When running an online business, whether big or small, staying organized and having the right productivity tools is key.
The good news is that there are plenty of tools, platforms and skills available to make sure you keep everything where it needs to be and push your business forward. Whether you’re an established business or just starting out, you need these eight things in your life.
Programs & Tools Every Online Business Owner Needs
The great thing about running an online business is that you have the potential to reach millions. However, to do so successfully, you need to have everything in place. Let’s talk about the eight tools and skills that will help you perform your best.
1. Project Management Tool
As you grow and employ more people, a project management tool is key. This is specifically the case if you have remote workers, which is more than likely to be the case if the nature of your business is online. We’re talking about tools like Slack, Asana, ClickUp, and Trello, to name just a few.
These tools help you to manage your workflow efficiently and keep communication in one place. You can assign tasks to individuals and stay up to date with progress, without having to continually check in and find out what’s going on. A tool such as this is also ideal for planning, as you can see your current state of affairs laid out in front of you.
As far as sharing information goes, these tools are also useful. You can attach documents and files with work processes included, so everyone knows what they need to do. Overall, a project management tool should be one of the first things you download as an online business owner.
2. Knowledge of SEO
When it comes to standing out, SEO is the number one aid in getting you there. If you’re unaware, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s a method of ensuring that your site ranks high on search engine results, specifically Google.
When you create your website, write your blog, or build any marketing material, SEO should appear within all of that. It means using high-ranking keywords naturally throughout your work so that when someone searches for that term, your site is more likely to pop up in front of them. All you have to do from here is hope they click and purchase whatever you’re offering.
SEO can be complicated but it’s something that’s more than worthwhile to learn. If you find it all too complicated, you can hire a freelancer with SEO experience to help you cover all bases. It’s certainly worth the extra expenditure to get this right. Learn more about SEO in our article, here.
3. A Quality, Up-To-Date Website
This might seem like a no-brainer but it’s surprising how many companies don’t focus on the basics. A high-quality, up-to-date website is vitally important for every online business. To compare, if you had a brick and mortar store, you’d want your store to be clean, easy to navigate, and full of appealing things, right? Your website is the online equivalent.
Taking the time to design (or get someone else to design) your website means you’re laying the foundation right. However, it doesn’t stop there. Once you’re live, it’s crucial to continually update your site, make sure all links are correct and working, and, as before, use SEO to keep your site as high-ranking as possible.
Again, if you find it hard to design a website, you can outsource this job to an expert. However, you’ll find many website-building tools that make the job easy.
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4. Analytics Tools
Whether your business is established or brand new, you need numbers to see how you’re doing and to highlight the areas you can improve on. Google Analytics is a great option for this as it gives you all the information you need in one handy place. From how much traffic your site is generating to where that traffic originates, you’ll have plenty of data to utilize.
The plus point is that compared to many analytical tools, Google Analytics is really easy to use, which is ideal for new business owners. You can also break traffic data down into smaller or larger time periods, and search for trends and changes.
Overall, a strong analytical tool, be it Google Analytics or another option, will help you to understand how your business is doing and where you can drive change.
5. Regular Online Meetings
Most online businesses have remote employees, ranging from just one to a few hundred. It’s important to stay connected and communicate regularly to ensure the smooth running of your business. The aforementioned project management tool will help toward this aim, but regular meetings are key.
Zoom and other meeting software options, such as Skype, are ideal for regular check-ins with your team. Of course, these don’t need to be too regular, (otherwise, nobody will get any work done), but regular catch-ups help to check in and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Scheduling team meetings once per week, at the same time every week, is a good idea and allows everyone to fall into a routine. Then, prepare an agenda that keeps your team members informed of what is going on. You can also have Q&A sessions at the end, and go around the virtual room to allow anyone to raise a question or something they want to discuss.
6. Document Storage
All businesses have documents they need to keep safe, be it for tax or legal reasons or simply to have something to refer back to. Thankfully, the days of bursting filing cabinets are long gone, and would never work for an online business anyway. When it comes to saving key records, using cloud storage and options like Dropbox is ideal.
If you have a team working for you, everyone can access the files via a password, keeping everything secure and accessible to only those who need it. It’s a good idea to regularly check the files you’re storing to clear out or archive any documents you no longer need, but remember that certain documents should be kept for a set amount of time.
There are many cloud storage options to choose from, so it’s worth exploring different ones and finding a storage amount that suits your needs and budget.
7. Email Marketing
Once you’ve attracted customers, you need to retain them. Retention is an invaluable part of the online business process and yet is something that many businesses overlook. However, it’s as simple as utilizing email marketing.
When a customer purchases something from you, be sure to collect their email address. If you have their consent to do so, you can send them periodic updates about your business and products. This could take the form of newsletters, which are very effective for keeping attention firmly where you want it.
MailChimp is a great tool for storing emails and creating newsletters to send to your contacts. The newsletter design tool helps you create attention-grabbing documents that keep your current customers intrigued, meaning you can look forward to a constant stream of business while attempting to attract new customers at the same time.
8. Strong Social Media Presence
Finally, we have a no-brainer. Social media is extremely important for online businesses because you can engage with millions of people around the world and target new customers around the clock. Look for Facebook groups that suit your business niche and advertise your services, comment on posts, and direct attention toward your business. Regularly posting on your social media pages is a great way to keep people informed and updated on all you have going on.
It is, however, important to know where your customers typically hang out. Don’t waste time developing a strong presence on X (formerly Twitter) if your customers don’t typically use that platform. Instead, focus on the sites they’re more invested in, such as Instagram or Facebook.
Developing and maintaining a strong social media presence takes time and effort, but it’s more than worth it for the attention it can create. Of course, you hope that attention translates to purchases and repeat business, but it’s a great way to engage with your customer base, help develop loyalty, and increase awareness about your niche.
In Conclusion
Running an online business can often feel like juggling several balls in the air at once. That’s why having a strong library of resources and skills can help you stay organized and avoid missing anything important. From developing a quality website to having a strong social media presence, the eight tools we’ve talked about in this feature will help you direct your focus and attention where it needs to be.
Maybe you already have several in place, or perhaps you need to look at some of the suggestions and implement them. Either way, having a range of tools and skills in your arsenal helps you avoid competitors identifying your weak spots and potentially swooping in to take advantage.
