The Ultimate B2B Marketing Tech Stack Used by Cognism

As B2B marketers, choosing the right app, tool, or platform for revenue success can feel overwhelming.

To help you out, Alice de Courcy, Cognism CMO, has curated a list of the very best martech tools available right now, applicable to every stage of the marketing funnel. 

This is the ultimate B2B marketing tech stack for growth and scaling, with use-case insights from the Cognism team!

1. ABM

Cognism

The number one tool in our growth marketing tech stack is cognism. Yes, we’re slightly biased 👀,  but once you use our tool, you’ll find it hard not to agree.

Here’s why: 

Cognism is sales intelligence software designed to assist larger enterprises, sales teams, and marketing leaders identify key accounts, quickly meet quotas, and establish a successful pipeline.

It provides detailed B2B data that is compliant with GDPR and CCPA for global outreach, advanced features, and comprehensive integrations.

Cognism addresses marketing challenges associated with poor data using an extensive database focusing on quality emails, direct phone numbers, and mobile numbers.

Not convinced? Take it from Drift👇

“On average, 70% of monthly meetings are booked over the phone and every mobile number is pulled from Cognism”

Read the full case study

Michael Iannuzzi

Director of Marketing & Sales Development

@Drift

Best features:

• Global contact data (NAM, APAC, and leading EMEA coverage).
• Intent data powered by Bombora.
• Sales event triggers.
• Technographics.
• The largest cell phone numbers database. 
• Phone-verified cell phone database with 87% accuracy.
• CCPA & GDPR compliance.
• Seamless integrations with best-in-class tools (Outreach, Salesforce, etc.)
• Powerful Chrome extension that works on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, corporate websites, and more.
• Unrestricted* viewing and page-level exporting of contact data in all packages.
• Easy set-up.

Use case example:

When it comes to ABM, we use Cognism to support our campaigns in a number of ways. Tim Hughes, Demand Generation Lead at Cognism, explains: 

“Firstly, I like using Cognism to build lists for our tactical email nurture programs. The list building feature is quick and easy to use, so it takes the pain out of list building.”

“For LinkedIn ABM campaigns, I create audience/persona filters. Because we can easily get prospects’ emails and phone numbers from LinkedIn using our Chrome Extension, we get a better match rate and ensure we’re serving the right ads to the most relevant people.”

“Intent topics and job join triggers are also incredibly valuable for our ABM efforts. The triggers help me identify any new joiners at a company, which I then include in an enablement doc, which we pass on to sales so they can reach out to them as low-hanging fruit opportunities.”

“Out intent data helps me find warm accounts searching for topics related to our solution. This helps validate whether we should go after an account based on personalised activity."

The best marketing tech stack includes Cognism.

Why not give our platform a try for yourself?

Use Sendoso for worldwide logistics and a variety of gift options for the perfect client gift. Execute online and offline outreach campaigns easily. Source, store, ship, and track ROI for all your sending needs.

It’s a great tool to add to your account-based marketing tech stack. After all, what prospect wouldn’t like a fun, personalised gift?

Best features:

• Expansive marketplace of gifts and merchandise.
• Automated sending based on triggers.
• Tracking and analytics.

Use case example:

You can use Sendoso to enhance your Account-Based Marketing (ABM) efforts by creating personalised, tangible touchpoints that strengthen relationships with high-value accounts.

For example, your team can send customised gifts, branded merchandise, or handwritten notes to key decision-makers within target accounts at strategic moments in the buyer’s journey.

This personalised approach, combined with digital campaigns, helps to differentiate your brand, build rapport, and keep your company top-of-mind.

Tracking engagement and responses with Sendoso helps you measure impact and improve your ABM strategy for better results.

2. Product management

Trello

Think of Trello as a digital corkboard. Thanks to its drag-and-drop simplicity, it’s visual, intuitive, and fun to use.

Best features:

• Visual organisation with boards, lists, and cards.
• Easy collaboration between team members.
• Integration with tools like Slack and Google Drive.

Use case example:

Imagine you’re launching a new email campaign. You create a board for the project, lists for each stage (planning, drafting, design, review, and launch), and cards for individual tasks.

Team members can attach files, leave comments, and move tasks through the stages, ensuring everyone’s on the same page.

The Cognism content team utilise Trello’s visual boards to manage the editorial calendar effectively, organising blog post ideas, drafts, and publication schedules in one place.

Cards that represent individual blog posts’ progress through lists like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Published,” aiding the team in monitoring each post’s status, delegating tasks, and establishing deadlines.

Our Demand Generation team utilises Trello as a swipe file for various LinkedIn campaigns.

Todoist

Todoist is a task manager perfect for those who swear by to-do lists. It’s simple yet powerful and helps you ensure everything stays on track.

Best features:

• Task prioritisation with due dates and labels.
• Project organisation with sub-tasks and sections.
• Integration with over 60 apps, including Gmail and Slack.

Use case example:

Say you’re managing a content calendar. You can create a project in Todoist with tasks for each piece of content, complete with deadlines and priority levels. 

The ability to add sub-tasks ensures you won’t forget those crucial steps like proofreading or image sourcing.

CoSchedule

A must for any marketing tech stack, CoSchedule is an all-in-one marketing calendar that brings order to chaos.

It’s designed specifically for marketers, making it easy to plan, publish, and execute your marketing efforts from one central hub.

Best features:

• Unified marketing calendar.
• Social media scheduling.
• Integrations with WordPress, Google Docs, and more.

Use case example:

CoSchedule is highly effective for managing go-to-market strategies and launching new products.

Product marketers can manage content creation, social media posts, email campaigns, and team collaboration to ensure seamless operations, timely content delivery, consistent platform messaging, and effective teamwork.

The analytics features offer valuable insights that help improve future marketing strategies, making the process more efficient and results-oriented.

3. Drafting and delivery

Grammarly

Grammarly makes sure everything you type is easy to read and mistake-free. Fix complex grammar and spelling errors and improve the accuracy of your copy.

Best features:

• Advanced grammar and spell check.
• Style and tone suggestions.
• Integrations with browsers and word processors.

Use case example:

Grammarly is an essential tool in Cognism’s B2B marketing tech stack. Its real-time suggestions feature helps our writers and content team edit new blog posts together, identifying errors and improving tone as they write.

This minimises the necessity for major post-writing revisions and allows us to create refined, top-notch content efficiently.

Joe Barron, Senior Content Manager at Cognism, praises the tools’ customisable style guide:

“It can be difficult to keep content marketing consistent, especially as the team expands.

Grammarly is an effective tool for ensuring your team’s content is consistent and aligned. We set style guide and tone rules for multiple teammates to ensure consistent branding in published blogs.”

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is the go-to tool for professional designers. It’s a powerful design programme designers use to create anything from logos, icons, website graphics, etc.

Best features:

• Vector graphics creation.
• Advanced typography tools.
• Wide range of plugins and integrations.

Use case example:

Our designers use Adobe to produce marketing graphics, which we share on different platforms. For instance, we’ll use an infographic on a blog and then reuse it on LinkedIn as part of a campaign. 

Stevco Naumoski, Cognism’s Senior Graphic Designer, advises:

Adobe Bridge is effective for organising Adobe files and folders. The search function is practical because it adds keywords and metadata to your files.

Canva

Canva is a graphic design tool accessible to anyone, regardless of skill level. So, if Adobe isn’t in your budget, it’s a good option for your SaaS marketing tech stack.

With its drag-and-drop interface and ready-made templates, you can quickly create graphics for professional-looking posts.

Best features:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
• Extensive library of templates and stock images.
• Team collaboration features.

Use case example:

Canva’s template library is helpful for teams looking to create social media graphics and presentations efficiently.

The customisable templates for LinkedIn posts and client presentations streamline content creation and save time.

Piktochart

Give your data a visual story with Piktochart. This nifty infographics creator is an excellent tool for turning complex information into more digestible content. You can create impactful infographics, presentations and print designs for free.

Best features:

• User-friendly infographic maker.
• Customisable templates.
• Integration with Google Sheets for real-time data updates.

Use case example:

Piktochart is another alternative to Adobe Illustrator and Canva. Marketers can use it to create visually engaging infographics, presentations, and reports that effectively communicate complex data and ideas to their B2B target audience.

For example, when preparing a quarterly performance report for stakeholders, the team can use Piktochart’s templates and design tools to transform raw data into easy-to-understand visuals, such as charts and graphs, making the information more accessible and compelling.

This enhances the clarity of their message and helps build a more robust, data-driven narrative that the team can share across various platforms, including social media, newsletters, and presentations.

Phrasee

Phrasee is one for your AI marketing tech stack. Through artificial intelligence, it generates high-performing copy, such as optimised subject lines, Facebook ads, and push messages.

Best features:

• AI-generated copy optimised for engagement.
• A/B testing for continuous improvement.
• Integration with major email and social platforms.

Use case example:

When launching a new product, your marketing team can use Phrasee to optimise email subject lines for higher open rates and personalised email content that drives engagement and conversions.

By leveraging Phrasee’s AI, your team can ensure their messaging is not only on-brand but also tailored to the preferences and behaviours of your target customers. This leads to improved campaign performance and a stronger connection with your audience.

4. Productivity and communication

Slack

Slack is an instant messaging platform that facilitates quick and effective communication within your team. It allows you to share updates, send files, and provide real-time feedback.

For marketers, it makes it easy to direct marketing efforts, define campaign deliverables, and share results in one central place. 

Best features:

• Organised channels for different projects or topics.
• Direct messaging and group chats.
• Integrations with countless other tools

Use case example:

At Cognism, we use Slack to ensure communication across our team.

Olivia Austin, Project Marketing Manager at Cognism explains how she uses Slack:

“Slack helps our team stay aligned by allowing us to share updates and feedback quickly, which keeps our marketing projects on track and prevents delays."

“It also helps with team engagement. We have channels for sharing wins and celebrating milestones, which helps boost morale and motivation."

“I appreciate the customisable notifications on Slack. I use them to prioritise urgent messages/tasks without getting overwhelmed by the constant flow of information."

You can also use the tool to roll out a new marketing campaign.

You can create dedicated Slack channels for each campaign aspect, such as content creation, social media, and analytics. These channels allow team members to instantly share updates, files, and feedback, reducing the need for lengthy email threads.

Additionally, the team can integrate tools like Trello or Google Drive with Slack to manage tasks and share documents seamlessly within the platform.

With Slack’s ability to organise conversations and centralise resources, your team can quickly address issues, brainstorm ideas, and keep the campaign on track, ensuring efficient execution and timely delivery.

Skype

Skype has been around for a long time and is still one of the most reliable video conferencing tools available. It provides cost-effective and collaborative tools for businesses of any size so you can collaborate with anyone, anywhere, on any device.

Best features:

• HD video calling.
• Screen sharing.
• Integration with Office 365.

Use case example:

Skype is great for 1-2-1s with colleagues. For instance, during a remote business meeting, Skype can be utilised for video calls, sharing screens to present documents, and recording calls for future reference.

Instant messaging enables quick follow-up questions and ongoing conversations following the call.

Zoom

Zoom is a well-liked video conferencing tool with great features that simplify virtual meetings. It combines cloud video conferencing, online meetings, and group messaging in one user-friendly platform.

Best features:

• High-quality video and audio.
• Breakout rooms for smaller discussions.
• Webinar hosting capabilities.

Use case example:

Zoom is a vital tool in our B2B marketing tech stack. We use it for internal meetings, enhancing remote collaboration with reliable HD video and audio conferencing. Moreover, since we shifted to a hybrid post-pandemic model, Zoom has become essential for connecting the entire business to our team.

WeTransfer

Need to send files that are too large to attach to an email? Share them quickly, easily, and securely with WeTransfer. This online file-transferring platform allows you to send large files to any email address—no hassle, no stress, no charge!

Best features:

• Easy file transfer up to 2GB for free.
• No account is required for recipients.
• Secure and quick uploads.

Use case example:

WeTransfer helps marketing teams share large files, like high-resolution images, videos, or design assets, with clients, collaborators, or internal teams.

For example, when finalising a new offline ad campaign, you can use WeTransfer to send the final creative files to a media agency or printer. This ensures that high-quality assets are delivered quickly and securely without the need to compress files or deal with email size limits.

This streamlined file-sharing process helps the team maintain efficiency. It ensures all stakeholders have access to the necessary materials in their original quality, facilitating smooth collaboration and timely execution of marketing projects.

Google Drive 

Google Drive is an effective cloud storage solution for sharing, collaborating, and securely storing your company’s data. Access files conveniently from desktop and mobile devices while managing your team’s sharing settings.

Best features:

• Generous storage space.
• Real-time collaboration on documents.
• Seamless integration with Google Workspace.

Use case example:

Google Docs allows our writers and content marketing team to edit and comment on blog posts simultaneously, making it easier to give feedback and make revisions.

This feature helps us rely less on email and manual document versions, allowing us to quickly work on content and ensure all contributors are up-to-date with the latest draft.

Ilse Van Rensburg, SEO and Content Manager at Cognism, says:

“I use Google Drive to store all of my content drafts. This way, if anyone needs a file I’ve been working on, or if I need to check the original version of a blog, the doc is easily accessible.”

“I also like to send content briefs to freelancers using Google Docs because of the sharing capabilities. I can see what changes have been made to the document, make comments for edits and simply paste the link into an email, rather than attaching and downloading Office files all the time.”

“The fact that docs integrate with extensions like GDoc SEO Assistant or Frase makes it a winner, too!”

Zapier

Zapier allows you to connect numerous apps to streamline tasks, increase efficiency, and save time. Supporting over 1,500 apps, it helps automate your workflow for productivity.

Best features:

• Connects over 3,000 apps.
• Easy to set up automated workflows (Zaps).
• No coding required.

Use case example:

You can use Zapier to automate tasks and improve workflow.

For example, marketers can create a Zap to add new leads from a Facebook Lead Ad form to their CRM, such as HubSpot or Salesforce, and initiate an email welcome sequence through Mailchimp when launching a new campaign.

This automation eliminates manual data entry, ensuring leads are promptly and accurately followed up on. By using Zapier, you can save time, reduce errors, and focus on strategic tasks.

Even better, Cognism integrates with Zapier! So you can keep track of all your MQLs like Kinaxis 👇

5. Social media

AgoraPulse

AgoraPulse is a social media management tool that schedules posts, monitors engagement, and analyses performance features.

It’s a simple and affordable tool that allows users to schedule content, generate reports, and engage with followers efficiently through a user-friendly dashboard.

Best features:

• Unified inbox for all social media messages.
• Detailed analytics and reporting.
• Social listening and monitoring.

Use case example:

Using Agorapulse has positively impacted Cognism’s brand presence on LinkedIn. The platform’s analytics and reporting tools are effective for monitoring the success of our social media campaigns.

What’s more, Agorapulse’s social inbox feature enables the Cognism team to efficiently address customer inquiries and comments on various social media platforms by consolidating messages from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram into one interface. 

Buffer

Buffer is a social media management software that offers various pricing plans, including a free option. It helps schedule posts and monitor social media performance for expanding brands.

Best features:

• Simple, intuitive scheduling interface.
• Analytics and reporting.
• Integration with all major social media platforms.

Use case example:

Buffer can schedule and publish posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Sharing insights, case studies, and product updates increases brand visibility and generates leads. Its analytics tools can help you identify which content resonates best with your audience.

Buffer’s post-scheduling feature allows teams to plan and schedule social media content in advance for a consistent posting schedule and greater audience reach.

Hootsuite

Like Buffer and Agorapulse, this platform offers features such as post-scheduling, social conversation monitoring, and social media performance analysis. It facilitates thorough social media management and enhances audience engagement strategies.

Best features:

• Social media monitoring.
• Campaign management.
• Performance analytics.

Use case example:

HootSuite’s social media monitoring features help track brand mentions and industry conversations on various platforms like Twitter and Facebook in real time. The hashtag tracking tool is beneficial for interacting with industry influencers, consequently improving your brand marketing.

6. Digital advertising

Google Ads

Use Google Ads to target your audience and increase website traffic and sales with easy campaign management and budget control.

Best features:

• Keyword targeting and bidding.
• Detailed performance tracking.
• Display, search, video, and app ads.

Use case example:

Google Ads works alongside our SEO strategy to ensure we target the right audience searching for keywords associated with our business. By implementing ads, we can show up on the top of the SERPs, even if we aren’t ranking organically.

Here’s an example of a keyword we are ranking #1 and have a sponsored ad for: 

7. Market intelligence

G2

It provides user reviews and ratings for your business software and others. Users can rate your product or learn more about it, or you can learn more from others who’ve used the software products you’re considering buying.

Best features:

• Comprehensive software reviews.
• Comparison tools.
• Market trends and insights.

Use case example:

Cognism has its own G2 profile with a rating of 4.6/5 stars. Users of our software can share reviews, and potential customers can learn more about our product from our profile. 

We also like to use G2 quotes from reviews as social proof on our website, blog and social media posts. Here’s an example 👇

Jason D.

“Cognism gives us great data and helps us build outbound marketing campaigns with additional contact details, which is gold dust for us.”

Posted on
G2

G2 also awards G2 padges each season to different software, which is another nice option to showcase how great your software is. Here’s an example of some of Cognism’s badges 👇

Capterra

Capterra is an online peer review site designed to help B2B buyers evaluate and choose software solutions for various business processes.

Best features:

• Extensive software directory.
• User reviews and ratings.
• Comparison tools.

Use case example:

Capterra can be used like G2 in that marketers can share reviews of software as social proof across their lead source channels. 

8. Referral marketing

Mention Me

Mention Me is a referral marketing platform that helps create and manage referral programs for customer acquisition. It allows brands to share on various social channels and rewards existing customers for bringing in new business.

Best features:

• Customisable referral programs.
• Real-time analytics and tracking.
• Integration with eCommerce platforms.

Use case example:

Mention Me’s platform makes it easy for teams to create personalised referral links, track referral activity, and analyse the performance of referral campaigns.

Customers are rewarded with discounts or gifts for each successful referral, which helps marketers tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By leveraging satisfied customers, you can drive new customer acquisition and increase brand loyalty in a scalable and measurable way.

Bulbshare

Bulbshare connects you with users in your community and encourages them to create and share content on your behalf.

Best features:

• Community building tools.
• User-generated content.
• Engagement tracking.

Use case example:

If you’re looking for user feedback on how your products can be improved, BulbShare is a must for your B2B marketing tech stack.

Use it to launch a multimedia survey, and its AI reviews the responses. You can also run an audit of your competitor’s product responses and send your findings to your product team so they can improve your product offering based on the feedback. 

Peg

Peg is an influencer marketing hub that’s super helpful for finding the right influencers to partner with and turning it into a scalable growth channel.

Best features:

• Advanced influencer search algorithm.
• Integration with CRM tools.
• Measurement of bottom-of-funnel metrics.

Use case example:

You can use Peg’s database to discover B2B influencers based on specific criteria, such as audience demographics, engagement rates, and content style. Once the right influencers are identified, the platform helps manage outreach, track campaign performance, and measure ROI.

9. Website

HubSpot

Your marketing tech stack can’t be complete without a website hosting platform like HubSpot. The tool offers a range of features and tools for creating, organising, and enhancing your website content. 

Best features:

• Sales pipeline management.
• Integrated CRM and marketing tools.
• Detailed analytics and reporting.

Use case example:

The HubSpot Content Hub plays a key role for the Cognism content team. It serves as our website CMS for overseeing and preserving all online content across company websites.

All of our content, including our main website, landing pages, and SEO blogs on a subdomain, is conveniently located in one place. The content management system is user-friendly and allows for easy navigation and management.

Estelle Marasigan, Group Website & Design Lead at Cognism, says: 

“Our web developers love how easy it is to customise the design of our site. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop feature for our non-tech team to easily modify the page layout and style.”

“The responsive design, A/B testing features, and analytics reports particularly appeal to me.  We also utilise other analytics tools like GA4 and Ahrefs.”

"I like Hubspot’s Reporting features too. You can track website performance with detailed analytics, stats, and custom dashboards that can be easily shared with the team.”

Mutiny

Mutiny is a marketing tool that helps you create personalised experiences and boost conversions on your site.

With tools like Salesforce and Google Analytics, you can create target groups based on industry, buying stage, and company size.

Best features:

• Website personalisation.
• Website conversion optimisation.
• Account-based marketing.
• Website A/B testing.

Use case example:

Estelle explains how we use Mutiny as part of the Cognism content marketing tech stack:

At Cognism, we test two personalisations with Mutiny to see which one converts better. It's been a useful tool for us to experiment with content, copy, and experiences for different visitors.

WordPress

The WP website builder offers extensive customisation options, integrations, and plugins for various functionalities, such as SEO and social sharing.

There’s also WP Engine that provides managed WordPress hosting for websites that need to stay fast, secure, and reliable, particularly for high-traffic sites with volume spikes.

Best features:

• Extensive library of themes and plugins.
• Full control over design and functionality.
• Strong community support.

Use case example:

WordPress’s plugin ecosystem makes it easy to integrate important content marketing tools like SEO optimisation plugins and analytics tracking plugins.

Examples of plugins include Yoast SEO, which helps optimise content for search engines, and MonsterInsights, which offers insights into website traffic and user behaviour.

10. Inbound marketing

Drift

Integrate Drift’s conversational marketing platform into your website for real-time engagement via chatbots and live chat. The B2B chatbots are excellent for driving qualified leads and scheduling meetings for your sales team.

Best features:

• AI-powered chatbots.
• Live chat and video chat.
• Integration with CRM and marketing tools.

Use case example:

When it comes to tech stack marketing, Drift serves as a valuable tool for enhancing customer engagement on a website.

When potential customers visit your website, Drift can automatically engage them with a chatbot to assist with questions, recommend content, advertise webinars, schedule meetings, or connect them to a live sales representative.

And the appreciation is returned - Drift had positive feedback about adding Cognism to its tech stack:

“Cognism defeated all the other lead generation providers by a huge amount. Its database had an 80% accuracy rate and the highest coverage of mobile numbers”

Read the full case study

Michael Iannuzzi

Director of Marketing & Sales Development

@Drift

Unbounce

Create and publish your landing pages without needing a developer to code them—this is an easier and faster way to increase conversions from your website traffic.

Best features:

• Drag-and-drop landing page builder.
• A/B testing and analytics.
• Integration with marketing and CRM tools.

Use case example:

Using Unbounce, you create an eye-catching landing page targeting your main keywords. Include success stories, session details, and a signup form and use A/B testing to optimise the page for conversions.

This significantly increases signups, which is part of our marketing tech stack goals.

Leadfeeder

Get insight into which companies your website visitors come from, even if they don’t fill out a form. Leadfeeder shows you the companies visiting your website, how they found you and what they’re interested in. 

Best features:

• Company tracking and visitor insights.
• Integration with CRM tools.
• Automated lead scoring.

Use case example:

Leadfeeder offers insights into your website visitors, such as the organisations that visit your site, where they come from, and what interests them.

This data is beneficial for creating targeted intent marketing campaigns because you can follow companies in Leadfeeder and get email notifications when they revisit your site.

Lead Forensics

Gain insights into your website’s anonymous visitors and provide your sales and marketing teams with valuable information to help convert more actionable leads.

Best features:

• Identifies anonymous website visitors
• Provides contact information and behaviour
• Integration with CRM and marketing tools

Use case example:

Lead Forensics identifies the company a visitor belongs to and offers information on their business, including industry, size, and contact details.

It’s a must for your B2B marketing tech stack!

11. Email marketing

Mailtastic

Use Mailtastic to efficiently create and manage consistent company email signatures for all employees, turning them into a potent marketing revenue.

Best features:

• Automated email signature management.
• Banner campaign tracking and analytics.
• Integration with email clients.

Use case example:

Cognism uses Mailtastic to standardise and customise email signatures company-wide, maintaining brand consistency and legal adherence in all outgoing emails.

It’s an essential part of our email marketing tech stack because we use it for targeted marketing campaigns by including promotional banners within our email signatures. An example is the one advertising our product, Enrich: 

But we also use it to advertise webinars, events, our podcasts and more. 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a valuable tool for managing email campaigns. It allows you to track and analyse performance across various channels.

Best features:

• Easy-to-use email builder.
• Advanced segmentation and personalisation.
• Detailed analytics and reporting.

Use case example:

You can use Mailchimp to create a drip campaign targeting new subscribers. The campaign begins with a welcome email introducing your product or service, followed by a series of emails offering tips, user testimonials, and special discount codes. Mailchimp’s automation and analytics tools help you track engagement and refine your messaging.

Campaign Monitor 

Create professional, eye-catching emails with customisable email templates and powerful automation features. Campaign Monitor makes it radically easy to create, send and measure the impact of your email marketing campaigns.

Best features:

• Drag-and-drop email builder.
• Automated customer journeys.
• Detailed analytics.

Use case example:

You can create visually appealing, responsive email templates using Campaign Monitor’s drag-and-drop builder and personalise content based on your customer data.

Automating email sequences is a simple way to maintain timely and relevant communication with subscribers.

Moreover, the platform’s analytics tools enable tracking important metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to gain insights for improving and optimising future campaigns.

Did you know that Cognism has an extensive B2B email database? Here’s what our compliant, verified emails have helped Smartframe achieve: 

12. Content marketing

Turtl

Engage and convert your audience with modern content experiences created, published and analysed via Turtl’s cloud-based software.

Best features:

• Interactive content creation.
• Analytics and performance tracking.
• Integration with marketing and CRM tools.

Use case example:

Turtl allows users to make engaging and interactive content, grabbing the audience’s attention.

We’ve used it to create original sales and marketing reports, decks, presentations, and slides. The best part is that it provides analytics for the most viewed sections of your collateral so you can improve them going forward.

Frase.io

Frase.io is a valuable tool for improving content creation and SEO strategies. It aids in creating detailed content briefs, conducting topic research, and optimising articles for search engines.

Frase.io is essential for staying current with SEO standards and enhancing Google SERP rankings.

Best features:

• Grammar and spell check.
• Style and tone suggestions.
• Plagiarism detection.
• Style guide.

Use case example:

Frase.io assists us in creating detailed and optimised articles for Google by analysing top-ranking pages and extracting relevant subtopics and keywords. While we usually avoid using the AI writer, it can be helpful when experiencing writer’s block.

Ilse says:

"Before choosing Frase, we tried out multiple tools. Frase offers the necessary features for efficient keyword research and is really user-friendly. I appreciate the tool’s ability to display unoriginal results, which helps maintain the originality of my content for Google."

Showpad Content

Improve your conversion rates by centrally managing your content and giving your sales team access to suitable marketing materials whenever they need them. 

Best features:

• Centralised content library.
• Sales enablement tools.
• Detailed analytics.

Use case example:

Marketing can upload everything sales need for client meetings. For example, during a client meeting, one of your reps might use Showpad’s content library to access detailed product brochures and showcase the options available quickly.

When the client asks a question about a particular product, the rep accesses an interactive demo and case study on that product. The meeting is interactive and informative; most importantly, the rep has the tools to make an effective presentation.

Wynter

Wynter is a customer research platform that assists teams in collecting and analysing feedback on messaging, website copy, and marketing materials.

The tool offers in-depth insights into how target audiences view content, allowing for data-based decisions to enhance messaging and boost customer engagement.

Best features:

• Survey your ideal customers.
• Identify their pain points.
• Get their feedback on your messaging.

Use case example:

Wynter’s message testing helps us analyse various versions of our website homepage or landing page to see which connects best with our target audience.

Testing various headlines and calls to action helps us pinpoint the messaging that boosts engagement and conversions the most.

Fran Langham, Global Head of Demand Generation at Cognism, says:

"Wynter serves as a valuable tool for our content marketing research. It’s helped us streamline our messaging and create a narrative that connects with our target audience. And we receive feedback within 48 hours, which is brilliant."

13. Video, podcast and webinar

Vidyard 

Vidyard assists with creating, hosting, and analysing video content like webinars to enhance Video as a valuable marketing tool. Vidyard manages video hosting and analysis, empowering you to use video as an effective marketing instrument.

Best features:

• High-quality video hosting.
• In-depth analytics.
• Integration with CRM and marketing tools.

Use case example:

Vidyard is a great part of our B2B marketing tech stack because it works for sales, too. Our SDRs use it as a video prospecting tool to create short, personalised videos for leads.

Our content team uses it internally to explain strategies and offer quick tips for anyone stuck on a project. It’s a great time-saver and prevents us from having to schedule a Zoom meeting for teammates who aren’t in the office.

Estelle says:

“I use Vidyard to make video tutorials and explain website issues to my team. The Chrome extension is super handy for quick screen recordings.”

Goldcast

Goldcast is a B2B marketing platform that facilitates webinars and organises digital or hybrid events. It can be integrated with other B2B marketing tools and CRMs for account-based insights, monitoring pipeline contribution, and engaging prospects and customers after events.

Best features:

• Customisable registration pages.
• Breakout rooms.
• Attendee engagement features.
• Event data.
• Recordings.

Use case example:

Cognism uses Goldcast to host our Demandism webinars. It’s helped us increase attendance rates and capture data to measure and optimise ROI. It’s great for all business events, including demos, launches and even our quarterly town halls.

Zencastr

Best features:

• Record multiple audio tracks from different locations.
• Add custom elements (intro, ads, audio, etc.).
• Use a built-in editor for post-production.
• Publish your podcast episodes on popular platforms.

Use case example:

Like any other tool in your marketing tech stack, Zencastr provides analytics reports to help you understand listener behaviour and monitor conversions.

Descript

Descript employs AI to assist in editing and mixing audio and video content that’s easily shareable.

Best features:

• Transcription.
• Screen recorder.
• Filter words removal.
• Voice cloning.

Use case example:

Cognism’s Video Manager, Emily Liu, raves about Descript for B2B marketing:

“It’s an amazing tool. Transcribing and creating dynamic subtitles is essential for videos because many viewers watch social media clips without sound.”

14. Marketing automation

Pardot

The average marketing tech stack wouldn’t be complete without a marketing automation platform like Pardot. Part of the Salesforce ecosystem, this tool offers powerful automation features tailored for B2B marketing, including lead scoring, nurturing and email marketing.

Best features:

• Lead nurturing and scoring.
• Full-funnel, multi-touch attribution.
• Integration with Salesforce CRM.

Use case example:

Jamie Skeels, Senior Demand Generation Manager at Cognism, explains how we use the tool to achieve our marketing goals:

“Email has become an underrated channel in B2B. Despite inboxes being more saturated, there's still a huge opportunity to consistently get in front of your target audience at minimal cost compared to other channels.”

“At Cognism, we use Pardot for our lifecycle email nurtures, bi-weekly newsletters, and one-off campaigns to promote specific offers and content. It allows us to easily automate flows and create engaging campaigns that we can then distribute to our database.”

"Our goal with email depends on the specific activity. But at Cognism, we always lead with value, so our nurture flows and newsletters are built to help us distribute our POV and engaging content so we can stay front-of-mind with buyers."

"The idea is that we can build brand affinity and relevant associations so that if that contact does develop a need for a product like ours. They will think of us first”

ActiveCampaign 

ActiveCampaign automates many behind-the-scenes processes, helping growing businesses connect meaningfully and engage with their customers.

Best features:

• Advanced segmentation and personalisation.
• Automated workflows.
• Integration with a host of apps and CRM platforms.

Use case example:

ActiveCampaign can automate and personalise customer communication across multiple channels.

For example, when running a customer retention campaign, you can use the tool to segment your customer base and create tailored email sequences that automatically trigger based on customer behaviour, such as recent purchases or website visits.

The platform’s automation features allow you to set up personalised SMS messages, follow-up emails, and even targeted social media ads, ensuring consistent and relevant communication throughout the buyer journey.

LeadSquared

An all-in-one sales execution and marketing automation platform. Capture leads, visualise customer journeys and measure performance.

Best features:

• Lead capture and tracking.
• Automated lead nurturing.
• Integration with CRM and marketing tools.

Use case example:

The platform’s lead scoring feature allows you to prioritise leads based on their engagement level and potential to convert. You can then automate personalised follow-up emails and nurture sequences to keep leads engaged.

Marketing teams can monitor lead interactions, such as website visits and email opens, and modify tactics accordingly. This process helps nurture promising leads effectively, enhancing marketing efficiency and increasing conversion rates.

Dotdigital 

A SaaS marketing platform that enables companies to create, test and send data-driven automated campaigns from email and SMS to social media. 

Best features:

• Multichannel campaign management.
• Advanced segmentation and personalisation.
• Custom developer platform.

Use case example:

Dotdigital’s segmentation tools are great for targeting specific customer groups based on previous purchase behaviour and engagement history. Using Dotdigital's drag-and-drop editor, you can design tailored email campaigns, ensuring each message resonates with its intended audience.

15. CRM

Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is the gold standard in CRMs and offers a comprehensive suite of tools to track interactions, manage leads, and analyse performance.

Best features:

• Advanced contact and account management.
• Customisable dashboards and reports.
• Integration with thousands of apps.

Use case example:

Liam Bartholomew, VP of Marketing at Cognism, explains how Salesforce is vital for tracking our marketing revenue:

"Salesforce is our CRM and source of truth for the entire business. As a marketing team, we use it as such to get vital information on the performance of our activity tracking all conversions from MQL (Marketing Qualified Leads) through to Closed Won.”

“In Salesforce, we’re able to see the volume and velocity of MQL, Meetings booked, Meetings Attended, SQO (Sales Qualified Opportunities) and then all marketing attributed pipeline and revenue, amongst many other important metrics and attribution - without Salesforce, we would be lost!”

“We also pool lots of information in Salesforce, with a huge suite of other tools integrating with it—this ability to integrate so easily is super important for us given the complexity of the tech stack. These integrations not only add to the source of truth in Salesforce but also use the information to better activate or train those tools, too, so it works both ways.

“This flexibility and customisability is a huge advantage of Salesforce. We also use Pardot, which is Salesforce’s own Marketing Automation system. This allows us to go even further with marketing workflows and email nurtures, and the integration is second to none.”

Salesforce integrates with Cognism, so you can access quality data at your fingertips and a single source of truth for your marketing pipeline!

Zoho

With extensive customisation options and a wide range of features, Zoho allows you to combine your sales, marketing, and customer support activities in one place, which is good news when managing a marketing tech stack. 

Best features:

• Customisable modules and fields.
• AI-powered sales assistant.
• Integration with over 40 Zoho apps.

Use case example:

When running a lead generation campaign, leads can be captured directly into Zoho CRM from web forms, social media, and email campaigns. You can then check campaign performance and improve your strategies for better ROI.

Leads can be sorted by industry, company size, or engagement, and Zoho automates drip email campaigns to guide leads through the sales process.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based sales CRM and pipeline management software for small and scaling companies.

Best features:

• Visual sales pipeline.
• Activity and goal tracking.
• Integration with marketing and communication tools.

Use case example:

Pipedrive keeps teams organised and focused with a visual sales and marketing pipeline. It’s another CRM that helps monitor MQLs for better marketing reports. You can easily track the status of multiple deals and organise your tasks, and it includes features for sending follow-up emails and scheduling tasks.

Pipedrive is another tool that integrates with Cognism for an enhanced CRM and high-quality account and contact data for sales and marketing!

“Having been in sales for years, I used to spend hours of my life formatting and importing excel spreadsheets to the CRM. Cognism’s automatic integration with Salesforce means I no longer spend time manually inserting leads to our CRM. It merits 5 stars!”

Read the full case study

Filipa Enes

Sales Administrator

@Simpleshow

SugarCRM

Sugar CRM is a highly flexible and customisable CRM platform that provides scalable solutions that are adaptable to your business’s changing needs. As a cloud-based application, it’s an excellent option when building a marketing tech stack.

Best features:

• Customisable workflows and modules.
• Advanced reporting and analytics.
• Integration with popular marketing and sales tools.

Use case example:

To tailor messaging and offers, you can use Sugar CRM to segment your customer marketing database based on factors like purchase history, demographics, and engagement levels. This can enhance the relevance and effectiveness of your campaigns.

What’s more, you can integrate SugarCRM with your marketing automation tools to track customer interactions, adjust campaigns in real-time, and automate follow-up actions, including personalised emails and scheduling calls with your sales team.

16. Analytics

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an SEO tool that can help you with almost every aspect of content marketing. It allows you to audit your website, explore competitors, and research keywords and backlinks—all in one place.

Best features:

• Advanced keyword research.
• Backlink tracking.
• Competitor analysis.

Use case example:

Cognism’s SEO team tracks and reports our money keyword progress with Ahrefs’ Rank Tracker. We also use the Site Audit feature to monitor technical issues weekly and Keywords Explorer to find new keywords as part of our SEO strategy. 

Ilse has high praise for the tool:

 “Ahrefs is crucial for monitoring our SEO success. We use it to track our money, competitors, and BOFU keywords. This helps us optimise decaying pages and compare conversions against our SEO metrics for more detailed reporting."

"I love using it for keyword research, but it’s a tool with many fantastic features, including finding technical issues and monitoring backlinks, and it offers a competitive analysis. Ahref makes the job easier and is my favourite tool in our marketing stack.”

Siteimprove

Siteimprove can help identify and resolve issues affecting a website’s performance and user experience. It ultimately enhances website performance, accessibility, and compliance to improve user experience and digital presence.

Best features:

• Performance and SEO analysis.
• Accessibility auditing.
• Content quality assurance.

Use case example:

Siteimprove’s analytics can identify areas for improvement during a website overhaul, including slow loading times and high bounce rates. The platform’s accessibility features help ensure compliance with industry standards and make the website accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

The SEO module from Siteimprove helps the team improve their content strategy by finding keywords and fixing SEO issues. The marketing team can use Siteimprove’s tools to monitor and boost their website’s effectiveness, supporting their digital marketing goals and improving the customer journey.

MOZ

Moz is an alternative to Ahrefs for your B2B marketing tech stack that provides SEO insights. 

Understanding the connection between SEO success and site health, link building, and keyword performance is essential for a B2B marketing strategy.

 Moz can help your SEO team optimise your website and improve its visibility in search engine results.

Best features:

• Keyword research and tracking.
• Site audits and optimisation.
• Backlink analysis.

Use case example:

B2B marketers can use Moz to improve keyword visibility. For instance, you can use Moz’s keyword research tools to pinpoint popular keywords that customers use when launching a new product.

The site audit feature can also help fix technical SEO issues like broken links and missing meta tags. You can monitor domain authority and track backlinks to measure your SEO progress.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides detailed insights into your website’s traffic and user behaviour. This tool provides companies with valuable information about their websites, audiences, and digital marketing efforts at no cost.

Best features:

• Real-time data tracking.
• User behaviour reports.
• Customisable reports and dashboards.

Use case example:

GA4 is a crucial tool in Cognism’s sales and marketing tech stack. It helps us learn more about how our customers interact with our content and if they drop off during a critical action such as upsells or onboarding. This way, we can improve our processes and make them smoother.   

Tracking website traffic and user behaviour is vital for optimising our online performance. Google Analytics offers valuable insights to enhance our content strategies. We can set goals and measure conversion rates for more data-driven marketing decisions.

Joe explains:

At Cognism, we utilise GA4 to monitor user engagement on our blogs. Our engagement report includes views, bounce rate, and average engagement time.

We can select any period within the last five years and analyse their differences. This helps us understand the growth of our blog views and identify the most popular posts on our site.

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