Tool Much of a Good Thing

“You can never have enough tools” - a trademark saying of my father’s. He’s a pretty handy guy and has accumulated a plethora of tools. Over the years, people would borrow, lend and even give away tools leaving a myriad of eclectic devices and gadgets to collect in his toolbox. There was always the “right tool for the job.” Eventually, locating the tool became the problem. You can have too much of a good thing.

When it comes to digital marketing, there are infinite blog posts out now entitled, “5 tools every entrepreneur/digital marketer/start-up/etc. needs”. Just reading one of these blog posts is enough to make your head spin. You can feel like you’ve failed before you’ve even begun. And there are so many out there! Now you have to learn 20 new “tools” and spend hundreds of dollars before you can even get started? It’s defeating to say the least.

The good news? There are a lot of great tools out there, and many of them cost next to nothing. The trick is finding the one that suits you and your business needs. As a solopreneur, I am bootstrapping most of my business. If you’re you’ve made it this far into this post, chances are, you are too. Unfortunately, there just isn’t a “one size fits all” tool for us digital marketers. What works for one business may not work at all for yours, and that’s ok. It doesn’t make you or your business inferior. Now, if you’re using something you like, well congratulations- you’ve found the right tool for your business. Stop paying attention to what everyone else is doing. It’s a waste of your valuable time. Yes, keep learning and know what your options are, but you’re not doing anything wrong if you’re not using the new “it” tool.

This started out as a blog about the tools I’m using for my business, but then I thought, nah I won’t publish another one of “those” posts. Instead, let’s have a discussion.

Bootstrappers: What are some of your favorite digital marketing tools and why?