1. Online Document Sharing
Gone are the days of emailing multiple revisions back and forth (and wondering which one is the most up to date). Online word processors make creating documents and sharing them online easy. Whether you are working with a team member or need to present something to a client for revisions, online documents are the way to go.
Google Docs is a leader in this field, thanks to its simplicity, flexibility, and integration with all other Google offerings (such as Gmail). However, its not the only dog in the show. Zoho puts out a very nice suite of online products, including document sharing. You can also work on documents together within some popular collaboration programs, like Basecamp and MemberHub.
When Microsoft releases their new version of Office, they will also be releasing a free online office suite. This will be worth checking out, and should become a strong competitor, especially since so many people are already familiar with Microsoft Word.
If you are sharing a spreadsheet online, you can do it through Google Docs, but a better option is SmartSheet. SmartSheet focuses on just spreadsheets, and loads up some great options, including two of my favorites, calendar view and SmartSourcing. With SmartSourcing, you can crowd source information for your spreadsheet for a few cents per answer.
2. Online CRM
There is no question in my mind. You should be hosting your CRM online. Accessibility is the name of the game when it comes to customer information. With an online CRM, you can ensure that each of your employees is working with the same data, and when one person updates, everyone will see the update. As far as security and safety goes, online CRM companies are actually a lot better than you at keeping your data safe (do you know how to keep hackers off your hard drive?) and keeping it backed up (when was the last time you did a back up, and where are you storing it?). If I have a computer go down, I can quickly switch to a new one and be up and running with my CRM instantly.
I use two different CRMs. The first one is Highrise, from 37signals. It is a very nice and easy to use CRM, with lots of great features. The one down side is that it is not very customizable and doesn’t provide reports. That’s where CRM number 2 comes in. BatchBook from BatchBlue Software is much more customizable. It has a super tag structure that allows you to organize your data in unique ways. You can also track your customers social media activity and you can easily integrate your data with other online software companies, such as MailChimp and Freshbooks. They have also just introduced online forms so that you can have a customer fill out a form and it will automatically go into your CRM.
3. Email Marketing Software
One of the best ways to keep customers and get new ones regularly is through an email newsletter. With the newsletter, you can stay in front of customers and prospects very inexpensively. Do it right, and you will build loads of trust and even add on new prospects regularly.
There are a ton of email marketing software companies out there, and most of them offer a free trial and are very inexpensive. Which you choose will depend upon your specific needs. I currently use two companies.
The first company is MailChimp. This is an extremely easy to use email marketing program. You can sign up and use it for free if you have a list under 100. So go ahead and play around with it. MailChimp makes it easy to create lists, campaigns, and even autoresponders. This is my favorite email client, and I would highly recommend it for most of your needs.
The other company I use is Big Response. It isn’t as fun, but it has some functionality that really shines. The one thing in particular that Big Response offers that many email clients don’t is triggers. With Big Response, you can trigger emails to go out based on certain dates. This is different from an autoresponsder, which spaces emails out a certain number of days or by certain events. I use the date based triggers to send emails out on custom dates for each client. They get pertinent emails that relate to their specific sale on dates that coincide with that sale. This is not a feature that everyone needs, but it makes customization very easy for those that do need it. In simplest terms, you could automatically send out a birthday greeting every year to each of your customers on their birthdays.
4. Social Media
If you want to be online with your business, you need to be involved with social media on some level. The big three places to be right now are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Keep in mind that all could change (practically overnight).
It is free to start an account at each of these sites. However, don’t just start accounts and do nothing with them. I suggest spending a good month or so with each social media tool that you want to use, until you really learn what you can do with it.
Social media is all about communication, or more specifically, conversation. This is not where you blast your marketing message. Instead, you will want to use social media to build your email list, to help you establish yourself as an expert, and to soft sell your business.
5. Email
You are already on email, but I can’t ignore the tool which is still the lynch-pin of the online business world. You are probably already moving more and more of your business communications to email. If this is the case, be a little careful. Email is convenient for all parties involved, but a personal phone call from time to time is still in order.
The best email service by far is Gmail. This free email service is very flexible and very organized. You can easily sync with a calendar, online documents, and more. You can even use your official email address through Gmail. If you don’t have a custom email address, such as you@yourwebsite.com, you can easily set on up using Google Apps.
That’s my list of 5 important online tools for a small business. Can you think of any more? If so, please leave a comment below. If you want any more detailed information on any of my above suggestions, leave a comment or email me and I will be glad to help!
photo credit: fdecomite
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Bradford Shimp is the publisher of All Biz Answers. He is also the co-creator of Idea Anglers, a place to see your ideas come to life through collaboration. Follow on Twitter @bradfordshimp. Let Bradford help you with your business – visit BroadRiverCreative.com
