Read more about Tech
Let’s make choosing less problematic for you. In this article, we’ll list out some of the best tech tools you can use for free. These will come in handy if you’re a solopreneur trying to manage your business with little external assistance. They each represent a specific kind of software, built to solve particular problems. Here they are, discussed in no particular order:
Asana
Anyone who’s had to organize and track short-term and long-term projects over digital channels knows that it’s quite demanding without software dedicated to just that purpose. Asana, a “work management” platform, makes it possible for distributed teams to collaborate on projects, monitor progress, and complete tasks. Its relatively easy User Interface has caused it to become a favourite of entrepreneurs, managers, and business professionals alike.Zoho Books
Zoho Books is a part of the suite of Zoho business software. While there’s a paid version that enables you to do more, the free version lets you keep tabs on business expenses, reconcile account sums, and send invoices. Used along with a traditional application like Microsoft Excel, Zoho Books practically covers much of your small business accounting needs.Buffer
Buffer exists to help its users manage their social media accounts. It specifically allows them to schedule posts for such platforms, engage with their followers and others, and track social metrics. It’s the sort of thing you’d want if you’re crafting and executing a pre-planned social media campaign, complete with copy, images, and video. With Buffer, you can have those items set to publish at any time you choose, even if you aren’t online when the publishing is supposed to happen.Google Analytics
If your business has a website and you’d like to see what the traffic coming into it is really like, you can do that with Google Analytics. This platform doesn’t just show you how many people are stopping by your site every day; it also breaks down the visitor demographic and gives you an insight into the engagement numbers. The data it provides is great for making informed decisions about SEO strategies, audience targeting, and other content marketing aims.Ahrefs
Businesses looking to attract an online audience need to take SEO seriously. It’s probably the only way they’re going to rank on Search Engine Results Pages (e.g. page 1 of Google results), and, in doing so, draw in visitor traffic. A big part of any SEO strategy is finding relevant keywords and crafting relevant content around them. A keyword generator like Ahrefs can help with discovering keywords that your audience is searching for on the web, so you can use those in your content and bring in visitors to your site with them.Sign up for the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
Zoom
Video and conference calls have become a staple of business in recent years. This reality was made concrete by the movement restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced teams to communicate over digital channels. Zoom, a video conferencing tool, quickly became the preferred platform in this regard for millions across the world. Businesses now depend on it to keep in touch with their staff, partners, investors, clients, and prospects.Mailchimp
Email marketing is an indispensable part of many businesses’ operations. It’s a means through which they cultivate a potential customer base and maintain relationships and Top of top-of-mind awareness with existing customers. Mailchimp offers SMEs such email marketing tools like basic email templates, help with subject lines, sign-up forms, marketing CRM, and the ability to email up to 500 contacts, all for free. Of course, there’s a lot more for subscribers to its paid plans.Canva
If you aren’t going to outsource graphic design to freelancers or contractors, you can learn to create your images for website content, marketing campaigns, and social, all on your own, with Canva. This application is one of the most widely used simple design applications and comes with thousands of free templates, lots of font types, and easy tweaking tech tools. Whether it’s a logo or banner, business card or brochure, there are preexisting formats and aids that allow you to quickly produce the graphics you need.Grammarly
This AI-powered text editor polishes your written copy so that it’s readable and conforms to the rules of grammar. That’s a big deal for business communication, whether it’s emails to potential clients or investors, or content for your website or social media platforms. Grammarly spruces up your written material so that it makes the best possible impression on your readers, whoever they may be.Dropbox
Have you ever struggled to share extra-large files with members of your team? This is one problem that Dropbox solves. It’s a file hosting service that allows its users to back up and share photos, videos, spreadsheets, documents, and other kinds of content, mostly regardless of their size. The great thing about it is that it can be accessed from any internet-enabled device, so your files are always within your reach.Register to attend the CN Business Mixer
Final Words
Businesses can gain a lot from utilizing some of the better technologies available in today’s world. Digital tools, in particular, are powering the transformation of many sectors and industries, because startups, SMEs, and larger corporations are leveraging them across their operations. With the right tech tools, your business can also move up the growth ladder and achieve great success.Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com