Tell me if this sounds like you: your business growth is heavily dependent on meeting new people and building relationships. In the past, digital communication was just for the follow-up. But now you need a way to follow-up and replace what used to be the eye-to-eye, in-person experience.

Don’t worry. I’ve got good news for you.

If you’ve resisted the shift to digital communication and connection, you might be struggling to adapt to the sudden changes brought on by COVID-19. While it’s true nothing can perfectly replicate the in-person meeting digitally, with the right tools in place, you can sure come close. Here are four tools with a $0 barrier to entry that I highly recommend — along with a few ideas on how to use them.

  1. Zoom – I bet you knew this would be at the top of my list. At this point, even those most extroverted among us are craving a little social interaction. This tool is great for business meetings, but it’s also great for hosting fun, interactive events too! At Sauce, we’re using Zoom to host a Virtual Happy Hour — BYOB, pants optional. I’ve also seen Zoom used for hosting events like trivia, book clubs, and bible studies. With a little creativity, you can take most in-person events online by using this tool. They have polling, breakout rooms, and so much more to help organize and facilitate a valuable virtual experience.

  2. HubSpot – Ever heard of Digital Body Language? Tone of voice and mannerisms are valuable in conversation, but with more than 85% of buyers searching online and choosing a solutions provider before ever having a conversation with someone from that company, it’s important to have the right digital tools in place. Websites shouldn’t be a brochure unless you want your potential customers to feel like they are talking to a brick wall; they should be two-way communication hubs that provide valuable information, but more importantly, start relationships and nurture them. With a tool like Hubspot in place, this becomes possible and the inability to communicate in person isn’t prohibitive to making new connections. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with this tool. With the right strategy and configuration, you can use Hubspot to fine-tune your digital communications and provide an amazing experience for your customers online. They even have a free CRM. If you’d like to learn more about this tool, I’d love to chat!

  3. Canva – If you’re going to represent yourself or your brand online, you better make sure you look good doing it! Canva is a web-based design application that allows you to quickly create digital graphics. These graphics can be used to post on social media or be included in an email — you can even make a digital background for your Zoom calls! They have free templates and stock assets. If you aren’t already using Canva, go sign up for a free account today!

  4. The Sauciety – Okay, okay… this one is 100% a shameless plug. My company, Sauce Marketing, has a digital business community focused on relationship building and positivity. In it, you can make new professional connections, grab more tips like the ones above, and you’ll also find information about that happy hour I mentioned in the section about Zoom. If that sounds like your flavor of Sauce, head over to www.thesauciety.group and join! 

Kim Garmon Hummel is the founder and Chief Growth Strategist at Sauce Marketing, a Memphis-based Growth Agency. Team Sauce empowers businesses and sales professionals to reach their growth goals by focusing on sales, marketing, and the customer experience. The methodology is to organize, optimize, align and transform businesses. By leveraging technology to facilitate efficient execution of systems and processes, while also providing unforgettable customer experiences, our clients #GrowSmarter with Sauce!