Five Free Apps to Help You Launch Your Biz in Style
As a business owner myself, I have a few apps I couldn't live without. Here's my {1st edition!} of favorite apps I use for my own business, and they are (or begin) F-R-E-E. If you have a few minutes to check these out, they'll seriously up your entrepreneurial game.
Enjoy & PS - this is not a sponsored post.
EMAIL MARKETING
Mailchimp
This one may be a no-brainer, but I have had several clients entertain the idea of other email marketers. Mailchimp, from a usability standpoint, is by far the easiest I've found for my small business clients. The first plan is free for up to 2,000 subscribers, and that includes an email nurture series, welcome series, automated non-openers, popups, and much more! Plus, it's beautifully integrated with Squarespace.
BEAUTIFUL HIGH-RES IMAGES
Unsplash
Beautiful, free, curated, high-res images to help when photos aren’t in abundance. You can even create collections of photos (say, "Spring" or "Inspirations") and download them at any time to use in unlimited applications. You don't even need to credit the photos, although it's always appreciated.
SYNCHRONIZED MEETINGS & APPOINTMENTS
Calendly
Schedule all your new business meetings on a schedule that works for you, and them. If you start with only one appointment type, it's free! You have the power to customize your schedule, appointment slots, and availability. Plus, it instantly connects to your google account, which will sync with your calendar and phone. My clients LOVE this feature of my workflow!
FREE MARKETING & COMMUNITY
Leverage Pinterest for your business! It’s technically a free, hyper-visual, and super segmented search platform. Say, if you're a dog walker, you could curate boards of inspiration on pet care, new toys, holistic pet remedies, the best nearby hikes, etc. Just also be sure to pin your own content from your site! Pins will bring in organic traffic and help you gain visibility to your target audience - when you stay focused on pinning what your ideal client wants to know.
INSTAGRAM CURATION & PLANNING
Planoly
Planoly is a beautiful application to help automate your Instagram feed by scheduling in advance and curating your content visually. You can also use it to plan your captions, which carry weight for Instagrams algorithms.