ExecutiveChronicles | Essential tools for small creative enterprises | Setting up a business used to be considered a huge undertaking, only for risk-takers or those with a lot of money to invest. In the modern-day gig economy, more and more people are choosing to work for themselves, especially creatives that want to work directly with clients to provide a truly personalised service.
This is increasingly possible as technology allows organisations to deliver their services globally without ever having to leave their own offices. There are a variety of tools that can be used to deliver top-quality creative content in a smooth and efficient manner:
Website building software
The days when businesses needed a specialist to build and maintain a website for them are over. Small organisations can create their own website using one of the many platforms available to them, with varying degrees of complexity depending on their needs.
Among the most popular choices of web creation tools are:
- Squarespace
- Wix
- WordPress
- Showit
- Weebly
- Shopify
- Duda
If you aren’t sure which to go for, look for recommendations based on your specific industry for tips and advice from others in your position. Some are better for image-heavy sites, whereas others offer better menu options, so read some reviews before you commit.
Social Media Management
Creative businesses tend to thrive on social media platforms, so it’s important to ensure that you are managing your interactions effectively. There are a number of tools to help you post messages across different platforms, save posts for later, or manage different accounts through a single dashboard.
Whether you want to schedule posts in advance, take advantage of trending hashtags as they happen, or just curate a beautiful gallery of your product images, you can find a tool to help you manage your social media.
File management
It may be a cliché that creative people are bad at organising the administrative side of a business, but you don’t need to worry about it if you put good systems in place from the start. Establishing document naming conventions and storage systems can save a lot of time when you need to find documentation.
Simple fixes like merging PDFs into a single file can be a great way to keep on top of your file storage and management. Without the budget of a multinational, you may also be concerned about security, so choose software that offers secure encryption and a secure environment for managing your most sensitive documents.
Cloud storage
One of the advantages of the more flexible approach to working is that many people are now able to work from home. This can be hugely helpful for creatives who already have their equipment set up in the way that makes the most sense for them, not to mention that a busy office environment is rarely the ideal creative workspace.
By using cloud storage, information can be stored and shared in a way that is accessible for anyone that needs to use it. There’s no need for everyone to be in the same physical location – if they are online, they can access the cloud and see everything they need.
Video calling software
Whether you are sharing ideas for a new product or adding the finishing touches to one about to be delivered, being able to see your colleagues can make a lot of creative endeavours easier. To keep in touch without having to find a time and place where you can all get together, video calls are a great way to keep everyone in the loop.
A small creative business can flourish with the right tools, so it’s worth doing a little research and working out how to implement systems and processes that make it as easy as possible to keep things organised. Being able to answer client questions and find relevant documents quickly and easily will help you to focus on the product or service you are offering.
