Online Business Tools You Need To Run A Successful Online Business
You probably judge a handyman by the size of his toolbox.
If the toolbox is big enough, as a client you rest assured that the handyman can accomplish any task without the need to run around like a headless chicken.
The same goes for running a successful online business. The number of tools you use to run your business and their quality determines your level of success.
But with Millions of online business tools on the market, where does one even begin? Where are you going to start?
There are both great and useless business tools, free and paid Business tools to start with.
In this article, I am going to share some of the online business tools you need to run a successful business in 2021.
Some of the online business tools might sound familiar or obvious to some people but they are important and useful particularly to someone who wants to start an online business in 2021.
Here are some of the basic online business tools you need to run a successful business in 2021.
1. Website
As John Tibane said, “You can not be a king by sitting on another man’s throne”. You can not build a strong business depending on other social media platforms. You need your own throne.
When running an online business you need your online business premise or your online home. That is your website. Whether You run a service-based business or you sell physical products, having your own website is a must.
It is now easier to own a website than it was 10 or 20 years ago. With Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, anyone with an internet connection can create their own website. But I understand that not everyone will have the patience, time and skill to create their own website.
That is where Digital Agencies like the Ola 7 Digital Agency come into play. The Ola 7 Digital Agency is your one-stop-shop for all your Web Design, SEO and Digital Marketing needs. Alternatively, you can hire a freelance Web Designer on platforms like Fiverr.
For your website to be created you will need a domain name and Web Hosting. You can get both from popular websites like Bluehost, or from Namehero.
You will also need a theme for your website.
Depending on your budget and needs, You can use either a free theme which you can get from the WordPress repository or a paid theme which you can get from Marketplaces like Themeforest.
Now that you have built your online home, it’s time to get some communication tools that will enable you to get in touch with all stakeholders in your business.
2. Phone
While this sounds obvious you will be amazed to see how many people still use their phone numbers for business.
One rule of thumb to run a successful business is, “never mix business with pleasure”.
Keep your business assets separate from your personal assets. Your phone is no exception.
You do not want your customers to call you during awkward hours. Adding a phone service can help you efficiently manage calls with customers.
There are plenty of Business phone service providers that enable you to make and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world.
This means you get a landline number that you can use with a mobile app on your smartphone to make and receive calls over the internet, known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
VoIP is a cost-effective way to make and receive calls.
Some of the best business Phone service providers include Nextiva. They have phone solutions that match your business. Ring Central is another great option as well.
3. Email Marketing Services
As they say, “the money is in the email list”.
When you are running an online business you need to be in contact with your customers. The cheapest and effective way of doing that is email marketing.
Just pause for a moment and think about how many emails you receive from different companies. Tens, Hundreds or even thousands of emails per day.
Why?
Because email marketing works.
You might not like to receive emails but that is where the money is.
There are great email marketing services that allow you to send email campaigns to your customers.
There are dozens of them actually but I am only going to share 3 of the best with you. These include:
- ConvertKit: Convertkit is the darling to seasoned online entrepreneurs like bloggers, Marketers and Content creators.
- Get Response: The best way to get in touch and to stay in touch with your customers. The email delivery of Get Response is stable and you can create Landing Pages, conversion funnels and automate your entire marketing process.
- Aweber. If you want to test the waters of what email marketing is all about then Aweber is your go-to. They have a great free option where you do not need to submit your credit card to get started.
4. Video conferencing tools
Whether you need to chat with your clients or your team across the board, Video conferencing can reduce the need for in-person communication.
With online business tools like Zoom or Loom, You can communicate with people from anywhere in the world for free.
Zoom increased its popularity during the lockdown as more people wanted to find the best ways to connect with friends and family.
5. Noise-cancelling Tools
Due to the pandemic, more and more people are now working from home and we all know that working from home can be difficult especially when you have young kids who might not understand the importance of silence during your working hours.
Kids can make noise and interrupt your call while you are about to close a Million Dollar deal.
To avoid that you need a Noise cancellation tool like Krisp, an award-winning AI tool that eliminates your background noise like magic.
Krisp works on mobile and on your computer as well.
Now that you have your communication tools. Let’s get more online business tools to run a successful business.
6. QR Code Generator
You might need to embed your website links on your products but those links are very difficult to remember for the customer.
The best way would be to embed a QR code on your products packages or on your website so that when your customers scan the QR code they can be redirected to the relevant page.
QR Code generators like Beaconstac can enable you to create QR codes that you can use both online and offline. This is a great way to be in front of your customers.
You can also use QR codes on Webinars, Videos, and anywhere. The sky’s the limit with QR codes.
7. File Sharing Apps.
Cloud storage has become a central key to running online businesses. This is where all your digital assets will be stored.
File sharing services like Google Drive and Dropbox enables you to store files and share them with your team and customers and they can access them both on mobile, tablet or computer.
Documents, Images, Zip files, videos and anything digital can be stored and shared with ease. This makes it easy to collaborate with anyone you want to give permission to view or work on the files of your choice.
8. Project Management and organisational tools
Managing projects can be a hassle if your team is distributed. Even if you are a one-man business, managing projects can be a challenge too.
Luckily there are great tools that enable you to run a successful business regardless of how large your team is.
- Asana. This is a sweetheart Software to many business owners and project managers. You can add all the details of the project into Asana. Assign who is doing what and the deadlines that the project must be completed by. With Asana nothing falls through the cracks.
- Trello. When you want to see the workflow of any project at any time, then Trello is your go-to. Trello works similar to Asana but Trello is a lot more simplified.
- Slack. Forget about sending emails back and forth to your team and start using Slack. This is a robust communication tool that keeps everything organized and anyone knows exactly what is happening. Slack is for work. It’s like having the entire company in your own hand.
- Evernote. Take notes on the go, save those ideas, links, blog posts and other online pages as full articles and access them on your computer or mobile wherever you are, whenever you want. Evernote is an amazing note-taking tool. You can also share your notes with your team and the entire world.
9. Accounting Software.
Sage is a robust accounting software that has all the bells and whistles for you to run your business while keeping the numbers on track.
With Sage, you can Manage invoicing, cash flow, tax, payments and more from any device, through the cloud.
Gone are the days of creating complicated spreadsheets to manage your accounting.
With the latest accounting software, you will have the privilege of doing everything under one roof.
10. Graphic Design Software
When you need to spice up your social media posts and images to convey your message to your audience, Graphic designing goes a long way.
Back in the day, there was no need for graphic design tools in your toolbox because we had no internet or social media.
But that changed. Everyone is now online so your toolbox gotta change too.
Canva allows you to create any type of graphics, be it your Youtube thumbnails, Social media images, Website banners, postcards, PDF designs or anything that you can think of.
With Canva the sky’s the limit. You can create anything that you want from your computer or mobile phone as well.
Conclusion
I am sure these are the timeless basic online business tools that one might need to run a successful online business.
Obviously, I might have left some important basic online business tools so you can drop them in the comments below.
(Some of the products listed on this page may contain affiliate links. Which means, if you click the link and make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.)
