Here's the thing about working in marketing: we've all been there, stuck in that endless loop of "waiting for dev resources" or "it's not in the budget right now."
But what if there's a way around that?
Webflow's ex Sr. Director of Marketing, Emily Lonetto, recently sat down to chat about how no-code tools are completely transforming the way marketing teams work. If you missed the conversation, don't worry—we're breaking down all the good stuff right here.
"The beautiful thing about no-code is that it really helps to change the conversation where you start to hear more people saying statements like 'I can build that. I don't need resources to start experimenting; I just need the idea.'"
- Emily Lonetto
No-code isn't just another tech buzzword—it's a movement that's putting the power of creation back in marketers' hands. And trust me, it's pretty exciting stuff.
Want to watch the full session? 👇
What is no-code, you ask?
No-code is a movement to democratize building—so that anyone (regardless of their technical history) can create live products, projects, or experiments, and expedite their proof-of-concept—without ever touching a line of code.
(But it doesn’t mean you can’t code, nor does it imply that we’re anti-code or coders! It just makes tasks that used to be locked behind a coding wall more accessible.)
Think of no-code as "adult Legos," as Emily puts it (and honestly, who doesn't love Legos?). It's about taking different tools and clicking them together to build something awesome—no computer science degree required.
Instead of waiting around for developer resources or trying to learn Python on nights and weekends, no-code tools let you (as a growth marketer, or marketer in general):
- Realize your vision, faster, and turn your ideas into reality (now instead of next year)
- Break free from those dreaded dev backlogs
- Build empathy between tech and non-tech teams
- Empower your entire team to build solutions
- Create cool stuff without writing a single line of code
- Leave the coding and dev hours for tasks that 100% require it
“When it’s not possible to multiply your team or your time, you can still multiply the campaigns you’re running… with no-code.”
- Emily Lonetto
Top 15 no-code tools for marketers
Let's break down the essential tools you'll want in your no-code growth marketing toolkit. Think of these as your Swiss Army knife for getting stuff done:
For building websites that don't suck
- Webflow – A visual web design tool that allows you to build custom websites without code, giving marketers full control over the design and functionality of their sites.
- Squarespace – A user-friendly website builder that enables the quick creation of landing pages and proof-of-concept sites.
- Shopify – Allows anyone to build and scale an e-commerce business with little to no technical experience.
For marketing automation (because life's too short)
- Autopilot – A marketing automation tool that dynamically handles email campaigns, RSS feeds, and other repetitive workflows to save time and ensure consistency.
- Zapier – Automates workflows and connects different tools, making it easier to handle repetitive tasks like sending notifications and updating databases.
- Integromat – Automates complex processes and connects apps in more detailed ways than Zapier, making it ideal for more advanced automation needs.
For data (without the spreadsheet headaches)
- Airtable – A flexible tool for building internal databases and CRMs, ideal for organizing and automating processes without needing a technical background.
- Mixpanel or Amplitude – Tools for tracking user behavior and product analytics, helping businesses understand how customers interact with their products.
- Typeform – Makes creating visually appealing and functional forms for lead generation easy without technical input.
For working together (without the chaos)
- Notion – A powerful organizational tool that can be used to create custom databases and wikis, ideal for both team collaboration and personal use.
- Calendly – Simplifies scheduling by eliminating back-and-forth emails, integrating directly with calendars for seamless booking.
- Standard Library – Simplifies API integration, making it more accessible for those who are less technical but want to build applications that rely on external data.
For no-code inspiration
- MakerPad – A no-code business that teaches you how to build anything and everything without anycode. Literally.
- Dribbble – Inspiration for designs from the world’s top designers that you can use for your no-code landing pages, emails, and more.
- Canva – A+ design automations that can take you from idea to iteration to publishing in minutes, not months.
Real examples of no-code in action
You’ve got the tools, now you need the inspiration. Let's get real with some actual examples of no-code winning at life:
The "Dave is the Worst" campaign on a no-code microsite (that went viral)
Picture this: Emily and her team at Tilt (a crowdfunding company) needed to show people their platform could do more than just collect beer money. Instead of waiting for dev resources, they whipped up a hilarious microsite using Squarespace and Sketch. Thanks to no-code tools, they could try something completely new, with different copy and CTAs than they normally use without hurting their brand—in only a few hours! Their great idea instantly had legs instead of backlogs and requests.The result? A viral campaign that got the point across perfectly—without touching a line of code.
"We created the entire campaign with no code and it started with literally a side conversation at lunch about people not understanding what Tilt was outside of raising money for keggers."
- Emily Lonetto
Powering an ambassador community with no-code
When Emily's team needed to manage thousands of university ambassadors (yikes), they faced a classic startup problem: tiny team, massive program. Instead of waiting for development resources that might never come, they got creative.
Using a combination of Google Forms and Yesware (which might turn into Airtable and Mailchimp these days, Emily admits), they built an automated system that could:
- Handle ambassador onboarding
- Automate program communications
- Track ambassador activities
- Manage the entire program workflow
The result? They successfully managed a 10,000-person university ambassador program with a team of just five people. Later, they even turned it into a separate portal where they automated the entire thing, created a marketplace, and ran everything through their existing tools—using Wordpress, Wistia, and WooCommerce. Yep, all that with zero coding.
"We took a project that got absolutely crazy... and tossed it into a portal where we automated the entire thing."
- Emily Lonetto
Building (and selling!) an entire business with no-code
Here's a wild one: MakerPad, one of the largest no-code education platforms out there, was built entirely without code. The founder created a full-fledged business using just three main tools:
- Webflow for the website and content management
- Memberstack for user accounts and gated content
- Stripe for processing payments
No fancy tech stack. No late-night coding sessions. Just smart use of no-code tools pieced together like Lego blocks. The kicker? The business was so successful that it was later acquired by Zapier—proving that no-code solutions can create serious business value.
As Emily points out, "Just because it wasn't built with traditional code doesn't mean it can't be immensely valuable. It still generated a ton of leads, got a bunch of hits, and was deeply helpful because they built a resource that people actually needed."
This is what's really exciting about no-code tools in 2025: they're not just for quick fixes or temporary solutions. They're robust enough to build entire businesses on. The focus has shifted from "How did you build that?" to "Does it provide value?" And in MakerPad's case, the answer was a resounding yes.
Challenges of working with no-code
Working with no-code isn’t for the folks that love traditional chains of command or processes. You might encounter some pushback along the way, but once you find a stack that works to provide results, you’ll be golden.
Here are a couple of things you may encounter.
Working with dev teams: Look, some developers might side-eye your no-code solutions. Here's how to win them over:
- Show them how it saves everyone time
- Come with numbers (they love that stuff)
- Start small and prove it works
"Communicate the ‘why’ of using a no-code tool to engineers—it often saves time and resources, making it easier to align on its implementation,”
- Emily Lonetto
Avoiding tool overload: Yes, there are a million tools out there. Here's how to stay sane:
- Only pick up new tools that solve actual problems
- Make sure your tools play nice together
- Keep track of what you're using
- Clean house regularly
Getting started with no-code (without losing your mind)
Ready to dip your toes in? Start small with simple tools like Zapier, then move on to real roadblocks you’re hitting.
"Start with clear problems that you already have rather than jumping on tools just because they're new and exciting."
- Emily Lonetto
- Make Slack do your bidding: Connect it to Google Sheets with Zapier (it's easier than it sounds)
- Build a landing page: Try Webflow or Squarespace (they have templates!)
- Create a simple CRM: Airtable is your friend here.
- Set up some email automation: Start with the basics in Autopilot.
No-code recipes for growth marketers
Let's get practical. Here are four ways you can combine no-code tools to solve common growth marketing challenges (and look like a genius doing it):
1. Marketing automation magic
Ever feel like you're doing the same tasks over and over? Here's a powerful stack to automate those repetitive workflows:
- Connect Typeform for lead capture to Airtable as your database
- Use Zapier to automatically score leads based on form responses
- Trigger personalized email sequences in Autopilot based on lead scores
- Send Slack notifications for high-value leads
Result? Your lead nurturing runs on autopilot while you focus on strategy.
One of Emily's favorite automation recipes is connecting Twitter mentions to Slack: "Every time someone mentions Voiceflow, it goes into our Slack where we spend 90% of our workday. This lets us immediately follow up with them—great for brand retention and awareness."
2. Quick experimentation station
Want to test ideas fast without bothering your dev team? Try this:
- Build landing pages in Webflow (they have great A/B testing capabilities)
- Use Typeform for interactive surveys embedded in your pages
- Connect responses to Airtable to track results
- Visualize data with Amplitude to spot winning experiments
Now you can launch experiments in hours instead of weeks. As Emily puts it, "That's the beauty of it—you can put these tools in virtually anyone's hands, but you're gonna get different things every time."
For example, Emily was tired of seeing terrible Zoom webinar pages, so she built one with Webflow, Airtable, Zoom, and Autopilot.
3. Customer journey builder
Here's how to create personalized experiences that make customers feel special:
- Track user behavior with Mixpanel
- Set up automated workflows in Zapier based on user actions
- Trigger personalized communications through Autopilot
- Manage customer feedback and responses in Airtable
Pro tip from Emily: "When someone's a detractor, send them a follow-up. When you see they haven't used the product in a while, send them an email. You'll be surprised at the feedback you get, and this will drastically help with retention."
4. Data command center
Turn messy data into actionable insights without a data science degree:
- Centralize data in Airtable
- Create automated reports using Zapier to pull from multiple sources
- Build beautiful dashboards in Notion
- Set up automated alerts in Slack when key metrics change
"Nowadays, what used to take code PRs or even an automatic list function... now looks a lot more like these flows," Emily explains. "These are all things that happen with no code."
The future is no-code
Let's face it: entire businesses (nevermind marketing teams) are being asked to do more with less these days. No-code tools aren't just nice to have anymore—they're your secret weapon for getting stuff done without needing a massive budget or a team of developers on speed dial.
"The future of growth is going to look really different in the future. It's gonna be unlocked by doing a lot more with less." - Emily Lonetto
As for next steps:
- Pick one annoying manual thing you do and automate it
- Tip: find YouTube tutorials to get up to speed fast!
- Try out one of the tools we mentioned (most have free trials!)
- Or, find new tools on ProductHunt
- Join some no-code communities (they're actually pretty friendly)
- MakerPad and Webflow are top of our lists!
- Start small, but dream big
Remember: This isn't about replacing developers or becoming one—it's about giving yourself superpowers to get more done, faster.
No code? No problem. 🚀
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