Most Useful Tools for Online Entrepreneurs
Are you an online entrepreneur looking for some tools that may come in handy in your work? In that case, here are some of the most useful tools for online entrepreneurs. But before that, some context and intro.
Drumrolls 🥁.
Online Entrepreneurs are an ever-increasing demographic. With the globalization of our planet and the rise of buzzwords like "Digital Nomads", more people are opting to work remotely and manage their businesses online. The beauty of this type of venture is that it is incredibly easy to get it off the ground, with minimum investment and startup costs necessary.
With that said, regardless of the job that we do, or the industry that we operate in, there are always ways that our work can be made easier.
Table of Contents
GMail Plugins or Extensions
Let's be honest, Google Mail or Gmail is an incredibly useful mail system as it is and in my opinion the best one of its kind. The fact that you can now easily centralize multiple email accounts together using the site makes managing a business a breeze.
One excellent thing about Google mail that many do not know about is the Gmail plugins available. Gmail plugins (called Addons) are available both for free and for a fee as a premium addition. Plugins include things like expanded signatures (that make it easier to detail your photo/logo and business information) and video messaging.
Why use Gmail Plugins?
Gmail Plugins add an extra level of professionalism to your email communication. For example, sending video messages is more personalized than a text email, and if you are contacting a client whom it is not easy to see and communicate face to face, you may be more likely to convert a sale this way, than via an impersonal, cold pitch email.
See some of the best Gmail extensions.
Online File Storage
Online file storage is a Godsend for online Entrepreneurs, especially if you are working with other people remotely. Gone are the days when you would have to send spreadsheets back and forth to each other and pray that someone hadn't messed up your precious formulas or copied data over to columns incorrectly.
Online file storage systems like Google Drive, Onedrive, pCloud and Dropbox enable you to share files and documents effortlessly. You could be in Australia and your employees could be in Spain, but you could still work on the same spreadsheet at the same time - isn't that awesome?
Best online file storage options
Keyword Research Tools
If you manage an online business, then chances are that you've heard of SEO, even if you don't fully understand it and the sheer mention of it makes you want to take a running jump off a cliff (or you know, something a little less dramatic...)
Why Do You Need Keyword Research Tools?
Optimizing your site for SEO is imperative if you want your potential customers to be able to find you via Google. In simple terms, SEO optimization is basically when the content you have written includes a frequent search term a certain number of times. For example, if you want your site to rank for "best cookies in New York," then you would need to include the phrase "best cookies in New York" through your content several times, and when people search that term, they are directed to your page!
See: The best SEO tools that you can use to do Keyword Research
If your site has a blog section, or you aspire to be a professional Blogger, then this is even more important. Keyword search tools help you to establish what the best keywords are for you to use in your article if you want to drive traffic (and sales!) for your site. Some keyword search tools are free to use, but once you come to grips with how to use them, you may be interested in the additional analytical features offered by premium versions such as the paid version of SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Social Media Management Tools
More and more businesses are realizing the importance of having a social media presence. This is especially true if your business is managed predominantly online in the first place. Social media can be used as part of your branding and to respond to customer communications.
Social Media Automation Tools
Nobody has time to just sit tweeting, Facebooking and Instagramming all day long, which is why social media management tools are great. Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite and EClincher allow you to automatically write out draft social media posts and schedule them for publication automatically.
Pinterest Automation Tools
Pinterest is a form of social media, yes, but its impact on driving traffic to your business site can be significant if utilized in the right way. Many people think of Pinterest as just a website where Holly Housewife can sit pinning pretty pictures of interior designs and outfits to her hobby board. In actuality, it's a visual search engine and the rewards of utilizing it correctly can be phenomenal. The smart online Entrepreneur knows this. Again, as with the social media example, people don't have time to sit pinning all day long and as such, tools like Tailwind and Boardbooster are great for automating processes.
If you need more information as to how Pinterest can impact your online business, you can review this article.
Email Marketing Tools
Email still remains the best, most ROI-rich marketing channel on the web. Omnisend is an email marketing automation tool with an omnichannel approach, letting you integrate several channels like SMS, Facebook Messenger, Web Push notifications. Email marketing doesn‘t require a big team or a lot of know-how to start. You will get fancy templates and predefined email automation workflows in your email marketing software.
Editing Software
These days, people's attention spans are becoming smaller, especially where web content is concerned. People don't want to read through huge chunks of text, they want to skim and see beautiful visuals. With that said, photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom are invaluable for making your images and product shots look incredible.