Automation

One of the biggest timesavers in online marketing is software. Choosing the right software for your tasks can save you hours each week — and in some cases, on a daily basis.

As you ramp up operations in your company, you will need to select and implement the software that will best handle the tasks you need to automate. To that end, here are the solutions I’ve used personally and highly recommend to you:

Billing

Freshbooks — Online invoicing, time tracking and expense service. Perfect for online service providers who charge by the hour and need a fast and convenient way to invoice clients.

WHMCS — Made for web hosting companies, this software can also handle order processing for web designers and developers, too. Not only handles all billing — including recurring billing — but also automatically sets up, suspends and terminates hosting accounts based on criteria you setup and includes a built-in helpdesk. My favorite software ever!

Communication

GoToMeeting — My personal choice for web conferences. A cinch to setup, automated email reminders, simple screen sharing, highly customizable. Only problem I have with it is that you can’t put live links in the chat area. Free for the first 30 days.

Basecamp — The best known project management system on the market and my personal favorite. Lots of features, syncs with Google Calendar and sends automated email notifications.

Content Management

WordPress –If you need an easy way to add, edit or delete the content on your website, WordPress is the perfect solution. It’s easy to use, easy to setup and totally free!

StudioPress — Once you have your WordPress site setup, you’ll need an easy to manage theme for intuitive and beautiful content display. StudioPress themes fit both bills. Even better, if you hire me to customize the theme, you get your choice of StudioPress theme at no additional charge.

Customer Support

Zen Desk — Hosted customer service helpdesk software. Thirty day free trial.

Ecommerce

1ShoppingCart — Ecommerce and online marketing, all rolled into one. You can sell multiple digital or physical products from multiple websites, and manage everything, including your mailing list, all in one place.

WAHMcart — Offers ecommerce and autoresponder services all in one — and for an amazing price. This is what I use for my services and special report sales!

Email Management

Aweber — The best email list manager and autoresponder service in the industry. I use Aweber to manage my personal email list.