With the ever-growing number of digital products landing in the market today, it seems like Santa’s job just gets easier every year. Think about it. When a new product is released in March and you download it immediately, doesn’t it seem like Christmas came early?
Whether your business provides a service, sells merchandise, or manufactures a product, it’s fair to say that we can all benefit from many of the same tools and resources. We all know that it’s imperative to create a huge digital footprint in order to be scalable in our ever-growing digital space, and since Christmas is upon us, (c’mon guys get excited here!) we decided to list our top five tools to get you geared up for a new year of growth in your business!
Now this list is for people who have a business, and it’s already rockin’ but you’re ready to take it to the next level. These are also all products we use very often in our office, and whether you already have signed up for one or two, if you can create a strategy utilizing all five... be prepared because success is inevitable.
Let’s start from the beginning of your toolbox.
As a creator, I’ve been using Adobe products since the early 2000s. The power of each product within the suite is incomparable to anything else, and with every release, Adobe continues to separate itself from the competition. Creative apps that make websites, graphics, videos, and so much more are right at your disposal, and the best thing Adobe has done within recent years is allowed beginners to jump right into their platform and start creating with their Spark series. Now, every application has a host of templates, tutorials, and access to even more online tools with their extensive blog.
The price point varies from individual users that need to master one app to a creative department that will utilize all of them. At the enterprise level, the website has a form to request a consultation, in which their readily available sales team will contact you ASAP. Adobe definitely tops off our list because, with 30+ apps available on desktop and mobile, there is always a space to create in.
2.Envato
Now once you have Adobe’s Photoshop and Premiere running, you need to gather assets to begin your marketing runs. Envato is great and you aren’t limited to just downloading raw files to customize flyers and web banners (which requires you to have an application to run/edit). Inside of the site is a bunch of content ranging from video and graphic templates to stock photos, stock videos, and even music. Several of the stock elements have been offered within the last year, and as a subscriber, the website provides you with access to over 410,000 digital assets for your projects. That’s a lot of zeros.
They also provide WordPress themes and plugins that can make any webpage attractive and resourceful. If you upgrade to the annual plan, there is access to 400+ of these themes and plugins. The ability to add a webpage to your site for a new product or a testing page gives you the power to control everything internal and external.
As a user, when we download a graphic template, add it to a testing page template, and share it with the team, it allows us to view a preliminary idea in a live environment before spending many hours developing something that may not be approved. We can do this an unlimited amount of times, all while actually downloading assets that will be used in live environments such as social media and video marketing materials.
Speaking of WordPress, Elegant Themes has created a theme that makes creating a website quick, easy, and effective. For the price of one, downloading their Divi theme comes with 87 pre-made themes. The drag and drop WYSIWYG (what you see, is what you get) editor, allows you to build pages literally within minutes.
With a low price of just $80 a YEAR, it’s a perfect tool to have, even if you just needed to add a subsequent webpage that runs parallel with your main one. There is also a powerful email opt-in service and social media sharing plugin, that is built to get more shares and more followers using highly effective social sharing methods.
4.Promo
Using an online tool doesn’t get any better than using Promo. This platform makes it to our list here, because let’s face it – every company needs video content. You are able to make elegant dynamic videos in a snap that are fun, to the point, and even elegant. The ease of use is exceedingly impressive. What is best is that the videos give the impression they were made by professionals while featuring your own branded logo with really cool music options. You will be able to make amazing videos in quite literally less than 3 minutes.
The most exciting thing about Promo is hearing their customers talk about using the app. People love to feel like they are creating something of quality, even if they don’t have to necessary budget or experience to keep up with creating multiple videos a month. And this is what Promo is all about. They want to give you the power of instant video creation with access to over 12.5 million videos. Being able to choose a clip from the best video content gallery service in the world and add your logo and text, will honestly never get more simple.
5.Verb Technology – Interactive Video and verbCRM
The company’s flagship product, verbCRM, is the first interactive video-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform that allows anyone to create, distribute, post, track, and measure interactive videos that increase engagement and conversion rates by up to 600 percent. Video viewers can respond to one or more calls to action by clicking within a video while it’s playing – and no download is required. Verb Technology products are cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), available by subscription for individual and enterprise users, and accessible on all mobile and desktop devices.
Recently, there has been an announcement of an application to file a patent for the use of in-video, clickable calls-to-action (“CTAs”) displayed on mobile devices, particularly, devices utilizing Apple’s IOS operating system, and Google’s Android operating system. This will be the first of its kind.
“Sales, marketing, and advertising professionals have all embraced the power of video displayed within social media feeds,” said Rory J. Cutaia, CEO of Verb. “Confirming our leadership position in the space, and upping the game, we’re delivering the technology that will enable video clickable calls-to-action right in the feeds of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This is a tool every sales and marketing professional will want to add to their arsenal.”
With the most affordable price point, by far, verbCRM should be at the top of the list. Nonetheless, we understand it’s important to be able to create content first. Our creative team uses all of these tools to stay ahead of the curve and engage with our audience daily. Did we miss anything on our list?
- verb