My presentation from Students' Unions 2014 sharing some of my favourite free and cheap tools for marketing and communications people. View more information at http://joannawalters.co.uk/?p=352

1. 101ish free/cheap tools
for marketing &
communications
people*
Jo Walters, Digital Engagement Manager
University of Sussex Students’ Union
@jowalters ~ #sucomms ~ #su14
* the best sort of people

2. The observant amongst you will notice there are not
101 things in this list (yet)
101 things was a joke that became a real 60 minute
conference session which became a 30 minute
conference session so let’s see how many we can get
through...
* the best sort of people

3. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Websites

4. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
❏ Curate & publish content
❏ Great for events &
freshers
❏ Add content from
Twitter, YouTube etc
❏ Embeddable
❏ Good sharing - notify
people included
Storify
1
FreeFree

5. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Picmonkey
2
Free
❏ Easy to use online
image editor
❏ Good for speedy
screenshots
❏ Quick cropping &
editing
❏ Novelty themes

6. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Google Maps
❏ e.g. where to
live in our city
❏ e.g. where our
Varsity
fixtures are
3
Free

7. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Batchgeo
❏ Plot addresses
onto a Google
Map in bulk
❏ e.g. postcodes
for housing
campaign
❏ e.g. voter
nationalities
4
Free

8. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Google Alerts
❏ Track key
terms/people/topics
❏ e.g. your
union/University
5
Free

9. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Flickr Commons
❏ Images you
can use for
free as long
as you
credit the
creator
6
Free

10. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Google Drive
❏ Easy
collaboration &
sharing
❏ I particularly
love Google
Forms
7
Free

11. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Google Analytics
❏ Understand
how people
use your
website
❏ Track social
media/email
/publicity
8
Free

12. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
IFTTT
❏ Link stuff together
to automate it
❏ e.g. if a news story
is put online email
me
❏ e.g. post Instagram
pics directly to
Twitter
9
Free

13. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Trello
10
Free
❏ Project management
❏ Collaboration
❏ e.g. track work through
comms process

14. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
It’s Almost
❏ Embeddable countdown
timer
❏ Great for deadlines and
to build excitement
❏ e.g. ‘the close of voting’
11
Free

15. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Followerwonk
❏ Search
Twitter
bios
❏ Analyse
followers
❏ Compare
accounts
12
Freemium

16. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Tweetdeck
❏ Manage
multiple
accounts
❏ Search
keywords
❏ Monitor
lists
Hootsuite also
recommended
13
Free

17. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Doodle
❏ Schedule
stuff by
finding
the most
suitable
time
14
Freemium

18. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Typeform
❏ Make
beautiful
forms &
surveys
❏ Works on
any device
15
Freemium

19. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Eventbrite
❏ Ticket sales
(incl free
events)
❏ Super
customisable
❏ Paperless
ticket option
❏ Track
attendance
16
Free

20. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Concept Codify
❏ Card sorting
❏ Improve your
website
navigation
❏ User input to
organise
information
17
Free

21. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
GA URL builder
❏ Easily create
links to track
your
campaigns
using Google
Analytics
❏ e.g. links for
Facebook &
Twitter back
to your site
18
Free
gaconfig.com/google-analytics-url-builder/

22. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Hemingway
app
19
Free

23. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Canva
❏ Awesome online
design tool
❏ Easily make great
presentations &
images
❏ Loads of templates
& components to
choose from
❏ My current
favourite!
20
Free

24. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Share link
generator
❏ Create social sharing
links, e.g. Facebook,
Twitter "tweet this"
21
Free
www.sharelinkgenerator.com

25. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Buffer
❏ Schedule &
publish on
social media
❏ Analytics
22
Free
Recommended by
Colin Gibson &
Malcolm Alden

26. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Facebook insights
❏ See what
content is
popular
❏ Find out
about your
Facebook
fans
23
Free
Recommended by
Colin Gibson

27. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Graph search
❏ Analyse
Facebook
info
❏ e.g. how
many of
our fans
like band
X?
24
Free
Recommended by
Colin Gibson

28. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Topsy
❏ Search
Twitter
archive
❏ Monitor
trends
❏ Analyse
tweets
25
Free
Recommended by
Colin Gibson

29. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Free RSVP
❏ Gather
RSVPs for
events or
meetings
26
Free
Recommended by
Malcolm Alden

30. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Aweber,
MailChimp or
Campaign Monitor
❏ Email newsletters
❏ Automatic series, e.g. training,
new students
27
Cheap
Campaign Monitor
recommended by
Tom Flynn

31. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Piktochart
❏ Infographics
❏ Interactive maps
❏ Charts
28
Freemium(non-profiteducation)

32. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Sprout Social
❏ Manage
social
media
❏ Monitor,
publish &
respond
❏ Share
accounts
❏ Analytics
29
Cheap
Recommended by
Tom Flynn

33. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Software
& plugins

34. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
FastStone
Photo Resizer
❏ Manage images
in bulk
❏ Watermark
❏ Resize
❏ Rename
❏ Portable app
30
Free

35. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Eye Dropper
❏ Colour
match
images,
branding
etc
31
Free

36. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
LastPass
❏ Remember
your
passwords
❏ Great
when
managing
multiple
accounts
32
Free

37. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
MeasureIt!
❏ Measure
things
online
❏ e.g. plan
image sizes
33
Free

38. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Custom search
❏ Search sites you commonly use directly from
your browser using a keyword
❏ e.g. Flickr Creative Commons
❏ e.g. sites that don’t have a very good search
engine
34
Free

39. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Rise Vision
❏ Digital
signage
platform
35
Free
Recommended by
Vic Casambros

40. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Read stuff

41. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Predictably
irrational
❏ Understand what
influences people’s
decision-making
36
Cheap

42. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Made To Stick
❏ Learn how some ideas
stick around
❏ How to stand out and
be memorable
37
Cheap

43. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Nudge
❏ Understand what
influences people’s
behaviour
❏ Behavioural
economics
38
Cheap

44. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Organizations
Don't Tweet...
❏ Useful to help persuade others
of the value of the social web
❏ I particularly like the idea of
‘trojan mice’
39
Cheap

45. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Feedly
❏ Find blogs on relevant topics to
learn and be inspired
❏ e.g. marketing, digital, writing,
feminism, cats, democracy, local
government, higher education
40
Free
joannawalters.co.uk/other-internet-things/reading-the-internetSome of my favourite
blogs are listed here

46. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Other
stuff

47. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Charity Comms
41
Cheap
❏ Loads of great events, blogs,
training & resources
❏ Discount for NUS members on
organisational membership

48. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Learn to code
42
Free
❏ Understand
how digital
things are built
and how they
work
❏ Make easy
changes to
your digital
content

49. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
#sucomms
43
Free
❏ Twitter hashtag
for people
working in
students’ union
communications
❏ Share ideas &
ask questions

50. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Rough Agenda
events
44
Free
❏ Free events for
digital marketers
❏ My favourite is
the Content
Marketing Show

51. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Comms by the
Coast
45
Free
❏ Annual event for Students’ Union
communications people
❏ Talks from students’ union people
❏ Talks from non-students’ union
people
❏ Sunshine (usually)
❏ Pastries (always)

52. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
LinkedIn group
46
Free
❏ Discuss things and
share resources
more easily than
via a mailing list
❏ Make new contacts

53. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
University &
local libraries
47
Free
flickr.com/photos/neilt/9685321345

54. @jowalters ~ #su14 ~ #sucomms
Look beyond
your sector & be
curious
48
Free
❏ If you only look within your sector
you’ll only ever be as good as the best
organisation in it

55. Help get the list to 101+
free/cheap tools for
marketing &
communications people
joannawalters.co.uk
@jowalters
#sucomms