world of difference, helping you automate tasks, connect with customers, and boost productivity. Let’s take a look at our top five tools for small business success:
Accounting tools
While the best online tax calculator will certainly boost your accounting accuracy, most small businesses need more robust tools to keep track of everything. Luckily, software like QuickBooks and FreshBooks can make that a breeze, providing integrated procedures and controls that help you manage financial information, track income and expenses, and make informed financial decisions.
To begin, open a business bank account and find the right accounting software to fit your needs. Then, set up your accounts, migrate any relevant customer information, and begin tracking what you make, need, and spend.
Social media tools
Social media management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social help small businesses streamline and enhance their social media presence. In a world filled with an overwhelming variety of social media platforms, these tools provide a central hub where you can manage your interactions. Armed with the right social media management tools, you can perfect your posting schedule for new content, stay abreast of your online reputation, undertake paid campaigns, manage team members, and more.
To get started, consider the specific needs of your business and find a tool to match. Luckily, most offer free trial versions. Take advantage of these offers to learn how to use the tools and decide if they’re a good fit.
Customer relationship tools
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) allows businesses small and large to manage and improve their company’s relationships with customers and prospects. Hubspot, Salesforce, and other CRMs make it easy to stay connected with customers, providing streamlined processes that deepen customer insights, increase productivity, and lead to greater profitability.
To begin, research what CRM software is available. Once you’ve chosen what works for you, import contact lists, match data to its relevant information categories, and start to manage—assign tasks to your teams, connect your apps to your CRM, and do whatever else is needed.
Email marketing tools
Email marketing is an integral part of a larger digital marketing effort. Not only can it help businesses reach new customers, nurture promising leads, and raise brand awareness, but it can also serve to educate customers about relevant topics of interest and even sell products and services.
Although Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools available, there are plenty of others to choose from as well. Once you find what’s right for you, import your contacts, develop some email templates, and start reaching out to customers.
Online collaboration tools
Online collaboration tools are great for teams of any size. These digital platforms allow people to work together effectively, regardless of when they work or where they’re working from. By managing projects, divvying out tasks, and fostering collaboration, they allow for increased productivity.
From Trello to Slack and Asana, there are plenty of online collaboration tools to choose from. To find a suitable one for your small business, consider how your team prefers to collaborate. Then, try out free versions, and find the best fit.
Digital tools can boost the success of your small business, allowing you to manage team projects, keep in touch with customers, and boost the effectiveness and profitability of your team. Although there are many tools available, the five outlined above provide a solid foundation from which your business can grow.