Let’s Talk Software!
Every professional establishment, whether it’s an agency, a business or a nonprofit organization, relies on a special set of tools to help them carry out their daily operations. In our case, we need a combination of both creative and organizational platforms that keep us on track and give us the resources we need to create top-notch work.
We’re about to give you a rundown of all our favorite softwares and who uses each one the most, because you never know—one of these could be exactly what your business has been missing.
Social Media: SENDIBLE
Sendible is a social media management tool that allows us to schedule our posts in advance. It integrates a wide range of platforms, supports multiple accounts at once and helps us stay on top of past, present and upcoming posts.
Why We Love It:
- It’s cheaper than Sprout, Hootsuite and other competitors, but it lets you manage significantly more accounts at once. Talk about a win-win!
- Calendar view lets you see all your posts for every client at once and stay organized.
- Although the more advanced content requires manual implementation (like sharing events on Facebook, or multiple-photo posts on Instagram) this app saves us lots of time and gets the job done.
This screengrab gives you a rough idea of Sendible’s calendar view. (This gets a lot more crowded-looking for us toward the end of the month.)
Site Building: WORDPRESS DIVI
WordPress’s Divi plugin is our go-to for web development, unless a client requests otherwise. Divi allows us to curate web pages that support more customizability and advanced features than builders like Wix or SquareSpace, but require less intricate coding and guesswork than traditional backend builders.
Why We Love It:
- The block-by-block modular format makes it easy to move sections around, copy them from page to page and keep each part clearly labeled.
- You can “Build on the Front End,” meaning you can see the site changes live as you are making them. Knowing exactly what the page looks like as you’re building saves you substantial time hitting “Preview” and “Update” after every slight alteration.
- Add fun features like sliders, portfolios, maps, buttons and more with the snap of a finger.
- The hierarchy flowing from section, to row, to module makes life easier.
Search Engine Optimization: YOAST PREMIUM
Yoast is another WordPress plugin that does wonders for search engine optimization, or SEO. Basically, it gives you a step-by-step checklist of points you must complete before your page reaches the coveted “Green Smiley Face,” in terms of both SEO competence and readability.
But be warned: getting all your pages to the green light takes a boatload of practice and patience, so prepare for lots of trial and error. Once you get the hang of it, however, you’ll notice a massive difference in your SEO performance. Start by doing research on the most optimal keywords for each page and ensure your page reflects that. Investing in Yoast Premium is also a game-changer, as it allows you to implement keyword synonyms and alternate keywords.
Why We Love It:
- You can very clearly decipher what you’re doing right vs. what you’re doing wrong.
- It leads to tangible, measurable and almost instant results.
- The moment you finally achieve the green smiley on a page: priceless! Give yourself a pat on the back.
Here’s a glimpse of the SEO checklist:
And, here’s the readability checklist:
Again, remember it’s darn near impossible to get every single line item to turn green. As long as the smileys are green, however, you’re good to go. Good luck!
Design: ADOBE SUITE
You probably saw this one coming — our designers, of course, rely on the Adobe Suite to execute their daily creative duties. Most commonly, we use Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and AfterEffects, but we’re not afraid to dive into the others if the need arises. Each of the 16 programs in the suite serves its own specific purpose that helps us create quality content.
Why We Love It:
- Illustrator — drawing and designing vector graphics, from logos to custom illustrations
- Photoshop — great for image editing and manipulation, photo retouching, graphic design, web and app prototyping, 3D modeling
- InDesign — page layout tool that’s perfect for print pieces like flyers and posters
- AfterEffects — used for video effects, motion and animation
- For a complete list of the advantages of each Adobe software, click here.
Market Research/SEO: GOOGLE DATA STUDIO
Google Data Studio merges Google Analytics and Google Search Console data to create custom reports for clients that showcase web and social media performance in a cohesive, consistent manner.
Google Analytics shows us search traffic and provides indications about a site’s users and their behaviors, along with insights regarding where to acquire new users.
Google Search Console helps tremendously with SEO in that we can track how often a keyword is searched and compare it to where the site ranks on Google when that specific keyword is used. From this, we can re-evaluate the site copy and tweak it as needed.
Why We Love It:
- Data Studio creates professional reports with minimal effort; as long as the data is well-kept, reports come together seamlessly on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Our marketing analyst’s most-used Google apps are Analytics and Search Console, and this is the perfect visual merger of the two.
Project Management: ASANA
Asana is our reliable project management software, used by everyone daily and supervised by none other than our project manager. Here, we can track our deadlines, mark progress every step of the way, upload files and add comments and questions when necessary. This is the backbone of staying organized at 877.
Why We Love It:
- Everything is sorted by client, due date or who’s-assigned-what to minimize confusion.
- It’s easy on the eyes; filled with bright colors, pictures of team members and interactive buttons to indicate progress.
- You can keep track with calendar view or list view and easily switch between the two.
- Asana can also be used as a second form of backup if the server fails, as it’s very link-compatible.
Mail and Calendar: OUTLOOK
Let’s get back to basics with our final software: we use Outlook to connect with clients, book meetings and more. It’s pretty self explanatory, but shouldn’t be underestimated as it helps us integrate our internal and external operations.
Why We Love It:
- Calendar and email wrapped into one sleek platform? Yes please!
- You can also add other people’s calendars and checkmark which ones you want to see at any given time. That way, you can ensure no overlap occurs and quickly find out when someone is busy.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the softwares we use — you can check out more of them (like Slack and our remote server, Drobo) in this blog post.
Got any further questions about how to implement these tools into your organization’s day to day?
We’re here to help! Let’s talk.