As a Startup, What Technology Should You Buy?

By Samantha Plateroti

Let's face it: technology is crucial for the success of your startup. You need to attract and engage customers, manage leads, store data securely and collaborate with employees... all while staying within budget. 

Is that in budget?

There are plenty of tools at your fingertips, but where should you start? What is absolutely necessary? And where will you see the biggest ROI?

From our experience, we want to share the tools you need in your tech stack as a startup.

But first, let's talk about some of the things to consider when deciding which technologies to start with:

As a startup, you likely have limited resources

When we say resources, we don't just mean money. This has to do with time and people too.

You likely have a small team, you're each wearing multiple hats, but you still need to be bale to scale quickly and adapt even more quickly.

Some startups mistakenly build their own tech when they should focus on their core offering & value prop. It could be a waste of time and resources to build something that (well...) already exists!

This can lead to wasted time and money that could have been spent on more important things… like marketing campaigns and prospecting!

You can save money and increase productivity with tech.

When choosing tech, you need to first think of the problem you are trying to solve! You have thousands of options at your fingertips (and probably MANY B2B businesses reaching out to you since your launch).

You need to choose the right tool for the problems that you’re facing.

When you start off, it's smart to be frugal and only buy tools that you are definitely going to use. Also, tools that your team will be able to adapt and us. Tools that will simplify their day rather than give them a headache!

headache

 

So, how do you know what technology to buy?

The first step to buying technology is understanding what you need. Start by looking at your current processes and identify where technology could help.

For example, if your sales team uses spreadsheets to track leads and write emails, a tool like HubSpot can automate that process so they can focus on closing deals instead of managing their inboxes (and so much more).

HubSpot also has a free program that lets you try out its features before committing to buying anything--ask Dijy about how to get started with HubSpot for free!

Speaking of HubSpot, the first tool to consider is a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM).

A CRM helps you track all communications and nurture relationships with leads and clients, without using spreadsheets.

A CRM replaces the spreadsheets that you may be using to track client data and communications.

Your CRM could be doing everything from managing contacts in one place to tracking sales pipeline activity and even give you handy repots - all from one place! 

Marketing automation for your lead generation strategy.

If you haven’t started an automated lead generation strategy, it's time to get started.

Marketing automation (find the top rated options on G2) helps automate your marketing and sales processes, allowing your team to generate more leads and close more deals. It also gives you a better understanding of who your customers are… and what they want!

This means that when they do contact your company with questions about their needs, those questions can be answered quickly and efficiently.

Marketing automation tools allow businesses in all industries (not just startups) to improve their ROI by tracking the campaigns/which tactics are working best for them. This allows them to focus on those strategies while eliminating ineffective ones from future campaigns.

Deciding between MailChimp and HubSpot? Check out the differences here.

Project management software or collaboration tools can help facilitate teamwork and communication.

Project Management Software helps your team manage projects, plus it's a great way to keep track of who's doing what and chat with each other.

Collaboration tools are another popular option for startups who want to stay connected with their teams but don't have much money to spend on new technology--they're often free or low-cost options that allow users to share files & projects easily with each other.

The Dijy team uses Basecamp and create To-Do lists to stay on top of our projects!

HubSpot is a great place to start because you can combine sales, marketing, and customer success, plus it has built in security.

HubSpot integrates with other tools you may already be using (they have an App Marketplace with thousands of integrations). HubSpot has a free or startup option - so you don't need to hire a team just yet! You can upgrade when you need to or even work with Dijy for support! 

HubSpot is an excellent marketing automation platform because it helps automate your lead generation strategy, so that you can save time and money by not doing manual work. This includes tracking all email campaigns as well as managing social media accounts from one central location where data can easily be shared across teams

You should also consider using HubSpot CRM software if you want better control over communications with leads or clients. 

 

Summing it up!

We hope this post has given you some insight into how to choose the right technology for your startup’s needs.

If you want to learn more about the tools Dijy recommends for your startup - fill out your information below!

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment.

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