Running a business is hard work, but there are tons of great business tools online that can make it so much easier! Today I wanted to share a few of my favorites (that I personally use!) with you. I’ve rounded up six online business tools you should definitely be using! The bonus? *Most* of these services are FREE!

I want to clarify something first, though… I’m not a paid affiliate of any of these companies. The following is simply my opinion. Because when I find things that make life easier, I wanna share with my people! My motto: Work smarter, not harder. Can I get an Amen?

17 Hats

17 Hats is a business management system, and I can honestly say, 17 Hats has been a lifesaver me. It keeps all the information I have on my leads and clients in a convenient place that I can access anywhere. You can establish workflows that let you know where you are with each and every contact you have. You can send questionnaires, quotes, and invoices within a few clicks, automate email responses, and even create lead generation forms! 17 Hats isn’t free, but it’s worth the cost. Learn more about 17 Hats here.

Later

Later is an online social media planner with the ability to schedule your social media posts for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. You upload your media, type out your captions, and schedule it on your weekly or monthly calendar! While you can plan for several platforms, Later’s true love is Instagram. You can preview your feed before it’s posted and rearrange posts if you like. But hands down, my favorite thing about Later is that I can save captions, which I use to save hashtags. I have certain hashtags for certain post, and having them available in just a few clicks makes posting for Instagram SO much easier. Later is free for one social profile on the four platforms, and then has a monthly fee for additional features. Learn more about Later here.

Canva

I just recently hopped onto the Canva bandwagon, and I’m SO glad I did. Seriously, you guys, Canva is amazing. Just about any marketing template you can think of is at your fingertips, along with graphics, fonts, stock photos, and more! It makes designing social media posts a breeze. Canva is free, and has lots of great features, but Canva for Work (the monthly subscription) is only $12.95 a month as I write this post. I love Canva for Work because I can save all my logos, brand colors, and brand fonts, making all of my marketing have a cohesive and consistent brand look. FYI – I used Canva to make the title graphic at the top of this post! Learn more about Canva here.

Mail Chimp

Mail Chimp is an email marketing platform that allows you to collect email addresses through sign up forms. You can also create landing pages and Facebook ads that target your specific market. (I’m a huge fan of email marketing, and I’ve got a blog post in the works as to why you NEED to be nurturing an email list. But until then, check out this amazing email marketing class by Jeff Goins on Creative Live.) There are tons of email marketing platforms, but I use Mailchimp for a couple of reasons:

1. The drag and drop editor makes it super simple to create beautiful emails, newsletters, and landing pages.
2. I love that I can easily embed sign up forms on my website, or share the signup form on social media.
3. It’s 100% free for up to 2,000 subscribers.

You can learn more about Mailchimp here.

Google Drive

I’m a huge fan of Google Drive, and not just to make my documents or images easily accessible from anywhere. This is where I store my ‘freebies’ for my customers to download. You can upload your lead magnet freebie, and then share a link via email for them to download the document. Easy peasy! Check out Google Drive here.

Portent’s Content Idea Generator

And, last but certainly not least, is Portent’s Content Idea Generator. This is an incredible tool if you run a blog or have an email list. It’s PERFECT to help you come up with catchy blog titles or email subject lines! If you’ve never heard of this site, please go get a glass of wine, head to this site, and plan for a few good laughs and some great ideas. Here’s how it works: you type in what you want to talk about, and the generator comes up with an idea. If you like it, or can at least use some version of it as a springboard, awesome. If not, hit the refresh button. I use this site all the time to help me come up with ideas for blog posts. Just for funsies, I have an example for you. I typed in “personal branding”. Here’s three ideas the generator had:

1. “Doing Personal Branding The Right Way”
2. “True Facts about Justin Bieber’s Love of Personal Branding”
3. “If You Read Only One Article About Personal Branding, Make It This One.”

As you can see, some of their suggestions are pretty solid and would make a great blog post title or email subject line. Others are just silly. And that’s what makes it so fun! Play with the Portent’s Content Idea Generator Here.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I believe in working smarter, not harder, and these online business tools have helped me stay organized and on top of the marketing I do for my business. I hope these tools help you and your business just as much as they have mine!

Do you have a favorite online business tools you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments!

And I’d like to invite you to join our free Facebook Group, The Brand Story Brigade, where like-minded boss babes can come learn about personal branding, and support and encourage one another in business and life!

Learn more about The Brand Creative Photography & Design’s services here.