The internet has opened up a world of opportunities for people who want to run their businesses. The best part is that you can do it from home, on the go, or just about anywhere there’s an internet connection.
Fuelled by the craze for outsourcing, an entire industry has emerged, encouraging people to leave their day jobs and start working online. While there’s a lot of advice available about how you can make money on the internet, hardly any attention is paid to what it takes to run your business effectively.
This article will walk you through some essential tools and apps to help run your virtual business as successful as possible.
Website Maintenance
Getting your website up and running is just the first step. After that, it’s a continuous process of tweaking, improving, and updating to keep visitors interested till they become buyers.
Many tools can help you with this phase. Some can even let you create and edit web pages without any coding knowledge. With a simple click of a button, you can create a beautiful and responsive website that looks great on all devices.
Visitor Tracking Tools
A big part of running a virtual business is knowing your visitors. More so, what they’re doing on your site, and how long they spend on each page. The best way to get this information is through visitor tracking tools.
Many tools track visitor activity. A wide range of packages is available based on the number of visitors you need to follow and the level of analytics you require.
Project Management Tools
Running multiple projects at once can be a challenge, even if it’s for your business. It would be best to have a place where all the thoughts and ideas related to your projects are stored, and all the tasks associated with each project are sorted and scheduled. You can create separate boards for different projects and add comments on each job to share with co-workers and team members.
Project management tools often have cloud features that let you access them from any device. Not only do they make project management easy, but the ability to share and collaborate with your team makes them perfect for small businesses that already operate in a virtual setting.
Email Marketing Tools
Reaching out to your potential customers is one of the most important things you should do to make your virtual business succeed. Email marketing has emerged as one of the best ways to communicate with buyers, especially for products or services requiring explanation or critical information about features and benefits.
It can help you manage email marketing campaigns and newsletters while also providing detailed analytics about who’s opening your emails and clicking on links.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools
To retain customers and attract new ones, you need a CRM tool that can help you build a solid customer profile. You’ll be able to track everything about your customers, from when they started using your services, how much time it took to make a sale and inbound inquiries.
A CRM will also help you schedule follow-up calls and emails and send valuable updates to your customers. There are several tools available for CRM, and you need to find one that can meet all your requirements and work within your budget.
Social Media Management Tools
Keeping track of everything can be challenging if you have a presence on social media. These sites are great for communicating with your potential and existing customers, but you need a channel that can pull all the information together in a way that’s easy to manage.
These tools can help you schedule posts on multiple social media sites, track who’s sharing what about your business, and let you respond quickly to customer complaints or questions.
Network Security
Running a virtual business presents a unique set of challenges regarding data safety. While you can address most of these challenges with the right tools, it’s essential to be aware of them and take the necessary precautions.
Some essential protocols include firewalls, antivirus software, and malware protection. These protect your network from unauthorized access, while antivirus software helps to protect your computers from harmful viruses and malware.
Many companies look for partners that offer network security as a service. Doing so lets you work with industry experts to ensure all your connectivity needs are met while also receiving valuable advice on keeping your data safe.
So, there you have it — some essential tools for running a virtual business. While it isn’t an exhaustive list, the above guide should give you a good starting point for getting your business up and running. And don’t forget, if you’re looking for more advice or help getting started, you can always talk to a professional for more support.
