I am a freelance copywriter and I work from a home office (or copywriting cave, as I call it). I have some amazing virtual helpers who help me keep Copywrite Matters ticking along, but I also rely heavily on technology to keep my business on track.
I thought I would share some of the tools I use every single day. I use other tools and applications, but these are the tools that I consider essential to business operations.
Dropbox. Dropbox lets me access my current work files whenever and wherever I am. I started using Dropbox after regular power outages left me unable to access any of my client work. Now I store all my current projects on Dropbox along with my day-to-day folders for marketing and administration. And you get 2G for free.
LiquidPlanner. I’ve just started using this project management, project scheduling and time tracking tool after juggling 12 or copywriting projects at a time was becoming a real headache. The difference LiquidPlanner seems to have over other project management tools is that projects can be reorganised based on priority, not dates. If a project suddenly becomes more urgent, I can simply drag it up the list and LiquidPlanner will recalculate my other project dates. Genius!
Wunderlist. I am a list maker. When I have a list I feel the tranquillity of being organised and I stay focused knowing that I never have to wonder what I should be do next! Wunderlist synchronises my lists between my desktop and my smartphone so if I find myself with a spare 15mins, I don’t have to waste them. And it’s free.
Google Reader. I like to keep in touch with all things hip by reading blogs. After subscribing to way too many blogs I realised I had to change my ways, else risk email overload. So I moved all my RSS subscriptions to a reader where they are all in the one place and organised into categories. It makes my morning review of what’s new really easy (and quick!)
Ecam recorder for Skype. I don’t use Skype for a lot of business calls but when I do use it, the calls are important. I started using ecamm because it let me record my audio and video calls at a price I thought was reasonable ($19.95 US). It starts recording automatically so I don’t have to remember to hit record!
CapsuleCRM. As you can probably tell, I don’t like having to remember things. My brain is cluttered enough as it is! This CRM lets me automatically attach emails to clients and as well as adding notes manually after I take or make a call. Before I contact a client I quickly check the CRM and remember that they just had a holiday, or we agreed longer payment terms. It has a nice free version too.
Bitl.ly. If you’re a tweeter you know that sometimes, character space is at a premium. I love bit.ly free URL shortener because it integrates with the Chrome browser and according to the research by Dan Zarella, in The Science of Retweets, it is “more retweetable” than other url shortners. Good enough for me!
Camtasia. I’ve just dipped my toe into the world of video marketing. Getting dolled and remembering a script, while filming myself was stressing me out. Then I found Camtasia screen recording and video editing software. I record audio to a slidedeck and desktop demonstrations and can easily edit all my fluffs out.
Receiptbank. I use XERO as my accounting package and my bookkeeper put me onto this handy phone app. I take a photo of my receipt and it’s automatically created in XERO, ready for approval. No typing. No errors. Brilliant.
Microsoft Office. While our house is definitely a Mac house I use Microsoft Office for all my client work. It’s a bit old school but I know that all my clients use the Office suite and when they open my copywriting file, it looks exactly like it did when I saved it. It’s not perfect. In fact some days, it’s down right frustrating but my life is still a little bit easier.
You’ve probably noticed some themes across my choices. I use tools like these so I don’t have to keep everything in my head. I like to make my life easier and these tools help me keep hold of pockets of sanity without compromising my business.
Do you have tools that your business just couldn’t live without?
