6 Tools and Software Systems Every Business Owner Should Consider

Owning a business comes with its own set of challenges but there are plenty of tools and software systems available that can make it much easier.

Businessman working on a tablet PC

Google AdWords

When it comes to websites, Google has a lot of tools and resources available for business owners. One of these resources is AdWords, which allows you to reach a high volume of potential clients through a variety of avenues across the Google platform. It is actually the highest revenue generator among all of Google’s services, which shows its strong online presence. Marketing can be expensive, but relying on Google AdWords makes it easier to target specific customers and advertise your brand.

Social Media

Social media mobile apps on a smartphone
photo credit: Jason Howie / Flickr

The social media aspect of business is increasing drastically, since it provides instant access to your customers at all times. When you use social media, keep the content fresh and don’t overload followers with too many posts. On the other hand, social media also provides access for customers to contact your company, so you should also make sure that you have an employee assigned to answer any questions or feedback from customers, since this will help improve the credibility of your brand.

Online Faxing

When it comes to communication, online faxing makes it easy to send documents and other files to vendors and customers. You can also use the interface to store digital documents and access them from anywhere, which is especially useful if you have to travel or are out of the office and need to pull up a file. Using the cloud can help you save money, store confidential items securely, and improve the efficiency of your staff. It also benefits the environment since you will cut back on paper usage.

Microsoft SkyDrive

Microsoft SkyDrive offers a user-friendly alternative to other online storage options, since it works across all platforms and doesn’t have space or bandwidth caps so you can store larger files. It does have a fee associated with its use, but for many business owners it provides savings that are worth the added cost.

AppNexus

Your website is important, but more and more people around the world are accessing the internet on mobile devices, so the next step is creating an app. AppNexus makes this much easier with options to enable ads and deploy custom software.

Automated Marketing

Online marketing is much easier now with tools that offer automation and instant results at your fingertips. Instead of wasting salary money on a person to track returns on investments, you can rely on an online automated option that will track budgets, website analytics, and how to build your landing page. You can also track email marketing campaigns to determine how many people are opening your emails and clicking the links.

With so many different tools available to business owners, it might seem overwhelming to choose the right option. Before you invest, look into the fine print and understand what tools are available within each app or software program. When you use these tools, it can make it easier to run your company and focus on other aspects of the job.