This year, running a small business has become more challenging than ever. COVID-19 has added unforeseen complexity to small business sales and marketing. Moreover, customers have become more “aware” of the tactics and strategies that small business owners and managers use to drive up sales. Before, it was as easy as buying ad space in a local newspaper or cold calling a few prospects. Today, the marketing landscape has totally changed.
And it’s keeping small business owners and managers up at night.
According to recent reports, the average business owner loses up to 44 minutes of productivity daily due to work stresses related to performance, security, and more. Over time, this equates to approximately $10,000 in lost revenue annually.
To manage business stress more effectively, business owners and managers need to have the right tools in their toolbox. Moreover, they need to know how to use these tools to reach target audiences and reel in paying customers.
5 Amazing Marketing Resources for New Business Owners
As an industry-leading retail point of sale (POS) provider, we know a thing or two about the most effective sales and marketing solutions for small businesses. In fact, it’s one of the reasons why we’re routinely rated as a best-in-class solution for retail businesses.
By investing in the very best marketing resources, you’re investing in the success of your business. The types of tools on our list are some of the most widely used solutions available. In most cases, these tools and resources are extremely easy-to-use and only require a small investment (some are even free)!
Here is a list of the top marketing resources for new business owners.
1. Canva
Are you struggling to build social media posts for your small business? Do you need to create in-store signage? Are your business cards old and outdated? Canva is a simple and powerful design tool used by more than a million users globally. With drag-and-drop features and layouts, you can create beautiful designs in seconds.
Canva offers a free tier that comes with everything you need to start creating, including 250,000+ templates, 100+ design types, free photos, graphics, and up to 5GB of storage. Additionally, Canva offers a variety of small business resources to help you get started quickly.
2. SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a popular online survey tool. This tool allows you to capture customers’ thoughts and opinions. For example, you might consider sending out a survey after a customer makes a purchase from your store. In this way, you can further refine and optimize your sales process. There’s no better way to gather feedback from your customers than a survey.
SurveyMonkey offers a variety of business plans. Starting at $25/user/month, you can source 10,000 responses per year, create custom quizzes, insert smart logic, and more. Consult their free resources for best practices in deploying surveys and gathering responses.
3. Grammarly
There’s nothing more embarrassing than a spelling mistake. Grammarly’s smart software allows you to eliminate grammatical mistakes, check for issues of plagiarism, and enhance your writing. Today, more than 30 million people use Grammarly to instantly improve their writing.
“Grammarly allows me to get those communications out and feel confident that I’m putting my best foot forward. Grammarly is like a little superpower, especially when I need it to be at 110%,” said Venture Out Co-founder, Jaanette Stock.
You can get started for free with Grammarly’s powerful Chrome integration.
4. Hootsuite
We know that social media is one of the most powerful tools available to small business owners and managers. Hootsuite allows you to schedule social media posts, track performance in real-time, and identify your top-performing content all within one easy-to-use dashboard. To date, Hootsuite is trusted by top companies, including Melia Hotels International and Marketo.
Choose from four distinct plans, including professional, team, business, and enterprise. Starting at $49/month, activate ten social media accounts and unleash unlimited scheduled posts.
5. POS Nation Resource Library
Make the most of your POS system with our resource library. Access in-depth guides, testimonials, and videos designed to help grow your business. We cover everything from finding the right POS system for your business to managing a small business during COVID-19.
Here a list of our most popular free resources:
- Your Guide to POS Hardware
- What POS System is Right for Your Business?
- The SMB Guide to Dealing With Coronavirus
- The Guide to Liquor Store Inventory Management
Getting Started With POS Nation
There’s a reason why POS Nation is trusted by more than 10,000 customers nationwide. From retail and liquor stores to tobacco shops and hardware stores, POS Nation powers thousands of small businesses. We recognized that other POS system vendors were overcharging and under-delivering and set out to create a POS system that exceeds all expectations.
With POS Nation, you’ll have access to a complete POS solution designed to help your business grow; one with robust hardware, software, support, and processing.
Huntington Humidor was ready to upgrade to a modern POS system and chose POS Nation’s tobacco shop-specific and fully customized POS solution. “Our previous system was outdated. We needed something that was both simple and easy to use. To date, POS Nation has grown with our business,” said Owner James Thompson.
Are you ready to find the right POS system for your growing business?
