This is part two in a two-part series. You can read part one here.
In the first part of this two-part series on tips and tools to help eCommerce businesses save more time, we explored time-saving tips. In part two, we’ll explore software tools that’ll do double duty or make jobs extra easy.
As a small business owner, you’re expected to wear a lot of hats that may take you from holding team meetings to marketing and invoicing customers all within a few hours. You can’t do all that work without a few tricks up your sleeve.
Here are a few great options, depending on the situation:
Social Media Management. When you’re running a small eCommerce company it might seem like there’s no time for juggling social media, but it can be just as vital to your marketing efforts. You don’t have to spend all day at social media (though many do), instead, employ a tool like Buffer, TweetDeck, HootSuite or Meet Edgar to help your social media efforts practically run themselves.
Email Marketing. Along with social media, you’ll probably need to do some email marketing, too. Thankfully, there are tools for building newsletters and developing really amazing email mailing lists, too! MailChimp, CampaignMonitor and Litmus will all be invaluable for your email marketing, depending on your goals.
Project Management. Got a big project coming up that you’d like to work on with your whole team? That’s where project management software can be a huge help! Rather than try to organize something complicated using email chains and Google documents, step it up a bit with tools designed with your project in mind.
There are several different project management software designs out there, but you’ll surely find a fit if you give Slack, Trello and Asana a try. Unlike other software categories, project management software is really a very open field so if the first one you try isn’t right for your project, the next one may be.
Invoicing. Unless your company only deals in order fulfillment direct to eCommerce customers, you probably do some invoicing. It can be a painful and tedious process, especially if your clients aren’t prompt about payment. Fortunately, tools like Wave, Hiveage and Invoicely are designed to make invoicing simple. With built-in auto-reminders and overdue notifications, you don’t have to remember to do the dirty work anymore, because your software will do it for you.
As an eCommerce business owner, there’s nothing you can’t do—except maybe stop time. But that’s ok because you’re not going to need to once you’ve implemented the tools and tips outlined in this two-part blog series. After all, the name of the game is working smarter, not working harder.
