When you are starting out as an independent or opening your agency, how you invest your money is critical in early stages. You want to get the most for your investment because resources are limited. Here the Top 5 Tools & Resources for a Low Budget Agency:
- WordPress: WordPress is an open source website creation tool. It is extremely powerful because of all the plugins that you can load into it. It saves you money in so many ways. The first way it saves you money is SEO and updating your content. You don’t have to reach to out to a web developer every time you need a change or need to add something. The plugins allow your social media content to automatically be updated to your website. Everything else you may need is available in a plugin and it is very easy to implement. If you can’t afford an ATS, you can add a job board to your website with a few clicks. The cost is free but functionality is limited to just getting applicants to send their resume. The latest WordPress themes are mobile friendly. There are tons of free themes and premium themes run about $59. If you don’t feel comfortable installing the theme, a lot of theme creators charge $50 to put them up for you.
- MailChimp: is an email marketing service that is easily integrated into your website. MailChimp offers a “Forever Free” version for up to 2,000 email subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. Their paid email marketing service starts at $10 per month for unlimited emails up to 500 subscribers, and it increases $5 per month for every 500 subscribers added. Constant Contact is almost double the price for their paid service. MailChimp also integrates social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. If you are planning an event, it also integrates with Event Bright. It also provides you with very detailed reports to see if your email marketing is working. MailChimp keeps your messages out of SPAM boxes and has an unsubscribe button.
- Buffer: Buffer is a social media scheduling tool. This tool can save you some time by allowing you to schedule your social media posts three days in advance. There is a free and paid version of the tool. It really depends on how much you need. With the free version, you can schedule 10 posts ahead for each network. This tool will allow you to automate your social media posts. You can plan everything ahead.
- f6s.com: Is a place for startups to post jobs, market their companies, get free deals and get advice. This website has a lot of free deals in just about any software or item you may need for your company. You can publish your jobs for free and it is a great way to connect with technical talent around the world. You can set up your company page on the site and use the free branding to connect with other startups. It is a great resource for connecting with great talent and tools that you may have never heard of.
- Back Office Support: If you are an independent recruiter or a new agency, you may not have the funding to support contractors. Back Office Solution partners like ARG and USA Staffing provide the support you need to be able to hire contractors for your clients and be able to earn an on-going revenue. Workman’s compensation policies are extremely expensive for new agencies starting up. These companies also provide benefits for your contractors on client sites which is a great way to attract candidates for positions. They may also provide you with marketing tools, systems, and discounts for job board access. When starting up an agency, it is very easy to forgo doing any contracting work because you don’t have the funds. Having this type of support can help you build your business and help you financially as well.