For most new, online business digital tools are the pinnacles of their success. From helping to keep you organized, managing your finances, and even storing all your confidential data—there are a variety of uses they provide to young entrepreneurs. Below are six basic digital tools that you should be using on a daily basis for your small business to run smoothly and efficiently.
Calendar App
For scheduling your day accordingly and staying on top of your to-do list while running a business, the Calendar app on your smartphone or computer should be your best friend. While a fairly simple tool, it offers a higher level of organization that should be taken advantage of during arduous projects that involve extensive preparation and a long time commitment. Also, the ability to share your calendar with others is vital in ensuring that everyone on your team is aware of when are the most opportune times to schedule meetings or contact you in any way.
A Professional Website
When starting a small business and growing it from the ground up, you need to dedicate some time and energy into building an online presence. This is primarily done with a professional website that is used to share your product or services with interested customers. With this type of platform, you can connect all your social media, provide a page for easy contact and communication, as well as a blog that you can regularly update in order to keep clients informed and interested in your business. Any potential clients will also have somewhere to turn to when they are interested in learning more about our company and what you offer.
A Virtual Data Room
Every business needs to invest some time and money in finding the best platform for sharing and storing their confidential company data. A virtual data room is the best option for small businesses in need of a secure space to stay in communication during arduous deals or transactions and to ensure that anything they upload onto it stays under lock and key. Features such as complex permission settings allow an administrator to stay in control of who sees what in the data room and for how long, and the ability to disable print and download make it that much harder for third parties to leak information without authorization. A VDR is the best way to keep all your sensitive data safe so that your business can continue to run without a hitch.
Social Management Platforms
Like with a website for your business, social media has become a big jumping off point for interested customers to find your company and learn more about what you offer. This makes it incredibly important to always be updating your social media platforms and maintaining an online presence that will grow your customer base the longer you interact with the community. However, this isn’t as easy to do on your own, which is why social management platforms are being used to schedule these posts for you. You can write them out in advance, attach a photo of your most recent product, and have it posted a few days, weeks, or months later, depending on your needs. Save yourself the time and energy and invest in these types of tools to manage your social media platforms for you.
Video Communication Apps
For an easy way to stay in contact with your staff or your clients, video conference apps are perfect to have accessible on your phone or your computer. They allow you to work remotely if necessary—something that many new business owners must do when they don’t quite have enough for an office—or even when you are travelling. You can host meetings directly on your phone without worrying about a specific time and location, providing a broader scope of who, around the world, you can hire to work for you and who you can offer your services or products to.
Accounting Software
It’s difficult to manage all your finances on your own, which is why accounting software should be used to your advantage. It helps you keep track of your expenses, the profit you’ve made, and any sort of error that might otherwise go unnoticed. There are a variety of free platforms that offer the bare minimum of what you need to begin your business, but also a plethora of subscription-based tools that can act as your own personal accountant when business begins picking up and managing costs becomes a bit trickier.
