There are many tools online that are geared to help you run your business successfully and creatively. But finding reliable resources and knowing where to start can be challenging. The tools below are available to you at no cost (and that doesn’t mean they’re not super high quality and worth checking out). So have a look - the WIX Blog outlines these tool that are ready and waiting for your success...
First and foremost:
BUILD A WEBSITE (with WIX -- shameless plug)
Your business needs a website – there’s no doubt about that. WIX offers specialized tools, apps, etc. tailored for every industry imaginable.
SEND EMAIL NEWSLETTERS
Email marketing is a powerful way to reach out to past and potential customers and let them know what’s new in your business. Whether you want to promote a sale, advertise an event, solicit donations or just say “Happy Spring,” an email newsletter is a great way to stay in touch.
With WIX ShoutOut, you can quickly create newsletters that match your branding and your website, and then send them out (for free!) to everyone on your contact list. WIX also offers a contact management solution, meaning you can manage your entire online business straight from your WIX account.
BE A SOCIAL MEDIA GURU
You know you’re supposed to use social media to find new clients and keep up with your former ones, but you just can’t seem to carve out the time to do so. EntereClincher! The social media tool (conveniently available for free in the Wix App Market) is designed to make it easy for you to manage up to 10 social media profiles. A killer time-saver, eClincher lets you publish, schedule, auto post, monitor, engage, analyze and generate new leads.
TRACK YOUR WEB TRAFFIC ON GOOGLE ANALYTICIS
With Google Analytics, you can unearth reams of detailed data about who is visiting your website, how they are finding you and what they are doing once they’re on your site. The tool offers priceless information to help you understand your site visitors and improve your website to better serve their needs.
PRO GRAPHICS AND BRANDING
Want a new logo or a gorgeous image for that tri-fold brochure you’re creating? Before you start scrounging around for a random graphic designer and collecting price quotes, check out what’s going on over at emoBRAND. Their creativity shines bright and you will experience business change for the better.
CONFERENCE CALLS ON SKYPE
There’s no doubt about it – it’s a global world. And from time to time, almost any business needs to hop on a call with partners or clients who are thousands of miles away. With Skype, you can set up free conference calls with as many as 25 people, and as long as they have an account with Skype, the service is completely free!
LINKEDIN: THE NETWORKING NO-BRAINER
Think LinkedIn is only useful if you’re looking for a job? Think again! The professional social networking tool is not just a great place to look for candidates to fill that new job opening, either. You can meet other professionals in your field, network with industry experts and get valuable insight and advice using LinkedIn groups. Plus, the platform can help you gain exposure for your business. Invest a few minutes in creating a profile for your business (in addition to your personal profile), chime in on some high-level discussions, post the latest news from your field and uncover amazing business opportunities.
SECURE YOUR LEGAL SIDE
The cost of legal aid and advice doesn’t usually come cheap. Just an hour with a lawyer can run for hundreds of dollars and drafting up contracts and legal agreements can quickly ring up a hefty price tag. That’s one of the reasons that Shake is such a remarkable business tool! The website is full of free legal documents that you can use for your business. From NDAs and loan agreements to freelance contracts and bills of sale, just find the document you need, customize it for your business, sign it and send.
STORE AND SHARE FILES WITH DROPBOX (my personal preference)
If you’re looking for a place to safely store and share files, DropBox might just be the answer to your prayers. Rather than dishing out dollars to pay for a server, you can use DropBox’s free service and store your files in the cloud. Grant remote access to several employees, set sharing preferences for specific files and take advantage of real-time file syncing. DropBox is also a great tool for businesses who need to send and share large files with clients. Web developers, graphic designers and photographers can easily upload photographs and documents using the tool.