8 Free Business Tools You Can’t Live Without

Thanks to technology, there are many business tools that no successful employer can do without. Business tools can help to boost the success of your business, streamline operations, let employees collaborate on projects and save a lot of time and resources. Many online business applications can also help make your operations more secure and can be used to enhance your online reputation.

In this article, you will find out some of the best and most useful online applications for business use. All of these tools are free to use and can be utilised effectively by employers and employees alike. Some applications may require a small monthly subscription to use all their services or increase usage of the tools but all the basic functions are free to use.

1 Online data storage

Many companies offer online data storage where almost any kind of file can be stored. Some of the most well-known online data storage services are offered by Google, Microsoft, and Dropbox. These online storage tools that businesses can use can be a great way to back up your important files securely.

2 File sharing and collaboration

Another tool that you can use to help staff members easily work together is file sharing and file collaboration. Storing files online and giving access to employees can help teams work together on certain documents without them physically being present.

Also, storing large documents online lets you share them with others. This is very useful if you have to send large email attachments are too big to send via email.

3 Accepting payments

It is now easier than ever to accept credit card payments via your company’s website. It used to be costly to host a business website that could process payments from credit cards. However, payment companies like PayPal and Stripe have made the whole payment process so much simpler and easy to integrate into any website.

4 Organize projects

There are many great online business tools that help organize projects and team work. One example is Trello. This is a collaboration tool that lets you organize projects. Tasks can be assigned to different team members and you can share files, add checklists, and specify due dates. This lets everyone see the progress of a specific project and will help get the job done in a timely manner.

5 Virtual meetings

A great tool for large and small businesses needing to connect with employees, managers, or customers is using virtual meeting software. Google and Skype are the most well-known virtual meeting tools that allow video conferencing for a limited number of people. With these free video conferencing tools, you can connect up to 25 people and share files at the same time.

6 Content marketing

Content marketing may seem like it is something complicated but this is a great free tool any business can use. All content marketing involves is writing regular short articles on subjects related to your industry and posting them on your website. You can then use links in the articles to direct users to other areas of your website and the regular content you post will eventually get picked up by Google.

7 Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are great online tools that any business can use. Social media integration with your website allows users to connect with your business on a more personal level. This can help you push new products, talk about what your business is doing, and even manage your online reputation.

There are also online tools that can manage all your social media platforms in one place. This lets you see what customers are saying about you and gives you the chance to quickly respond to comments.

8 Email Marketing

If you have a small business and want to start reaching out to your customers and promoting new products, then free tools like MailChimp and Aweber can help expand your business. These allow you to schedule email campaigns and then analyse user activity to see how successful the email campaign was.