As we usher in the second quarter of the 2023 financial year, experts and key analysts are already giving their two cents on the tech tools that will dominate the business landscape this year. 

Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, believes that super apps will become incredibly helpful tools that help streamline services offered, particularly by small businesses. 

But that’s only one category of tools that small businesses can find useful. It’s important to stay organized and adaptable, all while wearing many hats. Using the right tools will help you with this and set you on the path to success. 

But finding the right tools for your business might not be as straightforward as you think. You need to fully understand your business needs and goals before settling for a specific tool, app, or software. And not only that, but you’ll need to re-evaluate these tools as the business goals evolve. 

Finding tools that suit your business can be challenging and time-consuming. In this post, we will share seven of the best tools every small business should use in 2023. 

InvoiceBerry – Invoicing Tool

As a small business owner, you know how crucial it is to have a streamlined invoicing process. Without such, you risk problems like lost or forgotten invoices, calculation errors, and delayed payments. 

InvoiceBerry is a simple online invoicing solution that allows you to perform various invoicing functions, including creating and sending invoices and quotes. This tool also allows you to access invoices, and quotes, track expenses, and business reports, and gather information about your clients.

Invoice Berry also comes packed with a ton of business plan templates specifically designed for small businesses, freelancers, and sole traders. 

Google Business Profile – SEO Tool for Website Traffic

Small businesses typically struggle with visibility and local SEO (search engine optimization). Fortunately, Google Business Profile can help such businesses increase their visibility and drive more website traffic. 

As a small business owner, Google Business Profile allows your business to appear on Google’s search results when people look for products or services related to your business. It also provides your potential customers with important information about your business, such as your address, reviews, and phone numbers. 

This effectively boosts your credibility and local search engine results. And besides, this free tool can be set up within minutes, meaning it’s hassle-free!

Google Analytics – Marketing Analytics Tool

The importance of data and marketing analytics tools cannot be overstated. According to one survey, about 67% of small businesses use data and analytics to enhance their overall business output, and you should too.

Marketing analytics allows businesses to gather and analyze information from various channels, providing valuable insights into customer behaviour and preferences. Web analytics tools like Google Analytics focus on website performance, enabling businesses to track website traffic, conversion rates, and user behaviour.

For this reason, we recommend checking Google Analytics, as it’s a powerful tool for small businesses to track website traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior. It’s a free tool that will give you valuable insights into your website visitors. 

Slack – Communication Tool

Communication is fundamentally imperative to achieving business goals, yet many business owners overlook it. According to Pumble, 85% of employees and executives lack effective collaboration and communication tools, leading to workplace failures.

On the other hand, the same survey showed that those who communicate effectively realized a 25% boost in their productivity. 

Slack is an incredibly helpful tool that allows teams to communicate and collaborate in real time, regardless of their physical location. It makes it easy for teams to stay connected, share ideas, and work together seamlessly.

Rather than using messy and bulky emails, which can get lost during communication, consider using Slack and see how better off you’ll be. 

MailChimp – Email Marketing Tool

Email marketing is one of the best marketing channels for small businesses. There are over 4 billion daily email users, with most checking their email daily. This gives email higher-intent traffic than any other platform.

64% of all small businesses use email marketing to reach their customers, and you should too. According to Litmus, for every dollar spent on email marketing, companies enjoy up to $36 in ROI, higher than any other channel. 

MailChimp is an email marketing tool that has gained popularity among small businesses because of its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features. This tool comes packed with features to help small businesses create and manage email campaigns. It also helps with tracking subscriber engagement and analyzing campaign performance.

Google Workspace – Organization Tool

Small businesses that don’t use organization tools often run into problems such as miscommunication, missed deadlines, and lost files. This typically leads to frustration among team members, loss of clients, and ultimately impacts the businesses.

Google Workspace includes everything from email hosting to calendar organization, video chatting and file storage, and template management. Instead of paying for a private subscription like Google Meet, you can do everything in Google with a basic and cheaper subscription using Google Workspace. 

Bonus Tool: TotalAV Pro Antivirus – Security Tool

Small businesses, much like large ones, are also prone to security threats. These threats can cause irreparable damage; without the best antivirus software, businesses leave themselves exposed. TotalAV Pro Antivirus is not only an antivirus software; it comes with a VPN and password manager to ensure safe online browsing. 

How to Identify the Right Tool For Your Small Business

One thing you should always consider when identifying tools for your business involves using the right tool to solve a specific problem. Every project needs the right tool. 

Here are five guidelines you should consider to help you identify the right tool for your business:

Identify the problem

Don’t look for software just because it’s trending or if it’s necessary. There should be an issue that you’re looking to solve. This could be anything from managing your data, to organizing your workflow, communicating with other colleagues, or automating processes. 

Whatever it is, try defining it using as much detail as you possibly can. It also helps if you focus on your industry and what other people in your similar line of work are doing, to ensure a smooth workflow. 

Have the end result in mind

It would be detrimental to choose a tool based on its popularity. Although this is a good indicator of how the industry seems to be shaping up, it should not be your main reason for choosing a specific tool. Instead, keep your preferred end result in mind when evaluating a given tool. 

For example, if your primary goal is to increase sales and grow your customer base, look for a tool that specializes in marketing and customer outreach. On the other hand, if you’re more concerned with streamlining your internal processes and improving efficiency, a project management tool or accounting software may be a better fit.

Evaluate integration options

When choosing a tool for your small business, one important factor to consider is how well it integrates with your existing systems and processes. It would be best to ensure that the tool you’re considering is compatible with your existing systems and software.

Consider the cost or your budget

You could be looking to improve the tools in more than one department of your company. Either way, it would be best to consider your budget. And although it sounds like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised just how many business owners sign off checks without paying attention to their budget. 

Evaluate the support services offered

One overlooked factor when it comes to choosing a business tool for your needs involves support. You might not be knowledgeable enough to operate the tool independently, as some are complex and complicated. 

It would be best to ensure that your chosen tool offers reliable support for integration issues. Ensure the tool has a reliable support staff available to assist with any integration challenges you may need.

In Conclusion

Small business owners should use the right tools for their business needs to improve their productivity and remain competitive. Although plenty of metaverse tools, super apps, cloud, and sustainability tools are trending, identifying the right one for your business should remain your top priority.

The tools listed in this post will streamline many processes and workflows for you and your team. For instance, automating your invoice process can help you improve your cash flow and overall customer experience. 
Invoice Berry offers invoicing software designed for small businesses and freelancers. Sign up now for a 14-day trial to use InvoiceBerry as your invoicing software and see firsthand how automating your invoice can improve your business.