Many people get intimidated by today’s fast-moving technology for business. Lots of companies claim to offer ‘easy’ and ‘powerful’ solutions but the reality doesn’t always match up. Easy or free usually means limited. Powerful usually means complicated and expensive. But that’s not always true.
I got together with fellow marketer Glenn Schmelzle to look under the hood and behind the curtain at some of the important tools and technology that power online commerce. In this episode of Glenn’s Funnel Reboot podcast, tips are given on how to go about evaluating these tools for your needs, which ones you can do yourself, and when you should call in a pro.
link to show goes here!
Here is a shortlist of some of the tools and tech we discussed, in case you have an interest. If interested, you can get more details about the plugins I like using for WordPress and all the other tools and technology I using in my ‘martech’ tech stack.
Tools & Technology Mentioned In The Show
GSuite – what I recommend to most of my clients for their company email, cloud storage, and business communication tools.
Google My Business – an absolute must if you are a local, brick-and-mortar business, even BEFORE you think about your website!
Google Tag Manager – manage all the extra tracking codes in one place, without having to tinker with your website.
Google Search Console – Google Search Console is a web service by Google which allows webmasters to check indexing status and optimize visibility of their websites.
Google Marketing Platform – a unified marketing and analytics platform from Google for smarter marketing measurement and better results.
WordPress – this is what I generally recommend to most clients for building their website. WordPress itself is free. It’s also very powerful as you can do just about anything your heart desires with it. You can:
- do it yourself as there are plenty of tutorials online (DIY – Do It Yourself)
- hire a pro to develop the site while you provide the content and updates (DWY – Done With You)
- hire a pro to design, develop, and maintain the site while you focus on serving customers and building your business. (DFY – Done For You)
Wix – if you just want to get your site up quickly and keep things simple and manage it yourself, Wix is a great option. I’ve used it many times. You can create the site yourself or get a pro to help design it and then run it yourself.
GrooveFunnels – a better way to build funnels and sell digital products. Your complete digital products and services online sales system. This tool holds more promise than ClickFunnels IMHO.
Mailchimp – email marketing. Free up to 2000 contacts. Integrates with just about everything.
GetResponse – email marketing. Better than MailChimp (for the price) if you want to add automation and business rules.
Hubspot – HubSpot offers a full software platform to help you grow better — whether you want to increase leads, accelerate sales, simplify your processes, or build a powerful website. They’re powerful alone, but even better when used together. Free version is powerful as a CRM but gets very expensive really fast.
Performance Testing & Troubleshooting Your Website
GTmetrix.com – analyze website page loading speed and get recommendations on how to fix.
Why No Padlock? – are you pulling your hair out trying to find out why your secure page is not fully secure? Here’s a simple tool that will tell you about any insecure items on your SSL page.
Message Hopper – allow your customers to text your business on your current business phone number. A simple browser interface is all you need.
x.ai – connects with all your calendars and coordinates the best time to meet with your guests. Saves all the back and forth when trying to coordinate a meeting. Free option.
Zapier – Easy automation for busy people. Zapier moves info between your web apps automatically, so you can focus on your most important work. Free version good to start.
How about you? What tools do you use in your business? Drop me a line and let me know! If you’re stuck on anything tech or marketing related, I’ve probably been there. Let me know if I can help point you to the right answer, or troubleshoot and fix the problem.