If you want your company to succeed, you need to take advantage of evolving technology and the apps and tools that the modern entrepreneur is using to get ahead. There are many great programs online that you can use for free or a minimal fee. Here at the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, we love to see everyone succeed at building their own brand, so we have some tips for tools you can use to help your business thrive.

Think About How You Can Save Time

In order to have the ability to engage with your customers, improve satisfaction, and find ways to streamline your operations, you need to find ways that you can cut down on the time that you are doing busywork. Luckily, there are many ways to do so. 

Start by thinking about how you form your business in the first place. For instance, many entrepreneurs decide to create a limited liability corporation. An LLC is great because it allows you to set up a strong business but it has great perks like more flexibility and less paperwork, so you can set it and forget it. If you are not well-versed on local laws, then you can hire a formation service to set it up so you don’t have to worry about legal issues later on.

You can continue to save time and money by using free tools like a YouTube banner template and a Facebook ad generator. Both can help you to create attention-grabbing graphics with little fuss that will draw in new customers. You should also look for a good online invoice generator that will allow you to create simple invoices that you can fill out and send right there on the spot. Once you have your invoice created, using this free PDF converter will allow you to send it to your vendors and customers in a stable format that they can access from any device. You may also find converting other forms of communication, like emails and proposals are best viewed and stored as PDFs. Fortunately, the conversion tool makes the process as simple as select, drop, convert, and save. 

Consider Google Analytics

These days, a good company also has an online presence. If you don’t yet have a website, then you should use a program like Wix or SquareSpace that provides a template so you can create a site almost from scratch. Software packages like those are great because they help you to create informational pages, product assortments, and you can accept payments online so you are always making money.

Once your website is up and running, you can use a free program like Google Analytics to see real-time data that tells you how many visitors you have to your website on a daily basis, how long they are staying on a specific page, and which sections of your website that people are avoiding so you can change that part of your online presentation to make it more presentable. 

Increase Brand Awareness

Now that you have all of the tools in place to get customers to notice your company, you need to increase brand awareness so you can grow your audience. For instance, you can use the power of search engine optimization (SEO) to get more potential customers to find your website. SEO uses keywords for your particular brand to help capture people who may search for those same keywords on Google and other search engines.

Email marketing is another free way to build brand awareness. Send emails to current customers in hopes of getting referrals. You can also send surveys out to people to understand what they like about your company and where there is room for improvement. Marketing like this is mostly free but you have to put in the time.

Start Saving Time Now

There you have it - some great free and inexpensive ways that you can help your business reach the next level. From starting your business to reformatting files and strategizing for SEO, there are plenty of resources you can use to get your business moving forward without dedicating a ton of time or money. Use these ideas as a starting point and see what else you can discover.

Access even more great resources to help your business grow and thrive in our community by joining the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce.