Use digital tools to grow

• Lets you store all of your files, software and applications on a remote server, instead of storing them on your computer. This means you can access them at any time and from any device, as long as you have internet access. This can reduce your travel time as you can access your files at home or elsewhere

• It also reduces the risk of losing files and data, through features like ‘auto-save’​

• You can work and collaborate on that proposal document or budget spreadsheet in real time, so you have better version control and don’t have to keep emailing content back and forth​

Cloud can seem like a complex topic, but you might already be using some Cloud tools without even knowing it. Do you use tools like Microsoft Office or Google Workspace? If so both of these use Cloud to help allow live collaboration and enable productivity.

Want to know more? Our Save time and money with cloud lesson explains what cloud solutions are available and how to pick one to meet your needs.

• ​These tools let you send messages and receive fast responses which can speed up sales, supplies and operations

• Host remote meetings instead of travelling to meet in person. This can be better for you and your clients, suppliers or investors​

• Keep in touch throughout the day, from any location on your smartphone

Examples of communication tools include Slack, Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp.

• ​Project management tools let you assign tasks and keep track of progress through digital dashboards and tools

• You’ll always know who’s responsible for different aspects of the project, and can check this information at any time.

• These tools give an overview of the whole project from start to finish, so you can spot delays and blockers early on. This means you can make a plan to resolve these

Examples of project management tools include Asana, Monday.com and Trello.

• Schedule social media posts ahead of time to ensure you’re regularly posting engaging content and communicating with your audience
• Automate your email marketing. This can include sending milestone emails with incentives on customer’s birthdays or when they’ve been a customer for over a year. It can also include sending automatic order confirmation emails
• Many of these tools will also have chatbot features. You can integrate these into your social media channels or website to deal with basic inquiries from customers

Examples of marketing automation tools include Hootsuite, Buffer, Later, MailChimp and Drip.

These tools are available to help you manage your finances and accounting  enabling automation and access from anywhere. 

Examples of accounting tools include Quickbooks and Xero.

• These can help you keep track of all the stock you currently have in your inventory. 
• You’ll be provided with real-time, automatic updates of stock as it is purchased. So you’ll always know the quantity of each item you have in stock
• Stock management systems can also reduce the risk of over-ordering stock, which means you can avoid paying too much for warehouse space.

Examples of stock management systems include INTUENDI, Jira Work Management and Netstock. 

You can use Search Engine Optimisation to help your website organically appear in search results when potential customers are searching for keywords that relate to your business. You can also use Search Engine Marketing. This is a form of paid advertising, in which you can pay for your website to be advertised at the top of search results. Both of these methods can help attract customers.

You should ensure your website is visually appealing and easy to navigate to encourage customers to make a purchase on your site. Want to find out ways to do this? Take a look at our Designing your website lesson.

Email marketing tools such as MailChimp can be used to send out targeted emails to potential customers. These tools use AI and automation to create, send and track responses to your emails. 

Emails can include introductory offers or incentives such as free samples in order to attract and convert customers. The tools can also generate welcome emails to new customers, 'abandoned cart' emails to encourage a customer to complete a sale plus personalised 'thank you' emails after a purchase.

Make sure your email marketing meets GDPR rules. Check out this article from the ICO for guidance on these rules.

Social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are often used to build relationships with customers by interacting with them and posting engaging content. Channels often have links to websites or online marketplaces to encourage customers to visit and purchase products.

Our two lessons Making the most of social media and Creating engaging social media content can help you build up your social media profile.

Google Business Profile allows you to control how your business appears on Google Search and Maps. You can provide information about your business such as opening hours, contact details, location and more. You can also include images of your products, a link to your website and reviews.

As we’ve already touched on, automation tools include social media scheduling tools, automated marketing comms and email marketing tools. These tools can help you engage with your customers and help you continue building the relationship.

Open AI tools such as ChatGPT and Jasper.ai can help you quickly produce engaging content such as email copy, social media content and blogs.

Chatbots can enable you to provide 24/7 customer support which can create a positive customer experience and contribute towards the reputation of your business.

We also already touched on accountancy software which can help you manage your finances. It can also help you convert customers as it provides automated invoicing and reminders. It can also issue refunds quickly, providing a positive customer experience.