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Social Media on the Move – take these guys with you!
We all know how time consuming starting and running a small #business can be, especially when you are a sole trader or entrepreneur with maybe only two or three staff. There are many times that you find yourself needing to be in two places at the same time, but leaving behind the office duties to go out into the field can often mean having to tackle a backlog of work on your return.
Save some time by taking your social media tools with you
For the busy small business owner on the run, there are some great social media tools that you can access direct from your smartphone or tablet. You don’t need to worry about checking up on the progress of your social media campaign, or see if your assistant has updated your company blog.
If you are a sole trader, and have to be totally self-reliant, then you can still post new information remotely, or monitor who is visiting your site in real time and what they are reading. Here are some useful tools to help keep you connected while on the move:
Trello
This versatile tool helps you to organise projects virtually through the use of lists, boards and cards that you can write notes to, can pin attachments to, and set reminders for impending due dates and appointments.
Trello is great for the small business owner who doesn’t want to haul around heavy files or paperwork, and can be a very useful tool for keeping your organised and up to date with your to-do-list and priorities. Trello also works across all platforms, so you can access it on your android smartphone and tablet.
Google Analytics
If you are keen to monitor your website visitors, or want to keep tabs on a live campaign while away from the office, then simply by installing Google Analytics tracking code you can take a look at key demographic data, and even see it broken down into detailed information for the day, week, month or year. With this information at hand, you don’t have to be in your office to be able to access the data needed to formulate your next strategy.
Google Drive
If you are planning to work away from your office or team mates for a while, then you don’t have to wait until your return to share important information with your team. Through Google Drive you can share documents with both your colleagues and with your clients out in the field. Your files are also editable from your smartphone or tablet too, so you can save a lot of time by quickly amending agreements or completing reports on the go rather than postponing them until your return.
Buffer
This very useful tool is becoming increasingly popular amongst small business owners. With Buffer you can schedule your social media posts in a similar way to HootSuite, only this operates in a slightly different way. You can write as many posts as you like and choose which of your profiles and platforms to send them to. You can also spread out your messages over the day or week, so if you are planning to be away for a length time, you don’t have to worry about going online to post every day. You also get a much more detailed analytical data set than you can get directly from #facebook or #twitter. It is also very easy to instantly share information as Buffer is installed to your browser, and with a simple click you can share whatever content you choose. This works on smartphones too.
Mail Chimp
If you want to send out an important email to your staff or customer base, then Mail Chimp enables you to create and send these easily through your browser. The benefit is that your email will look smart and professional through your chosen email template, and your recipients will never know you are away from your office.
These are just a few mobile-enabled tools that can prove very useful to a small business owner, entrepreneur or sole-trader who needs to work remotely without dropping the ball. The tools mentioned here are simple to use, and can keep you connected when you are not present.
