Essential communication tools for your small business

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In a business creation project, are you about to define your communication strategy?
Your communication plan is well advanced and you are wondering what levers to activate?
You surely hear about online and offline, wondering which levers to choose.
We may complicate your task but often, for more impact, it is preferable to mix the two.
To maximize the performance of your communication actions, discover the best online and offline tools essential to the success of your business!


Offline communication tools


Offline communication tools are, by definition, all marketing tools that do not depend on the Internet. Because yes, even in the digital age, certain tools remain essential, or at least not to be neglected. Here is the list:


1- A logo and a graphic charter


It is the essence of your business. They translate its identity and allow it to be recognized at a glance. For example, when we talk about the apple, you think directly of Apple, right? Red and white? Coca-Cola, of course! The list may be long, but you understand the principle. Mark your universe with a charter that is unique to you!



2- Business cards


If you have a commercial activity, the business card remains a must! You can put there: your logo, your address and your telephone number, your website as well as your email address. Do you offer online appointment scheduling or quote generation? Indicate it on your business card. Vistaprint, for example, is the ideal service provider for making your first business card, for an attractive price/quality ratio.



3- Commercial brochures


They are there to present your offer, your products and your services. And another essential element for prospecting land for your sales representatives. But we grant you, however, they are more and more replaceable: your website can very well present your product or service offers.



4- Organizing events for your prospects and customers

The goal is to build relationships! Do you have a store? Invite your prospects to private sales, to the inauguration of your point of sale or to the presentation of a new product. Are you evolving into a service provider? Customer workshops can help you optimize your service offerings!



5- Participation in fairs

What could be better than meeting your prospects directly where they are looking for you? In BtoB, some fairs or exhibitions remain essential. You meet potential customers there who have made the effort to travel to learn about issues close to the solutions you offer!


6- Goodies, flyers, posters


Tools that have lived well, but still work just as well! It is often the simplest actions that work the most. Afterwards, always aim for quality for this kind of promotional items: the image of your company is also at stake



Online tools

Online communication tools are not just about having a website, even if it is a very good start! Online communication is also social networks, natural referencing, emailing, online advertising... So, where do we start?



1- A website and a blog!

Whether you build it from scratch or with a CMS like WordPress or Drupal, having a website is the basis for communicating with customers and distributing content. It is even in-dis-pen-sand. The blog is very useful for sharing your expertise, providing advice to your prospects and therefore increasing your customer acquisition!



2- Social networks

Nowadays, who could do without them? They are increasingly consulted and, in the professional world, are essential to a good digital strategy. Choose them according to your objectives and your sector of activity. They help you find your style of communication, and therefore better highlight your offers, your news...

But be careful: communicating on all these tools requires time and regularity. To manage them more easily, tools such as Solocal Manager, Hootsuite or Buffer make it possible to centralize operations.


3- Chat tools and messaging services


WhatsApp and Messenger are increasingly used as after-sales service or customer relationship tools... Chatting with customers directly is a real plus, but it requires real organization, planning the time needed to respond to your customers' requests. customers, and especially to connect to these tools during the day.


4- Direct marketing


And no, emailing is not dead! Tools like Mailchimp or Sendinblue offer a fairly simple interface for sending bulk emails to your customers and prospects. It requires a little time, a slight expertise of the tool. But above all, there is only one golden rule for your emailing: compliance with GDPR regulations.


-5- Natural referencing or SEO

SEO, for Search Engine Optimization, is all the actions taken to position your website as high as possible in search results. The goal: to be found! And preferably above your competitors! Obviously, this requires some techniques…
Luckily, we've put together all of our tips in our SEO ebook, just for you.


6- Digital advertising, SEA (search engine advertising) and display

Digital advertising is simply the fact of paying to broadcast ads that will be seen by Internet users with a very strong purchase intention. Tools like Facebook Ads, Google Ads or Google Keyword Planner can help you build your ads.