Running a small business is a full-time job. You have to wear multiple hats and manage an array of functions simultaneously. This is especially the case if you don’t have a team to take on some of your duties.
What you may not be aware of is there are many ways to run your firm more efficiently and become more productive with your time. Many of these tools are available to you for free, while others require only a small monthly fee.
Below are six tips, tools, and resources to help make your small company operate more effectively.
1. Make Use of Google Calendar
One of the best free resources at your disposal is Google Calendar. If you already have an email account with Google – as 1.2 billion other folks do – then you already have access to it.
This platform empowers you to get organized, schedule meetings, and receive reminders on important events. But it’s also a great collaborative tool to work with other members of your team.
You can share upcoming events with colleagues or even create separate calendars for different teams and tasks.
2. Use in a Project Management Software
Marketing incentives, sales calls, advertising campaigns, social media pushes, product launches . . . sometimes it feels as if you have a million projects happening all at once when you own a small business, and it can be hard to keep them organized.
Project management software can give you and your crew the ability to manage all your projects in one place. You can track progress, share data, and stay on top of upcoming deadlines to ensure your jobs run smoothly.
Many software programs offer free, basic versions of their platform. Trello, for instance, is an excellent resource that’s completely free for use, and you can upgrade at any time as your business expands.
3. Invest in SMM Panels
Social media can be a prodigious asset to your outfit. It’s your tool for building community, generating leads, and playing an active role in conversations with your audience.
But first you have to know who your audience is and where they’re conducting discussions for you to engage with them. SMM panels offer a range of options to help broaden your following and provide insight with regard to relevant hashtags, locating quality content to share with your audience, and enhancing your use of social media discoveries.
4. Automate Your Email Campaigns
When you run a business, automation is your friend. The more you can activate self-operating functions, the more time you’ll have to tackle more important tasks.
Email plays a critical role for small firms because it can generate leads, convert your existing audience into greater sales, and inform your contacts about the latest developments in your company.
Platforms like Mailchimp and Moosend offer free versions for small business owners who are just starting their email list. You can design a beautifully crafted email funnel that automatically sends communiques out to anyone who signs up.
Mailchimp’s free version, for instance, enables you to send up to 10,000 emails each month to a maximum of 2,000 contacts. Their pricing is affordable if your business growth demands more than that.
5. Delegate the Small Tasks
Little things tend to add up though they may not be a top priority. They linger on your to-do list and haunt you throughout the day.
Instead of trying to micromanage every small task, try delegating some of them. If you have another member on your team, ask her or him to take ownership.
If you’re running the show on your own, you might think about hiring a virtual assistant. They’re affordable and can be flexible about the days and times you need their support.
Someone else can take on the responsibility of the minor chores while you focus your energy on the big, revenue-generating ones.
6. Schedule Social Media Content
Another way to automate your workflow is to schedule your social media content. It can be irritatingly time-consuming to have to create a new post for each of your platforms every day and then follow up with regular engagement.
Instead, take a day or two to generate all the content you’ll need to release over the coming month. Then you can use platforms like Planoly or Hootsuite to schedule the publication of your content.
Thirty days of posts can be prepared in one or two days, and over the next four weeks you’ll spend a fraction of the time you used to, checking your notifications in the morning.
Summary
We get it. Running a small business can seem like a heavy load. But if you’re willing to make some changes, you can easily find ways to experience real growth with your company.
Investigate methods of becoming more organized through the use of free online software. Automate as much of your digital workflow as you can. And when in doubt, hire a little extra help to take on some of your small and simple tasks.
