As a small business owner, your day is demanding and your time is precious. The right marketing and productivity tools can help you save time and make business easier.
So today, we’re sharing some of our favorite online business tools.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
AppSumo
Monday.com
Teamwork
Google Calendar
Gmail
Google Drive
Calendly
TidyCal
Canva
Skitch
Later
MissingLettr
Publer
eClincher
WordPress
ActiveCampaign
MailerLite
Zoom
Google Meet
Ubersuggest
ChatGPT
Technology is Your Friend
[Theresa] Meghan already knows this about me, but in case YOU didn’t, I’m a total geek. And I love technology. I could literally lose hours on end looking at new online business tools.
[Meghan] What do you mean, “could”? Be honest. You HAVE lost hours! And, quite frankly, so have I!
[Theresa] Yeah. Guilty! Meghan has gotten me a few times with a text that says, “Have you seen this AppSumo deal?”
But all kidding aside, technology is amazing. You can find a program or an app to do just about everything from scheduling appointments to writing your sales copy.
[Meghan] And everything in between!
Technology tools have come a long way — especially ones that help with your marketing and productivity efforts.
[Theresa] Whether you’re on your own or have a small team, you can benefit from using online business tools.
Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly “techy”, there are easy tools you can use to help you run your business more efficiently and effectively.
Benefits of Using Marketing and Productivity Tools
[Meghan] The key is to find the right tools. Simplicity is often best.
[Theresa] I agree! Tearing your hair out over a complicated program is not advised. Or necessary!
And while you’ll likely have some learning curve with your tools, that’s a small inconvenience when you consider the long-term benefits of using tools for marketing and productivity, like
- Increased efficiency and productivity (which means saving time!)
- Improved communication and collaboration
- Enhanced customer experience
- Access to valuable data and insights
- Competitive advantage
These are only a few of the benefits though.
Top Marketing and Productivity Tools
[Meghan] Marketing and productivity tools can save you time and make things go more smoothly, and we have some great ones to share today!
These tools are ones that we personally use for our businesses as well as for the podcast.
We could easily dedicate an episode to each of these tech tools. But, today we’re going to stick to the what and the why.
[Theresa] Yes. Our intention is to help you with YOUR decision-making when it comes to selecting online business tools for your business.
Project and Task Management Tools
[Theresa] The first category in our marketing and productivity tools list is project management.
I use a tool called Monday.com. It’s a software solution that helps you plan, execute, and track your projects effectively in one, centralized location. This helps my team and I stay organized and saves us time.
Monday.com
- Gives us a complete overview of our projects
- Keep track of our deadlines
- Allows us to see who’s responsible for each task
- Helps us prioritize tasks
- Monitors our performance in real-time
- Prevents us from over-committing
- Integrates with other tools we use
- Allows us to communicate inside the tool on specific tasks
You can get started with Monday.com for free and upgrade as needed.
[Meghan] I believe wholeheartedly in giving tools a try to see if they work for you. And, Monday.com does not work with the way my brain operates! However, I am forced to use it at times when clients use it.
My preferred apps for managing tasks and projects are either Teamwork or Google tools, like a combo of Calendar, Docs, and Sheets. These options work well with how I process information. Plus, they all have sharing, commenting, and communication features that work great!
Time Management Tools
[Theresa] When you think about productivity, time management certainly comes to mind. Good time management will improve productivity and keep you on track to achieve your goals.
While there are many marketing and productivity tools that can help you manage time, we have some favorites.
My most important tool for managing time is Google Calendar. I use it for scheduling appointments, mapping out my content calendar, tracking due dates, and more.
I choose Google Calendar over other calendars because of ease. It’s simple to use and integrates with the other Google tools I use like Gmail and Google Drive.
Plus, it’s free. Who doesn’t love that?
[Meghan] I’m with Theresa on this one. For the reasons she said, but also for task management and even automating client calls.
Google Calendar integrates with online schedulers like Calendly and TidyCal (which is by AppSumo). So, you can give someone a link to schedule time with you, which reduces the back and forth when you’re trying to find a time that works for everyone.
An added bonus is that you can integrate Calendly and TidyCal with Zoom or Google Meet. So, together, these tools make scheduling and hosting online meetings very simple, and that saves time.
Design Tools
[Theresa] Let’s talk design tools next. I’m a die-hard Canva fan. My team and I use it to create all of our graphics, IG Reels, and presentations.
Canva is a graphic design platform. It allows you to easily create incredible, custom images, presentations, and videos, even if you don’t have design experience. Its drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to use.
And I love that we can create designs that look professional and polished in a matter of minutes.
[Meghan] I’ll second that as I also use Canva for all of my designs. You can do so much with it, even drop out the background on photos. Canva has replaced numerous other design tools for me, and it’s just so simple to use and share designs that I can’t find something better.
Canva is constantly adding features – it seems like every time I open the app something has changed, which can be aggravating at times! But the app is always adding new features.
[Theresa] There’s a free version, which is very good. If you love it as we do, you can upgrade to the pro version at any time. We both use the pro version.
[Meghan] I also need to give a shout-out to Skitch, which we both use for screenshots. I use an epic amount of screenshots in my business! Skitch makes it easy to take screenshots and edit them, like blurring out areas or adding arrows and text.
Social Media Management Tools
[Theresa] Let’s talk about social media management tools because this is definitely an area where you want to save time and maximize your productivity.
There are a million and one programs and apps to help you manage your social media efforts.
[Meghan] Oh my gosh, there are way too many!
[Theresa] There are! So, identify your goals and where you will focus your attention on social media to help you choose a tool.
I use Later. While it allows me to plan, schedule, and publish content on multiple social media networks from one central platform, it’s awesome for Instagram. Which is the platform we most focus on.
Our favorite feature is the Instagram feed preview. This allows us to see what our feed will look like before we even post. Love that!
It’s not free to use, but you can try it out for 14 days for free.
[Meghan] I’m a big fan of MissingLettr because it automates social media content creation and posting. It uses AI to work with your blog posts to come up with posts and it incorporates your blog post images too.
For my other content, I use Publer, which is a tool I bought through AppSumo.
[Theresa] Of course!
[Meghan] What can I say? I am super budget conscious. I have used so many different social media management tools, and there are some awesome ones out there.
Advanced Social Media Management Tool
eClincher is my favorite, especially for working with a team and managing other people’s social media, which I no longer do. It had amazing features and customer service, but DUDE! eClincher pricing has exceeded my budget.
By the way, I am not a big user of social media, which is why a lifetime deal on AppSumo made more sense than a monthly fee. Publer has a free option, it’s got all I want, it is easy to use, and it’s always adding new features. One feature I love is that when you’re scheduling your posts you can see special holidays for each day in case you want to take advantage of those for content ideas.
Blog Management Tools
[Theresa] If you listened to the last episode, then you know how Meghan and I feel about blogging. Not only do we each blog as a marketing tactic for our own businesses, but we also blog at MessyDeskPodcast.com.
And I think we are in complete agreement that when it comes to blog management, hands down, it’s WordPress.
[Meghan] 100%!
WordPress is an easy-to-use website builder. It’s an ideal choice for individuals, small businesses, and organizations of all sizes. Whether you’re creating a blog or eCommerce site, it has everything you need to build and grow your online presence.
It’s super easy to use and it’s free. But, you will have to pay for hosting. And, you may have to pay for a WordPress theme.
There are free themes, but I prefer to invest in Thrive Themes because it makes web design way easier. Plus, Thrive Themes have a ton of marketing and design add-ons, like countdown timers and an option for creating online courses. It also has decent customer service.
Email Marketing
[Theresa] Our next category of top marketing and productivity tools is email marketing.
If you’re list-building (and you should be) for your business, I recommend checking out ActiveCampaign. It’s a customer experience automation platform that helps you automate marketing, sales, customer service, and e-commerce.
My team and I focus most of our attention on the marketing automation features. And I like that we’ve been able to save money by starting out on a smaller plan with the option of adding features as we need them.
Meghan mentioned in the previous episode that she’s focused on email marketing this year. So, I’m curious. Which platform are you using, Meghan?
[Meghan] I currently have my email marketing campaigns set up in MailerLite. I’ve found it to be easy to use, and I have the free version. But, my emails are straightforward right now. I don’t have a lot of complicated automation.
I’ve tried about five or six email marketing tools. In this case, the tool to choose really depends on how complex your campaigns and automation are.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
[Theresa] If you blog, vlog, or podcast then you likely want to get found in search. And you can’t do that without talking about Search Engine Optimization or SEO.
I blog and I podcast (obviously), so I spend a fair amount of time on keyword research. I can lose hours on this task if I’m not careful. And boy, can I get lost down a rabbit hole.
So, to prevent that from happening I use a keyword research tool called Ubersuggest.
You can use Ubersuggest to
- Find relevant keywords
- Analyze your competitors’ keyword strategies
- Track keyword trends over time
- See how difficult it is to rank for a specific keyword
- Discover keyword opportunities (for example, keyword variations)
- Generate content ideas based on keywords and topics
- Monitor your website’s SEO performance
I just love how much time I save using Ubersuggest. Not only is it a productive way to conduct keyword research, but it also improves my marketing efforts.
You can get started with Ubersuggest for free. So definitely check it out.
[Meghan] Since I’m in the business of SEO and content marketing, I use a ton of tools in this category! I’m going to agree with Theresa on this one and recommend Ubersuggest, and here’s why.
I feel like Ubersuggest is more usable for non-SEO folks. The way the data is presented, how automated a lot of the research is, and the user interface. It is affordable, especially compared to other tools in this category. And, there’s still a lifetime deal going on. Ubersuggest makes frequent improvements too, and now there’s even an AI writing component offered now! So it’s a win.
AI Tools
[Theresa] Speaking of AI, we couldn’t have a tools list without mentioning artificial intelligence tools, like ChatGPT.
Using AI has saved me so much time. And, it’s also been useful for generating topic ideas, which has been super helpful.
But, I want to mention that I don’t just copy and paste what these tools spit out. I always heavily edit the copy I’ve received to ensure that it’s of high quality, accurate, and it has my voice.
I know Meghan is dying to jump in here. Go for it, Megs.
[Meghan] I’ve got lots to say! Too much for this episode!
I’ll share three things about AI writing tools. First, they can be terrific and useful to save time for coming up with content ideas, first drafts, social posts, and titles.
Second, AI uses existing content to create. Sometimes this content is outdated and sometimes it’s incorrect or inaccurate. And, I’m already seeing plagiarism issues pop up since AI content is often copied or regurgitated.
And this leads me to point three. If you’re producing content for SEO, then AI-generated content may bite you in the behind. There’s the risk of publishing the same content as others. And, Google has gotten better at spotting AI-generated content. If you look at Google’s Helpful Content Update, then you’ll notice an algorithm update that is designed to reward websites that produce high-quality content written for people.
So, be careful! The rule is don’t just copy, paste, and post. As Theresa said, review for accuracy and edit.
[Theresa] So, if you want to play around with ChatGPT, you can do that for free. Or you can upgrade to the Plus plan. (which they’ve launched at $20/mo)
A Few Final Thoughts about Marketing and Productivity Tools
[Theresa] Whew! Well, that should give you something to think about. And we didn’t even get to every marketing and productivity tool that we use.
[Meghan] Right! The list is even longer! Obviously, you don’t necessarily need all of the tools we mentioned in today’s episode.
But if you are looking to try some new tools, don’t try them all at once!
[Theresa] That’d be a productivity nightmare!
[Meghan] Indeed! Instead, pick one category to explore, like time management or SEO. Then take a look at the tools we mentioned and see if something looks good for you.
[Theresa] And remember, it’s not about using all of the tools. It’s about using the right tools. Meaning those that will help you achieve your goals and fit with your type of business.
It may be one of the online business tools we mentioned, but it might be something different. Find what works for you and your needs.
We’d love to know which of these marketing and productivity tools you’ll check out. Let us know in the comments.
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I’m a first-time author of a nonfiction book about a historical event. I agree with many of your tools and I’d like to contribute one, as well. I use Obsidian (dot md) for note-taking. I have used Evernote, Google Docs, and others, but I really like the features Obsidian offers. While you can organize content in folders, I’ve moved to an index similar to the Dewey Decimal system and it works great for me. -Glenn
I’ve never heard of Obsidian, so thank you for sharing it and for leaving us a comment! We love hearing from readers and listeners. I have stopped using Evernote for now and have moved to the Notes app since I usually need to take notes on the go. Organizing content by a Dewey Decimal system type of setup is an idea I had never considered. Very interesting! Thanks again for your insight. – Meghan 🙂