Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links for ConvertKit and Shopify. Chek Creative will be compensated if you buy, but we only promote products we find damn useful in our own work.
Despite the Silicon Valley ethos, not every startup is a tech startup. We work with startup companies in a variety of industries, and we understand that getting a website up and running can be a daunting task. In our industry series so far, we’ve shared 3 of our go-to digital tools for building and real estate industry websites as well as our top 3 for retail and consumer companies. Next week, we’ll take a look at nonprofit and community organization sites. For now, let’s explore a few of the tools we turn to when it's time to develop a website for a startup company.
Typeform
Main Purpose: Surveying customers
We recommend Typeform for startups so they can send out relevant surveys to their customers right out of the gate. We include this activation in our partnership package, because a strong business should routinely be tapping into the insights of existing customers. It's such a crucial step in pinning down which aspects of your marketing strategies have worked (what has won you these customers?), and which have not (I.E. the points in a customer's conversion journey where they stuck with you despite this thing). Typeform facilitates a clean, satisfying survey experience for customers, so you can glean the data you want from the folks who can tell you.
Key Features:
- Mobile and tablet friendly
- Modern minimalist design
- Customizable
- Integrates with Slack, Hubspot, Google Sheets, and much more.
For anyone looking to purchase Typeform for themselves, it's $35/mo for the professional package (the same price as their basic package, provided you pay for the year up front).
Appolo.io
Main Purpose: Lead Generation
Long gone are the days of call-sheet-dominated lead generation. This is the era of smart tech, and Apollo is a wonderful resource for defining and streamlining your customer prospect search. When an organization is starting out, lead generation is, if not the most important priority, right at the top of the list. Apollo offers data packages, starting at COMPLETELY FREE for the starter plan with which you can send 30 emails/day. Upgrading to the basic package, however, will get you unlimited emails and more than four times the filters for audience targeting. With that kind of firepower a startup has the capacity to expand their customer base exponentially.
Key Features:
- Access to 200 million viable business contacts
- Access to 10 million organizations
- Integrates with LinkedIn, Salesforce, Gmail, and much more to amass leads and build enormous contact lists.
Convertkit
Main Purpose: Email Automation
Ah, Convertkit. Without this handy little email marketing tool, we'd be doing a lot of grunt work at Chek Creative. As a company not too far removed from our startup years, we use Convertkit to develop drip campaigns and create succinct landing pages that drive clicks and conversions. It's pretty easy.
On their features page, the platform says, "You're a creator, and you want to create.... Grow your email list, build your business, and get back to creating." This is not a complex platform. This is an automated and intuitive, yet powerful email marketing tool for the creative business owner.
Get a free Convertkit account with up to 100 subscribers here.
Key Features:
- Text-based emails help you stay out of recipient spam filters
- Powerful platform support, including a simple migration process if you're switching from another email marketing tool
- Over 80 integrations including WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier
Bonus Tool:
Unsplash
We mentioned Unsplash in last week's 3 Amazing Tools for Nonprofit Industry Websites post too. It's just such a useful (and totally free) tool for populating sites with stunning images... we didn't want you startups to miss out 😉
Of course, there are far too many other tools to list when it comes to building a unique and powerful website for a startup. What we do varies just from client to client. But this list is a great place to start if you're wondering how to begin, or if you just want to audit your current developer to see where your money's going!
As a reminder, please subscribe to this blog if you'd like to stay in the know with more tips like these. We'll see you around!
