With businesses becoming more dynamic and customer-oriented, how can you as a business become more efficient whilst keeping up with the technology age? Today, we share with you five simple business tools that can help you achieve some results for your business without spending more than you planned for.
- GSuite
You’ve probably heard of Google Analytics and its role in gaining in-depth insights into factors affecting your web traffic. Developed by Google, the GSuite offers a range of apps that can improve your business’ productivity. Whether you need to build a domain for your business, track how well your business is doing or run effective advertising campaigns, GSuite provides all the tools you need within one platform, whilst helping you stay within budget.
- Hootsuite
Let’s face it, we are in a digital age, and more people are going to gain access to the internet as the years go by. How can you as a business keep up? With many businesses expanding online, how can you stand out? Digital marketing.
Digital marketing tools such as Hootsuite help you strike the balance between running your day-today business whilst building a solid online presence. With over 16 million users worldwide, Hootsuite is an effective social media management tool for any business that wants to for example carry out a digital marketing campaign across different social media channels. Hootsuite enables you to do it from one dashboard and helps make your marketing more targeted and organized whilst following up on performance. Some people argue that Hootsuite is a bit on the high side, but you could choose from their packages ranging from £25/month (professional), £99/month (team) and £520/month (for very big businesses.) They have 30-day free trials as well.
- WordPress
Developing relatable and informative content is key to putting your small business out there. WordPress makes this easier by providing a simple but effective platform that enables you to manage your business blog efficiently. As one of (if not the most) the popular blogging platforms, WordPress offers a lot of add-ons and plug-ins to make your website management even easier with its resourceful dashboard and has helped many small businesses improve their Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Plus, it’s free!
- Bplans.com
Need to organize your ideas into a simple yet impressive business plan or just need to prepare a pitch to present to potential clients? BPlans.com makes it easier to plan your business, strategize and organize your information by providing tools and templates to help small businesses grow. They also provide key business insights through their blog, to keep small business owners informed with business trends. As BPlans themselves put it, they are a “free resource to help entrepreneurs start and run better businesses.”
- Co-working spaces
Sometimes you just need that working environment to keep your creative juices flowing but may not necessarily want to rent a full building to carry out your business activities. Well then, say hello to co-working spaces! Co-working spaces are gradually becoming more popular especially in Accra, and offer conducive environments for team meetings, business collaborations or just a place to finish up the work for that deadline. Here are a few you can explore:
–Kukun: Located in Osu, Kukun is open from 7am-5pm (Mondays & Tuesdays), 7am-10pm (Wednesdays – Fridays) and 10am-5pm (weekends). It offers a warm, welcoming workspace in the heart of Accra, and you can grab something to eat or drink too. Rates range from GHS50 per hour to $850 for access to their private offices for a month.
–Impact Hub: Also located in Osu, Impact Hub is open from 8am to 7pm (Mondays to Fridays). This space offers meeting rooms and entrepreneurial collaborations within a comfortable and productive environment. You can gain access for as low as GHS20 to GHS200.
–Workshed: Located in Spintex, the Workshed is open from 8am to 5:30pm (Mondays to Fridays). You can also book it in advance for your team events on Saturdays. Their membership rates range from GHS25 to GHS600, depending on whether you need full-time or part-time access.
Have you ever experienced a co-working space? We’d love to hear about it!
Businesses are only going to grow more competitive and creative. Don’t be left out!
