Being a small business owner means that at any given time you’re working on marketing, accounting, taxes, sales, development, customer support and a host of other activities. We understand it can be difficult trying to juggle all of this. This is where online tools can help you! Understanding though that there are many to choose from, most of which are simply confusing, we curated a list of 10 of the best online tools for your small business. This list is divided in four categories:
- Note-taking and Brainstorming
- Finance
- Project Management
- Marketing
Here are 10 of the best online tools for your small business.
Note-Taking and Brainstorming
#1 Evernote
With Evernote, you can make a note of almost anything. And the beauty of it? You’re able to access in the cloud, with any device. With this cloud-based software you can:
- Create a project to-do list.
- Take a picture of a sketch.
- Jot down a reminder.
- Save interesting articles and organize your reading list.
- Organize all your thoughts and ideas so you can access it in one place.
If you’re looking for something more visual, consider using Mindly in conjunction with Evernote.
#2 Mindly
Mindly harnesses the power of associations, allowing you to create Mindmaps on your mobile device (or any device for that matter). Clear the clutter and showcase your thoughts in the form of mindmaps
With Mindly you can:
- Capture ideas
- Write a quick summary
- Plan presentations
- Create visual associations
Aside from note taking and brainstorming, there are some seriously powerful online tools for finance.
Finance
#3 Freshbooks
PayPal and the majority of payment processing platforms charge you 3% to make or receive payments. With Freshbooks, there is a flat fee of $0.50, regardless as to the size of the transaction. Consider the cost saving on this, particularly as your business grows, and your international client base grows.
PayPal is one of the largest online payment processing platforms. So if you’re currently using them and concerned about how to switch, you’re in luck, as PayPal and Freshbooks have an agreement. It’s possible to send PayPal invoices using Freshbooks and pay a flat fee of $0.50! Freshbooks offer a free 30-day trial.
#4 Mint
Mint allows you to effortlessly create budgets and stay up to date on how you’re spending your money. Through their phone and tablet apps, it’s also possible to manage your finances on the go and receive money saving tips.
Mint is totally automated. Through giving the platform permission to view your finances, it will begin to track, categorize – in the form of graphs and analytics – , and manage your spending. Setting up an account is free!
Project Management
#5 Trello
Trello is the perfect collaboration app, particularly for geographically dispersed teams. Trello allows you to create, boards, lists, and cards which help you stay organized. Each individual card has the option of leaving comments and attaching a file.
Download for IOS, Android or desktop. There is a free plan with the option to upgrade. For maximum productivity consider using it in conjunction with Slack, another online business tool for your small business.
#6 Slack
Available for IOS and Android, Slack is the perfect instant messaging tool. Create different channels for open communication, direct communication for specific teams, or private one-on-one communication.
Through integration with other apps, like Dropbox, all your files are available on the cloud. Available on IOS and Android, there’s a free plan, a standard plan ($6.67), and a Plus Plan ($12.50/month).
Marketing
#7 Bablic
Business is not what it used to be. Having a website means you open yourself up to a global marketplace. The implications of this are:
- People from countries all over the world will visit your site.
- These people will speak different languages.
It then becomes imperative to tailor your website to their language preferences. Enter Bablic. Bablic is a cost-effective human translation tool tailored toward small business.
It will reduce bounce rates, improve engagement and drive sales, as 46% of people say they won’t buy products if a website is not in their own language. Getting started is as simple as pasting a line of code in your website header.
#8 SumoMe
SumoMe is arguably one of the best online tools to grow your e-mail list. Building an e-mail list is essential if you want to grow your business and make money online. Through capturing e-mails you capture leads allowing you to engage in e-mail marketing.
SumoMe has a large suite of tools that allow you to create popups, improve mobile sharing, create sign-up forms, scroll bars, and monitor how visitors engage with your website through Heat Maps. Whilst the free version has more than enough to start, by upgrading to a premium version you’re able to engage in A/B testing and much more.
Seamless integration is available with all popular e-mail marketing service providers like Mail Chimp and Aweber. Also, link directly with your Google Analytics account to track analytics.
#9 Canva
Hiring an agency or a graphic designer to create presentations, designs, eBooks, Facebook headers, and more can be expensive. It needn’t be this way. Canva has positioned itself as the design tool that anyone can use to create stunning presentations. With Canva you’re able to:
- Choose from a vast gallery of images and presentation designs.
- Edit images by adding text, cropping, filtering, blurring.
- Choose from pre-made designs and templates.
- Select icons from a vast gallery.
- Select social media layouts for Facebook, Twitter headers and much more.
- Upload your own photos and incorporate them into the design.
The above features touch but the iceberg. Sign-up for a free account. Though the features are limited with the free version, it’s a perfect start for the small business. In-app purchases are available for certain images and designs, although the bank of free options is more than adequate.
#10 Buffer
The final online tool for your small business is Buffer. This social media sharing tool allows you to plan your content calendar, and schedule content weeks in advance. Save time, and have piece-of-mind knowing your content is being published across social media channels, even when you’re out of the office. For $10 a month it’s an absolute bargain – I mean that’s one beer or a meal in some countries.
What online tools do you use for your business?