geckoboard
Geckoboard is a live TV dashboard application, and my ideal tool for data visualization. I use it to tap into analytics, spreadsheets and Salesforce and create dashboards for others to follow. It helps me show the rest of the team what is happening in marketing and whether we are reaching targets.

8. think-cell
think-cell feels kind of like an advanced PowerPoint app. It taps into an Excel sheet, pulls the data and inserts it into your PowerPoint presentation. I can’t emphasize enough how much time that saves me! It’s my go-to guy for creating easy to read reporting and analysis of the latest results.

9. Leadfeeder
Leadfeeder is a handy tool that uncovers our website visitors via Google Analytics, showing us B2B leads that have shown an interest in our site. It helps us to keep track of exactly what users are reading on the Templafy website. As we are a B2B company, it helps us to see if we are targeting companies rather than individual users.

10. Calendly
Booking a meeting can generate a lot of ‘email tag’. Previously, I would call or send emails, often back and forth, as I tried to settle on a date and time that suited both parties. This app completely cuts out that whole process. It integrates with my iCal so it can see the free spots in my calendar.

Now, to book a meeting, I just issue a Calendly link and it will take the user to my saved page which lists all the times I’m free, allowing them to select a mutually available time.

11. Google Analytics
Last, but certainly not least! Google Analytics tracks and reports on our website traffic. It’s invaluable, allowing us to check the quality of the traffic, what sources give the best traffic to our website, and helps us optimize both the website and our marketing initiatives accordingly.