Content Creation

There are different types of content. Thus, you need different tools for it. Luckily, I have a wide array of tools to show you today. Whether you need to create video tutorials, design a page, produce social media banners, or beautify the restaurant menu, the tools below can help you. Are you ready?

• With Adobe Spark, it makes creating webpages, editing videos, and designing graphics easy. Best of all, they offer a FREE plan. Yes, their starter plan is free and you get to use their templates. Aside from the main program, there are sub apps you can access: Spark Page, Spark Post, and Spark Video. To be honest, with all these things combined, you can avoid the hassle of conceptualizing, editing, and designing your content! Hence, you can literally design images, webpages, and videos within a few minutes.
• Canva – Personally, this is my fave. A comprehensive web-based editor. I don’t need to download hefty files. All I need is to login and I can create a wide array of designs from restaurant menus, calling cards, to Facebook banners. So convenient and complete!
• Venngage – If you need infographics, this is your go-to tool. The free account can let you create 5 Infographics at a time.
• Recordit – Want to create video tutorials? All you need is to download this lite app that records screenshots. Available for both Mac and Windows. Plus, it supports GIF files!
• Adobe Color CC – this is a free color wheel to help you in your designing projects.

Team Collaboration

Without teamwork, your content won’t be great. After all, two heads are better than one. Because let’s face it, in one single day, you are probably dealing with hundreds of files and a number of these files are shared between all the teams involved. How do you keep up with all the bits and pieces that gets edited? Marketing alone can be such a headache, but I’m telling you organizing your files entails more effort.

Trust me, once your files are disorganized, you can’t proceed to the next step. This is the ONLY way to keep your head sane during the entire duration of a project. If you haven’t effectively classified your files in an organized manner, the succeeding steps will NOT work. By using collaborative tools, only then can you organize your files productively.

• Dropbox
  • Out of all 3, this is the tool that I have been using ever since. Dropbox Basic starts off with 2GB of free space and you get access to Dropbox Paper, where you can edit and create documents.
• Google Drive
  • Of course, this wouldn’t be complete without Google’s entry. With Google Drive, you can store, share, and access your files anywhere and anytime.  There’s a free 15 GB of storage and you can create documents and collaborate with others through Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
• Box
  • It has a FREE individual plan for starters. With Box’s starting plan, an individual can have access to 10 GB of storage, and  can upload up to 250MB of files. For business plans, there plans start at around $5. You might think Box is a knockoff of Dropbox. Remember, Dropbox Basic only has 2GB of free space. Aside from the advantages mentioned above, Box has partnered with Microsoft to boost its cloud content management systems. Definitely a strong contender if you ask me!

Having said this, it’s also important to invest on tools for team communication. Check out my post on 5 Tools for Effective Team Communication!

It’s 2020 and online marketing isn’t only exclusive on social media channels. Back in 2017, video marketing has already started to gain popularity, and Wyzowl statistics released a study saying that, 82% of businesses shared that video marketing is a huge part of their strategy. In 2018, YouTube become the most-downloaded on the App Store. Fast forward to 2020, video is the platform everyone is talking about. So, how do you start implementing your video marketing strategies?

Obviously, now, everyone is so quick to upload their videos on YouTube. However, since YouTube’s rising popularity, it has now been brimming with ads. Yes, advertisements in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end. Sadly, someone else’s ad plays before your video even begins. For sure, the customers, who are viewing your video on you website, are not going to like this. It’s not going to look good for your brand! The video won’t be able to convert visitors because of the annoying ads. Fortunately, you can use other platforms.

Wistia 

• Unlike YouTube, Wistia hosts videos – yes, ad-free in case you are wondering – on your website.  To businesses to get started, Wistia’s FREE account is complete with all the standard features. Plus, 3 free videos that you can choose to embed wherever you want. The Wistia standard features include:
  • It comes with a customizable player – you can change its color, add a CTA button, etc.
  • You can restrict access – you can set passwords and invite who you want to depending on the permissions you have given your users.
  • Integrate your other apps with Wistia – it’s easy to connect the to tools you regularly use such as Mailchimp and many more.
  • Your videos are interactive – you can choose to display interactive links on your videos.
  • Access to video analytics – you can monitor the user engagements of your videos. 

Other video hosting sites to use:

• Vidyard
  • This is another video hosting tool built for business. Like Wistia, Vidyard has a Free Forever account that needs no credit card. You can easily upload and share your videos. Plus, you get to embed up to 5 videos on your site. There’s no limit to the videos you record and send to your followers. Capture the attention of your potential customers with interactive call to action buttons and video content personalization.
• Vimeo
  • If you need another alternative, Vimeo is a great ad-free platform. Personally, I use this to upload my video edits. Vimeo Basic is not just a free trial account. Vimeo Basic is ideal for people who are just starting to develop their business, hobby, or craft. If you aren’t particular with uploading HD videos, then, I’m telling you to try it out. You will never need to pay for availing Vimeo’s basic account.
  • In 2007, Vimeo has been a pioneer in being the first video sharing service to support HD videos. In 2018, Vimeo Stock, a library of royalty-free stock of 4K and HD videos, was added to its list of services.
• YouTube
  • Of course nothing beats free video viewing services. Despite being filled with ads, many consumers and businesses still choose YouTube. In November 2006, Google acquired YouTube for the price of US$1.65 billion. Today, YouTube is now one of Google’s fastest-growing subsidiaries.

Next? 6 Event Marketing and Other Similar Marketing Tools

Storing and organizing your files is one huge task itself, but managing the processes is another thing. How do you keep track with all the things happening to your current project? Whether it’s about your SEO campaigns or marketing campaigns, it’s easy to manage the tasks and responsibilities with these tools.

Below, I will enumerate the many options you can choose from. The features of these tools will be enhanced once you integrate them with your existing features. So many features for no fees at all. Are you ready?

• Trello
  • This has always been my personal fave because I have used this back when I was still a social media intern. Trello has a paid subscription, but it has also a free version… why not use it?
  • The features of the FREE plan are: access to unlimited personal boards, unlimited cards, and unlimited lists. For small businesses, you can have 1 Power-Up per board and create up 10 team boards. The team boards allows you to collaborate with your team by setting up boards that is accessible to everyone in the team. Tracking each task is made easy because you can tag certain members to the task board and you can set a specific deadline. In a board, you can also have the ability to include files, images, and links. However, the free version has a limit of 10MB per attachment.
  • Lastly, tracking daily tasks and keep tracking with the to-do lists are simplified through Trello’s fun user interface. Personally, I had no problems with it as it’s very easy to learn and navigate.

Other alternatives you might want to consider:

If you are look for more project management tools, try these suggestions.

• JIRA
  • You can call this the sister of Trello because both of them are developed by Atlassians. Jira, like Trello, is FREE forever. If you want to upgrade, the paid version starts at $7 a month.
  • Jira is a project management tool for softwares and apps, but it’s more than a bug and issue tracker. Everyone involved in the project can view the boards, and can get immediate updates regarding the project development and deployment. Most of all, the team’s progress are saved in Jira Software Cloud. You can integrate other developer tools and expand your software’s capabilities using other apps that are compatible with Jira Software. For future developments, you can upgrade your work with Jira Mobile.
• Asana
  • If you are just new to project management, Asana offers a basic plan for new businesses. With this free version, you can manage tasks and to-do lists. Asana allows you to choose between list view, board view, and calendar view. Collaborate with team and assign a task to a maximum of 15 members. Plus, Asana can easily integrate other apps into your projects.
• Team.Do
  • Organization is simplified with Team.Do. It’s easy to transform your current workflow into a streamlined process. By using Team.Do, you lessen clutter by designating recurring tasks, tracking the progress, and eventually, reaching completion. Customize and plan your project with one simple tool, and that is Team.Do!
• AirTable
  • The free version features the essential features: access to unlimited bases, add up to 1,200 records per base, upload up to 2GB attachment per base, and access revision history within the last 2 weeks. Instead of boards, AirTable has bases. The bases are the database that consists of related tables that can be shared among your team members.

Next? 4 Tools for Productivity & Innovation

In order to work effectively, one should use tools for communication. The question is… what are the online tools used for team communication?

Without a clear communication line, you would not coordinate well with your colleagues. We all know how important teamwork is in any organization. It’s a frustrating situation already that you may live in different time zones. You wouldn’t want incompetent communication tools adding up to the problem. That’s why I want to emphasize on using the right tools.

• Slack

  • This has both free and paid tools. For small businesses, you can avail of the FREE version. With this, you can one-on-one voice calls and voice calls. You can also have access to the last 10,000 most recent messages. Integration to other apps – such as Google Drive, Office 365, etc. – are also supported. With free, you can 10 apps into your Slack account and have a total of 5GB storage.

• Shift

  • An add-on tool you can include is Shift. You would probably wonder why it is added to this list of communication apps. With Shift, you can add your slack account and other relevant apps. It’s a great way to add everything you use on a daily basis including email inboxes, social media accounts, communication and messaging tools. Add all apps and extensions in one dashboard; this way you can communicate effectively with others. Shift is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

• Veeting

  • Veeting is your virtual meeting room. You can use  a virtual whiteboard, make a presentation, and share your screen to your members. They offer flexible plans: you can pay per meeting or you can avail their monthly subscription.
  • With every meeting at Veeting, you get to collaborate and use all its features. All plan subscription can hold up to 50 participants with and Unlimited meeting length. An overview of upcoming and past meetings are provided and the meeting data stored for as long as you need it. Wherever your team members are, you can gather them in one place. No need to worry about the technical specifications; focus on your business meetings with Veeting.

• Redbooth

  • Packed with features, Redbooth is both a productivity and communication tool. With its basic plan ($9 per month), you can create unlimited workspaces, track activities, and conduct HD video meetings. You can integrate other apps into your Redbooth account like DropBox, Google Drive, and many others.

• Zoom.Us

  • Zoom offers various meeting plans businesses. With personal meeting plan, you can host a meeting with 100 participants. There’s no limit to the number of meetings; enjoy endless one-on-one meetings. For group meetings, you only get 40 minutes for free. Other features include: video and web conferencing tools, and group collaboration tools.

The options doesn’t end there because there are also the usual apps like Google Hangouts, Skype, and Join.Me. Each day, you would need to communicate with different people in your team. So, do not hesitate on investing and choosing a tool that will unite you as a team. I am telling you now; think it through and you may want to consider the suggestions given above.

More? 5 Social Media and Brand Awareness Tools

In the 6th episode of Search for Beginners, Google tackles Google Search Consoles in detail. Using this platform will help you track your website’s activities for free. Without knowing technical side of your website, Google Search Engine helps every business owner understand the basics such as finding how many users visit your website, identifying the queries that lead them to your website, and seeing how your website appears on Google Search.

Learning about your website can give you advantages. That’s why you should, at least, know the features of Google Search Console. By doing this, you will get to implement better decisions for your website and make better of Google Search as a means of getting more potential customers.

Here’s a list of things Google Search Console can help for your business:

1. Inform you whether your website is visible on Google,
2. How it actually appears on the search results,
3. And the whole world sees it.

There are the metrics that Google Search Console can share with you. It is best that you should review these metrics every week.

• How your users find you on Google Search?
• What searches give you most traffic?
• What sites link and mention your website?
• How does your website appear on website?

Other than these things, Google Search Console will also notify you if the website is infected. Just like monitoring your stocks and inventory, you should make time in monitoring your website’s activities. To know more about what Google Search Console can do, watch Search for Beginners Episode 6 below:

On the 7th episode, it’s all about whether your website is ready to be listed on Google Search.

Below are the 5 things to check:

1. Does Google know about your website? (Side note: you can do a “site:” search. This was previously discussed on Google’s Search for Beginners Episode 4 – 5 Recap.)
   • After doing the “site:” search and your website doesn’t appear, this means that Google is NOT aware of your website. To fix this, just go to Google Search Console and claim ownership of your website and submit your sitemap. Google will, then, start crawling your webpages.
   • If your website has a brick and mortar store, you better list the complete address and store hours of your physical store. Be sure it’s easy to find on your website! Another way to ensure that your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is discoverable by everyone is sign up for a Google My Business account.
2. How are you sure that you are providing high-quality content? Are you giving users the best content?
   • In order to do, you should follow the Webmasters Guidelines. This explains the basic principles and general guidelines to follow in running a website.
3. Is your content easy to access?
   • Google searches happen only on desktops, but also on mobile devices. Check whether your content is optimized for mobile users. To test the mobile-friendliness of your site, use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool.
4. Is your website secured?
   • Provide an safe online experience for your users. Your website should have an HTTPS connection to make sure that it’s safe and secure from hackers.
5. Are you going to do this on your own or are you going to hire an SEO expert?
   • Asking an SEO’s help is an option you want to explore in the future. Learn more about SEO on Google’s Search for Beginners Episode 8 – 9 Recap

If you want to watch Episode 7 now, check the video below: