No business can survive, let alone thrive, without the right tools. If you want your small startup to grow into a sterling success, you need to have the right tools in your toolkit to find and organize customers, plus build up your customer base through smart and strategic marketing. Let’s take a look at nine of the best tools you need for your business in 2023 and beyond.
- Open-Source Search Engines
Open-source search engines are comprehensive software programs that help website visitors find key information on your website. They’re like Google, but more targeted – even better, you can implement them right on your digital storefront, helping clients or customers find specific blog posts, products, and even information from outside across the Internet.
Of course, there are many different open-source search engines to choose from, as indicated in this Solr vs. Elasticsearch comparison by Expertrec. Still, it’s a good idea to have at least one search engine working on your site sooner rather than later, as the larger your site grows, the more your web visitors will need it!
- Email Marketing/EasySendy Pro
Email marketing is still alive and well—it’s just gotten more sophisticated. As you start to establish your customer base and make connections with them, you’ll need an easy-to-use email marketing platform to leverage. EasySendy Pro is a great tool for sending out personalized emails to your customers, no matter their size.
EasySendy Pro also uses AI-driven automation to help you send out emails en masse, without sacrificing the personal touch. This tool helps you build your customer base and keep them engaged, thanks to the customizable templates and powerful analytics that come with it.
Good news for the small Business Entity
- Customer/Client Credit Checkers
If your business model relies on customers borrowing money from you, or if you have credit accounts for big spenders or consistent customers, you need to know whether you can trust them to pay back their debts. That means accessing a lending API, such as CRS Credit API, or another type of customer or client credit checker software.
Note that this business tool can be extremely beneficial when bringing on new clients for the first time. A client might look good on paper, for example, but a credit check might reveal that they aren’t the best person to lend a bunch of cash or extend a credit account to so they can purchase your products upfront.
This tool will only be immediately necessary for some businesses, such as financial or fintech organizations. But it’s a vital ancillary tool to consider as your enterprise grows and your customer base expands no matter your industry.
- Project Management Software
The right project management software will make juggling complex projects and lots of moving pieces much easier. Good project management software allows you to manage workflows, assign team members to specific jobs or objectives, and ensure that your resources are allocated properly.
When used correctly, project management software can even help you divvy up workplace perks or equipment between teams so everyone has what they need to get the job done. For instance, one team might need cheap phone service from Red Pocket, while another might need to move a bunch of office equipment to a temporary location to complete an important project.
Regardless, no business can tackle the biggest projects without project management software leading the charge.
- POS Software and Hardware
If you run a retail storefront, you need a great POS system or point-of-sale system in place from the get-go. The same is true if you run an exclusively online store. A good POS tool allows you to accept customer orders, transfer money seamlessly, and track inventory and purchases throughout the day.
Of course, you can tailor your POS software in order tracking software to your specific industry. For instance, if you run a construction equipment rental company, you can use equipment rental software like Quipli. Alternatively, if you have a small bakery at a physical storefront, a basic, tablet-based POS solution like Square could be right up your alley.
Regardless, make sure you don’t launch your start-up without a POS system in place. Otherwise, you won’t be able to accept any transactions even if you have tons of willing customers!
- Social Media Marketing Software
Social media marketing is a major element of digital marketing these days, and for good reason. It involves putting ads and candid or UGC/user-generated content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and more.
The right social media software will help you unify your marketing efforts across multiple platforms simultaneously, handling and automating tasks like posting content, tracking viewer metrics, and much more. Some software will even help connect you to creators of UGC content, such as Insense.
- Budget Tracking/Accounting Software
Your business’s coffers have limits, which is why it’s important to keep careful track of your expenditures and income with the best accounting software. Good budget tracking software will allow you to see just how much money you have to spend on upcoming product orders or marketing campaigns, plus help you determine whether your business is thriving from revenue or needs some help.
Say that you want to determine the impact of a new expense for your business, like what landlord insurance costs, as broken down in this article by Steadily. Good accounting software can help you model just how much of a financial impact a new regular expense will place on your operations, helping you make wiser business decisions on the whole.
- Inventory Management Software
Inventory management software is also crucial, as it allows you to determine how much product you have in your warehouses or storage facilities at any one time. Good inventory management software will prevent you from running out of stock at an inopportune moment.
Say that you’re running low on sprinter van accessories from Flatline Van Co. If your software alerts you of this, you can order more before you run out, preventing customer dissatisfaction.
- CRM Software
Last but not least is CRM or customer relationship management software. Stellar CRM software like Salesforce will help you manage your clients and customers by allowing you to track their details, organize contact information, and integrate that information with other apps so you can master personalized marketing campaigns, like email ads, special offers, and much more. If your business relies on sales at all, CRM software will be key to your long-term success and profitability.
Wrap Up
As you can see, you can use lots of great tools to build up your business from scratch in 2023. Try using as many of these tools as possible to maximize your customer growth and marketing effectiveness!