The following blog post content is from the She Thinks Like a CEO book now available on Amazon:
In today’s business environment, technology is essential and can be the key to keeping your business afloat. By using technology, you can work smarter instead of harder, allowing you to focus on growing your business. Even if you’re new to the business world or looking to expand, the right technology can help you increase your earning potential.
In this post discover 7 online tools that 7 female CEOs are using to grow their businesses.
1. Carol J Dunlop, The Online WOW! Strategist and 6X Amazon Best-selling author, influential podcast host recommends ActiveCampaign
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways you can share your message, sell your services, and build a relationship with your clients. In fact, companies who send automated emails are 133% more likely to send relevant messages that correspond with a customer’s purchase cycle.
Automated email campaigns account for 21% of email marketing revenue. 94% of Internet users use email. Therefore, marketing through email allows you to reach a great deal of Internet users even if they are not on social media. Furthermore, a survey found that an astounding 75% of adult online users say email marketing is actually their preferred marketing method!
Carol recommends Active Campaign, an email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation, and CRM software platform for small-to-mid-sized businesses. Active Campaign gives you the email marketing, marketing automation, and CRM tools you need to create great customer experiences.
2. Renee Coakley, an accomplished sales and marketing expert operating a six-figure business recommends Canva
If you want your business to stand out from your competitors, then you need to add graphic design to your marketing strategies.
Canva is an online platform and app that has pre-made templates to help even a non-designer to easily create a variety of engaging graphics to share and use in their marketing.
You might be saying, “But I’m not a designer.”
You can design beautiful graphics in minutes, and it will be content that will encourage prospects to become customers. High-quality visuals increase viewer interaction and can accentuate your marketing efforts across all channels.
3. Selena Teems, founder of Successful YOU!® and creator Indie Author Market recommends Facebook Groups
As of January 2023, Facebook had 2.963 billion monthly active users, and Facebook Groups had 1.8 billion users. As of August 2022, there were over 10 million Facebook Groups.
If you can think of a topic, there’s a Facebook Group for it. Facebook Groups are virtual places where people with common interests share concepts, ideas, and opinions, upload photos, post valuable content, engage in chat rooms, live streams and most importantly post their pain points in comments. Facebook Groups are a goldmine for business owners looking to make business connections.
Do you struggle to get a regular flow of leads?
Do you lack a budget to purchase paid advertising?
You can accomplish two things at one time by joining Facebook Groups:
1) You can establish yourself as an authority or thought leader, and
2) You can make new connections.
To start attracting leads, you must first become visible and add value to the group.
4. Alicia Couri, co-founder and executive producer of Dreamaniac TV recommends Dreamaniac TV
There is so much noise in almost every industry, and each business is vying for the same customer’s attention. How are you standing out from all the others?
According to a survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 47% of live-streaming video viewers worldwide are streaming more live video compared to a year ago.
Do you know how popular live-stream video is? Whether you are an expert in your field or a best-kept secret with a product or service that people need to know about, professional video will next-level your brand. Videos help establish your credibility and allows consumers to trust your brand.
Have you tried creating your own high-quality videos and can’t seem to get them right? You not only need a video strategy but also someone that can handle the tech and knows what works best for each platform. Facebook reported that “people comment 10 times more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos.”
How much easier do you think sales and marketing would be if you had a done-for-you solution? Dreamaniac TV is your one-stop live-streaming solution with branding, marketing, promotion, and production of your live web show.
5. Lori Mann, founder and president of Quality Media Consultant Group recommends video marketing
Have you heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Imagine how much more a video can capture and express your message to help your business grow.
It’s proven that using video generates 12 times more shares than text and images on social media platforms. Additionally, customers purchase products at an increased rate of 64% after watching video content.
However, have you found it difficult to manage your video marketing or perhaps Facebook live broadcasts? Ever wondered how to utilize video effectively to create a strong marketing presence so you can build an audience and generate more sales?
Video marketing has emerged as the leading marketing tool that all businesses must implement for success in the new millennium. Video marketing is poised to become one of your best sales outlets that can work for you 24/7, 365 days a year.
These days, it is important to tap into the power of video marketing because it’s a proven method allowing you to reach more prospects, convert more clients, and also retain current clients. Video helps with client retention because content creation enables you to be viewed as an authority or an expert in your industry or niche. Your clients will get value from the video content you share if it covers topics that matter to them.
6. Nadine Mullings, CEO of Nadine Mullings Marketing Agency and Founder of Women Faith + Business Community recommends Scheduling Tools
Could you use a boost in your business productivity, state of mind, motivation, and happiness? I bet you could, and I’m sure your sales would increase too!
Being disorganized can negatively impact your productivity by 77%, your state of mind by 65%, your motivation by 54%, and your happiness by 40% (as cited from several sources).
And that’s why getting organized in your business is so important and one of the key tools that can help you to get organized, keep focused, and save you time is an online scheduling software.
I’m sure you can relate to forgetting an appointment, not logging an event in your calendar, or playing phone tag back and forth with someone trying to coordinate schedules. Today, especially if you are a service-based business, consultant, or coach, the lifeline of your business is reliant on appointments and meetings. An online scheduling system provides you, your prospects, and your clients with an easy way to book appointments. I definitely recommend the all-inclusive tool feacreate.com to schedule appointments and your marketing activity.
7. Tina R Bolden, Virtual Tax & Wealth Advisor at Bolden Tax Consulting recommends MileIQ
You may be missing out on a large tax refund or not maximizing all the tax deductions available for your business!
According to a 2017 report, manual mileage logging adds an average of 21 administrative hours annually per employee, stated on TaxAct.com. Mileage deduction is an ordinary and necessary business deduction (under section 162 of the Title 26, IRC Code).
As a business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur, there are tax deductions you can receive each time you use your car for business or administrative purposes.
MileIQ users save around $7,124 per year, making this a great cost-saving app. The app itself is free for up to 40 drives each month.
Without this app, you may be leaving valuable deductions on the table!
Want to learn more about these tools and how they can help you in your business? Be sure to join these female CEOs who are the authors of She Thinks Like a CEO for a LIVE discussion on Thursday, August 31st at 11amET to learn more about the book and the tools!
And be sure to share the number one online business tool that you use and would recommend in the comments below:
