Every business coach you ever meet will say, “don’t share all of your secrets.” Right? You’ve heard that before, I’m sure. To that narrative, I say, why can’t we just help each other to be successful in any way possible? Sometimes, we need a little kick for some forward motion. So, to get you back into the groove of things, I’m sharing some of my little secrets for efficiency and affordability.
Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to some friends of mine…if you haven’t already met.
Social Media Automation
Hootsuite Scheduling Platform - Hootsuite is one of my best friends when it comes to scheduling things to go out for the day, week, or, most of the time, a month at a time. This tool can be used for free up to three social platforms. My favorites are Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. They do have some fantastic paid tools but this is a perfect resource to automate your social content to go out when you’re “ballin’ on a budget.”
Planoly - Another great platform for planning out your social content and scheduling it to go out. Unfortunately, you may be limited to just using Instagram on this platform before you’re paying extra. However, it is a great resource if you like to visually plan your grid on Instagram. Aesthetic can be everything on such a visual platform so it couldn’t hurt to try it.
Email Marketing
MailChimp - MailChimp is my partner in crime when I’m sending out mass emails or building lead pages and lead links. If you’re looking to reach a broader audience, I 100% recommend checking this platform out. It’s very effective in getting your message out. Just be sure to have an opt out option for your subscribers. This will create an environment to share messages but, also, not trap your audience. That’s a big no-no.
Website & blog
Squarespace - If you’re still going on the side of affordability, check out Squarespace. No, this isn’t an ad. Yes, I’m currently writing this blog on Squarespace. Through utilizing Squarespace, you can create a beautiful website while also creating a detailed blog that you can post on whenever you’d like. The best part? They have templates and it’s SUPER user friendly. You don’t need to understand code to use this resource. Plus, it’s very affordable to create your own domain and maintain your website.
Domain friendly email
GSuite - Doesn’t it look more professional to you when someone is using an email with their website domain rather than through their account they used to use for instant messaging? Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. That’s why I signed up with GSuite. Not only is it easy to use but it’s, also, affordable enough for a small business. It makes things a little easier when it comes streamlining business. You have all your stuff in one place. This is a fantastic resource for emailing, but you can, also, Google optimize your business through the resources on GSuite. Pretty cool, huh?
Organization Tool
Trello - If you haven’t heard of Trello, pause and look it up. This has been my productivity corkboard since my sophomore year of college - I’ve used it for a while now and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t use it to stay organized.
