Running a small business can be chaotic, stressful, and things can get unorganized. Keeping your business organized by optimizing daily tasks is important so that you can focus on growing your business. Luckily, there are online tools that can help you and your team stay on top of different tasks. Let’s take a look at some of our top picks for online tools for small businesses!
Task Organization
Trello
Trello is an online task organization and project management tool. Create boards, lists, and cards that will help you organize your tasks and projects in a easy-to-understand, visually appealing way. Tag your colleagues, delegate tasks, and track the progress all in one platform.
Trello is great for:
- Individual or team use
- Daily task organization
- Project tracking
Disadvantages to using Trello:
- Storage is limited if you are a basic member.
- Trello is better suited for smaller projects than larger projects.
Advantages to using Trello:
- There are 3 simple pricing tiers. The lowest basic level is free, and the highest Enterprise level costs just under $21 per month.
- Trello is mobile-friendly and can be accessed via the mobile app on a tablet or smartphone. Access Trello wherever you are, whenever you need to.
- When comments or updates are made, you will receive an email notification. You’ll never miss out on any important details!
Other Task Organization suggestions: Asana, Monday
Project Management
Airtable
Airtable is a spreadsheet-database hybrid platform that will help your team organize, plan, and manage projects. Focused on collaboration and data organization, Airtable can be used for almost anything.
Airtable is great for:
- Project planning and management
- Workflow automation and scheduling
- Budget and expense management
- Tracking processes
Disadvantages to using Airtable:
- The Airtable mobile app often crashes and can be slow at times.
- It takes time to fully explore and understand the platform.
Advantages to using Airtable:
- Airtable has an affordable pricing structure, starting with a free basic level that includes the essential features that a small business would need.
- Airtable has a flexible structure, and users can switch between grid, calendar, form, and stacked card views. It allows you to customize your workflow the way you want it.
Other Project Management suggestion: Smartsheet
Social Media Management
Promoboxx
Promoboxx is a digital marketing platform that connects retailers with industry content as well as content from their favorite brands. Access digital marketing content, and share directly to your social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), send in an email, or download to use wherever you’d like! Just choose your content, customize your message or use the brand’s suggestion, and schedule your post! Best part of all – Promoboxx is free for all retailers!
Promoboxx is great for:
- An endless amount of industry and brand content at your fingertips
- Saving time and money on digital marketing
- Expanding reach on social media
Disadvantages to using Promoboxx:
- If you create your own digital marketing content, you will have to schedule that on another social media management platform or natively within the app.
Advantages to using Promoboxx:
- Promoboxx is free for all retailers!
- Endless Marketing® powered by Promoboxx is a channel on Promoboxx that was created by the Team at Endless Aisles. This gives you access to endless amounts of pet related content for Shopping Local, Trending Hashtags, Coupons, Giveaways, holidays like National Walk Your Dog Month, Memorial Day, and more to balance out the branded content on your feeds!
- The Promoboxx Support team is extremely attentive, and available for live support Monday through Friday, 9-5pm ET. They offer online resources, webinars, phone demos, and will work with you to help your business succeed.
Other Social Media Management suggestion: Hootsuite
Email Marketing
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that helps you manage and communicate with your customers. Email marketing with Mailchimp is seamless, and real-time analytics will help you identify what works best for your customers.
Mailchimp is great for:
- Well-designed, professional emails
- An all-in-one CRM solution
Disadvantages to using Mailchimp:
- Mailchimp has limited email automation capabilities.
- Emails sent via Mailchimp typically end up in the “Promotions” tab for Gmail users, which is often neglected by users.
Advantages to using Mailchimp:
- Mailchimp has multiple pricing tiers, the lowest tier being free of cost for businesses with under 2,000 contacts. Mailchimp’s pricing structure calculates price based on your audience size, so you get good “bang for your buck”.
- The drag-and-drop email builder is easy-to-use, and will help you create professional emails. You can start from scratch or use a pre-made template and add your content and information without any coding needed.
- Mailchimp reporting gives you insights into how your emails are performing, where your customers are located, shows you how your analytics compare to the industry standards, and helps you better understand your marketing efforts.
Other Email Marketing suggestion: Constant Contact
Print & Digital Design
Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create assets for print and digital use with a drag-and-drop builder. Create assets for social media, bag stuffers, business cards, and more, with Canva’s templates.
Canva is great for:
- Creating print design assets
- Creating digital design assets
- Saving money on a graphic designer
Disadvantages to using Canva:
- The Canva mobile app is sometimes glitchy and can shift images.
- The free version is basic and only includes very basic features.
- Some images and templates are only available for purchase.
Advantages to using Canva:
- Canva is affordable for small businesses, offering a free version, as well as a Pro version at only $9.95 per month with extra features and templates.
- Canva is extremely user-friendly, and has been dubbed “graphic design for dummies” by users. It provides many professionally created templates to work off of, so anyone can use it.
- You can upload your own images, and use Canva’s catalog of images, text layouts, and more to create beautifully designed assets for your business.
- You don’t need to worry about image sizing – just select what types of asset you want to make. Canva will help you create everything from Facebook or Instagram posts, to flyers or business cards. You can even enter your own dimensions if you want to create something completely custom.
Other Print & Digital Design suggestion: Snappa