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Podcast Equipment You Need to Take Your Show from Good to Great in 2022

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Want to start podcasting, but feel intimidated by the podcast equipment you’ll need? Don’t be! Professional-sounding podcast equipment is more accessible than ever. 

With 26% of adults listening to podcasts weekly, the production quality of your show is important. In order to build a successful podcast, you need the right tools and services at your disposal.

Let’s review the top podcast tools and services to make your production more efficient and professional.

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Below, we’ll break down the tools and services into four categories: podcast recording equipment, podcast recording software, podcast editing software, and podcast hosting sites.

Podcast Equipment

To take your podcast show from good to great this year, you need to have the right equipment.

1. USB or XLR Microphone

The first thing you need to record your podcast is a microphone. The two most popular options are USB microphones and XLR microphones. 

USB microphones can connect directly to your computer via a USB cable. They are easy to use and require minimal setup. 

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If you’re looking to have a bit more control over your audio, you can opt for an XLR microphone and cable for higher sound quality. A popular podcasting microphone that allows for both USB and XLR connection is the Audiotechnica ATR2100 microphone.

The RODE PodMic is a cost-effective XLR microphone that gives studio-quality sound.

2. Audio Interface

For those who opt to use an XLR connection, you’ll need an audio mixer to connect your microphone to your computer. Not only does a mixer or audio interface connect directly to your computer, but it also gives you more flexibility in terms of volume control and editing.

A simple audio mixer is the Focusrite Scarlette 2i2 which connects XLR microphones to your computer via a USB-C cable. This mixer offers simple volume control for up to two microphones.

For more studio controls, you can opt for the RODECaster which can connect up to four microphones, has eight programmable settings, and has Bluetooth capability so you can interview guests via telephone. 

3. Windscreen or Pop Filter

Once you select your microphone, make sure you get a corresponding windscreen or pop filter to minimize popping sounds and record higher-quality audio that needs less editing to sound great.

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4. Studio-Quality Headphones

Headphones are a must for podcasters, especially those who record interviews remotely. Wearing headphones while recording allows you to hear how the recorded audio will sound in real-time so you can make adjustments as needed to have the highest quality recording.

If you record virtual interviews on your computer, you’ll want to make sure both you and your guests use headphones to avoid having the mic pick up any sound that may come from your computer’s speaker causing an unpleasant echo.

5. Adjustable Microphone Arm Stand

Once you have a microphone, headphones, and audio interface, you’ll want to consider getting a microphone arm stand. A microphone stand will make it easier for you to record your podcast, so you aren’t chained to your desk or have to sit in an awkward position.

Most microphones will come with an adapter that’ll connect with any microphone arm stand. Before you buy a new stand, make sure you have that adapter.

Podcast Recording Software

Now that you have all the equipment to make your podcast the best it can be, you’ll need to make sure you’re using the right recording software.

6. Skype

Price: Free

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With Skype, you can record video and audio right in the program. When you’re on a call, you can click the three dots on the bottom right and then hit “Start Recording.”

Skype is a great option for podcasters because it’s free and easy to use. There are also other options, if you want better audio quality. For instance, you can download recording software on your computer or buy an external digital recorder.

best podcast equipment: Skype recording a podcast interview.

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7. Zoom

Price: Free+

Zoom is another excellent free option (for calls up to 40 minutes long). You can easily record right in the program, by clicking the “Record” button and choosing where you’d like to save your audio file.

Skype and Zoom are fairly similar options, however, the recording files differ. Skype will give you a mono file, which means both your and your interviewee’s side of the conversation is on one audio track. However, Zoom splits both sides of the call, giving you two separate audio tracks. This is helpful when it comes to cutting and editing in post-production.

best podcast equipment: Zoom recording a podcast interview.

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8. Ringr

Price: $8/month+

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Ringr is a long-distance podcasting and broadcast interview recording program. Although this option isn’t free, it has excellent sound quality. If you’re focused on bringing higher-quality sound to your interviews, Ringr is a good choice.

Additionally, they have three different plans you can choose from. With the basic plan, you’ll get a mono audio file, and unlimited calls and storage. If you decide to go with the premium or enterprise plan, you’ll get a split-track audio file, plus better sound quality and the option to use conference calling.

9. Squadcast

Price: $5/hour or $20/month+

Squadcast is an easy-to-use podcast recording software. Once you sign up, all you have to do is set up a meeting, click “Record,” and you’re set.

One unique element of this software is that you can pay by the hour, if you don’t think you need a monthly plan. Even with the hourly plan, you can host up to three guests and will receive a high-quality WAV or MP3 file.

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Additionally, Squadcast plans to add video recording and transcription, which will help with your show notes and posting your podcast to YouTube.

One of the top reasons to use a podcast recording software like Squadcast, as opposed to Skype or Zoom, is that you’ll have a library of all your recordings in one place, online, where you can access them at any time, any place.

10. Riverside

Price: Free+

If you’re looking for multimedia recording, Riverside could be a good fit for you.

This tool offers local recording of audio and video with up to 4K video quality. One of the most notable features is “Clips” which creates AI-generated video and audio clips of your recording that can be easily customized and shared on social media. 

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Additional features include transcriptions, sharable links for guests, producer mode and controls, live streaming, one-click scheduling, and screen share recording.

11. Pro Tools

Price: $30/year+

If you’re ready to move beyond the beginner recording software above, Pro Tools is an excellent option.

Pro Tools is an advanced recording and editing software. You can record, edit, and mix numerous audio tracks. However, this is for the more advanced audio recorders/editors. The user interface (UI) isn’t as intuitive for beginners and may seem overwhelming at first.

Although, because it’s advanced, it also offers much more robust features. For example, since Pro Tools is known in the music industry, it has virtual instrumentation available, which can be helpful in creating the music to put in your podcast. Additionally, it offers plugins, collaboration, and hands-on audio mixing.

best podcast equipment: Pro Tools audio track editing software.

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12. Reaper

Price: $60 one time payment+

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Reaper is another advanced recording, editing, and mixing software. This type of program provides higher-quality recordings and more capabilities when it comes to editing and mixing.

The UI isn’t as intuitive as programs like Zoom or Squadcast, but it offers higher-quality sound. With your audio interface and microphone attached, you can record directly into the program, with as many audio tracks as you’d like.

The recording feature is more robust, offering simultaneous recording inputs, a dozen audio formats, and recording tracks.

Additionally, it also has strong editing capabilities as well.

Reaper editing software.

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13. Logic Pro

Price: $200 one time payment+

Logic Pro is the advanced version of Garage Band for Mac users. It’s a higher-quality recording program offering an easy-to-use UI.

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Recording is as simple as setting up your microphone and USB audio interface and pressing record.

Logic Pro offers up to 1,000 audio tracks, software instrument tracks, and hundreds of plugins to complete any project.

Additionally, it has advanced editing capabilities.

best podcast equipment: Logic Pro editing software for podcasts.

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14. Whereby

Price: $10/month+

Whereby is another option for recording remote interviews. It’s excellent for beginners and is easy to use.

Although there is a free plan, recording is only available in the Pro or Business plan. Recording is as easy as hitting the “Record” button, once you’re on a call. This will record both video and audio, so it’s easy to post to YouTube if you want.

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While this is an easy option, it isn’t the highest quality recording.

best podcast equipment: Whereby records remote interviews.

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15. Zencastr

Price: Free+

Zencastr is a web browser-based recording software that offers live sound editing, automatic postproduction, and automatic cloud backup of recordings. 

The app recently launched a beta HD video recording feature and also has built-in chat and footnote features that make sharing information with guests and producers a breeze.

Podcast Editing Software

Once you record your podcast, it’s time to edit it. As you’ve read above, many software includes both recording and editing capabilities. Below are some tools known for editing, rather than recording.

16. Adobe Audition

Price: $20/month+

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Adobe Audition is an excellent mid-level audio editing software. You can create, record, mix, edit, and restore audio content.

It offers high-quality sound, plus comprehensive tools to deliver polished sound. For example, Adobe Audition comes with a podcast template, which helps you set up a multi-track recording so you can mix and edit different audio tracks and voices. Plus, you can work in both waveform and multi-track editors, for more well-rounded editing.

basic podcast equipment: Adobe Audition editing software for podcasts.

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17. Audacity

Price: Free

Audacity is an excellent free option for editing your podcast. It’s especially easy if you plan to use only one take, with few cuts. The UI is easy to use and beginner-friendly. However, if you have to make a lot of cuts or move audio around, it’s a little more difficult because of the simplicity of the program.

This option is great for beginners because of the simple cut, copy, and paste functionality. It isn’t the highest quality sound, but it gets the job done.

Audacity editing software for podcasts.

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18. Garage Band

Price: Free

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Garage Band is a free editing software that is available on and comes with most Mac computers.

It’s mostly used as a beginner editing program, but is capable of mixing up to 255 audio tracks. It comes with basic editing features including volume levels, cut, copy, and paste. You can use plugins to finish off your track and use audio effects such as compression.

Additionally, it features a sound library with effects that you can include in your podcast.

podcast equipment for beginners: Garage Band for Macs editing podcasts.

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19. Descript

Price: Free+

If you can edit a Google Doc, you can edit a podcast. That’s the premise of Descript, a text-based audio, and video editing tool.

To use Descript, upload your file to the tool to get an AI-generated transcription. You can then review the transcription to make changes in real-time. Descript also has a feature that uses an AI-created version of your voice, so you can add words to your audio simply by typing. 

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Descript is incredibly easy to use for new podcasters and those who don’t have audio editing experience.

podcast equipment for beginners: Descript Editing SoftwareImage Source

Podcast Hosting Sites/Services

Now that you’ve bought your equipment, recorded, and editing your podcast, you may be wondering what’s next? After you’ve produced your podcast, it’s time to find the right hosting site and service to publish it on.

20. BuzzSprout

Price: Free+

BuzzSprout is an excellent hosting option, because it gets your podcast listed in all the top podcast directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

Additionally, it offers advanced metrics, so you can track the progress of your podcast. You can see statistics about your listeners, total plays over time, and where people listen to your podcast. Plus, you can transcribe your podcast in BuzzSprout.

With paid plans, you’ll have unlimited storage and episodes hosted indefinitely.

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basic podcast equipment: BuzzSprout is a podcasting hosting service.

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21. Libsyn

Price: $5/month+

Libsyn is a hosting service that will get your podcast published on your audience’s favorite apps and platforms.

A unique feature is its monetization options. For example, it offers premium content subscriptions and opt-in advertising. These options keep you in control and allow you to customize your monetization.

You’ll also have access to detailed audience statistics, so you can also see what’s working and what isn’t.

Libsyn is a podcasting hosting service.

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22. Anchor

Price: Free

Anchor, owned by Spotify, is an easy-to-use platform that allows you to create, publish, and monetize in one place. 

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One standout feature of Anchor is its robust analytics system. Powered by Spotify, podcasts hosted on Anchor have access to powerful metrics allowing you to see exactly what the listening behavior of your audience looks like. This level of detail can help you tailor your content toward what your audience likes to hear. 

Anchor also offers monetization options such as host-read ads, paid subscriptions, and dynamically inserted ad spots.

podcast equipment for beginners: Anchor Image Source

How to Set Up a Podcast Studio

Once you have your equipment, recording and editing software, and hosting services, it’s time to figure out where you’re going to record your podcast.

You’ll want to set up a podcast studio. This can be as basic as having the right equipment in any room or as advanced as creating a dedicated space for recording.

To set up a podcast studio, follow these steps:

Step 1: Buy the equipment — Before you can get your studio set up, you need the equipment. You’ll need a microphone, microphone arm, headphones, audio interface, desks, and chairs. You’ll also want to consider buying more than one of these items, in case you decide to bring people in for interviews.

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Step 2: Set up room for sound conditioning — In order to achieve the best sound, consider buying soundproof foam wall panels to attach to the walls. This will stop the sound from bouncing off the walls. Additionally, you can buy pop filters for the microphones to reduce popping sounds.

Step 3: Set up lighting and cameras — Many podcasters choose to film their podcasts so they can post to YouTube or other social media. If you want to do this, you’ll need to set up lighting and cameras.

Anyone can start a podcast. That’s why you want your podcast to stand out among the rest. To take your podcast from good to great, make sure you purchase the right equipment, software, and studio setup.

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How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

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How AI Is Redefining Startup GTM Strategy

AI and startups? It just makes sense.

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More promotions and more layoffs

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More promotions and more layoffs

For martech professionals salaries are good and promotions are coming faster, unfortunately, layoffs are coming faster, too. That’s according to the just-released 2024 Martech Salary and Career Survey. Another very unfortunate finding: The median salary of women below the C-suite level is 35% less than what men earn.

The last year saw many different economic trends, some at odds with each other. Although unemployment remained very low overall and the economy grew, some businesses — especially those in technology and media — cut both jobs and spending. Reasons cited for the cuts include during the early years of the pandemic, higher interest rates and corporate greed.

Dig deeper: How to overcome marketing budget cuts and hiring freezes

Be that as it may, for the employed it remains a good time to be a martech professional. Salaries remain lucrative compared to many other professions, with an overall median salary of $128,643. 

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Here are the median salaries by role:

  • Senior management $199,653
  • Director $157,776
  • Manager $99,510
  • Staff $89,126

Senior managers make more than twice what staff make. Directors and up had a $163,395 median salary compared to manager/staff roles, where the median was $94,818.

One-third of those surveyed said they were promoted in the last 12 months, a finding that was nearly equal among director+ (32%) and managers and staff (30%). 

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Extend the time frame to two years, and nearly three-quarters of director+ respondents say they received a promotion, while the same can be said for two-thirds of manager and staff respondents.

Dig deeper: Skills-based hiring for modern marketing teams

Employee turnover 

In 2023, we asked survey respondents if they noticed an increase in employee churn and whether they would classify that churn as a “moderate” or “significant” increase. For 2024, given the attention on cost reductions and layoffs, we asked if the churn they witnessed was “voluntary” (e.g., people leaving for another role) or “involuntary” (e.g., a layoff or dismissal). More than half of the marketing technology professionals said churn increased in the last year. Nearly one-third classified most of the churn as “involuntary.”

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Men and Women

Screenshot 2024 03 21 124540Screenshot 2024 03 21 124540

This year, instead of using average salary figures, we used the median figures to lessen the impact of outliers in the salary data. As a result, the gap between salaries for men and women is even more glaring than it was previously.

In last year’s report, men earned an average of 24% more than women. This year the median salary of men is 35% more than the median salary of women. That is until you get to the upper echelons. Women at director and up earned 5% more than men.

Methodology

The 2024 MarTech Salary and Career Survey is a joint project of MarTech.org and chiefmartec.com. We surveyed 305 marketers between December 2023 and February 2024; 297 of those provided salary information. Nearly 63% (191) of respondents live in North America; 16% (50) live in Western Europe. The conclusions in this report are limited to responses from those individuals only. Other regions were excluded due to the limited number of respondents. 

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Download your copy of the 2024 MarTech Salary and Career Survey here. No registration is required.

Get MarTech! Daily. Free. In your inbox.

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5 Must-Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your ROI

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5 Must-Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your ROI

5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your

The digital marketing software market is valued at $60.3 billion. And it’s expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.5% over the next decade.

With a plethora of digital marketing tools in the market, choosing the right ones can be a daunting task.

However, it’s essential to invest in the best tools to enhance your digital marketing efforts and help you stand above the inevitable competition from your peers.Competition is a significant challenge for 27.1% of digital marketers today, as revealed in a survey conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub.

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So which tools should you use to get an edge? 

You don’t need to spend time researching the best tools. In this article, I’ll introduce you to five digital marketing tools that can boost your efforts and give you an edge over the competition.

5 Digital Marketing Tools to Drive Better Results

Here are five digital marketing tools that address different areas of digital marketing. 

They range from tools that enhance website speed to ones for improving landing pages and enhancing overall user experience.

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1. TinyImage

1711353364 628 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your1711353364 628 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your

TinyImage is one of the digital marketing tools you need to invest in. It’s an image compression tool that reduces the size of your PNG and JPG images online by over 75%.

You don’t have to worry about the security of sensitive image files as well. TinyImage uses a secure 256-bit encrypted SSL connection. It also deletes your images within a few hours of uploading them.

How can TinyImage improve your digital marketing ROI? 

Larger-sized images take up a lot of bandwidth, which slows down loading times for your visitors.

Research by Digital.com shows 21% of online shoppers are dissatisfied by slow-loading pages. Half will abandon their shopping cart if a page fails to load fast enough.  

This app is most helpful for agencies that provide custom app development services. It helps them to compress images in a few seconds and convert apps into fast loading for their clients.

Use TinyImage to:

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  • Compress images without losing image quality
  • Compare the file size of the compressed images to ensure you have the optimal file size
  • Save time by compressing multiple images at a go

Price

2. Sprout Social

1711353364 420 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your1711353364 420 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your

Sprout Social is one of the best social media marketing tools in the market. It helps you manage all aspects of your social presence.

You can analyze the performance of your posts and Reels to find the best Instagram Reels to embed on your website. Also, you can also monitor your competitors, manage conversations with your audience, and plenty more.

Sprout Social boosts your social media marketing efforts. And according to research, effective social media marketing results in higher sales for 55% of businesses.

What you can do with Sprout Social:

  • Analyze the performance of your campaigns and get insights into areas of improvement
  • Uncover current trends and opportunities to engage with your target audience through social listening
  • Schedule and publish posts across multiple platforms

Price

  • Standard: $249 per month
  • Professional: $399 per month
  • Advanced: $499 per month

Enterprise: Custom

3. Zendesk

1711353364 255 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your1711353364 255 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your

Customer support plays a crucial role in creating a better customer experience for your e-commerce store and optimizing your digital marketing efforts.

And Zendesk is one of the best tools you can use to ensure provide personalized customer support.

It’s AI-powered AI chatbot, live chat, help desk ticketing system, and other solutions help you provide instant and right customer support.

Why is it one of the best digital marketing tools to boost your ROI? 

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Zendesk has helped generate numerous leads, sales, and signups for its customers with its low-cost ownership offers.

How Zendesk can help your business achieve better marketing results:

  • It offers an AI-powered chatbot and live chat that answers instantly to customers’ questions.
  • It offers the right reporting and analytics software that help you get real-time insights for your business.

Price

  • Free: $0
  • Starting: $19 per month
  • Suite Team: $55 per month
  • Suite Growth: $89 per month
  • Suite Professional: $115 per month

Suite Enterprise: Reach out to them

4. Ahrefs

1711353365 844 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your1711353365 844 5 Must Have Digital Marketing Tools for 2024 to Skyrocket Your

Keyword research tools are important for any digital marketing strategy. And Ahrefs is one of the best there is. It’ll help boost your SEO strategies to improve your website’s visibility and ranking in SERPs.

It’s not just a keyword research tool, but an all-in-one SEO toolset that analyzes the ranking difficulty of keywords, simplifies backlinking, and more.

You can use it to scan your website for technical and on-page SEO problems that may be holding back your ranking.

Ahrefs also lets you keep tabs on keywords your competitors are ranking for and get insights into the SEO strategies they are implementing. 

Additionally, you can use it to get content ideas that have the potential to draw traffic to your site and find link prospects from a database of over 14 billion web pages.

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Ahrefs also provides access to other free digital marketing tools like a backlink checker and AI writing tools

What you can do with Ahrefs to boost your digital marketing ROI

  • Find keywords for YouTube, Amazon, and Bing and generate additional keyword ideas using AI to reach a wider audience
  • Find backlink prospects to increase your SERP ranking and enhance your credibility
  • Visualize your SEO progress using interactive graphs

Price

  • Lite: $99 per month
  • Standard: $199 per month
  • Advanced: $399 per month

Enterprise: $999 per month

5. Hotjar

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Google has clearly stated that it rewards content that provides a good page experience. Hotjar is one of the best digital marketing tools you can use to gain insights on ways to improve user experience and also optimize your store for conversions.

It provides heat maps that you can use to see your website visitors’ activities and identify friction points. The heatmaps show you how your visitors move, click, and scroll.

You can also compare user behavior across different devices using Hotjar to identify opportunities to increase conversions.

And if you serve video ads on your website or any other type of ad, you can conduct surveys and collect feedback from your customers to learn how they’re affecting their user experience.

What you can do with Hotjar to improve your ROI:

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  • Watch full recordings of your visitors’ journey on your site to find and fix user experience issues
  • Access all user data from a single dashboard, including feedback, metrics, and session recordings
  • Automatically generate relevant surveys using AI and get automated summary reports of the responses

Price:

  • Basic: Free
  • Plus: $39 per month
  • Business: $99 per month
  • Scale: $213 per month

Start Leveraging the Best Digital Marketing Tools Today

Leveraging digital marketing tools is crucial if you want to enhance your ROI. And these are the 5 best tools available in the market that you can use.

They all serve different aspects of digital marketing but with similar goals—improving audience engagement, driving conversions, and maximizing your marketing efforts.

Go ahead and give them a shot to take your digital marketing efforts to the next level and boost your ROI.


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