It’s back to school season, which means a quieter house, kids complainig about homework, and maybe a little extra work to be done with your small business. Summer can be a distraction for small business owners, especially in a town like Myrtle Beach. However, when you’re back-to-school shopping for your kids, take some extra time to go shopping for your business as well. They’re techinally one of your kids… right? While the kids are lugging around backpacks full of notebooks, your business deserves its own back-to-school supplies. Just instead of crayons and glue sticks, we’re talking marketing tools that actually move the needle.
So, what marketing tools should your business have? Let’s run through our favorites.
Google (And all it has to offer)
Just like you need to keep an eye on your child’s grades, you should be hyper-vigilant on what your business’ grades look like. Google Analytics can do that for your business. If you’re not familiar with your Google account, we highly recommend just going in and playing around. Google can tell you a ton of information from how many people are visiting your site, to what pages are popular, and even give information on how your ads are doing across the internet.
You may have also noticed about four hundred other applications available to you thank to the almighty Google. Gmail, Workspace, a wonkier version of Microsoft Word… they can all be a helping hand to your business. Google and it’s platforms make it super easy to share work, calendars, spreadsheets, and other tidbits to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Meta Business Suite or Hootsuite
We get it, you’re busy. Running a business, handling customers, keeping the lights on. You don’t exactly have time to remember to post that fun photo you took last week at approximately 2:00PM on a Thursday, and then have it be the wrong time for engagement. Scheduling tools like Meta Business Suite (free!) or Hootsuite (paid, but powerful) let you plan ahead and clear your head for the important stuff.
Hootsuite is a great took for connectly all social media platforms in one place, including YouTube, X, TikTok, and our favorites over at Meta. It’s extremely helpful when you’re trying to stay active on all platforms. Plus, your analytics are right there for you to stress over!
On the other hand, Meta Business Suite can be an amazing tool if your sole focus is on Instagram and Facebook. Find all your messages and notifications in one place, schedule to both platforms at once, and even edit reels or upload audio. You can schedule out your calendar up to a month in advance, too! Just imagine all that free time.
Canva
Coming from designers, we don’t hate Canva. However, we also understand that not everyone can hire a graphic designer, and frankly, not everyone needs to. Canva, contrary to belief, can still make your business look professional without having to figure out the hundreds of buttons in Photoshop and what they do. From social media posts to flyers to presentations, it’s a lifesaver for small businesses that want to look polished in a pinch, or without dropping hundreds of dollars.
Plus, they have templates for everything, so you won’t spend hours trying to find the right layout or scrolling aimlessly through Stock images to find the right fit.
Emailing Platforms
Email isn’t dead, despite what the cool kids on TikTok say. Mailchimp makes it easy to send newsletters, promos, or updates without looking like a weird note you’d pass to your friend in school. Plus, it tracks open rates and clicks, so you’ll know whether people are actually reading or just sending your carefully crafted message straight to the trash folder.
However, with the rise in prices at Mailchimp, tons of other reliable mailing platforms have emerged. From Mailerlite to Constant Contact, there are dozens of options to shop through and find the best fit for your company. In fact, if you’re sporting a Shopify website, they have their own platform too! Easy peasy.
How About A Marketing Team?
Okay, we know we said not every business needs a designer… but lets be real. We’re professionals for a reason, and our whole schpeal is to help grow your business to the best it can be. From helping you schedule out social media to getitng you those last minute flyers, we make sure you don’t miss a second of what’s going on at your office.
At Three Ring Focus, we’ve heard a ton of odd requests and know how to execute them. Need overly flashy business cards but have no idea what the difference between luxe paper and textured foil? That’s our job. Want to add a chatbot to your website but can barely login to the back end? We’ve got you covered. A marketing team is just some extra hands that have the best intentions for your business, and it never hurts to have some extra professional help to make sure you’re covered on all ends.
Don’t Skip Class on Marketing
Tools are only useful if you actually use them. Just like buying those nice gel pens doesn’t guarantee you’ll sign the client, signing up for these platforms won’t magically grow your business. But combined with the right strategy (and a little consistency), they’ll make your marketing smarter, easier, and a whole lot more effective.
And hey, if all of this feels like too much, that’s where we come in. At Three Ring Focus, we’ll help you get those weird or repetative tasks out of the way so you can focus more on what matters, and let us worry about the numbers.
Get started with a real marketing strategy that works.
Three Ring Focus can help with that. We here to help you craft your next high-quality website, social marketing, logo design, or SEO strategy. Check out of some the work we’ve done for a little sneak peek. Don’t miss out on the benefits of having an expertly crafted branding identity.