In any type of business, digital tools have become a necessity. With technology being embedded in everything we do, going digital has become a requirement. Digital apps can increase your employees’ productivity and enable your business’s seamless running across all sectors.
So, digital tools can facilitate business practices and enable efficient communication between you, as the manager, and your team. Not to mention, due to the pandemic, companies have been forced to move entirely online. This has been a challenge for many of them. Apart from tools for communication, there are many others that are helpful for more specific departments, such as marketing, accounting, or customer service.
Regardless of whether you are about to start a new business or already have a well-established company looking to improve its methods, these tools are advantageous.
Marketing tools
Irrespective of the type of business you have, marketing is crucial to generate new customers and keep the ones you already have interested and loyal to your brand. You might have a small business, and so your marketing team isn’t necessarily too big. Nevertheless, digital tools can offer helpful marketing insights and data analytics that you can use to implement effective campaigns.
However, even with digital tools and the advent of the Internet, industries that rely on voice calls still exist and are flourishing. Cold calling is still an effective lead generation technique, especially in the real estate and medical sectors. Virtual phone systems like Call Cowboy have been a massive help in meeting the quotas for sales calls and outreach. Their auto dialer and predictive dialer can handle hundreds of cold calls at a limited time. And, although your staff members are based abroad, you can utilize a local number for a greater chance of being answered by your prospects.
Email marketing
This type of marketing is essential for your business. By using this strategy, you can create direct, more personalized communication with your target audience. Not only that, but you will be able to increase brand awareness and build upon your brand-customer relationship. This will translate into a sales increase which is highly necessary for a business to survive.
So, for an effective email marketing strategy, there are tools that you can use, such as a marketing software. What these tools do is offer you features like adding a list of your customers’ emails or creating and scheduling newsletters. It’s also a good custom to be considerate of your customer’s safety. A proxy server is advised because it will help you in preventing online hackers from accessing a private network.
Utilizing the best approach in email marketing and using the right platform can increase your email click rate. And, once your prospects open the email you sent, the chances they’ll buy your products will be higher, especially if you’ve embedded an attractive offer. What’s great about using email marketing software is its ability to send thousands of emails in one click. You can categorize your leads from cold to warm, and craft appropriate messaging for each category.
Social media marketing
In today’s environment, social media is where everything happens. People use social media platforms to share photo and video content as well as access information. So, your customers are most definitely using such networking sites to share content with each other.
About 60% of the global population is on social media, so, banking on its strengths is imperative. With social media, you can make a hyper-focused ad targeting your audience through the help of algorithms. This way, you’ll know your content will be shown to the right people.
For this reason, it is essential you invest both time and money in creating content for your brand to increase its visibility across all channels. Tools like social media management software can help you manage all your social media accounts more efficiently. Their features include creating various posts and schedule them, so you don’t have to worry about missing the time when there is the most traffic. In addition, they offer a detailed report on engagement and posts performance as well as important analytics such as demographics.
File sharing
When you work within a team, there is highly necessary to share files and reports so that everyone can have access to the information. Digital tools such as Google Drive have valuable features that facilitate everyone’s work. You can share files between departments and even make any necessary edits. Moreover, you can upload any type of documents, such as written or data-driven reports.
No matter if you need to upload word documents or PDFs, Google Drive is a digital tool that allows you to do this. However, a PDF file usually doesn’t let you make any edits. In this case, by using an online PDF converter, you will be able to make changes and then reupload it for sharing. PDFs are often the preferred option, thanks to the advantage of maintaining the layout of the file. Similarly, a PDF file doesn’t have compatibility issues with other devices, as it can happen with Word documents. So, being able to convert a PDF file is highly necessary. Otherwise, such technical issues could interfere with the firm’s productivity.
Graphic design tools
You can use tools to create graphics for your online content, and you don’t have to worry about hiring a graphic designer if you’re not at that stage in your business yet. Canva, for instance, has many features that benefit beginners, as it has a multitude of templates. Without too complex settings, its user-friendly interface helps create high-quality visual content quite fast, regardless of the level of experience you have. It gives you the ability to create video content as well if you want your online to be more interactive. And don’t worry about the file type – you can download your design even as a PDF suitable for printing in case you need to create leaflets. What’s more, you won’t have to spend too much on more difficult programs or hiring highly skilled talent.
Communication
If your business works only on a work-from-home basis, it is likely you are already using digital tools to facilitate communication. However, some companies are not used to them, especially if they weren’t a necessity before the pandemic.
So, apps like Skype or Zoom are tailored to make virtual communication as seamless as possible. You can create “rooms” where you can hold your business meetings, chat with your entire team, or privately only with one member. Although it might be challenging if you encounter technical problems, these digital tools help maintain your business’ productivity.
Goal Tracking
When you have a business, it is vital you set goals specific to every department. For the business to grow, your teams will have to have a clear vision of the company’s objectives in order to implement strategies effectively and reach their individual goals.
Specific digital tools allow businesses to keep an organized structure of their tasks by urgency and difficulty. Moreover, team leaders and managers can make use of digital tools, such as Strides, to keep track of your employees’ performance. This way, you can analyze your teams’ progress, plan future projects and set new deadlines. To reach specific goals and have your team perform well, it is important you celebrate achievements so your employees feel appreciated and stay motivated. So, besides goal tracking, such a digital tool can show when someone has reached their target and achieved a new milestone. All these features are beneficial for your business’ productivity, as they can help your teams stay organized and avoid any miscommunication regarding everyone’s responsibilities.