Keeping up with the latest tools available to small businesses is important to success. Business-related tools allow entrepreneurs to work smarter instead of harder to maintain efficiency and stay focused on important tasks. There are plenty of free online resources that won’t impact the bottom line for small businesses. Many of these resources have paid accounts with additional features that complement the business growth. Here is a sampling of some must-have tools for small businesses.
General Business Tools
Starting a business is easier with the right tools. Build a quality website using a free website builder such as Wix. Take advantage of a free account that helps create a full-featured, mobile-friendly website. As the business grows, upgrade to a paid plan that has additional features and services. Using a web hosting site can help with this.
Branding and logo tools are important and can fit any budget. If it’s not economical to pay for a professionally designed logo there are plenty of free online tools such as Hipsterlogogenerator and logaster.
Marketing Tools
Content marketing is important to attract and maintain a customer base. Use tools that convert website clicks into customers. Ubounce allows users to build marketing campaign landing pages, website popups, and sticky bars. GSuite by Google allows businesses to affordably purchase domains, set up an email client, track website analytics, and launch and manage ad campaigns.
Email marketing tools like Mailchimp allow users to send up to 12,000 emails per month to 2,000 subscribers for free. This tool has free email templates and incorporates analytics to track mailing progress.
For call campaigns, cloud-based call centers keep things concise and organized. Bright Pattern offers cloud-based omnichannel virtual call center software solutions that allow users to communicate with customers across multiple channels. Their software is geographically flexible and maintains a thorough communication history that tracks all customer communications from the first contact.
Buffer is a great scheduling tool that manages social media platforms. It helps format posts that will be communicated across all social platforms. The software suggests the best times and days post to reach the largest target audience. It also analyzes the performance and success of posts. Hootsuite is another platform that manages social networks, schedules posts, and interacts with followers. Users can track how many followers are on each network and see which posts earn the most clicks.
Human Resources Tools
Hiring and managing employees is far easier with tools that handle background checks, verify identities, check references and employment verifications, background checks and more. GoodHire does all of this with a few clicks and gives results within 24 hours. Deputy is a human resources management tool that tracks employee progress for one dollar per employee per month. It also allows for scheduling shifts, making announcements, and managing tasks.
Keep track of unknown incoming and outgoing calls with a reverse phone tracker. With a reverse phone lookup, it’s possible to identify information about the source of mystery phone numbers such as the name of the owner, social profiles, email addresses, images, and company information. Such a tool ensures that employees are making work-appropriate calls and eases any concerns about communications with competitor businesses.
Use project management software to organize and collaborate. Trello is one of the best team and task management platforms. It allows users to create project boards, set due dates, add notes, and track tasks. Slack is a great tool for collaboration and team communication. Channels can be established for each company department and allow for file sharing. Join.me is a reliable video conferencing platform that allows up to 10 participants to share screens on up to five video feeds. The service has a free plan that is ideal for small businesses.
