Every business has their own unique needs and tech stack within their organization. Yet, with thousands of tech tools out there, how do you know which ones are best for your company?
As a digital marketing executive, I've used various tools and programs to amplify my marketing tasks and keep track of specific projects. It can be overwhelming at times, but it also gave me tons of exposure to various tech tools, allowing me to really narrow down my favorites.
While your company and each department might have different opinions on tech tools, I’ve selected some of my favorite and the best tools that help me be more productive daily. Here they are.
Trello
Many of you reading this article may be somewhat familiar with Trello, but, if not, that's OK!
Trello is one of the most popular and user-friendly project management tools in the world. There are, of course, quite a few different project management options out there, but I find Trello to be one of the better products.
The reason why I like it so much is that it is pretty visual, easy to follow a long, simplifies tasks and more. Also, as a marketer, I have a handful of tasks happening at once, which, without some sort of system in place, I would definitely lose track.
Even if your company doesn't utilize a project management tool, Trello is free to use so you can sign up and start managing your own tasks. Trust me, it's a time-saver.
Buffer
Buffer is another tool you might be familiar with. This platform helps me daily.
This social media management tool allows me to manage multiple social media accounts, schedule posts and get insights into how my posts are doing.
I use it to schedule most of my social posts for the week and make sure my engagement continues as I work on other marketing tasks. This frees up my time as I can knock out several social media posts quickly in one shot.
There is a free version of Buffer, but it has its limitations, so it is certainly worth upgrading and paying for more features. Plus, their blog content is an excellent resource and can help you learn a lot about your social media strategy.
Sniply
Sniply is one of my favorite tech tools for social media and marketing. It's super easy to use and is quite effective. Now anytime you share third party content on social accounts, in emails, etc., you can include a call to action on that link that drives visitors back to your website.
Anytime you share third-party content on social accounts, in emails, etc., you can include a call to action on that link that drives visitors back to your website.
This is huge for businesses and something I use daily to drive more website traffic and potential new leads.
Typically, you want to avoid self-promotion (either posts and/or blog articles) in your posts, so sharing third-party content is good for your business. With Sniply, you can still have your related content without it being intrusive.
Slack
This is easily one of the best tech tools out there and one of the largest and fastest growing companies as well. Slack has been perfect for internal communications, especially for me, as I work remotely with other team members.
It allows our team to create specific channels of conversations, video conferences, and we can create alerts for specific marketing objectives. An alternative to Slack is Google Hangouts, but Slack, I feel, is more powerful with their capabilities.
Intercom
If you run a tech business, Intercom's chat is an essential component to customer success.
Now, I do caution when using this product, you don't want to have a million chat messages pop up. This will annoy visitors to your site and can cause people to bounce off your page quickly.
However, creating custom messages for certain pages of your website can help you get more sales, free trials, downloads, etc., whatever it may be.
The back end of Intercom is great, too, as you get solid reporting, A/B testing capabilities, and information that can help you determine how well your messaging is working and where you should make adjustments.
Intercom is also good as a chat help if you have a SaaS product, which can be integrated into your product. We do this at EveryoneSocial for current customers to reach out with any troubleshooting or product issues. But I also use it for marketing as we also generate leads through the chat.
Expensify
Pretty much all business can and should be utilizing Expensify. Why? Keeping track of business expenses, receipts, reimbursements and business purchases manually can be a pain.
Expensify makes all that much more manageable for employees, managers and financial leaders. Many times I have purchased new computer equipment, plane tickets for business travel and more. Instead of remembering what I sent over or if anything was approved, I can upload images of receipts and submit purchases for approval right from my phone – much easier to keep track of statements and receipts on the go.
Owler
Owler crowdsources business insights. It offers news alerts, company profiles and polls. Members can follow, track and research companies in real time.
This is huge for prospecting and getting insights on companies. While I use it as a marketer to check in on particular companies that may benefit from our software, this is also valuable for your sales team.
What’s even better about Owler? It's completely free.
They also have emails you can sign up for that provide company insights, news stories on companies and much more.
Now instead of Googling or researching the internet about a particular company, I can get insights directly in Owler or from their emails.
Not all marketers need to utilize this tool, but for business development and sales teams, this is a must. Interested other sales tools like Owler? Here are some other recommended tech sales tools for your stack.
Final thoughts
While the above tech tools are the "best" for me, they may not all be right for you or your daily tasks. Everyone has their own opinion, but these are resources that I've found so much value in over the years.
However, if any of these sound like they can increase your productivity or success, then I highly recommend you check them check out. What tech tools are you utilizing at your company?