Being the founder of a startup is probably the most fulfilling job in the world, but it calls for responsibility and can be one of the toughest jobs too. In the initial stages of any startup, it is very important to make each decision carefully and accurately. There’s a lot you need to keep account of in order to survive; you need to keep a check on your finances, carry out multiple projects, watch and design marketing activities, conduct market surveys, arrange long-distance meetings etc. So here’s a list of online tools, each startup can use to minimize daily expenses, save time and simultaneously increase productivity of startup.
- Slack: Be Less Busy
Slack is a team communication tool. It helps team to communicate in one place and wherever you go. It offers real time messaging, file sharing, supporting one-to-one and group conversations, persistent chat rooms which means no one is ever left out of the loop. It also offers direct messaging as group chats under a specific topic, inline images and video with rich link summaries giving context without leaving the app. All content inside Slack is searchable from one search box. Slack integrates with a number of third-party services, including Google Docs, Dropbox, Heroku, Crashlytics, GitHub and Zendesk. - Quip: Docs, Chat, Spreadsheets
Quip is the document collaboration tool for the mobile generation. In order words, it’s more like a cleaner and basic version of Microsoft Word online. Quip enables you to create and share docs from any device including iPad, iPhone, and desktop with your family, friends or office. It has a simple and user-friendly interface which combines documents and messages into a single chat-like “thread” of updates. You can share documents or entire folders with several people at one time who can edit and discuss the document together in a single, shared workspace. Once you start using Quip for your document sharing, you will stay hung to it from your couch, desktop or while travelling and will not stop. - Buzzsumo: Content Marketing Intelligence
Content marketing has to be the new in thing for startups to grow nowadays. For an effective content marketing and SEO efficient campaign Buzzsumo has to be the most important tool. It is a content analysis and discovery tool which enables you to quickly identify what kind of content is required for the target audience and industry. It has a unique feature designed to help startups identify existing online community who could influence to promote their startup. Startups can also research specific domains to find their social backlinks and which pieces of content are the most popularly shared on different social networks. - KISSmetrics: Google Analytics tells you what’s happening, KISSmetrics tells you who’s doing it. We track real people—where they come from, what they do, and who purchases.
KISSmetrics is one of the finest tools for business’s who want to analyze their online marketing efforts. It can help a startup identify the holes in their marketing strategy. It provides an elaborated report about website users’ behavior hence tracking how users interact, their origin, where they click. This can help businessperson deduce if it was a potential sale or not. KISSmetrics tracks the whole process therefore startups can improve their marketing funnels and strategies for acquiring more customers. The report can be easily accessed on KISSmetrics’ dashboard; data manageable and viewable with just one click. - Strikingly: Gorgeous, Mobile-friendly Websites in Minutes
This is a must have app for entrepreneurs who are not technical experts. Strikingly is easy to use for building a cost effective website to produce a simple, mobile friendly, one page website. It can also be used to extract relevant data from Facebook profile or page to build an attractive web page. Absolutely no code or design experience is required. Strikingly’s is also a good choice for building landing pages to corroborate your ideas in minimum time possible. - LogMeIn: Simply Connect From Anywhere
How many times have you been on the go and really need that one file which is located on your office PC, out of your reach? Worry no more, LogMeIn gives you remote access tool for Windows and Mac OS X to let you log in to a computer remotely, from a distance without physical presence. Startups can rely on LogMeIn solutions for remote control access, file sharing, systems management, data backup, business collaboration and on-demand customer support of PCs. All you need is any web browser with an internet connection. It offers customized plans specifically designed to meet user needs. - Trello: Organize Anything
Trello is a handy app ideal for startup teams which allows teams to collectively organize anything a startup can think of. The simple aim of this app is to look for a simple product management tool allowing employees to participate cooperatively collaboratively. Trello boards can be used for blog scheduling, writing up agendas, assigning roles as well as creating boards for employee personal targets. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have a team, entrepreneurs can use Trello to make a to-do list as long as it may be, and documents or schedule of what needs to be done date or priority wise. Hope on to Trello to know what you and your teammates have been doing! - Mailchimp: Send Better Email
Giving out the right message to target audience is a very integral part for accurate marketing of startups. Startups can outsource marketing to freelancers, but it is best to keep content marketing as in-house as possible.
MailChimp is a revolutionary, probably the most famous email and newsletter manager online. Startups can easily produce newsletters and emails using the built-in templates. It allows you to send bulk e-mails simultaneously keeping a record of successful emails. It provides you a detailed report of how many emails were successfully sent, opened, clicked upon etc. - GoToMeeting: Online Meetings Made Easy
For all the startups who need to communicate across the globe, this app is for you. It is a we-conferencing service which makes online meetings much more easy and efficient. Millions of businesses rely on GoToMeeting for online meetings; it offers HD video conferencing, screen sharing from – tablets, iPads, computers, audio integrated with Google Translate and video recording for those who are unable to attend the meeting. - HootSuite: Social Media Management
Hootsuite has been one of the best social media managment tools for companies globally. It is a third-party tool created to link all your social media accounts in one stream. Primarily it helps you schedule social media updates, simultaneously collaborate as a team. Best part is it can all be done using your mobile. A less utilized and secondary use of Hootsuite is monitoring social media, tracking posts and analyzing what people think of your brand. It supports integration with numerous social networks including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, WordPress, Instagram, etc.
The internet has created endless number of possibilities for running startups more sensibly. Startups now have the option to choose from the tools to find a stream, create the right business for it, improve the business, its assets and its processes, market that business and track its success. All these tools and resources can increase cost effectiveness and chances of a successful business if executed accurately by someone with the vision and conviction to put them to good use.
[Infographic] Pakistan Annual Social Media Report is Out