Running a small-to-medium-sized business (whether it’s on your own or with a few other partners) means facing many uphill challenges on a daily basis, not the least of which is deciding where to spend your money. When it comes to an overall marketing plan, it can sometimes feel like you can’t get anywhere without some major moolah.
But don’t forget that a little ingenuity can go a long way, even if you’re strapped for cash. Here’s a little holiday gift just for you: some exciting free (or cheap!) tools to help you get organized, boost your social strategy and enhance your marketing approach without breaking the bank.
WorkFlowy
When it comes to brainstorming, building big picture of tasks that need to get done and breaking down goals into smaller jobs, nothing beats a good old-fashioned to-do list. The creators of WorkFlowy have created an online tool that takes to-do lists to the next logical level by making them “zoomable.” You can zoom all the way out to get a comprehensive look of everything that’s on your list, or focus in to get down to nitty gritty details.
Pixlr
Photo editing programs like Photoshop are great, but they’re expensive and require a huge investment in time to master. Creating original visual content for your newsfeed is important though, so being able to quickly throw some text on an image or create a collage can come in handy. Pixlr lets you do that and more from the comfort of your browser window. Looking for an alternative? PicMonkey is another great choice.
Dropbox
If you’re still sending important documents and images through email as attachments, do yourself a favor and start using Dropbox. We’ve all had an instance of digging back from old messages to rescue a misplaced attachment only to find that it’s almost impossible to locate again. Dropbox takes the guesswork out of finding important marketing materials like images. It also allows for quick and easy sharing across hard drives and cloud storage. Looking for other ways to share important information through cloud storage? Get on Google Drive
Statigram
So you’re carefully keeping track of important analytics on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. That’s great! But what about Instagram, a growing visual and social platform that young people are flocking to? If Instagram is already an important part of your social strategy, make sure that you’re using a program like Statigram to capture relevant analytics about your followership.
Upworthy
Looking to take a pulse of the web? Upworthy is a great site for checking out emerging trends and viral videos. While it’s not a golden goose for producing your own viral content, it can lead the way towards discovering which way conversations on the web are shifting. Check it out regularly for inspiration.
What free (or cheap) online tools are up your sleeve? Which tools have you ditched in the last year in favor of new ones? Share your ideas in the comments below.
