Small Business Tools for Online Business Success

At Internet Marketing Geeks, we know that running an online business can be an exciting venture, but it also comes with its own set of challenges, so it’s important to find the right tools to help your business thrive. In this blog post, we will explore some of the most valuable tools that are specifically suited for online businesses.

E-Commerce Platform

These digital marketplaces offer a seamless shopping experience right from your couch and is the ticket to reaching customers far and wide.

1. WooCommerce: Whether you’re dipping your toes in the e-commerce pool for the first time or you’re an experienced seller looking to expand your online presence, WooCommerce has a solution for you.

2. Shopify: The favorite among many small businesses, Shopify is praised for its comprehensive set of features that support everything from inventory management to seamless checkout process.

3. BigCommerce: Known for its robust functionality and scalability, BigCommerce is an excellent option for businesses planning to grow or those with a large product range for their ecommerce store.

Project Management

The backbone of any successful business is project management. From setting deadlines, assigning tasks, and tracking progress, project management tools keep your business engine purring smoothly.

1. ClickUp: This cloud-based productivity platform provides a fundamentally new way to work. More than just task management – ClickUp offers notes, reminders, goals, calendars, and even an inbox. Fully customizable, ClickUp works for every type of team, so all teams can use the same app to plan, organize, and collaborate.

2. Trello: Trello is a web-based Kanban-style list-making application that is a subsidiary of Atlassian. Users can create their task boards with several columns and move the tasks between them. Typically, columns include the following task statuses: To Do, In Progress, and Done. The tool can be used for personal and business purposes, including real estate management, software project management, school bulletin boards, lesson planning, and law office case management.

3. Flowlu: Flowlu is an all-in-one business operating system. With a comprehensive suite of project management tools, it provides full project lifecycle support. Internet Marketing Geeks recommends this to a number of businesses as it offers a robust project management solution with mind maps, task management, team collaboration, time tracking, invoicing, CRM, and financial management features for all aspects of a project.

Document Handling

Document handling tools make storing, sharing, and collaborating on documents a breeze.

1. Google Docs: This is like your notebook, as it allows you to create, edit, and store documents online. You can share them with your team, make real-time edits, and even chat while you’re at it. It’s like having a brainstorming session at your favorite coffee shop, but online.

2. Adobe Acrobat: Now, this is like your document’s Swiss Army knife. With Adobe Acrobat, you can create PDFs, convert them into different formats, and even edit them. Plus, it has some nifty features like electronic signatures and form creation. It’s like having a personal assistant that handles all your PDF needs.

3. Evernote: Think of Evernote as your digital sticky notes. You can jot down ideas, save articles, create to-do lists, and even scan physical documents. It’s like having a memory extension for all your brilliant ideas.

Team Communication

If your team is scattered across different time zones, make them feel like they’re working side by side. That’s what team communication tools bring to the table! They can keep everyone on the same page and boost your business’ productivity.

1. Slack: Slack is a robust team communication tool that allows businesses to streamline their internal communication. It’s essentially a chat room for your whole company, designed to replace email as your primary method of communication and sharing. It’s organized into channels where team members can communicate and work together. Slack also supports voice and video calls, file sharing, and screen sharing.

2. Microsoft Teams: Part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products, MS Teams is a platform that combines workplace chat, video meetings, file storage (including collaboration on files), and application integration. It provides seamless collaboration with Office 365 apps and allows you to host large meetings and webinars.

3. Zoom: This is a very popular remote work platform with video conferencing, voice calls, instant messaging, and file sharing capabilities that allows you to host meetings, webinars, and team chats. 

4. Google Chat: Google Chat is a powerful way to communicate with people in your organization. It’s designed for teams and businesses as part of Google Workspace. You can send direct messages, create rooms for group conversations, make voice/video calls, and share documents from Google Drive. It’s deeply integrated with other Google Workspace apps and supports both persistent and threaded conversations.

Website Chat

Imagine being able to assist your website visitors instantly, answering their queries, and guiding them through their purchase journey in real-time. That’s the magic of website chat tools!

1. Tawk.to: This is a full-featured live chat app that’s completely free. It allows you to monitor and track your team’s progress, review chat history, and check performance.

2. Tidio: This one is all about simplification, as this chat platform offers a range of communication channels, making it easy for you and your visitors to connect.

3. HubSpot’s Free Live Chat: This software is part of HubSpot’s free CRM. You can customize your chat widgets to match your brand and target your visitors more effectively.

Inventory Management

Keeping track of your stock can be tricky, but with the right tools, it becomes child’s play. The right inventory management systems can prevent stockouts and overstocking to ensure your products are always ready to meet customer demands.

1. Katana: Known for its focus on manufacturers, Katana is an inventory management software that offers real-time inventory control and a visual production planning tool. It also integrates extremely well with popular e-commerce platforms, making it ideal for small to medium-sized manufacturers.

2. Zoho Inventory: Part of the larger Zoho suite, Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory management software that helps you create and manage both your sales and purchase orders, and track your inventory in real-time. Customers love the fact that the platform also integrates well with online sales channels like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

3. NetSuite: This inventory management software offers a complete set of inventory management, manufacturing, and purchasing capabilities that can help improve supply chain management. It does this by integrating inventory with other business processes like sales, purchasing, and financials.

Ultimately, at Internet Marketing Geeks, we remind everyone that using the right tools can make all the difference in managing your online business effectively and efficiently. This is why it’s important to make sure you explore many different options to find the ones that best fit your business needs! We’re here for you! Feel free to reach out to us if you’d like help with your website, digital marketing efforts, or to discuss your business needs.