A Business Owner's Guide to Leveraging Free and Low-Cost Services

Running a business requires constant multi-tasking. You have to handle everything from hiring to payroll and project management. However, there are services that can help you get these jobs done faster or even take them off your hands completely. This guide covers some free and paid services you can use to make your workdays more efficient. Some of these tools can even boost customer satisfaction — and your bottom line.

PDF e-signing tool

E-signing is a game-changer for business owners navigating the world of contracts. With the convenience of online tools, you can now sign and fill out PDF forms without the hassle of printing stacks of paperwork. This not only streamlines the process but also contributes to a greener, more eco-friendly approach. The ability to securely share electronically signed documents adds an extra layer of efficiency, making collaboration smoother and faster. Embracing e-signatures is not just a modern trend; it's a strategic move toward a more agile and sustainable business practice. This deserves a look if you need an e-signature tool — it’s an option from Adobe Acrobat, the company that created PDFs!

Optimize your website

When you optimize your website with functionality, ease of navigation and relevant information, you keep your customer happy and engaged. By adding web personalization features to your site, you can create personalized and relevant experiences for your customers based on behavioral and geographic data. By optimizing their experience with such professional appeal, you show that you understand their needs.

Web design providers

Your website is your digital calling card. It's how you promote your business and provide valuable information about your services and goods to potential customers. A great website can also help attract customers. Creating a good website isn’t as easy as some people think. It takes technical skills and a solid strategy, so trust a web professional to do the job for you.

SEO support

Having good SEO is crucial for businesses, as it improves your website's visibility and ranking in search engine results, leading to increased organic traffic and potential customers. To optimize SEO content for your website, focus on keyword research and usage, incorporate internal and external links, write high-quality content, and ensure proper formatting and metadata. Hiring an SEO agency can be key to understanding your site's overall health and optimizing your website, and many are surprisingly affordable.

Administrative services

Let's be frank — a lot of your business day is probably devoted to tedious and time-consuming administrative tasks. You can outsource these mundane duties to a virtual administrative assistant instead. This frees up your time to focus on more important things. Time Doctor lists 100 ways that a virtual assistant can help you, like planning travels, processing expense notes, organizing email lists, sending newsletters, and more.

Social media managers

Social media is another valuable way to promote your business. You can reach a big audience through platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. The key to social media is regularly posting. If you're busy with other business tasks, social media is probably the first thing to fall by the wayside, so it can be beneficial to hire a pro to handle it for you. Digitopia highlights some benefits of working with an expert, including being able to manage your socials more efficiently.

Customer data management services

A customer data platform, or CDP, is a tool you can use to gather and organize data about your customers and gain insights into their needs. You'll be able to build customer profiles and determine what your customers want. This information can then be used to target marketing campaigns to your ideal audience. Search for CDP services that let you build real-time customer profiles. 

Recruiting specialists

Your business requires a strong team of employees to run. Finding those employees isn't always easy. Instead of handling recruiting yourself, consider hiring a recruiting service. They can take care of essential steps like writing job descriptions, reviewing resumes, and conducting a first round of interviews. All you have to do is pick from the narrowed-down pool of applicants.

Tax professionals

Taxes are an inevitable part of any business owner's life. If you aren't great with numbers, the thought of doing your taxes can be downright painful. On top of that, if you mess up something with your tax paperwork, you may get audited by the Internal Revenue Service, or even face fines and other penalties. Avoid this kind of stress by using accounting software. There are a variety of options, so no matter your budget, there is a program out there that can help you.

From a PDF signature tool to CDP services, the above tools and tech can make your life as a business owner easier and streamline your everyday operations. Investing in these services doesn't cost much, but it will benefit you in the big picture.