Tools we can't live without in 2026

When it comes to marketing in 2026, there are SO many tools at your disposal to help with your marketing efforts.

Today, let’s talk about a few of the tools that we can’t live without and why. And while we’ve probably talked about these tools before, it bears repeating.

Canva

Canva is a must have for marketing professionals, content creators, and business owners who do their own marketing. Canva gives you all the tools that you need to create videos, images, and even documents. From posters, to presentations, social media images and videos, and more, the possibilities are endless. 

We love it because it is super user-friendly and there are tons of templates to help you with content creation. Canva is free, but with a paid subscription plan, you get even more features and capabilities so we highly recommend the paid version if it’s within your budget. That being said, go ahead and test it out for free first!

Scheduling platforms

Whether you’re posting on one social media platform, many platforms, or for multiple accounts, staying on top of posting can be a lot, it can be time consuming, overwhelming, and you may even forget to post important content. That’s where scheduling platforms come in! Right now, we’re using Social Pilot, but there may be another platform, like Later, that works best for your needs. Scheduling platforms like Social Pilot are great because you can set aside time to plan and schedule all of your content ahead of time, and set notifications to post or set up automatic posting. This isn’t just great for time and efficiency, it also keeps you on track.

Many scheduling platforms also give you access to analytics which can help track your progress over time. And that’s always a plus!

ChatGPT (or other AI tools)

We understand why some people are anti-AI (like ChatGPT). It’s bad for the environment, it may take away work from some professionals such as graphic designers or writers, it steals from artists, etc. Despite these valid concerns, AI isn’t going away. AI can be super helpful and while we don’t suggest using it as a tool to create all of your content, there are other ways it can be used to your advantage. 

One way that we suggest using ChatGPT (or other AI platforms) is by using it to assist with idea generation. For example, you can give it a prompt asking for ideas for content, in this prompt you can share the industry you’re in or your product(s), who the audience is, and what kind of content you’re looking to create, and it will pop out a ton of ideas that you can use to help create your content.

Calendly

Have a lot of client meetings to keep track of? You could just put it in your phone calendar or on paper, but Calendly allows people to view your availability and book a time that works, making things a little bit easier, so you don’t have to go back and forth trying to figure out a convenient time to meet! This could be especially helpful for those who have their own businesses and need to meet with others often, like content creators and marketing professionals.

Important reminder, especially when it comes to tools like AI: Tools don’t replace humans. 

Tools just help us do things a bit easier and a bit better!

Are there any tools you love that you can’t live without?