Running a small business can be challenging - there are so many things to do and not enough time in the day to get it all done. That's where business tools come in handy. These tools can help you automate tasks, manage projects, and communicate with your team more effectively. This blog post will discuss some of the best tools for smbs to boost their profits. We'll cover everything from social media management to accounting software so that you can find the perfect tool for your business needs.
What are Business Tools?
Business tools are software applications that help small businesses automate tasks, manage projects, and communicate with team members more effectively. These tools can be used for various purposes, such as social media management, email marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and project management. When first getting started, taking business tools into consideration when developing your business plan is a smart idea.
There are many benefits of using business tools for small businesses. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that they can help small businesses save time by automating tasks. For example, if you use a social media management tool like Hootsuite, you can automate your social media posts so that they are published at the most optimal times for engagement. In addition to saving time, business tools can also help small businesses optimize their workflow and streamline their operations. By using a tool like Zapier, small businesses can connect different software applications to automate tasks and workflows. For example, you could connect your email marketing software (such as Mailchimp) with your CRM so that every time you add a new contact to your CRM, they are automatically added to your email marketing list.
There are many different types of business tools available, but they can generally be categorized into the following categories:
Social media management
Email marketing
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Accounting software
Marketing tools
Workflow automation tool
Ecommerce platforms
Small businesses need to be strategic about their tools to boost their profits. Some of these tools offer free versions, while others are paid tools that can overall boost your bottom line.
Social Media Management
As a small business owner, you likely understand the importance of social media for promoting your business. In fact, social media is one of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses. However, managing all of your social media accounts can be time-consuming and overwhelming. That's where social media management tools come in handy.
Many different social media management tools are available, but some of the most popular options include Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer. These tools allow small businesses to automate their social media posts, track their social media analytics, and engage with their audience more effectively. Most of these tools integrate with mobile apps like Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn.
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows small businesses to manage all of their social media accounts in one place. Hootsuite provides users with powerful features, such as post scheduling, social media analytics, and team collaboration. Hootsuite works with all platforms and has several tiers of plans to allow users to find the price point that works for them.
Sprout Social is another popular social media management tool that helps small businesses grow their online presence. Sprout Social offers a suite of excellent features, including social media listening, reporting, and tasks. They have excellent customer support if you cannot set up your marketing automation. Sprout Social offers a free 30-day trial before choosing a plan.
Buffer is a social media management tool that helps small businesses schedule and publish their social media content. Buffer also gives users insights on the best times to post on social media for maximum engagement. Buffer is easily the most affordable choice, offering a free version with up to 3 social media accounts.
Meet Edgar is a social media management tool that helps small businesses automate their social media posts. Meet Edgar allows users to recycle their content so that they never run out of things to post. They offer a single pricing tier at $49 per month.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses. In fact, email marketing has an ROI of 3600%, which means that for every $ you spend on email marketing, you can expect to make back $36, according to HubSpot.
Many different email marketing tools are available, but some of the most popular options include Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and AWeber. These tools allow small businesses to create and send newsletters, automate their email marketing campaigns, and track their email marketing analytics. Most offer prewritten templates that make it easy to plug in your information and start your email marketing campaign.
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools available, and for a good reason. Mailchimp is easy to use, offers a free plan for small businesses, and provides users with powerful features such as automation and reporting.
Constant Contact is another popular email marketing tool that offers small businesses everything they need to create and send newsletters, automate their email marketing campaigns, and track their results. Constant Contact offers a free 60-day trial before choosing a plan.
AWeber is an email marketing tool that helps small businesses grow their subscriber list and engage with their audience. AWeber offers a suite of automation, segmentation, and reporting features. AWeber also has a free plan for small businesses.
CRM Software
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a tool that small businesses can use to manage their customer data, sales pipeline, and marketing campaigns. CRM software helps small businesses track customer interactions with the company, automate their sales and marketing processes, and close more deals.
Many different CRM software options are available, but some of the most popular include Salesforce, Zoho CRM, and HubSpot CRM. These tools offer small businesses a suite of features to help them manage their customer data, sales pipeline, and marketing campaigns.
Salesforce is one of the most popular CRM software options available. Salesforce offers small businesses a suite of features to help them manage sensitive customer information, workflow pipeline, and digital marketing campaigns. Salesforce also has a free plan for small businesses.
Zoho CRM is another popular CRM software option that helps small businesses manage their customer data, sales pipeline, and marketing campaigns. Zoho CRM offers a suite of automation, reporting, and segmentation features. Zoho CRM also has a free plan for small businesses.
HubSpot CRM is a popular CRM software option that helps small businesses grow their sales pipeline and close more deals. HubSpot CRM has a suite of features, including automation, data tracking and reporting, and market segmentation. HubSpot also offers a wide range of marketing assistance, including everything from email marketing to email automation. HubSpot CRM also has a free plan for small businesses.
Project Management Software
Project management tools help small businesses manage their projects and team members. Project management software helps small businesses by providing them with a way to track their project progress, assign tasks to team members, and collaborate with their team.
Many different project management software options are available, but some of the most popular include Asana, Trello, Slack, and Basecamp. These tools offer small businesses a suite of features to help them manage their projects and team members in real-time.
Asana is one of the most popular project management software options available. Asana offers small businesses a suite of features to help them manage their projects and team members. Asana has a free plan for small businesses and is easy to set up and start.
Trello is another popular project management software option that helps small businesses manage their projects and team members. Trello offers a Kanban-style project management system that helps small businesses track their project progress and collaborate with their team. Trello also has a free plan for small businesses, which is great because their best features are included in the free plan.
Basecamp is a popular project management software option that helps small businesses manage team member communication and upcoming deadlines. Basecamp offers tasks management, file sharing, and collaboration tools. Basecamp's pricing is $99 per month but includes unlimited users and unlimited projects.
Slack is a tool small businesses can use to communicate with their team members in real-time. It's a secure platform with notifications when someone messages you. Slack is great for small businesses because it's easy to use and has a variety of integrations. Slack offers a free version with limited features and a paid Standard and Plus version with more features.
Marketing Platforms
According to Finances Online, marketing software refers to tools that help businesses successfully execute campaigns, tap into their target markets and convert leads into sales. Companies, regardless of size, can benefit from marketing tools, allowing them to maximize their resources and eliminate repetitive tasks. They are also instrumental in expanding businesses' reach and allow companies to focus on more pressing matters.
With so many options on the market, it can be tough to narrow it down. We've found the best marketing software options are Hootsuite, HubSpot, and MailChimp. You may notice that these platforms are once again making the list, and that's for good reason! They provide not only segmentation and tracking insights but can automate email marketing tasks and boost your ROI.
Hootsuite is one of the most popular marketing software options available. We love them for their easy social media scheduling but also for their automation capabilities. Hootsuite offers small businesses a suite of features to help them automate their marketing tasks, track their results, and engage with their audience.
HubSpot Marketing is another popular marketing software option that helps small businesses manage their email and social media marketing. HubSpot Marketing offers a suite of features such as email marketing, social media management, and lead capture forms. HubSpot Marketing also has a free plan for small businesses, which is great because it includes all of the features that small businesses need to get started. Hubspot is our pick for nearly all categories; they genuinely do it all!
Mailchimp offers a wide range of options for marketing software. Mailchimp's automation tool helps small businesses manage their email marketing tasks and connect to their target audience. Mailchimp also has a free plan for small businesses, which is great because it includes all of the features they need to get started.
Accounting Software
As a small business owner, you have enough on your plate without worrying about bookkeeping. That's where accounting software comes in. Accounting software helps small businesses keep track of their finances, invoicing, and expenses. This is especially important in startups; increasing your bottom line may include some add-ons like accounting software.
Many different accounting software options are available, but the best ones for small businesses are QuickBooks, Xero, and Freshbooks.
QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting software options available. QuickBooks offers small businesses a suite of features to help them automate their bookkeeping tasks, track their finances, and manage their invoicing. Quickbooks also offers a time tracking feature to stay on top of employee management.
Xero is another popular accounting software option that helps small businesses keep track of their finances, invoicing, and expenses. Both software options include free trials so you can test before committing.
Freshbooks is an accounting software program that small businesses can use to automate their bookkeeping, invoicing, and expenses. Freshbooks is best for service-based businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs looking for easy-to-use reporting tools.
Work Automation Tools
As a small business owner, you always look for ways to optimize and streamline your workflow. That's where work automation tools come in. Work automation tools help small businesses automate their tasks, freeing up time for the more important things.
Work automation tools help small businesses by connecting a to b without the need for human interaction. Many different work automation tools are available, but the best ones for small businesses are Zapier and IFTTT (If This Then That). Before choosing the best work automation tool for your small business, there are a few things to consider. Think about what apps you need to connect for your workflow to make the most sense.
Zapier is one of the most popular work automation tools available. Zapier offers small businesses a suite of features to help them automate their tasks, connect their apps, and get more done in less time. Zapier can connect to several apps like Dropbox, Google Drive, and even Office 365.
IFTTT is another popular work automation tool that helps small businesses automate their tasks by connecting their apps and devices and triggering a series of automation involving those apps or devices. You can make certain events trigger specific actions using a series of conditional statements. Both software options include free plans so you can test before committing.
eCommerce Tools
If your small business sells products or services online, you need an eCommerce platform. An eCommerce platform helps small businesses manage their online store, take orders, and process payments. These platforms offer integration between some apps and devices and allow online stores to accept credit cards. Because an eCommerce small business is online, you'll also need to keep digital marketing strategies in mind.
Many eCommerce platforms are available, but the best ones for small businesses are Shopify and WooCommerce. We like these platforms for their ease of use and powerful capabilities in the eCommerce landscape.
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms available. Shopify's popularity is primarily due to its simple setup and customizable designs. There's no need to fuss over servers or development costs when using other platforms. It's a clean and user-friendly interface that feels intuitive upon first using the platform.
WooCommerce is another popular eCommerce platform that's a plugin for WordPress, a unique website builder. WooCommerce is great because it makes it easy to run an online store using your custom WordPress domain. They offer inventory and tax management and integrations with popular apps and servers.
Other Useful Tools
There are yet more tools that smbs can use to boost its profits. While all small business tools are helpful and can contribute to a small business's bottom line, some stand out from the rest due to their unique functionality. These tools can help small businesses better present their data and marketing plans.
Canva is an online design platform that small businesses can use to create professional designs for their digital and print marketing materials. Canva offers a free version with basic features and a paid Pro version with more advanced features. They also offer team versions so large companies can have several users on the same plan.
Google Analytics is a free website analytics tool that small businesses can use to track their website traffic and understand their audience better. Google Analytics can be used to track things like pageviews, unique visitors, time on site, and bounce rate. Google Analytics is vital for tracking metrics for small businesses.
Calendly is a meeting scheduling tool that small businesses can use to schedule appointments with clients or customers. Calendly is easy to integrate with email apps like Gmail, and links will take your client directly to your calendar. Calendly offers a free version with limited functionality and a paid Pro version with more features.
Zoom has set a new standard for conferencing tools. It's the go-to for small businesses when they need to communicate with team members or clients. Zoom is easy to use and has excellent audio and video quality. Zoom offers a free plan with limited features and paid Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans with more features.
Other Considerations to Boost Small Business Profits
Outsourcing your marketing is one way to boost your profits while lowering your costs. You can outsource your marketing to an agency or a freelancer. This can be a great way to get expert help without hiring a full-time marketer. A marketing agency typically offers a suite of services, such as social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing. The benefits of choosing to outsource your marketing are endless. You'll have a team of professionals with years of experience leading your marketing efforts while you spend more time running your business.