2020 has been a year we will never forget for all the wrong reasons. It has brought us nothing but frustration and disappointment. It forced us to stay at home, isolate ourselves from the others, keep our distance from old family members, do shopping online, and forget about all those crowded and noisy parties. Though, with vaccines from the leading pharmacologists looming on the horizon, at last, we have some hope.
However, although this light is getting brighter each day, it won’t save the situation at once. A lot of damage has been done to businesses. To recover and rake in some revenue next year, brands need to undertake some extra measures. Whether you will go for the old but time-proven trick of using outsourced customer service or you will try some modern features like DIY email marketing, 2021 is a time to pull all the stops to save your business.
To help you in this matter, we have prepared a list of the top 7 money-saving tips for startups in 2021 to stay afloat during an ongoing pandemic. Crack our list to give your small company a pretty solid start in what appears to be quite a challenging world.
Top 7 Money-Saving Tips for Small Businesses in 2021
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Use Outsourced Customer Service
As we have said already, outsourcing customer service is an oldie but goodie solution that never fails anyone. It is here where you can drastically cut your expenses and get actual results.
All vast companies do this: HP, Dell, Apple, Microsoft. Every big company in the USA that provides customer support employs remote call-centers in India. So why not follow their lead and do the same thing. More so, there are so many good solutions.
For example, WOW24-7. This great company offers all sorts of customer support services: call-center, startup support, eCommerce support, SASS support, etc. Prices will pleasantly surprise you. On top of that, you will get your team’s free ongoing management, free onboarding, and 24/7 support. Sounds like a bargain.
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Use Open Source
Bookkeeping, accounting, word processing, managing, multitasking, and even presentations – everything can be done using open-source projects. Although they are not as sophisticated as premium products (maybe they do not have a handy interface or impressive functionality), nevertheless they still provide all the basic functionality that you may need. All it takes is to spend some time to crack the code and get its essentials.
Visit GitHub, ProductHunt, and other platforms to find the best open source solutions for you.
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Look for Discounts
We all are deal hunters in 2021. Covid pandemic has landed the worst blow on the World economy, and ipso facto financial state of companies of all scales. Therefore, everyone is up to some good discounts and offers.
The good news is there is a bulk of them in the wild. Almost every red day in the calendar delights us with some discounts. Although Black Friday, with its massive sales, is hard to beat, still some Christmas offers, or 4th of July offers may pleasantly surprise you.
Whether you need to find the best hosting plan or finally get your business online by creating a website, you can find sweet deals. More so, big names like Apple, Adobe, and even Microsoft provide special discounts on special occasions; therefore, you can get professional software for a sweet price.
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Consider Freelancing Platforms
It is a big misconception that remote workers are less capable of doing their job. 2020 proved it wrong. The whole year people were working remotely. Surprizingly, but the quality of the work did not suffer at all. Therefore, freelancing platforms and individual contractors are a fantastic way to cut your expenses.
The web is teeming with platforms and even specialized communities where you can find people who are ready to do work for you. Freelancer, Upwork, Fiverr, LinkedIn, and even Dribbble – there is a lot to choose from. And since competition is getting more challenging in this sector, you can find a real professional for a really good price.
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Cut Traditional Advertisement in favor of Low-Cost Digital Ones
Believe it or not, but the digital ad can be much more beneficial for your brand in 2021. And it will be certainly much more cost-effective, since advertising on Google may cost you less than $100.
If you in doubt whether to use this channel, consider this. We are living on the Internet for quite a long time already. Online shopping, video streaming, Instagram posting – it is kind of our life now. Just look around. You will see how people are reading or watching something on their cellphones. Therefore, this area is increasingly promising; and it still is not spoilt with huge budgets. With digital ads, you can generate a lot of attention to your brand through search engines and social media channels without spending a fortune.
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DIY Marketing and PR
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – there are so many social media channels out there. We are spoilt with online communities.
The great thing is, people can easily handle it. Even if you experience some problems with driving traffic to your website from one of those social media channels, you can always find a guide, how-to, or video tutorial explaining how to do this.
Therefore, a great deal of entrepreneurs start their ventures there. So why not use this to your advantage?
You can easily do marketing by yourself and advocate for your brand saving yourself a bulk of money.
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Use Email Marketing
Eemail marketing is considered the most effective way to promote products, drive traffic, and rake in cash these days. Although it sounds tricky, nevertheless it is pretty easy to handle. And it won’t cost you a thing.
All you need is a free HTML email template builder to bring your idea to life. If you have a small subscription list, you can use a personal account in Gmail or Outlook to send your contacts promotions and offers. Email marketing opens vast possibilities. Grab this opportunity to give your company a boost.
Conclusion
The sad truth is, whether we have a vaccine next year or not. Still, a lot of cuts should be made to survive in 2021. The damage had been done. We need to face Covid consequences. To face it with the music, it is time to adopt some money-saving tips. Although some of them demand radical actions, it is still worth it. We hope our list of top 7 money-saving tips for small businesses in 2021 will help you in this matter.
