Any small business that is adequately equipped has a greater chance of being successful than a business that is not adequately prepared. Having the right tools for a small business can make a huge difference, especially if these tools are designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the business. Some tools are optimized for productivity, and as such, they will provide your customers with a better experience thanks to the ease at which you can render services to them.
Listed below are some of the tools that have been quite effective in enabling small businesses to reach their highest potential. These are tools meant to be used by small businesses to increase their efficiency and productivity in the long run.
They might sound like simple tools, but they make a massive difference for any business that chooses to adopt them in their daily routines. Let us now look at each tool and why they are essential for small businesses.
Following are the 13 best essential tools every small business needs according to our research.
- Website Building Software
- Mobile Marketing Tools
- Email Software
- Google Analytics
- Social Media Management Tools
- Hiring Software
- Accounting Software
- Task Management Software
- Team Chat App
- File-sharing Tools
- Legal
- Virtual Private Networks
- Video Creators
1. Website Building Software
Building a website fast can be a huge saver for a small business. It enables them to establish an online presence and make a lasting brand impression on customers. There are plenty of web-building applications available, but the best ones are the simple ones. These do not require much technical understanding, but they do possess powerful features and capabilities that enable the business to build websites with ease.
Wix is one such application with a plethora of features and benefits. It is fast and straightforward to use with the ability to work without any experience. It also has a lot of ready templates to start with and a whole load of tools that you can use to create the best website for your business. It is also well documented, making it one of the best website-building tools a small business can use.
Example: Wix, Square Space
2. Mobile Marketing Tools
Marketing is one of the main pillars of any small business. It provides them with the exposure and awareness to grow their brand. For instance, reaching audiences on various platforms and devices requires a means of optimized marketing for these targets.
Mobile marketing tools are designed to increase marketing effectiveness for mobile audiences such as those on smartphones. These tools are pretty powerful and have insights that can be quite useful in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of a small business.
PushEngage is a mobile marketing application designed to drive engagement and conversion across different platforms. It comes with features such as statistics and reporting, which can help increase the effectiveness of marketing in your small business. It is pretty easy to use, and it does not take long to familiarize yourself with the application’s many features. It is highly recommended for small businesses that want to increase their brand awareness.
Example: PushEngage
3. Email Software
The ability to send emails to customers makes the difference between successful businesses and those that are not so successful. Customers react to emails, and it is one of the most potent ways to make them aware of new products and services offered by a business. Email newsletters are also another valuable tool in the small business arsenal, and having reliable email software counts as an advantage to such businesses.
SendInBlue is one of the most effective communication and marketing tools for small businesses. For instance, if you have a newsletter feature on your website, you can use this tool to make your communications more organized. With the application, you can send emails in bulk to many customers and even schedule when these emails will be sent. As such, it is a powerful communication tool that can increase the productivity and efficiency of your small business.
4. Google Analytics
Tracking usage patterns on your website, blog, and mobile applications can enable you to grow and improve as a small business. Analytic tools are designed to be embedded in various target platforms and can provide valuable insights into your website’s patterns of usage and interaction. It is essential to have an analytics suite that will give you detailed reports and can be integrated into mobile and web applications with ease.
Google Analytics is the leading analytics software for both mobile and web platforms. It is easy to integrate it into your website, blog, and even a mobile app. It is fast and has detailed reports, essential for your business growth and development. It is also responsive and can provide real-time reports and insights into usage patterns for your different digital assets.
5. Social Media Management Tools
Maintaining an online presence also includes social media. There are different social media platforms, and if your business happens to be on multiple social media platforms, managing your web presence becomes a lot more complicated. You have to consider posting messages and new updates to each social network differently, which means that you will be spending a lot of time on social media.
However, Sendible is one of the social media management tools that make this much easier for you. No matter how many different social media networks your small business is on, the software helps you with the management.
You do not have to worry about the headache of posting new updates to your audiences or replying to comments and other questions that your customers post through social media. It also includes reporting and scheduling to make social media management easier for your small business.
6. Hiring Software
Your small business will need to grow at one time or the other. When you do, hiring software will prove to be quite helpful. There will be many people looking for the available positions at your business, and as such, getting this managed easily will be important. Hiring software makes the hiring process much simpler for you and enables you to get the skill and talent you require in your business.
Different features are built into the software to ensure that your hiring process is open and fair with your requirements for a candidate being met. With the software, you will be able to review more candidates and increase your chances of finding the ideal candidate for your small business. Get the right talent with the use of good hiring software. Examples include Jobvite and Capterra.
7. Accounting Software
Keeping track of your spending and earnings is essential for a small business. It enables you to be easier to manage as well as more sustainable. The use of accounting software is intended to help you keep track of your essential business statistics.
For instance, you will be able to determine whether you are making a profit or not from the reports that you can generate from your accounting software. The accounting software is also a database for your business and enables you to record all your income and expenses with ease.
Example: QuickBooks, Sage
8. Task Management Software
To enhance your productivity as a small business, you need to have an effective means of assigning tasks and keeping track of project progress over time.
The use of task management software ensures that you have tasks assigned to someone in good time and progress tracked all day long. Task management applications are also known to include other powerful features intended for communication and collaboration.
With these applications, you will notice overall improvement and an increase in efficiency for your business which will translate into more profits. An excellent example of such software is ClickUp.
Example: Insightful, ClickUp
9. Team Chat App
The ability to collaborate on various aspects of your small business is essential and ensures that everyone is informed about what is happening. Team chat apps are pretty helpful and can be used for communication within your small business throughout the day. They ensure that people are informed and constantly updated about what is happening.
As such, there will be no miscommunications or misunderstandings for your business. You will also realize greater collaboration for your small business when you have team chat apps to ease your communication. An excellent example of such software is Slack.
10. File-Sharing Tools
The ability to share files increases the effectiveness and productivity of a small business. For instance, reports and other documents that one person has prepared can be shared with the rest of the team for confirmation. This is also important whenever the company needs to work on different files.
File sharing tools are essential for keeping everyone on track about the progress of various projects that are going on in the business. With the ability to share files, the business can quickly increase their productivity and complete projects faster.
Example: Google Drive for Business and DropBox.
11. Legal
There is a lot of legal work that has to be undertaken by any small business. For instance, there have to be clear terms and conditions on their website, mobile applications, and other places.
The business also needs to fill out other legal documents and prepare even more for their clients. The use of legal software enables the company to easily prepare such documents and ensure that their legal obligations have been adequately met. Legalzoom is a low-cost option for small businesses that do not have lawyers.
It enables them to get the same services they would have to pay a lawyer for. The application is also simple for beginners who have little knowledge of legal matters and has been designed to enhance business productivity and effectiveness.
12. Virtual Private Networks
In terms of internet access, it is essential to have a VPN application to increase the security of communications within a small business. Keeping your internet traffic secure by tunneling it through a VPN is essential and ensures that your communication is kept private, secure, and confidential.
As such, any small business needs to have VPN software that will help to improve the effectiveness and safety of their communications. It also gives them access to restricted services and websites in different geographical regions worldwide.
ExpressVPN is an excellent example of such software, and it has been proven to be quite effective in terms of security. It is fast and effective and can give businesses access to more services and online resources typically blocked by IP restrictions. It also makes communication more secure for small businesses and increases overall efficiency.
13. Video Creators
Every business needs videos to spread its reach. Be it in the form of a demos, introduction to their service, or using it on social media accounts to engage with the audience. Video still remains one of the best ways to promote content and audience outreach.
The rise of smartphones and tablets has fueled video content on social media. However, finding an easy-to-use and time-saving video editor is another question.
FlexClip is a free simple yet powerful web-based video maker that creates marketing videos and family stories in minutes. You can choose from millions of royalty-free media resources. It’s a comprehensive and powerful video editing tool for video and music trimming, image adjusting, aspect ratio changing, effects, voiceover, and watermarks adding. Moreover, FlexClip’s built-in video or webcam recorder comes in handy in many situations.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What are the most common business tools?
A: Google Analytics, Google Drive for Business, and Slack are some of the standard business tools. They are used more frequently and have seen massive adoption across many businesses.
Q: What is the most beneficial business tool?
A: Website builders are essential small business tools. They enable a business to establish an online presence faster and be more effective in branding. Additionally, it is easy to use and quite powerful for a small business.
Q: What tools do entrepreneurs use to create a new business?
A: LegalZoom and Wix are some of the tools used by entrepreneurs to create a new business. The legal applications help them with the legal aspects of the business, while the website creator enables them to have a website up and running much faster. These are essential tools for startups, and when creating a new business, they are invaluable.
