Being a freelancer comes with a lot of perks. You get to set your own schedule, be your own boss, and work from home or anywhere in the world. You can even dress however you like!
But working on an online setup is not as easy as you think. It requires a lot of time, dedication, and of course the needed tools to get the work done.
As a freelancer, you will be corresponding with clients via email or other means daily. You must have a reliable communication tool that will allow you to stay in touch with your clients easily. You also need to have the right tools to keep the business thriving. There are so many options out there, and it can be hard to know which ones are worth your time and money.
This blog post will talk about the best software tools for freelancers, virtual assistants, freelance designers, and freelance marketers. This will also talk about why you need them. So without further ado, let’s dive in and get started!
As a freelancer, you wear many hats. You're responsible for finding your clients, managing your own time, and handling all of the administrative tasks that come with running a business. In other words, you don't have a lot of time to waste. That's why it's so important to have the right software tools in your toolbox.
With the right tools, you can automate many of the time-consuming tasks associated with marketing your freelance business. For example, you can use automation to stay in touch with past clients and potential leads, handle social media marketing, and even create professional-looking marketing materials. In short, having the right tools can help you save a lot of time and energy, both of which are precious commodities for any busy freelancer.
Still not convinced? Here are some reasons why you need the best software tools for freelancers:
These programs help you keep track of your clients, prospects, invoices, payments, and more in one central location. This way, you can easily see what work needs to be done and when it's due. No more missed deadlines or scrambling to find misplaced files!
There are only so many hours in the day, and as a freelancer, you want to spend as much time as possible doing billable work. Your chosen software can help by automating some of your repetitive tasks, like sending follow-up emails or scheduling appointments. This way, you can focus on the work that earns you money and leave the menial tasks to the software.
A good freelancer tool will have features that help you identify and attract new leads. For example, many CRM systems include a contact management feature that allows you to keep track of your interactions with potential clients. This way, you can quickly follow up with leads who seem interested and qualified.
Plus, some clients already know what they want in a freelancer, and this can include knowledge in the use of certain programs. If you don’t know how to use most of the essential programs that freelancers use, chances are you’ll be placed at the bottom of the list of candidates.
Happy clients are essential for any business - but they're especially important for freelancers since satisfied customers are often the best source of repeat business and referrals. Luckily, several softwares can help you nurture your client relationships and ensure they're always happy with your work. For example, many project management tools allow you to keep your clients updated on your progress and ensure that every deliverable meets their expectations.
Of course, with so many options out there, it can be tough to know which tools are right for you. To help you make the best decision for your business, we’ve narrowed down the different type of tools you should look for and listed down the top options per type.
Ready? Here we go:
Even if we are working alone, we still need to communicate with our clients or teammates who are located in other parts of the world. To communicate our thoughts very well, we need reliable communication tools to talk to our clients, bosses, or team members.
Here some of the best communications tools that you can use:
Skype is one of the most popular video chat software used by freelancers all over the world. It's simple to use and can be used on any device with an internet connection. You can use Skype to stay in touch with clients, collaborate with team members, or just keep in touch with friends and family.
In addition, Skype is free to download and use, and there are no monthly fees or contracts. If you want to make calls to landlines and mobile phones, you can do so at very low rates. With Skype, you can make video calls, voice calls, screen share and send instant messages. You can also share files, photos, and videos.
Skype is a great way to stay connected with clients and colleagues wherever they may be since it’s a very popular chat app that has been around for years. It is available on desktop, mobile, and even web browsers, making it very convenient to use.
Telegram is a cross-platform messaging app that offers a variety of features for both personal and professional use. For freelancers, Telegram can be a valuable communication tool for staying in touch with clients and team members. The app offers instant messaging, voice and video calling, and file sharing, making it a versatile option for freelancers who need to stay in touch with their clients and collaborators.
Telegram also offers a high degree of security, with end-to-end encryption for all communications. This makes it an ideal choice for freelancers who need to protect sensitive client data. In addition, Telegram's 'Secret Chats' feature allows users to set a self-destruct timer for messages, ensuring that all communications are securely deleted after a certain time.
Many companies also use Telegram for group chatting since it does not limit the number of users connected to a single chat group.
Since its launch in 2014, Slack has become one of the most popular team collaboration and communication platforms on the market. It's beloved by users for its simple interface and features like direct messaging, file sharing, and integration with a variety of third-party tools.
For freelancers, Slack can be an invaluable tool for staying organized and keeping communication streamlined. Direct messaging allows freelancers to easily keep in touch with clients without exchanging phone numbers or email addresses. In addition, the platform's integration with other tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Trello make it easy to share files and collaborate on projects without ever leaving Slack.
Best of all, freelancers can use Slack for free if they have a limited number of clients or team members. With so many features and integrations, it's no wonder that Slack has become such a popular choice for freelancers looking to improve their workflow.
No doubt being a freelancer comes with its fair share of challenges. From finding and keeping clients to managing your workload and finances, there's a lot to keep track of. And while some people may be able to do it all without breaking a sweat, most of us could use a little help. That's where CRM software comes in.
CRM (customer relationship management) software is designed to help businesses manage their customer relationships, but it can be just as beneficial for freelancers. With the right CRM system in place, you can stay organized and on top of your work, find new clients, and improve your customer relationships. In other words, it's the perfect tool for anyone who wants to take their freelance business to the next level.
By helping you stay organized, automate repetitive tasks, find new clients, and build better relationships with your current clients, a good CRM system will free up your time so you can focus on what you do best: delivering quality work that satisfies your clients.
Here are a couple of examples of a good CRM tool that is worth investing in:
There's no doubt that freelancers have a lot on their plate. Not only do they have to worry about finding clients and managing projects, but they also have to keep track of their finances, marketing, and administrative tasks. It can be a lot to handle, which is why many freelancers turn to CRM tools like Hubspot.
Hubspot offers a comprehensive suite of programs to help freelancers manage their businesses. For example, the contact management tool helps freelancers keep track of their clients and prospects, while the project management tool helps them keep track of their workload. In addition, Hubspot's invoicing and financial tracking tools make it easy for freelancers to stay on top of their cash flow. And with Hubspot's integration with popular productivity apps like Google Calendar and Trello, it's easy for freelancers to keep all of their business information in one place.
Whether you're just starting out as a freelancer or you've been in the game for years, Hubspot is a great tool to help you manage your business and stay organized. With its comprehensive set of features and integrations, Hubspot makes it easy for freelancers to get ahead and stay on top of their businesses. So if you're looking for a CRM tool to help you streamline your freelance business, be sure to check out Hubspot.
SalesForce CRM has become one of the most popular CRMs on the market today. And it's not hard to see why. SalesForce is a powerful tool that can help freelancers keep track of their clients, sales, and projects. It's easy to use and helps freelancers stay organized. But what exactly is SalesForce CRM?
SalesForce CRM is a customer relationship management software that helps businesses manage their customer data. It's designed to help businesses track and manage their sales, customers, and projects.
SalesForce CRM can be used to manage your freelance business in several ways. For example, you can use it to keep track of your clients' contact information, sales history, and project details. You can also use SalesForce CRM to create and manage your invoices, contracts, and estimates. In addition, SalesForce CRM can be used to create reports and analytics about your freelance business.
As you can see, SalesForce CRM is a powerful tool that can help freelance businesses stay organized and efficient. If you're looking for a way to streamline your freelance business, then SalesForce CRM is definitely worth considering.
A lead capture system — often just called a lead capture page or landing page — is a web page that helps you collect leads for your business. When people come to your lead capture page, they’ll see a form that they can fill out to become a lead. In exchange for their contact information, you might offer them a free ebook, a discount on their first purchase, or something else that’s valuable to them.
A lead capture system is an essential tool for any freelancer who wants to build a sustainable business. Why? Because without leads, you have no customers — and without customers, you have no business.
There are two main ways to generate leads: cold outreach (like sending emails or direct messages) and inbound marketing (like writing blog posts or creating social media content). A lead capture system will help you with both of these methods.
With cold outreach, a lead capture system will give you a place to send your target prospects so they can learn more about what you do and opt-in to hear from you in the future. This is much more effective than just sending them to your website because people are far more likely to sign up for your email list or follow you on social media if you give them something in return.
Inbound marketing is all about getting strangers to come to you — and a well-designed lead capture page is the best way to do that. By creating helpful content and directing people to your lead capture page, you can quickly turn strangers into warm leads who are interested in what you have to offer.
So if you’re not using a lead capture system yet, now is the time to start! Investing in the right tools is one of the best things you can do as a freelancer — it will help you save time, stay organized, and grow your business.
Here are two noteworthy examples of good lead capture system tools that should be included in your list:
There's no denying that Mailchimp is one of the most popular lead capture system tools out there for freelancers. And for good reason! Mailchimp is packed with features that make it easy to create and manage your mailing list, as well as design beautiful email newsletters. Plus, it's affordable and easy to use. However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind if you're thinking about using Mailchimp for your freelancing business.
Zoho is a leading provider of cloud-based productivity and collaboration applications for small businesses and enterprises. And while they offer a wide range of products, their lead capture system tools are designed specifically for freelancers.
With Zoho, freelancers can easily track and manage leads from a single platform. They can also automate repetitive tasks, such as follow-ups and appointment scheduling, so they can focus on their core business. And because Zoho integrates with third-party applications like Salesforce and QuickBooks, freelancers can manage their entire business from one central location.
In other words, if you're looking for a comprehensive solution to help you Streamline your freelance business, Zoho is worth considering. Their lead capture system tools are robust and easy to use, and their integrations with other popular applications make them a one-stop shop for all your freelance needs.
A project management tool helps you keep track of deadlines, assigned tasks, and progress on projects. This helps ensure that projects stay on track and that nothing falls through the cracks.
When choosing tools for your business, be sure to consider your unique needs and choose tools that will save you the most time and energy in the long run. Here are a few examples of the types of software marketing tools that can help make your freelance business be more efficient and effective.
Trello is one of the best software tools for project management out there. It's simple and easy to use, and it has a ton of features that make it perfect for managing any kind of project.
For one, Trello lets you create boards to organize your projects. You can create as many boards as you need, and each board can have its own set of lists and cards. Each card can be moved in drag-and-drop manner from one list to the next. This makes it easy to keep track of all the different parts of your project, and you can even add comments and attachments to each card.
Trello also has a handy calendar view that lets you see what's coming up in your project, and you can even set due dates for each task. If you need to collaborate with others on your project, Trello makes it easy to add them to your board and work together. Finally, you can set automation on your lists or cards so that they’ll update on their own when changes are made, a due date is reached, etc.
Overall, Trello is an excellent tool for managing any kind of project, and it's worth checking out. It has a free version which can be used to its full potential by any freelancer!
Asana is a project management tool that can help you keep all your ducks in a row, so to speak. With Asana, you can create tasks, assign them to team members (if you're working on a collaborative project), set deadlines, and track progress. Plus, there's also a handy calendar view that lets you see what's coming up next and ensure that everything is on track.
In addition to keeping everyone on the same page, Asana can also help you avoid that feeling of being constantly overwhelmed by everything you need to get done. When everything is laid out in front of you in an organized way, it's easier to take things one step at a time and not get bogged down in the details.
The main difference between Trello and Asana is that the latter may not be as useful to individual tasks as it is to collaborative ones. In short, Asana is best used with a team.
When you’re a freelancer, you don’t have the luxury of working in a traditional office setting with all the fancy collaboration tools. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to work together effectively with other freelancers. There are a number of great collaboration tools out there that can help you stay organized and on track, whether you’re working on a project together or just need to communicate regularly.
Here are two of the best collaboration tools for freelancers:
If you are working on a design project with a team, you need to have a trustworthy tool that can help you fine-tune your design and output. Fortunately, Instacap is one of the best tools for this job.
Instacap is a collaboration tool that can help you sort out issues with your web design, image, or presentation by taking a screenshot of it and directly adding comments, notes, and highlights on it. If you want to generate ideas on how to make your design better, you can solicit ideas from your teammates by providing them with the link to your image or file. With it, you can keep track of the design adjustments that you or your teammates made or still need to make.
Another impressive feature of Instacap is its ability to gather comments without setting up a meeting. That's right; you can use this tool with your teammates asynchronously. Even if you are in a different part of the world, you can get what you need without setting up another tiresome meeting.
Finally, Instacap also works with videos, PDFs, and .jpg images. This way, you won't need to convert your files before you can start gathering the necessary comments that you need to improve your marketing strategy.
Give Instacap a try! It has a free version and browser extension that can make collaborative work so much easier.
As a freelancer, email is one of your most important tools. It's how you stay in touch with clients, collaborate with team members, and manage your business communications. And when it comes to email, Google's Gmail is one of the best options out there.
Aside from email, Google One provides a suite of other tools from the same Gmail account, including Drive, Docs, Sheets, Photos, Chat, and Meet. This way, you can put your work-related files in one safe location that you can easily access using other devices if need be.
Google Docs and Google Sheets are two of the most popular tools within Google One. You can easily create a document from any device signed into your Google account and this file will sync to the cloud, making it accessible via any device. You can likewise share these files with other collaborators within the organization or even outside.
As a freelancer, you can sign up to a free Google account with ease. You’ll immediately be given free 15 GB of storage across all Google One tools.
As a freelancer, one of the most important things you can do is market yourself effectively. And in today's connected world, there's no better way to do that than through social media. But with so many different social platforms and strategies to keep track of, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
If you're trying to manage all your social accounts by yourself, you're quickly going to run into trouble. However, with the right tools in place, you can streamline your social media efforts and get ahead of the curve.
Even if you don’t promote your business through social networks, having a social media management tool can get you the edge you need when applying as a VA, social media manager, and other related freelancer jobs.
Here are three essential social media management tools you can use today:
With Buffer, you can create and schedule content for all of your social media channels in one place. This saves you a lot of time and ensures that your content is consistent across all platforms. In addition, Buffer provides detailed analytics that allows you to see which of your posts are performing best and adjust your strategy accordingly.
With its powerful features and easy-to-use interface, Buffer is an essential tool for any freelance marketer. It is perfect for busy freelancers who need to save time while still getting their message out there.
Hootsuite is a powerful marketing tool that lets you manage all your social media accounts in one place. With Hootsuite, you can easily post updates, track your follower growth, and measure your success over time. Plus, Hootsuite makes it easy to connect with other freelancers and potential clients, making it an essential tool for anyone serious about marketing themselves online.
Hootsuite has four pricing plans that you can consider, depending on your needs: Professional ($49 per month), Team ($179 per month), Business ($739 per month), and Enterprise. Contact Hootsuite's marketing team if you want to use the Enterprise account.
So if you're looking for a way to take your freelance career to the next level, be sure to check out Hootsuite. With its easy-to-use interface and powerful marketing features, it's everything you need to make social media work for you.
FPTraffic is a social media management tool that was designed with freelancers in mind. For $15 per month that you can cancel anytime, the platform enables users to easily post and schedule content across multiple social media accounts, track performance analytics, and collaborate with team members.
One of the most beneficial aspects of FPTraffic is its ability to help users save time. Rather than logging into each social media account separately to post content, users can do everything from one central location. This not only saves time, but it also helps to ensure that all of your social media accounts are being updated regularly. In addition, users can schedule content in advance, meaning that you can take care of your social media duties in bulk and then move on to other projects.
Another major advantage of FPTraffic is its comprehensive suite of performance tracking tools. The platform enables users to see how their content is performing in real-time and make necessary adjustments accordingly. This is invaluable for understanding what type of content resonates with your audience and further tailoring your social media strategy.
Overall, FPTraffic’s features make it an essential tool for any freelancer looking to effectively manage their social media presence.
As a freelancer, one of the most important things you can do is invest in the right design creation tools. After all, your portfolio is what will set you apart from the competition and attract potential clients. While there are a plethora of different design creation tools available, it’s important to choose ones that are user-friendly and offer a variety of features. Fortunately, there are several great options to choose from.
Canva is a graphic design platform that lets users create digital designs for social media, websites, presentations, and more. Despite its user-friendly interface, Canva is a powerful tool that can be used to create professional-looking designs.
Canva offers a vast library of templates, fonts, and illustrations, which can be customized to fit the needs of any project. In addition, users can upload their images and elements to create truly unique designs. Best of all, Canva is free to use, making it an essential tool for any freelancer on a tight budget.
You can choose among Canva’s pricing plans: Free, Pro ($119 per month - one person) and Teams ($149.90 per month, up to five people).
With Canva, there’s no need to hire a costly designer – simply log on and start creating.
VistaCreate is a set of easy-to-use tools that allow freelancers to focus on their clients' needs, not on the technical aspects of design. With VistaCreate, designers can quickly create high-quality designs without having to worry about complex software or confusing menus.
From logo design to website creation, VistaCreate has everything freelancers need to get the job done right. And because it's cloud-based, designers can access their work from anywhere, at any time. So whether you're at home or on the go, you can always be sure your work is just a few clicks away.
The best part about VistaCreate? It's free! That's right, freelancers can use all of VistaCreate's powerful features without having to pay a penny. And because it's constantly updated with new features and improvements, freelancers can always be sure they're using the latest and greatest version of the software.
Anyone who has ever tried their hand at design knows that it's not as easy as it looks. Sure, anyone can throw together a few shapes and colors, but creating something that is both visually appealing and functional is a whole other story. That's where Desygner comes in.
Desygner is a design creation tool that was created with freelancers in mind. With Desygner, you don't need to be a professional designer to create high-quality designs. The drag-and-drop interface is easy to use, and there are millions of royalty-free images, icons, and fonts to choose from. Plus, you can access your account from any device, so you can work on your designs anytime, anywhere.
You can choose from Desygner’s three pricing plans: Free, Pro ($4.95 per month, up to six users), and Business ($9.95 per month, up to 300 guest’s actions).
Whether you're creating a logo, a website, or just messing around with some graphics, Desygner is the perfect tool for the job.
There's no question that being a freelancer or virtual assistant comes with its own set of challenges. From managing your time and workload to dealing with clients and deadlines, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. However, there are some software tools available that can help to make the life of a freelancer a little bit easier.
From project management tools like Trello that help you keep track of deadlines and progress, to communication and collaboration tools like Instacap that help you work with your team or clients, there's a tool out there to help with just about every aspect of freelance life. In addition, many of these tools are available for free or at a very reasonable price, making them an affordable option for even the tightest budget.
So if you're feeling stressed out about managing your freelance career, be sure to check out some of the great available software tools. With a little bit of help from technology, you'll be able to handle anything that comes your way!
