Small businesses aren’t known for having piles of extra cash to throw around, which is why free online tools are some of the best things to have in your resource kit.
While most online tools also have paid versions if you want to access higher tiers and extra capabilities, there are plenty of free entry-level tools you can use in your everyday work.
Here are five of the best for small businesses.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp offers many services, but is largely known for their email marketing capabilities.
The free version allows you to add up to 500 contacts and send up to 1,000 emails per month, plus it offers basic insights so you can see how your emails are performing. One of the best features of Mailchimp is the ability to use templates and design your newsletters to look polished and professional, which will level up your communication and keep your banding on point as you grow.
Meta Business Suite
Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, it makes for a handy tool to schedule and post social media updates across both platforms. This makes it easy to plan and schedule up to a month’s worth of social content at a time. You can also quickly gain access to insights to see how many people saw, clicked on, or commented on your posts.
Meta Business Suite even comes with tips and strategies for growing your accounts, which can be useful for anyone without the time or budget to seek out professional marketing help.
Better yet, these functions are entirely free. Of course, the platform will prompt you to try paid advertising across these channels, which can be another option if you’re looking to further amplify your messages.
Canva
Canva has become the go-to solution for any kind of graphic design. Even those who have never used Photoshop or any other design software will quickly be able to pick up the tools available through Canva.
There are countless templates to choose from, or you can create your own designs from scratch. There are free resources such as photos and fonts within Canva that you can use, and handy guides to help you make sure your work is centred and aligned. You can even easily upload your own images and branding to incorporate into everything you create.
Whether you need a banner, business card, flyer, social post, name tag, or just about anything else, you can create it in Canva.
Grammarly
We know many business owners are absolute powerhouses when it comes to their own fields, but shy away from creating website content and putting together important emails. Unfortunately for the small business owner who wears many hats, these tasks are unavoidable in day-to-day business operations.
Grammarly used to just be a tool to check your own writing, but it now includes AI writing tools to help you formulate copy as well.
This is a great tool for anyone who needs a leg up when it comes to all things copy, from social media posts to emails to website content.
Community Futures Howe Sound
Don’t forget that Community Futures Howe Sound is a fantastic free resource for small business owners. We offer personalized business advice, whether you need accounting advice, HR tips, marketing expertise, or just about anything in between.
Our local business experts have a huge amount of business experience, and can be your personal business coach as you start, grow, or even sell your business. All of that is available to you at no cost, and with no strings attached.
Book a free session to discuss your business needs with one of our friendly experts.
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