Even if you’re not just starting out, it’s hard to beat something that helps you and doesn’t cost a dime. This list of free tools for small businesses can assist you with social media, emails, document management, and more.
The best things in life really are free.
Mailchimp
While many of the advanced features are locked behind a paywall, like scheduling, A/B testing, automation, and send-time optimizers, all the basics are free.
If you have a small database, the free version of Mailchimp is a perfect starting point to help you streamline the process. For example, if you have 250 subscribers, you can email them 10 times a month while benefiting from some basic analytics and reporting.
Not bad for zero dollars and you can always upgrade in the future if your database grows, or you want to explore more advanced options.
HootSuite
Social media can be a tough nut to crack. Not to mention extremely time consuming if you have multiple channels for your business.
HootSuite is a social media management platform that lets you build and schedule posts for multiple channels at once. It will also give you some feedback on which posts are generating clicks and which platforms are getting new followers.
Small (slightly annoying) disclaimer: you can’t directly sign up for a free account. You must start a free monthly trial for the premium version, then you simply revert to a free account once it ends. Either use the premium features while you can or avoid them, so you’re not pulled into paying for the advanced version (not that it isn’t useful).
Check Out Another Blog: Google Sunsetting Universal Analytics: What Should You Do?
Survey Monkey
Your customers can be your most valuable resource. Besides you, who knows more about the product or service, than the people who are actually using it?
Survey Monkey offers a free plan that allows you to create basic surveys for collecting responses from a limited number of people. There is definitely an art to creating a good survey, but the free plan is a fantastic introduction, especially if you just want to include a few open-ended questions.
Google Workspace
The big dogs know what they’re doing, and you get tons of useful Google programs for free.
Google Docs allows multiple users to collaborate, comment, and edit a single document. You can create professional-looking slideshows with Google Slides. Working from home? Meet, record, and automatically transcribe virtual meetings with Google Meet. Everyone also gets 15 GB of free storage on Google Drive, so you can always access your documents from the cloud.
Calendly
If you’re spending a bunch of your time scheduling meetings, this one’s for you.
Calendly lets you choose your preferences and availability, then you simply share the link with clients or colleagues, and they can pick the times that work best for them. Your calendar will be updated automatically so all you need to do is show up!
As with everything else on this list, if you need more functionality, there are reasonably priced paid versions too.