Many of the world’s large companies invest in the latest technology or tap service providers to make it easier for them to run their business.
Doing the same may not be a practical choice for you, especially when you’ve just started your entrepreneurship journey. But all hope is not lost as the vast worldwide web is home to some of the best business tools that can help you achieve success.
And the best thing? The tools that we’ve listed here are all free!
Top 3 online business tools to optimize your ecommerce business
Google Sheets
A spreadsheet may be one of the most daunting tools any entrepreneur would have to face in doing business. But Google Sheets sets itself apart from similar apps with its easy to navigate interface with most tools needed in constructing spreadsheets, charts, and even tabulations all just a click away.
As part of the Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) ecosystem, it is joined by other equally important apps like Docs for making documents, Slides for creating presentations, Forms for designing your own surveys, polls, or registrations, among other apps in the system.
Helpful for
Accounting: Create your financial documents, including annual and monthly budgets, expense reports, purchase orders, invoices, and inventory. Explore the different functions and features to make your finance-related documents.
Team management: You can keep track of your team and individual shift schedules and create and customize timesheets.
Project management and marketing: If you wish to keep track of efforts and who in your team is assigned to each one, use Sheets to make your calendar, Gantt chart, or event marketing timeline.
Take advantage of
Templates. No time to create spreadsheets from scratch? The Google Workspace ecosystem has templates for standard spreadsheets, presentations, and other documents that you can select and tweak to fit your needs. Customize the titles and adjust the formulas accordingly.
Free storage. There is 15 GB of storage available for your work on Google Drive. Remember, even though the whole workspace is cloud-based and allows you to save your data to their storage, backing up your files on another device is, and will always be, a wise move.
Collaboration. Probably one of its best assets, Google Workspace allows for easier collaboration and sharing of files. It also tracks all the changes made to the document, complete with timestamps.
WordPress
If you are thinking of creating some sort of website or blog site for your brand and products, WordPress would be perfect. WordPress is the go-to website for many people who are dipping their toes into the cyber pool as it is one of the easiest platforms to create a blog or website regardless of their knowledge or skill level in coding.
(Psst, our blog is also running on WordPress!)
Helpful for
Audience reach: Does your business have an online presence already? Keep your customers engaged by producing content through this web publishing software.
Take advantage of
Themes and plugins: Choose from the available selection to design the look and feel of your blog.
Free storage: The tool provides 3 GB of storage to hold your content. You can import your content to and from separate storage or from your blogs from other platforms.
CMS: WordPress offers a Content Management System so you can control and monitor what you produce on your site.
Free tutorials: Learn from tips on how to navigate and maximize your use of this tool.
#NinjaTip
Some people get confused between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. If you want the free platform, then WordPress.comis your option.
Canva
Get 2.3x more engagement on your social media posts when you upload it with relevant and informative images and do it faster with Canva. Considered a leader among online graphic software, the web-based graphics editor helps you simplify the creation of engaging social media posts and meet your other graphics needs such as logos, business cards, and merchandises.
Helpful for
Graphics/Artwork: You don’t need to hire a designer or possess Photoshop skills even if you are not a creative person. Choose from the options, then customize the little details. If you are a creative person, this lightweight web tool speeds up your less demanding graphics workflow.
Marketing/advertising: Use Canva to help your brand visually stand out from the social media clutter. With its features and templates, make every post a showstopper that will bring the clicks that your brand needs.
eBooks: eBooks have become popular for furthering brands and making ebooks is as easy as a few clicks on Canva. Strengthen your brand position with an ebook that is as visually stunning as its content.
Take Advantage of
Templates. Jump from making a poster to an IG post to a brochure and back to a Facebook post with the preset templates on Canva. There are design selections for creating animation, infographics, greeting cards, business cards, social media posts, presentations, and even storyboards.
Free classes. Confused about how to make branding materials for the business? Learn more about what you can do on Canva with its free courses and tutorials about branding and design.
There are alternatives to Canva, such as PicMonkey, Piktochart, Snappa, and DesignBold. You can check them out and find what is best for your needs.
All these productivity tools offer paid features if you want more from them. But with resourcefulness and creativity, you can maximize your use of the free features for your benefit. With help from productivity tools like these, running your business is easier, even with only a small team or a team of one.
