Every Tool I Use Everyday
Following last week's exploration of how to select the right tools for your business, I wanted to share a more detailed breakdown of my own toolkit.
After 20+ years in digital marketing and creative services, I've developed a carefully curated ecosystem of software that powers both my consulting work and all client operations at GDS.pro.
Below, I've organized my go-to tools by function, explaining what each one does and why I find it particularly valuable. These are the platforms that have consistently delivered results across my work with B2B SaaS companies and the tools I recommend most frequently to clients.
What tools are essential to your marketing operations? I'd love to hear which platforms you find indispensable and why.
WHAT IT IS: Canva is a versatile online design platform that enables users to create a wide range of visual content, including presentations, social media graphics, posters, documents, and other visual materials. It offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it accessible for both beginners and professionals. Canva provides a vast library of templates, images, and fonts, allowing users to customize their designs easily. Additionally, it supports collaboration, enabling teams to work together in real-time. Canva also integrates AI-powered tools for enhanced design capabilities and offers printing services for physical products.
WHY I LIKE IT: Canva has come a long way since I first started using it. It is now much than a way to make social posts for yoga studios... Clients love receiving designs that they can make simple edits to themselves, and the video tool are pretty good for quick things. I find myself using it pretty much daily.
WHAT IT IS: Adobe's core functionality revolves around its Creative Cloud, which offers over 20 applications and generative AI tools designed to help users bring their creative ideas to life. This includes popular software like Adobe Photoshop, which is known for its powerful image editing capabilities, and Adobe Express, which allows users to easily create social media posts, videos, flyers, and more. Adobe provides a comprehensive suite of tools for creative professionals and enthusiasts to create at the speed of imagination.
WHY I LIKE IT: The Daddy of all things design. I've been using Creative Suite/Cloud for more than 20 years, back when Macromedia was still around and Flash was cutting edge. (I still miss it) While new kids in the browser can do a lot, there is simply still no replacement for the productivity powerhouse that is Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere.
WHAT IT IS: Figma is a collaborative design platform that allows teams to design, prototype, and gather feedback in a single shared space. Figma is designed to streamline the product development process by providing a centralized platform for all team members, including designers, developers, and stakeholders, to collaborate effectively.
WHY I LIKE IT: Figma has become the industry standard tool for web UI design work. Their tool does more than that, and is good for presentations too, but their features for UI component based design are best in breed.
WHAT IT IS: Slack is a collaboration platform designed to bring people and information together in one place. Slack is used by a wide range of industries and departments, offering solutions tailored to specific needs such as engineering, IT, customer service, sales, and more.
WHY I LIKE IT: Instant messenger ++ What to say... it is how 90% of my internal and client comms is done.
WHAT IT IS: Zoom is a video conferencing platform that provides a range of communication tools including video meetings, webinars, and chat services. It allows users to host and join virtual meetings with features such as screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms. Zoom is widely used for remote work, online education, and virtual events, offering both free and paid plans to accommodate different user needs.
WHY I LIKE IT: Skype? Where d'ya go? Zoom vs Google Meet vs Teams. I have access to Meet and Teams FOR FREE as they're bundled, but I still pay for zoom. It is just a significantly better app.
WHAT IT IS: PageProof is an online proofing software designed to streamline the review and approval process for creative work across various file types. It allows marketing and creative teams to gather feedback and approvals efficiently, enhancing productivity and workflow. The platform supports a wide range of files, including images, videos, documents, and websites, and integrates with tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. PageProof offers automated workflows, reminders, and a comprehensive audit trail to ensure compliance and reduce bottlenecks, making it easier for teams to focus on delivering high-quality content.
WHY I LIKE IT: I did have this in project management, but it really is communications. We share all client work via pageproof, integrated with our GDS.pro platform sing their SSO. We had Wrike for years, but PageProof is a purpose built tool for Proofing and it is simply the best. No additional throw the kitchen sink of features that most tools have. It is more expensive than most but the benefits are insanly valuable.
WHAT IT IS: The core functionality of Spark Mail App is to provide a smart and focused email experience that helps users manage their inbox efficiently. It offers features like a Smart Inbox to filter out noise, Priority and Pin functions to highlight important contacts, and tools like Send Later and Reminders to organize emails. Spark also includes an AI-powered email writing assistant to craft emails quickly, and collaboration tools for teams to manage emails collectively. It emphasizes security and privacy, ensuring data is used solely for product optimization.
WHY I LIKE IT: I've been on the hunt for a good desktop and mobile app for managing different email accounts and Spark has nailed it. If you find yourself logging into more than one email account everyday, you know how much of a pain it is. Spark has been a very good addition to my stack.
WHAT IT IS: Airtable is a next-generation app-building platform that enables teams to create custom business applications without the need for coding. It integrates AI to enhance workflows and connects data from various apps and tools to serve as a central source of truth. Key features include automations, custom interface design, data visualization, and reporting. Airtable also offers integrations with popular tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Salesforce, and provides solutions for various business functions such as marketing, operations, project management, and sales.
WHY I LIKE IT: Airtable is the core of my entire techstack. It is so flexible and easy to customize, plus it integrates into everything. I use it as a database, an app, and much more. I think I'll do a full post on it soon!
WHAT IT IS: Motion is an AI-powered productivity tool designed to enhance individual and team efficiency by automating task scheduling and prioritization. It automatically plans your day by organizing tasks and projects, prioritizing them, and dynamically optimizing your schedule. Motion aims to reduce the need for manual planning, minimize meetings, and ensure deadlines are met, thereby increasing productivity and reducing stress. It integrates with various calendars and tools, providing a centralized platform for managing tasks, projects, and schedules.
WHY I LIKE IT: I've used SOoo many differernt project management apps, all the usual suspects, but Motion lives up to the AI hype. It takes some time to get used to and requires committing to their way of working, but man... it is good. The auto-scheduling of tasks that then show on your calendar alone is worth the price tag.
WHAT IT IS: The core functionality of "Black Menu for Google" is to provide an elegant browser extension that integrates various Google services into one accessible menu.
WHY I LIKE IT: If you work in GSuite, then this little chrome extension is a must have. Saves so much time finding files, quickly checking emails, or calendar, without leaving the tab you're currently on.
WHAT IT IS: Build powerful workflows incredibly fast. Zapier puts the power of automation in your hands. Take your workflows to the next level with our suite of automation tools.
WHY I LIKE IT: Zapier could honestly go into anyone of these categories as it is the tool that I use to connect everything together. Triggering automations and being the plumbing between platforms, Zapier has proven to be the most important tool of them all.
WHAT IT IS: Bubble.io is a no-code platform that allows users to build web applications without needing to write code. It provides a visual interface where users can design their application's user interface, define workflows, and manage a database. Bubble.io is designed to empower individuals and businesses to create complex, fully functional web applications quickly and efficiently, making it accessible to those without traditional programming skills.
WHY I LIKE IT: One of the tools that triggered an a-ha moment for me. I can't tell you how many evenings and weekends I have spent in the depths of Bubble. Hard to get started with their tool, but it is incredibly powerful. But not without its issues. I've I try most new no-code tools as they do the rounds, but keep coming back to Bubble. BUT... I am loving Momen right now. See below.
WHAT IT IS: Motion is an AI-powered productivity tool designed to enhance individual and team efficiency by automating task scheduling and prioritization. It automatically plans your day by organizing tasks and projects, prioritizing them, and dynamically optimizing your schedule. Motion aims to reduce the need for manual planning, minimize meetings, and ensure deadlines are met, thereby increasing productivity and reducing stress. It integrates with various calendars and tools, providing a centralized platform for managing tasks, projects, and schedules.
WHY I LIKE IT: Could this be the one that's bursts the Bubble? A new contender I have been using for about 6 months. I find myself pulling it up more than Bubble for quick projects and I'm excited to see how the progress. A lot of similarities to bubble, but the way they have integrated actions, triggers, and workflows into the UI, is just so much better than Bubble in a significant way. More to come on this one!
WHAT IT IS: WP Engine provides managed WordPress hosting solutions designed to help businesses grow by offering effortless site management, enhanced performance, security, and support. Their services include WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting for eCommerce, and a headless platform for building and managing headless websites. WP Engine emphasizes enterprise-grade security, proactive monitoring, and performance optimizations to ensure fast, reliable, and scalable website operations. They also offer tools for local WordPress development, smart plugin management, and application performance monitoring, catering to enterprises, agencies, small businesses, and developers.
WHY I LIKE IT: Over the last two decades I have gone full circle with Word Press. Largely due to WP Engine. I used to love word press when young in my career, then I learned how frustrating to work with it can be, especially migrating it to different servers, plugins, security etc etc. BUT, I came back around when I first experienced fully managed hosting. Gone are the days of dealing with the hell that is CPanel, and now you can create a site, move it from dev to production, restore lder versions, in a single click.
WHAT IT IS: Webflow is a comprehensive website experience platform that enables marketers, designers, and developers to collaboratively build, manage, and optimize web experiences. It offers a visual canvas for designing websites, allowing users to control HTML, CSS, and JavaScript without needing to code directly. Webflow provides tools for content management, hosting, localization, security, and SEO, along with features for creating dynamic interactions and animations. It also supports integrations with various apps and APIs, and includes AI-powered tools for personalization and content generation. The platform is designed to facilitate the rapid development and deployment of high-performing, scalable websites.
WHY I LIKE IT: Webflow is on the list as it is a powerful tool and a number of clients use it. However, it is not my first choice for websites. There is something about their design philosophy that just bugs me. It let's you do a lot, and what it is good at, it is the best, but for every project there is always one thing, one feature, that it doesnt have and you cant easily add to it as it is a tightly sealed box. Resulting in hacks... Easy to use to a point... it is cool, but I find companies will outgrow it very quickly.
WHAT IT IS: Replit is a platform that provides an integrated development environment (IDE) with AI capabilities to help users create applications and websites. It features Replit Agent, an AI tool that assists in building apps by generating build plans and refining them through user feedback. Users can start by describing their app idea, approve the generated plan, refine it, and launch their app or website quickly. Replit supports collaboration, cloud development environments, and deployments, making it accessible for teams and individual developers.
WHY I LIKE IT: This is a WILD platform. You can write and deploy any code you want. Any langauge, serverside or client. All from within your web browser. I still dont get how it works. Something to do with Webs ockets I think. But, the pain of setting up a local dev environment to use node js or similar has been 100% removed. Their new AI agent is scary good too.
WHAT IT IS: Relume is a platform that enhances web design and development by leveraging AI to streamline the creation of sitemaps, wireframes, and design components. It offers a suite of tools including an AI Site Builder for generating sitemaps and wireframes quickly, a Webflow Library with over 1,000 components, a Figma Library, and a React Library. These tools are designed to integrate seamlessly with popular design and development platforms like Figma, Webflow, and React, allowing users to export components directly. Relume aims to boost productivity by providing ready-to-use design elements and facilitating collaboration among designers and developers.
WHY I LIKE IT: This tool is great at giving you a head start on web design projects. AI helps you make a site map and the wireframes. Then it can integrate directly into Figma. They're launching features like crazy so this is definitely a tool to watch.
WHAT IT IS: Flowith is an AI-powered creative workspace designed to enhance productivity and creativity through a canvas-based interface. It enables multi-threaded conversations and facilitates content creation and distribution. The platform is powered by Oracle, an AI agent system that autonomously plans, breaks down, and executes complex tasks, moving beyond traditional chat-based AI tools. Flowith offers features like real-time collaboration, intuitive navigation, and seamless integration of AI tools, making it suitable for diverse workflows such as content creation, academic research, and collaborative knowledge management.
WHY I LIKE IT: So, which AI model you like the best? I've been loving Claude from Anthropic, but always go back to ChatGPT as they roll new features out. And Google is getting great too. Well, there is a reason why you wont see them on this list. Flowith lets you use ALL of them. At once, or for specific tasks. And for less than the cost of one of the other platforms monthly fees, alone! Plus they have a great RAG-style knowledge hub for uploading content to provide context, plus it has a realy cool canvas style interface for displaying multiple threads at once.
WHAT IT IS: Gamma.app is a platform that enables users to create beautiful presentations, documents, and websites without requiring design or coding skills. It leverages AI to assist in content creation, offering features like text and image generation, expert-level design layouts, and content rewriting. Users can build dynamic content with interactive elements, visualize data with charts and diagrams, and utilize pre-made templates. Gamma also supports seamless integration with other tools, easy content import and export, and real-time collaboration. It aims to provide a more visual, collaborative, and interactive experience than traditional document or slide deck tools.
WHY I LIKE IT: I've been keeping an eye on a number of these tools that offer automated document or presentation designs and they always fall flat. Gamma, while not perfect, is the only one I have actually managed to use fully for a client project. It has a very clever editor for quickly making high quality layouts. I'm a Big fan.
WHAT IT IS: Wave Apps provides a suite of financial management tools designed for small business owners. Its core functionalities include creating professional invoices, accepting online payments, and simplifying accounting processes. Wave offers features such as invoicing, payments, accounting, payroll, and advisory services, all integrated to help users manage their finances efficiently. The platform is web-based, allowing users to access their financial data from anywhere, and it also offers a mobile app for managing invoices and payments on the go.
WHY I LIKE IT: Quickbooks but much easier to use. If you are solo, or a small business, then look no further.
WHAT IT IS: HubSpot is an AI-powered customer platform that integrates marketing, sales, and customer service software into a unified system. It offers various hubs, including Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Content Hub, Operations Hub, and Commerce Hub, each designed to enhance specific business functions. The platform provides tools for marketing automation, sales pipeline management, customer service support, content creation, operations management, and B2B commerce. HubSpot aims to streamline business processes, improve customer engagement, and drive growth by offering both free and premium plans tailored to different business sizes and needs.
WHY I LIKE IT: There are so many martech tools, but Hubspot is the one that most of my clients use, so that's why it's here. I honestly don't love it - powerful, yes... but I have a hard time recommending it to clients as it can get very expensive. I don't like the way they break up features across so many different tiers and packages, and there are better alternatives. (See below)
WHAT IT IS: ContentCanvas is an all-in-one marketing and sales platform designed to help businesses consolidate their marketing tools and streamline their processes. It rethinks the traditional software approach and keeps content at the core of everything. It also offers features such as lead capture through landing pages, forms, and calendars; automated messaging via SMS, email, and social media; and tools for scheduling appointments, collecting payments, and tracking analytics. The platform also supports building membership areas and courses, providing a comprehensive solution for managing customer relationships and scaling business operations.
WHY I LIKE IT: I've been developing ContentCanvas for the last 3 years as an all encompassing tool for small businesses. Too much to describe here, but it's like Hubspot but better and significantly cheaper. :)
What tools are essential to your marketing operations? I'd love to hear which platforms you find indispensable and why.
Founder @Momen, a high performance, full stack, nocode web app development platform.
1 小时前Thanks for the mention! Though the what it is part about Momen is on motion :)