Running a business alone is no joke. Especially if you've never run a business before. Every decision can seem daunting and you don't know what you don't know. I've been super fortunate to have mentors who shared their tricks and tools with me, so I figured I'd pass along the information. I'm always curious what tools businesses use to keep things running. Here's a look into what I use to run Fringe online- I'd love to hear what you use!
1. Website: Shopify
When deciding what platform to use when building my website, I went with Shopify as it seamlessly integrates with shopping on Instagram. Since most of my traffic and engagement comes from Instagram it was a no-brainer. Shopify is super user-friendly and intuitive. While it isn't as customizable as some other platforms I work with a great design company to customize my paged and helped bring my vision for the Fringe website to life.
2. Email Marketing: Klaviyo
When I started my e-mail marketing strategy MailChimp had just announced their departure from Shopify integration so I knew I had to use a different platform. Seamless integration makes life and business run so much smoother. Klaviyo stepped up and increased their integration features and I'm loving their platform. I don't use it at full capacity yet (I'm constantly learning) but it is easy to use and fairly intuitive for those starting out.
3. Social Media Scheduling: Hootsuite
I honestly don't LOVE this platform but it's what I've used from the beginning and as they say, you can't teach old dogs new tricks. I have heard meh reviews from other platforms as well so until I find one that really ticks all the boxes I'll stick with this. It is fairly user friendly and they did just do a software upgrade that makes it less clunky. App developers... make a better scheduling software!
4. Pop Ups: JustUno
I didn't even realize there were programs to run pop-ups when I was developing my website. I'll be honest I still don't utilize pop-ups to the capacity that I would like but JustUno is a great, intelligent software that has WAY more capabilities than I'm even aware of. Again... learning.
5. Shipping: Shipstation
When running an online retail store, shipping is really important. For the first year I shopped from my local post office and spent countless hours in line and manually filling out shipping labels. Enter Shipstation. It's associated with Stamps.com and you can organize and print your labels from home (thanks to this Dymo printer) and it makes my life so much easier. You can also choose what carrier you want so the options are endless for shipping.
6. Surveys & Forms: Typeform
I don't use a ton of surveys and forms but I really love how Typeform focuses on both the design and feel of forms. So many forms feel formal and aren't on-brand for Fringe but Typeform has lots of options that will fit right in with your brand.
7. Social Media Links: LinkTree
When I want to have multiple links accessible to people on social media I plug them into linktree and paste it in my bio. It makes it easier for people to find exactly what they are looking for and also easier for me to promote multiple engagements at once.
Lagniappe:
- I order some branded shipping supplies at PaperMart
- I run ads on Facebook Ads Manager
Whew, I think that is all (although I KNOW I'm missing something). If you have any questions- as always feel free to reach out and ask!