We all know about the Hubspots, Hootsuites, and Mailchimps of the Digital Marketing World.

But there’s some lesser known tools that can be just as valuable, and affordable.

Here’s a list of ten lesser known tools that I’ve found very handy…

Payboard (for Website Optimization)

I’ve tested Payboard a little, and really like the idea: helping put people on your site’s conversion path based on previous data and user experience.

Here’s a video that better explains how it works…

SerpStat (for Keyword, Content & Competitive Research)

SerpStat is a free tool for keyword research, getting content ideas, or researching competitors.  My favourite feature is the “Questions Only” filter, which shows you all the questions people are Googling that relates to your topic.

Online Image Editor (for Quick & Easy Image Editing)

If you just want the bare bones capabilities of a Photoshop, this is your tool.  You can quickly edit, resize, crop, and convert any image to png, jpg, etc.  Very handy, very useful, and very affordable because it’s free 🙂

Topicurious (for Twitter Hashtag Insight)

Topicurious is a Twitter tool that helps you better manage the Twitter firehose.  It helps you find people on Twitter relevant to your business, optimize the hashtags you use and grow your reach, and find and share relevant content without sitting through thousands of tweets.

Peek (for User Testing & Website Experience)

I only discovered Peek a few weeks ago, but I’d urge you to test it out, as the insights it can give you about your website can be invaluable…especially because it’s free.  Simply enter your website url and you’ll receive a recorded user session, complete with their feedback and insight into your website experience.

NiftyImages (for Personalized Email Images)

I think I found these guys on Twitter, but I like what they’re up to.  They enable you to include images in your email that includes personal info (such as someone’s name) so your emails really, really stand out.  Watch the video…

SocialSignIn (for Engaging On-Site Customers with Wifi)

Ever been to a coffee shop or restaurant and have to ask what the wifi password is?  Indeed, annoying.  Enter SocialSignIn, that lets you engage your in-store visitors by asking them to sign-in to your wifi with their email address or social media account so you can engage them.

Heyo Cart (for Selling Stuff Right On Facebook)

How fast can you type the word “buy”?  Because that’s all the time it takes you to buy something using Heyo’s Cart app.  That’s right Facebook user’s just write “buy” when you post a product, and the app takes care of the rest.

Link Prospector (For Building Links)

I’m always weary of using the term “link building”, as those in SEO know you have to “earn” links (not buy them or simply ask for them).  However, this low-cost tool helps you discover sites that you can guest post on, sites that could review your product, and/or those who may be interested in covering your story.

Nieman Lab (For Converting Twitter Followers into Email Subscribers)

Okay, so this isn’t so much a tool as it is a trick.  Follow the link above and read about how you can have your Twitter followers subscribe to your newsletter without them even having to enter their email address.

Any lesser known tools you’d like to mention?  Send in your comments.