High-quality software is essential for every promotional product business. But when you’re running a small business, you need options that won’t break the bank. Fortunately, affordable and even free software options that are just as effective as their costly counterparts are only a click away. Here are ten of the most useful web-based software applications.
1. MailChimp
Email marketing is key for promotional product businesses. But it can be hard to keep up with a list of hundreds or even thousands of email contacts. MailChimp makes managing your email list easy! You’ll get free email blasting services for up to two thousand contacts. You can get everyone on your email list without duplicates or missed contacts. If you upgrade your account, you’ll unlock social media integrations. This will help you analyze your audience so you can more effectively target your ads. You’ll know what content performs the best with your customer base, which will help keep your marketing campaigns relevant.
2. Hootsuite
You should never let your social media content lag. Regular social media posts drum up interest, create customer loyalty, and alert your followers of upcoming sales and promotions. But if you don’t have a social media manager, you may not have the time to do all of this yourself—or, you may end up posting low-quality content that under-performs with your audience. That’s why there’s Hootsuite! This free software makes having a solid social media presence easy. Hootsuite helps you schedule your posts and plan ahead. You can analyze how your posts are doing so you know what types of post attract the most engagement. Hootsuite helps you grow your following across social media platforms, which ultimately means you grow your revenue.
3. Trello
Trello can help you streamline some of the most tedious work. Essentially, it’s a list-making software—but those who use and love this platform know that it’s so much more. Trello assists you with project management and helps you track your team’s progress on multiple tasks at once. Trello can also help boost your own productivity and give you helpful reminders about things you might otherwise forget. Trello is like a virtual administrative assistant that can organize your entire work life. This software can be used across devices from smartphones to tablets to desktops and laptops. Whatever device you’re using, you’ll always be seeing the same great software!
4. Hubspot
Hubspot maximizes your business’s efficiency. This raved-about software has been used in virtually every industry from healthcare to non-profits to e-commerce and beyond! Hubspot offers a free customer relationship management (CRM) program as well as pricing plans that expand on their marketing and sales services. Hubspot can help you manage your ads, schedule team meetings, integrate your Outlook and Gmail accounts, and more. Hubspot helps you grow and continuously improve in all areas of your business.
5. Unsplash
At some point, your business is going to need some high-quality images. Whether it’s for your website, some direct mailers, or your social media, it’s always good to have a reliable website for royalty-free stock images. Unsplash is the ultimate source for not only high-resolution but also unique images that you can use for free. You’ll have no problem finding many options for images on every topic. Unsplash is quick, convenient, and absolutely free to use!
6. Canva
When you want your visuals to pop, you need a cheaper alternative to hiring a graphic designer. Canva is here to help! Canva is the ultimate online resource for creating eye-catching graphics. No design chops needed! Canva is great for collaborative projects. You can work with your teammates from across multiple locations on this user-friendly software. Whenever you need to make a graph or chart to illustrate a point, Canva makes it simple. You can work from a template or start from scratch. Whatever you come up with will look professionally done without you even trying.
7. Crello
Crello is another free design tool, like Canva. You have nothing to lose by signing up for both since they are both free software options! However, if you want to create more text-based designs, Crello might be a better fit for you. There are fewer options for templates, but you get more font choices. This software still comes with plenty of stock photos and editing features. It’s perfect for making social media posts, posters, and even custom gift cards.
8. MeisterTask
MeisterTask helps you manage everything on your to-do list with ease. Whether you want task management for yourself or your entire team, MeisterTask helps keep your business organized. You can upload files so they are easy to access from one place. Monitor your schedule, collaborate with teammates, and automate those tedious, repetitive tasks from this web-based software application. MeisterTask is available on your desktop and mobile devices, so no matter where you go, it’s always with you.
9. Slack
Slack is a collaboration software with a focus on communication. Slack helps you share your progress from afar. You can use the screen sharing or file uploading features to get everyone on your team on the same page. It’s easy to give and receive feedback with this cloud-based software. Slack places an extremely high priority on security. You’ll never have to worry about your company’s or your clients’ sensitive information being compromised. This software is trusted by high-profile companies like Lyft, Shopify, Intuit, and more. It could definitely be a huge asset to your business too!
10. DistributorCentral
Does a supplier charge you for catalogs or to place orders on their website? You shouldn’t have to pay to see their products in a search engine or to put them on your website either! DistributorCentral provides free product search to help your promotional product business succeed. Having a high-quality website is one of the best ways to increase your likelihood of getting found by customers. If your e-commerce business doesn’t have a website yet, DistributorCentral can offer you one for free, complete with hosting and SSL! Your website will stay safe when you’re using our services. DistributorCentral even helps you manage your orders for free! It won’t matter how many orders you get. All these tools from DistributorCentral are free to all promotional product distributors because they are sponsored by the industry’s top suppliers.
There’s no need to spend a lot of money when all of these free software options exist!
Each of these programs has something different to offer your business that will ultimately propel you to success!
