Here are some online tools that I use often in my freelance business. Hopefully you’ll find something here that you can use too!
MailChimp
I use this to create a monthly newsletter. It is free for up to 2000 subscribers.
Social Oomph
This is a website where you can schedule your tweets, track keywords and more.
Wufoo
Build contact forms and even add your own logo and colours to the form.
Domain Name Registrars
NameCheap
This is just one of many domain name registrars out there, but I use NameCheap for their great prices.
Register Domain SA
For .co.za domain names, I use Register Domain SA.
Website Hosting
Hostgator
I host my clients’ sites on Hostgator and I use the Baby package which allows me to host multiple sites on one account.
Web Africa
I use Web Africa to host South African websites, including my dad’s cartoon + artwork website.
Online Printers
I’ve put together a list of online printers in South Africa. Click on the image below to read.
For international readers, see Moo.com, UPrinting.com and Overnightprints.com for online printing.
Box
Box.com is an online file sharing and backup service. With the free version you get 5GB of space. I use it to share large files with clients, backup my files, and I upload my free printable PDFs to Box so that I can see how many people have downloaded my files.
GraphicRiver
Find high quality print templates, textures, fonts, logo templates, WordPress templates, icons, vectors, etc here. With a Graphic River account you can also buy stuff from their other websites like Photodune (see below). I’ve bought some great greeting card and business card mockup templates from Graphic River that I use to present my printable stationery on.
Photodune
Photodune is a marketplace where you can buy stock images for your business, website, designs, etc. I’ve bought some photos there that I used in print projects for clients.
Gravatar
By registering on this site and uploading your photo, your photo will appear next to your name each time you comment on a blog.
PayPal
I use PayPal to receive payment from international clients. PayPal does take a percentage of that payment and in South Africa you have to withdraw the money you’ve earned within 30 days. So PayPal is very limited for us South Africans but alas, at the moment it is the easiest way to receive international payments.
Affiliate links were used in this post.
What online tools do you use?
Another tool you would love to use is Proofhub. Offers multiple features like to-do’s, time tracking, project management, team collaboration, reports, gantt chart, proofing and more. Explore more at https://www.proofhub.com. Do give it a try.