My Top 5 Online Tools and Resources
The resources and tools available to build an online business can be overwhelming. If you’re struggling to keep up, I’m not surprised. This was the year I switched from Android to iPhone. It wasn’t as momentous of an occasion as I thought it was going to be. It’s basically still a phone that takes great pictures and videos–sorry to disappoint.
My go-to for the most up-to-date marketing trends is HubSpot. Their blog content is current but overwhelmingly thorough. I will go down a rabbit hole on occasion because I do love new trends. HubSpot has its own marketing platform for marketing, sales, and customer service. However, I am only using HubSpot for their updates on the latest digital marketing trends.
My list of top five tools and resources has been on my top five list for several years now, and I use them throughout my day.
1. Video Speed Controller
This chrome extension allows me to speed up, slow down, advance, and rewind audio and videos. To use you download this chrome extension to your desktop and sign into Chrome. It saves me tons of time watching webinars and recordings. As we know, there are more and more videos and webinars being attractively marketed.
2. Grammarly
Grammarly is the best when editing and proofreading content pieces. It reviews spelling, grammar, and punctuation from email to documents to social media. It’s been a game-changer for me. I’m naturally “detail-oriented,” but not a perfectionist sometimes slipping when I’m in a hurry. Grammarly reduces my error rate. I still have some mistakes slip through, but to a large extent, Grammarly saves me from embarrassment. They offer a basic grammar and punctuation plan for free. A bonus tip is the Hemingway App which is an amazing free editor that highlights and corrects grammar, fluency, and sentence structure.
3. BigVu
I discovered BigVu because Android didn’t have a teleprompter app. With BigVu there’s no need to memorize long scripts or to always look down to recall your notes. Their app allows you to look straight to the camera and read spontaneously as if you’re conversing with your audience. You can adjust the pace of your script so you sound natural and make your videos more relatable.
4. Canva
Canva is best when designing your own marketing materials. With Canva novices can easily create print materials and social media posts. You really don’t need to have excellent graphic design skills. You can start with one of their templates or create a new design from scratch. If you can drag and drop, you can create materials using Canva. Plus their customer service answers my editing questions quickly and follows up to ensure I’ve been able to resolve my questions.
5. Active Campaign
ActiveCampaign is a customer relationship management, CRM, software for small to mid-sized businesses. The company offers software for customer experience automation, which combines email marketing, marketing automation, and sales automation. They offer a free 14-day trial. Their customer service team is extremely helpful with a quick response time from their chat room, and 30-minute one-on-one calls.
There’s always room for improvement. Instead of struggling and trying to figure it out on your own, I’ve shared my top five tools and resources that have made my business and life easier and will help you save yourself time, energy, frustration, and money. Use these tools to help you build, grow, and scale your business FASTER than you ever dreamed possible!
