7 Frugal Online Tools For Startup Companies

Launching and managing startups is incredibly challenging, so you need the best tools of the trade. The right frugal tools can make the difference between the success and failure of a startup business. There are many expenses to reckon with when you launch a company and can’t afford to pay for online tools or software solutions. This list of seven free SaaS programs will make it easier to track data, collaborate with staff, and market your business. 

Top 7 Best Frugal Or Free Online Tools For Startups

1. G Suite / Google Workspace

G Suite is Google’s set of cloud collaboration tools, which offers a number of solutions, including slides, email, documents, spreadsheets, and more. Every file is stored in Google Drive. With this tool, it’s easy to edit and share work in real-time. What’s more, the software is very user- friendly. It saves changes at regular intervals automatically. It is cloud-based, so you’ll never lose your work. 

2. Google Analytics (GA) And Search Console (GSC)

This classic website analytics tool hardly needs an introduction. Traffic tracking and analysis are indispensable to a website. Google Analytics will show you your traffic source and which website pages are most popular with visitors. The free updated tool also helps with any improvements necessary because you can see where visitors leave your site. This way, you can make changes. Last but not least, Google Analytics can help improve your marketing through detailed insights into your audience. 

Google Search Console is also an excellent free tool for webmasters and SEOs to help manage website keywords, links, traffic, indexing, and manual action resolutions. If you haven't set up your website with Google Search Console and integrated it with Google Analytics, you are missing out.

3. Brand Snag 

What’s a business without a name? Brand Snag is a business name generator that’s easy to use and highly recommended as it helps create a unique, original online presentation of your business or personality. The tool helps users check, compare, and select the best name to symbolize their online presence. The world of digital marketing is quite overcrowded, and this tool can be indispensable in helping businesses, brands, and personalities stand out. Brand Snag checks social media handles, domain names, and online gaming usernames to guarantee that your username is original and unique. Your top choice might already be taken. In that case, Brand Snag will provide a creative and catchy alternative to show the digital world who you are. 

This top online tool also offers tips and tricks if your name of choice is taken. You will find an alternative based on your goals, brand, and personality. In the process, it’s important to avoid common business name mistakes. The choice of name can be decisive in the digital world. Your self-presentation or the name of your brand will transform the way your potential clients perceive you. The creators of this new tool are well aware of this and will assist you accordingly. 

4. Calendly 

Calendly is a free app to schedule appointments, meetings, and more. With it, you will no longer struggle with getting appointments scheduled. You can set meeting limits and choose when to take calls during the day and week. After setting up your scheduling page, you send the link to customers and make an appointment based on the available slots. This tool integrates with many others on this list, including Zoom, the next choice for top startup software solutions. For example, each customer who has scheduled a meeting will automatically get a link to your Zoom meeting room if you integrate Calendly with Zoom. 

5. Zoom 

Workflow during the pandemic wouldn’t be as optimal without tools like Zoom. This is another choice that needs no introduction. It is essential to host video conferences and schedule virtual meetings, and Zoom is one of the best tools to this end. Zoom’s free plan includes access to an unlimited number of personal meetings and group meetings, in which as many as 100 people can take part. 

6. Mailchimp 

Finding the best email provider is crucial because email marketing is critical for business, especially if you are a startup. Mailchimp is intuitive and free for up to 12,000 emails and 1,000 users. Mailchimp can automate emails and create campaigns and signup forms. It’s an excellent option for those just starting out, although it lacks some of the features of its competitors. Nowadays Mailchimp has filled in the gaps on some of these email marketing features as well as expanded its overall service offering. Mailchimp is now a full service digital marketing platform after years of massive growth.

7. Zapier 

Last but not least, you can create workflows and connect your apps using Zapier. It integrates with Slack, Google Docs, and more than 3,000 additional apps. The free version comes with up to five single-step Zaps. Zapier is certainly a top frugal online tool for startup companies to leverage. 

Top Tools To Try Today 

Running a startup business is no easy feat. Keep these top frugal online tools in mind to help make it just a little bit easier.

6 Types Of Ads To Use In You Next Ad Strategy

Advertising can make the difference between a booming success and a failure of a business that nobody's ever heard of. 

Well, making an ad is easy enough, right? Just slap some words and pictures down and send it off to be published, right? Think that one over again, because not all advertisements are created equally.

If your idea of advertising strategies is "internet, radio, TV," you need to get up to date. There are virtually infinite ways to advertise, and each ad strategy has its pros and cons. 

If you're not familiar with advertising strategy examples, don't worry. That's why you're here to read this list of 6 types of advertising strategies. When you're through, you'll have more ideas for your next advertising campaign than you know what to do with.


1. An Email Ad Strategy Saves a Buck

Email advertising is inexpensive and direct but requires you have a list of email addresses on hand.

If you have an already-successful business, offering promotions and discounts in your emails will keep customers coming back. If your business isn't yet successful, offering coupons or discounts on your website or at your retail location when customers set up an account or subscribe to your email list is a way to build that list.


2. The Not-So-New Trend: Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has a new ring to it, but celebrity endorsements have been a part of advertising for centuries. In the 1760s, royal endorsements became popular and led to the celebrity ads we know today.

Traditionally, celebrities and other figures feature in other kinds of ads, like video advertisements or radio spots. Nowadays, celebrities and their lives essentially are the advertisements themselves.

Influencer marketing refers to a type of advertising where companies work with celebrities and other figures, who in turn encourage their fans to try the products. With the rise of social media celebrities on platforms like Instagram, influencer marketing hit new highs.

This isn't always the most affordable form of marketing, but if you have a product well-suited to it, it's very effective. Lifestyle products can go viral in a snap when paired with the right celebrity or another public figure, and that could save you a lot in the long run.


3. Google AdWords, Bing, and Other SEM

SEM, or search engine marketing, targets keywords that people are likely to search for. Writing an article or blog post using search engine optimization (SEO) services puts your business at the top of the search results, funneling consumers your way.

Google AdWords (now known simply as Google Ads) is the most well-known form of SEM, but ads appearing in Bing and other search engines use a similar system. Focusing on these other less well-known search engines when running paid ads can save you money.

Pay attention to the success of your cost-per-thousand ads at the end of each campaign, because it's easy to overspend. After all, you're billed for 1000 impressions, but you can't totally guarantee that 1000 people will click. It will usually be a very small percentage of that, but you still want to maximize results the best you can. Tracing your success over time will help you maximize PPC advertising efficiency.


4. Advertising on Podcasts

Podcasts are a popular pastime for many and have the advantage of being a format that people can and do listen to anywhere. With a podcast for every interest, mood, and person, you have a wide variety of options.

If you work with specific podcasts, you can target people with particular interests, and demographics that are likely to engage with particular kinds of content.

For example, a hobby shop might run ads on a crafting podcast. A kids' clothing store might too because they know that kids and parents who do crafts together are likely to listen to the podcast.

Working with a group of content producers or a company that makes multiple podcasts gives you the option of broadening your scope.


5. Running Radio Ads

While podcast advertising is popular lately, people still listen to FM and AM radio, too. One of the biggest benefits of FM/AM advertising is that you're guaranteed a local audience. If you want to advertise a car dealership or a new restaurant, this is a great option.

Unfortunately, you don't have a good idea of how many people hear your radio ads. However, like podcasts, the audio format means that people will hear them all over the place: in stores, in the car, at work, at home, and more.


6. Video Ads On-Air or Online

Video advertising on both broadcast television and streaming platforms like Hulu remains a popular and effective form of advertising. If you can keep production costs down, or have enough cash to make a well-produced ad, you can target viewers who watch certain programs.

On broadcast television, choosing a channel and timeslot allows you to do this. If you have a good spot for your industry—think beer ads during the Super Bowl and retirement home ads during daytime soap operas—then you can make a lot of money. The unfortunate part is that you don't know who is or isn't seeing your advertising.

On Hulu, you get to take advantage of the streaming giant's database of user data, viewing preferences, and watching habits. The popularity of binge-watching on streaming channels gives you an advantage, too, as viewers will see your ads over and over again.

Hulu also offers local ads, so you can reap some of the same benefits of advertising on local TV. This is a great advertising strategy option for small businesses.

Hulu's sophisticated targeting options make them a good way to get the most bang for your buck for a video ad.


Boost Your Business and Enrich Your Life

Now that you've read about these six different types of advertising campaigns, you can plan your next ad strategy to best capture customers' attention. A good advertising strategy will set your business on the road to success in no time.

When you take a break from working on your next campaign, take a look at our blog for more prudent business ideas and advertising articles. We've tailored our biz blog for people like you, who want to live life as masterful marketers, awesome advertisers, and business bosses. Go ahead and click on another article—It's made just for you!

6 Top Email Marketing Trends

Did you know that over 55% of business emails are read on mobile devices? Stats like that are why mobile compatibility is one of the hottest email marketing trends.

However, mobile compatibility isn't the only thing email marketers are taking into account nowadays. And if you are someone who is looking to make better use of email marketing soon, you may be curious to know what other trends are hot at the moment.

If that sounds right, you are in luck! 

In this article, we will discuss a few things that you should consider implementing in your email marketing campaign. That way you can create content that subscribers are going to enjoy and engage with, as well as improve your click-through rate.

Now then, let's get started on the 6 top email marketing trends! 

6 Tips For Email Marketing Excellence


1. Focus on Interactivity

It is safe to say that competition inside of a subscriber's email inbox has never been higher. So to stand out amongst the crowd, you have to provide subscribers with something more than just words to read.

That is why it is important to take steps to create more interactive emails to help increase your engagement rates. Focusing heavily on interactivity can help you create content that subscribers are going to want to open and engage with. 

The best part? Interactivity isn't all that complicated. You can use simple things like image carousels, games, and YouTube videos to encourage users to click on and interact with your videos. 


2. Consider Subscriber Personalization

It is important to remember that every subscriber is their own unique individual. That is why mass blanket emails aren't the move in today's modern age, because you fail to reach users on a personal level using that strategy. 

By using technology that tracks users viewing and purchase habits, you can create emails that are more personally catered to subscribers. This can help you increase your click-through rate and thus give you more chances to make a sale.

Again, the technology you need to use this is available at your fingertips. Email clients now more than ever offer a wide variety of features that you can take advantage of, including subscriber personalization. 

And this technology is only getting better over time, which means you will be able to improve upon your results if you stay on top of the latest trends.


3. Obey User Privacy Laws

While it is important to consider user personalization when crafting email marketing campaigns, it is even more important to consider your subscriber's privacy when doing so.

Recently, new privacy laws were created to help protect users from companies who are looking to use their information in a harmful way. Be sure to follow all of these practices and obtain private information ethically and legally.

Failure to do so could result in significant legal issues and at the very least harm the reputation of your company or brand. 


4. Creating Referral Marketing Programs

Hands down, the best type of advertising is word-of-mouth promotion. People have been, and always will be, more inclined to listen to someone they know personally than an ad on TV or the radio.

You can increase your word-of-mouth advertising by offering an incentive program in regards to referrals via email. The best part? It costs no money and doesn't require anything crazy to encourage people to refer your company to others.

You would be surprised to know people don't require much in return to suggest your company to their friends. Something as simple as a discount on their next purchase, or a small cashback reward, can usually be enough to get you a referral.


5. Utilize Media Properly

Did you know that 54% of people said they would like to see more video content from email marketers? It is safe to say that videos are some of the most popular media consumed by people on the internet.

That is why it is important to include media in your emails like pictures and videos.

Obviously, pictures and other forms of media can help improve your engagement rate and entice subscribers to open your emails. But if you don't have one already, consider creating a YouTube channel and including videos from that channel in your emails.

Not only will you be creating a presence on one of the biggest social media sites in the world, but you will also be presenting information to your subscribers in an effective way. 


6. Make Things Mobile-Friendly

Over half of all internet traffic in recent years came from mobile devices. That is a trend that shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, which is why it is important that you start considering mobile users when creating your e-mail marketing campaigns.

Formatting emails so that they are aesthetically pleasing and easy to read on mobile devices should be a top priority for email marketing campaigners.

Nothing turns a user off quicker than poor user experience. And if your emails aren't mobile-friendly, you have a better chance of losing that subscriber than you do closing on a sale.


Use These Email Marketing Trends to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Well, there you have it marketers! Those are a few of the hottest email marketing trends in the digital age that you should consider using for your email marketing campaigns!

Remember, the entire goal here is to create content that users are going to want to engage with. Because if you can't get them to engage with your email, you can't increase your chances of getting a sale or click.

Considering user experience as well as user privacy. Follow all user privacy laws and create mobile-friendly content. If you do that successfully, you will start getting the results you are looking for in no time! 

Looking for email marketing tips and tricks for your website? Keep browsing our blog and check the digital marketing section!