Running a small business can be tough, especially when you are trying to juggle the responsibilities of managing your company and finding new customers. Sometimes it feels like there is not enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done, which is why we’ve created this list of 7 (almost) free software tools for running your small business more efficiently.
These tools will help you save money on expensive services and give you back hours each week that would have otherwise been spent doing menial tasks!
Let’s start with the most frustrating and painful operation that occurs multiple times a day and will put a business owner over the edge in a matter of seconds; password management.
LastPass
Keeping track of all the different passwords needed to log into your business accounts, social media pages, and secure documents can be a nightmare. LastPass Password Manager is a free tool or paid premium service that will help you stop worrying about forgetting passwords! All you have to do is remember one password for LastPass and quit battling with your logins wasting valuable time and unnecessary frustration.
For $36/year, there is absolutely no reason why any small business owner should be battling with their passwords. Even worse, most owners are using the same simple passcode for every site with an exclamation point at the end, just to include a “special” character. Open up a new tab immediately, follow this link and sign up for LastPass today. I thank my lucky stars at least 5 times a day that I invested pennies per year on this time-saving security software. You can start with a trial but why waste the time? LastPass allows a paid subscriber to connect multiple devices which means you can easily enter your password on your mobile device even if you set up the login from your desktop. Enough said…do yourself and everyone else that might need access a favor and invest in LastPass. Sign up for a FREE TRIAL here.
Google Drive
Are you tired of looking for the documents you stored in that one place but can’t remember where? Google Drive is a place where you can create, share and keep all of your documents secure. It’s simple to use and accessible from anywhere on any device. You can access it on the web at drive.google.com or through our mobile app for Android or iOS (iPhone/iPad). Google also has desktop apps that will allow you to work offline on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux computers. I recommend setting up levels of folders for each client or important section for your business like documents, logos, photos, etc. Then use subfolders to easily find what you are looking for later on. (Example: Photos > Jobsites > Type of Work > Before & Afters)
If you are using GMAIL or Google WorkSpace you can easily save PDFs or files from emails with a few clicks of the mousepad. No need to just download it to the desktop and then forget about it, you can quickly save it to the proper folder from Gmail. This means no more wasting time searching through folders or emailing yourself documents just so you don’t forget about them later! It also means less risk of losing important information when something happens to your computer or phone since everything is backed up online in one safe place where everyone has access 24/7/365.
Google Sheets
Share your data with others easily within or outside your organization without ever having to leave the app or desktop. Stay up to date and schedule tasks for completion and organize current projects all from one place. Similar to Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets is a cloud-based spreadsheet software with hundreds of formulas for calculations but is also widely used to track projects, build editorial calendars, and track social media postings.
Google Docs
Google Docs is a powerful tool for small business owners who need to save important documents and share them. Documents can be created, saved, edited by multiple people at the same time, and easily accessed from anywhere with an internet connection or even stored for offline use.
Google Docs also has features such as email notifications when others make changes to your document so you can provide feedback in real-time. Save time by writing your company blog posts in Google Docs and then using a WordPress plugin to quickly post your article.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, demographics, conversion goals, and much more. It provides you with detailed statistics about your visitors, including their demographics (age range) and interests. This information can be an extremely valuable tool for any small business owner hoping to market his or her services on the world wide web or Google Search.
Grammarly
We all know how frustrating it is to read something and find a mistake that could have been easily fixed. Grammarly makes sure everything you type is clear, effective, and mistake-free. It’s the best way to make your writing better and avoid embarrassing typos in the future.
You can use Grammarly on any device – desktop or mobile – so you can write anytime, anywhere. With our easy-to-use browser extension, we help correct your grammar as you browse the web. And with our Microsoft Office add-in for Word and Outlook, we help fix errors as soon as they appear without disrupting your workflow! No matter what platform or device you use, Grammarly will always be there for you whenever inspiration strikes.
Google My Business
A Google My Business, newly name Google Business Profile is a free listing of your business information that appears in Google Search results and Google Maps. When someone searches for your business name or similar products and services, your listing includes details like your business location, phone number, website link, hours of operation, photos, and more. All of the important details that customers need to know before they visit or contact you already show up on the listing.
“4 out of 5 consumers use Google to find local businesses.”
With just one click from search results or Maps, users can call you directly from their device or CLICK FOR DIRECTIONS without even going to your website.
Discovery searches make it easier than ever before for people who are looking for similar businesses like yours to find companies quickly and easily right on their phones while they’re out shopping or traveling around town – which means more potential NEW customers coming through the door every day!
Do you want to show up more often in search results, especially when consumers are searching for similar products and services?
Examples of discovery searches are “restaurants near me,” “cocktail bars,” “local plumber,” “roofing companies near me,” and “best coffee {city}.”
We help restaurants, bars, and local businesses show up more often in search results driving NEW customers to you…literally.
Contact us today for a FREE LOCAL LISTING AUDIT and Google My Business review.
