Part 2: The Marketing Tools You Think You Own—But Probably Don’t

Most small business owners hand over the keys to their marketing tools without even realizing it. Why?

Because the whole thing is overwhelming.You just wanted a website. Maybe a logo. A way to get found on Google.

Instead, you got hit with a flood of platforms, plugins, dashboards, and jargon. And you did what anyone would do—you hired someone to handle it. Totally understandable.

It’s perfectly okay to let someone else do the work—as long as you set the rules and structure to keep ownership in your hands. And don’t worry—we’ll show you a simple trick to make that happen (hint: it’s as easy as setting up the right email address).

What is marketing operations? The behind-the-scenes setup that keeps your marketing efforts running smoothly, and ready for growth. It’s about making sure your tools, data, and platforms are connected, accessible, and built to support you long-term. Learn more about marketing vs. business operations

Most Common Marketing TOol Ownership Gaps We See

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) under a personal or vendor account

• Google Ads accounts without admin access

• Google Merchant Center unclaimed or mislinked

• Google Business Profile not verified or owned by the business

• No Knowledge Panel claim (Google shows nothing—or the wrong info)

• Social schedulers set up under someone else’s login

• Canva accounts with your brand files under a contractor’s email

• Email tools like Mailchimp or Klaviyo tied to unknown logins

• Customer data in a CRM you don’t control

• No shared doc tracking what tools exist, who owns them, or where they liv

What Happens When You Don’t Own Your Marketing Tools?

If your systems aren’t set up right, here’s what it really costs you:

• You can’t easily switch vendors when they underperform

• You lose performance data that powers decisions

• You’re cut off from reports, customer insights, and ad history

• You waste hours trying to recover accounts or reset ownership

• You risk paying for tools someone else still has access to

This isn’t about being controlling—it’s about protecting your business.

5 Steps to Take Ownership of Your Marketing Tools

You don’t need to be "techie". You just need to be in charge.

1. Use a business-owned email

Tie all platforms to an email your business controls—not a personal Gmail or your developer’s inbox. Create a shared account like marketing@yourbiz.com or biznamemarketing@gmail.com if needed.

2. Track every tool and who owns it

Keep a simple doc or spreadsheet.Include tool names, access links, account owners, and roles. Never guess who has the keys.

3. Assign user roles—no shared logins

Add users the right way so you can revoke access easily.No more passing around one master login. If a system doesn't have that capability, then use a password management tool like 1Password so that you can share and change the password easily.

4. Claim your Knowledge Panel + verify listings

Google yourself. If a panel shows up—claim it.If it’s wrong or empty, customers are seeing the wrong brand.

5. Rotate passwords + remove inactive users

Basic, but essential. Change passwords quarterly if you've shared them. Clear out old team members, vendors, or mystery emails.

Bonus: Don’t Forget the “Other” Marketing Tools

Marketing tools like:

• Canva

• Email

• Social media schedulers

• CRMs

• Dropbox / Drive

• Website plugins

• Booking and automation platforms

If you don’t own the logins, you don’t own the data. And without your history, you lose strategy, not just access.

🤖 How to Use AI to Help (Plus a Preview of What We Ask)

You can ask ChatGPT to audit your marketing tools, spot gaps, and help you clean up access. Try this prompt:

"Act like a marketing operations specialist. Ask me 10 questions to find out if I actually own and control my core marketing tools."

👉 Want help without having to remember what to ask? We’ve already built the prompts for you. Submit the Risk Check Review and we'll email you an assessment.

Need help? Join our weekly office hours to get quick answers to these types of questions from our team!