One of the question new business owners often ask is, what tools can help me grow my business.
Well, the first step in growing your business is knowing what tools are available to you and what they can do to help you achieve success.
Luckily, plenty of companies have created specialized software that makes everything from improving your sales processes to managing client relationships easier than ever before.
This list of 11 essential tools to help grow your business will give you the resources you need to grow into the successful entrepreneur you’ve always wanted to be.
What Tools Can Help Me Grow My Business? [11 Essential Tools]
1. CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
A CRM system is an essential tool for businesses that want to streamline their operations and better manage their customer relationships. By keeping track of customer data, businesses can more easily identify patterns and target areas for improvement. Additionally, a CRM can automate marketing and sales tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more important tasks.
2. Email marketing platforms
There are a lot of email marketing platforms out there, and it can be tough to decide which one is right for your business. However, there are some essential features that you should look for in an email marketing platform, such as automation, segmentation, and personalization.
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3. Blogging tools
Whether you’re just starting a business or looking to take your company to the next level, blogging is a great way to reach new customers and grow your brand. But with so many different blogging tools out there, it can be tough to know where to start. Below are 9 essential tools that can help you create a successful blog for your business
- WordPress: Allows you to easily publish content on the web.
- Hootsuite: Helps manage social media accounts from one place.
- Grammarly: Fixes your grammar and spelling mistakes as you type.
- MailChimp: Provides an easy email marketing solution for businesses of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
- Buffer: Lets you schedule posts in advance on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more. – Google Analytics: Offers insights into how people find and use your website.
- CoSchedule: Allows bloggers to plan their content strategy in advance, collaborate on articles with team members, and track how well their posts perform over time.
- Trello: A free project management tool that helps you stay organized by breaking tasks down into cards.
- DocuSign: Makes it easy to get documents signed quickly without ever having to print, scan, or fax anything.
- OptimizePress: Create professional-looking websites, landing pages, online courses, membership sites and more with drag-and-drop simplicity.
- Adobe Spark: Is a powerful visual storytelling app that allows you to make videos and presentations from scratch.
4. Mobile apps for business owners
Being a business owner is tough- you have to wear a lot of hats and juggle a lot of balls. One way to make your life easier (and your business more successful) is to use mobile apps designed specifically for business owners. Below are 9 essential mobile apps for business owners:
1. Toggl – Track time so that you know how much money to charge clients
2. BankMobile – Bank on the go
3. Square Point of Sale – Accept credit card payments anywhere, anytime
4. Buffer – Manage social media accounts across multiple platforms with ease
5. Dropbox – Cloud storage service
6. Trello – Project management tool
7. Hootsuite – Social media management tool
8. Apple iBooks Author – Easily create ebooks
9. MailChimp – Send newsletters
5. Social media tools
As a small business owner, you can’t afford to ignore social media. Not only is it a great way to connect with your target audience, but it’s also an essential tool for growing your business.
Below are 5 essential social media tools that will help you grow your business
- Hootsuite: Hootsuite makes managing all of your social media accounts easy. You can schedule posts in advance and then monitor the performance of each account so you know what works and what doesn’t work for each one.
- Buffer: Buffer allows you to manage multiple accounts at once. It takes all the effort out of trying to keep up with everything by automatically posting updates throughout the day and giving you plenty of options on when those updates should go live. It also lets you add links from other sites as well as tweets from others which can provide new content for your followers.
- Google Analytics: The free version of Google Analytics gives you detailed information about how many people visit your site, where they come from, how long they stay on your site, what pages they view most often and much more! You can even see demographic data such as age, gender, and country. With this data you can get an idea of who your customers are and tailor your marketing accordingly.
- Buzzsumo: Buzzsumo helps you find influencers based on certain keywords or topics. You plug in the topic or keyword and Buzzsumo will show you who has been publishing content related to that topic over the past year. From there you can follow them, share their content and message them to build relationships. Buzzsumo also tells you how many shares each post got as well as the number of likes it received, making it easier for you to identify who your competitors are and whether their strategy is working better than yours.
- Social Mention: Social Mention is perfect if you want to keep track of conversations happening online about any particular subject.
6. Collaboration tools
In order to grow your business, you need to be able to effectively communicate and collaborate with your team. There are a variety of collaboration tools available, such as Slack, Google Docs, and Asana. Each has its own set of features that can help streamline communication and make working together more efficient.
For example, Google Docs lets multiple people work on the same document at the same time; Slack offers private chat channels for different teams or projects; and Asana lets you assign tasks to colleagues. For any size company, these types of software tools can save time, reduce stress levels and boost productivity.
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7. Internet security software (AVG, Avast, etc.)
In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to keep your business safe from online threats. That’s why investing in internet security software is a must for any business. There are a variety of options out there, so be sure to do your research to find the best fit for your needs. AVG and Avast are two popular options that offer comprehensive protection against malware, viruses, and other online threats.
8. Design tools
1. A well-designed website is essential for any business in the modern age. It’s your digital storefront, and first impressions matter.
2. Good branding can make a big difference in how customers perceive your business. A professional logo and consistent branding across all your marketing materials will help you stand out from the competition.
3. Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can help you reach a wider audience with relatively little effort. While it may seem daunting at first, social media doesn’t have to be complicated – just plan ahead and know what goals you want to accomplish.
4. Paid advertising on Facebook or Google Ads can provide a quick boost in traffic while helping target people who are more likely to be interested in your product or service.
5. Basic SEO knowledge is important so that search engines are able to properly index your site content and rank it higher on relevant searches.
6. Having a mailing list allows you to market directly to potential customers who are already interested in your company. If someone signs up for one of your emails, they’re much more likely to buy something from you than if they found your company through another means.
7. Having an email newsletter not only builds trust with current customers but also provides an opportunity for cross-selling products that they might not have known about otherwise.
9. Time management tools
Any business owner will tell you that time is money. That’s why it’s important to have a few good time management tools in your toolbox to help you make the most of every day. Here are some essential time management tools that can help grow your business.
- ToDoist: ToDoist is a great app for individuals or teams. It helps organize projects and break them down into manageable tasks with set deadlines and reminders.
- Evernote: Evernote is another great productivity app for people who want to take notes, save articles, and stay organized. The best part about Evernote? You can use it on any device! Plus, it integrates seamlessly with other apps like Google Drive and Dropbox so you don’t have to worry about transferring files.
- Calendar: A calendar can be your friend if you’re constantly busy but need to know what’s coming up next. From weddings to meetings, this should be an essential app for any entrepreneur’s phone.
- Google Calendar: Google has a full suite of apps for all sorts of needs; this one is just as powerful as its email service counterpart. It also offers options for sharing calendars with coworkers and friends, which is helpful when planning events or keeping track of each other’s schedules.
- Trello: Trello offers an alternative to traditional whiteboard scheduling, especially useful for anyone who prefers visual planning over lists and text-based organization.
- Asana: While many task management apps offer similar features, Asana stands out because it allows users to assign tasks to different people within the same project.
10. Marketing tools for newsletters
If you want to get more people to sign up for your newsletter, you need to use the right tools. MailChimp, for example, offers customizable templates and integrations that make it easy to create beautiful newsletters that will engage your audience.
Plus, their reporting features will help you track your progress and see what’s working (and what’s not). With these insights, you can spend less time doing guesswork and start focusing on strategies that are actually driving results.
They also offer a free plan if you have a list of fewer than 2,000 subscribers perfect for small businesses! When you’re ready to upgrade, pricing starts at $20 per month and goes up from there depending on how many contacts you have.
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11. Accounting software for small business (Quickbooks, Xero, etc.)
When you’re first starting out, it can be tempting to try and do everything yourself. But as your business grows, you’re going to need some help. That’s where accounting software comes in.
Quickbooks and Xero are two of the most popular options, and they can help you with everything from tracking expenses to preparing for tax time.
If you’re an online retailer, consider using an ecommerce platform like Shopify or BigCommerce that integrates well with these accounting programs. There’s also apps like Etsy that can take care of your inventory management and customer service needs.
They might not be a perfect fit for every small business, but they could make sense if you have a niche product or just want to focus on the creative side of things. It all depends on what kind of freedom you need vs. what kind of support you prefer.
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