As a small business owner, the right tools can make all the difference in how you run your business. These eight free tools will make it easier to market your business, collaborate with employees and track your data.
G Suite
G Suite is an array of cloud collaboration tools offered by Google. It provides a variety of solutions, including email, spreadsheets, documents and slides. And every file you create is stored in your Google Drive account.
The software is intuitive to use, and that makes it easy to share and edit work in real-time. The software is cloud-based and automatically saves your changes at regular intervals, so you never have to worry about losing your work.
Google Analytics
One of the most important aspects of running a website is tracking and analyzing your traffic — and Google Analytics is one of the biggest names in website analytics.
With Google Analytics, you can see where your traffic is coming from and what website pages your visitors spend the most time on. You can also see where visitors are exiting your site, so it’s easy to figure out what aspects you need to improve.
Most importantly, Google Analytics gives you detailed insights into your audience, which can inform your marketing campaigns going forward.
Calendly
Do you regularly find yourself stuck in back-and-forth email threads trying to get appointments scheduled? If so, then you need a free scheduling app like Calendly.
With Calendly, you decide when you’re available to take calls during the week and set daily meeting limits. Once your scheduling page is set up, you can send the link to clients that need to schedule an appointment with you.
One of the best things about Calendly is that it integrates with other tech tools on this list. For instance, if you integrate Calendly with Zoom, then every time a client schedules a meeting with you, they’ll automatically receive a link to your Zoom meeting room.
[Read more: 7 Great Tools for Customer Scheduling]
Mailchimp
Email marketing is a crucial part of running any business, so it’s important to find the right email service provider. Mailchimp is a great option since the software is easy to use, and it’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails.
Using Mailchimp, you can create sign-up forms and campaigns, and automate emails to your subscribers. The service doesn’t have as many features as some of its competitors, but it’s a good option if you’re just getting started.
Social media is a necessity for any business, but few people have the time to post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the day.
Canva
At some point, you’ll need to create graphics for your website, blogs and social media. Canva is a design tool that lets you do exactly that.
With Canva, you can make blog post graphics, social media graphics, logos and more. You can choose from hundreds of templates, and the drag-and-drop functionality makes the software easy to use.
Zoom
Thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the ability to schedule virtual meetings and host video conferences is essential. And Zoom is one of the best remote meeting tools available.
If you sign up for the free plan, you’ll receive access to unlimited one-on-one meetings lasting up to 40 minutes. You can also host group meetings with up to 100 participants.
[Read more: 5 Popular Video Conferencing APIs]
Zapier
Zapier is a tool you can use to connect your apps and create automated workflows. For example, let’s say you’re hosting a free webinar through WebinarJam. With Zapier, you can create an automated workflow—or “Zap”—where everyone who signs up for the webinar is automatically added to your email list as well.
Zapier integrates with over 3,000 popular apps, like Google Docs, Slack and Convertkit. And with the free plan, you can schedule up to five single-step Zaps.
Buffer
Social media is a necessity for any business, but few people have the time to post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the day. Buffer lets you pre-write and schedule your posts, so you can continue to grow your social media following without taking tons of time out of your day.
After your content has been shared, Buffer will show you what posts performed the best with your audience. This helps you create more content your followers will enjoy.
[Read more: Instagram Stats: Understanding Social Media Stats and How to Measure Success]
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