Our go-to digital tools for small businesses
Running a small business is hard!! And the thought of adding a digital strategy to the mix can be mind numbing. In an effort to help all of you hustlers / solopreneurs organize for long term success, we’ve compiled our go-to toolbox of programs / tips. And yes, not only do we recommend these to clients, but we use them here at M.T. Deco:
Canva to design and build graphics. Particularly great for Instagram feed / stories and Pinterest [though be careful with the templates, otherwise your feed might look exactly like everyone else’s - hello millennial pink!]. Bonus that it allows for team editing, rather than having to export and email files back and forth for approval. It’s what we all dream photoshop to be.
Notion to map out your content calendar. It’s great for the long-term view and then week-to-week planning / approvals, especially if you do have some support in publishing content. Oftentimes though, we do love starting with Google Calendars / Slides to get off the ground before transitioning into Notion.
In-shot and Splice for more complicated video editing that can’t be done on TikTok, Reels or YouTube Shorts. This typically equates to cutting pre-recorded video down to a shorter length, incorporating Broll/ photo /sounds, and and adding in fonts / graphics to differentiate from what’s available in-platform [while we generally recommend producing IN platform, it’s also important to make sure what you post is high quality and original].
Hootsuite to schedule content. Particularly helpful on weekends when we all need a recharge [though word to the wise, don’t schedule too far out and be ready to adjust in case big news happens in the world when your pre-scheduled content may come off as tone deaf]. This platform is also great for keeping up with your competitors and being aware of when /what they’re publishing so you can outmaneuver them.
TeuxDeux for the never ending to-do list, as well as Monday.com for in-depth project management across a team, or if you’re working with freelancers. It’s helpful with staying on top of the minutia without micromanaging people.
Google alerts to stay on top of relevant news and information in your area of expertise. Use this content to share your own POV or a great quote / fact / stat that your audience needs to know about.
Burner accounts that remain private and allow you to test out publishing content before it goes live. This is particularly helpful with longer-form videos and multimedia carousels with a lot of components, to ensure quality and for approvals, because having to edit or archive [don’t delete please!] is not great for performance in algorithms.
Of course before downloading the above, we recommend getting your digital strategy blueprint together. Otherwise you’ll quickly find your time getting sucked up with burnout around the corner.
Head to our start here section, start with identifying your ‘why’ or greater purpose, get a lay of land with your competitors, create a content strategy, and THEN hit up that list above. It’s a process, but worth the time now before you’re spinning your wheels and throwing your hands up in frustration.
And for our MTD community - what are we missing? Drop into the comments and we’ll create a Google sheet for sharing.