Software and Resources We Use and Recommend

girls working at a computer

In today’s fast-paced digital world, marketing professionals need to stay ahead of the curve with the right tools and software to meet their ever-evolving needs. At Emerge Marketing Solutions, we understand the significance of having a robust tech stack to streamline our operations, enhance creativity, and deliver results for our clients. In this blog post, we will walk you through the essential software tools we use and highly recommend in different categories.

Digital Tools

  1. WordPress: Our go-to platform for building and managing websites. It offers flexibility, ease of use, and a wide range of themes and plugins to create a customized online presence for our clients.
  2. Poll Everywhere: A fantastic tool for engaging audiences during presentations, webinars, and live events. We use it to gather real-time feedback and opinions, enhancing interactivity and communication.
  3. JotForm: A versatile form builder that simplifies data collection, lead generation, and feedback gathering. Its user-friendly interface allows us to create custom forms quickly. Lots of our clients implement JotForm!
  4. Meta Business Suite: An essential for managing social media accounts effectively. It helps schedule posts, analyze engagement, and optimize content strategy for our clients. Another tool we use almost daily.
  5. InfluenceKit: This tool is invaluable for tracking influencer marketing campaigns and measuring their impact. It provides insightful analytics to help us make data-driven decisions. We use it to measure analytics on social campaigns for ourselves and our clients.
  6. Localhood: A great new tool that helps us connect with local communities and manage local marketing efforts for our clients. It’s particularly useful for businesses looking to strengthen their local presence. Great for tourism and economic development!
  7. QR Code Generator Pro: An efficient way to create QR codes for marketing materials. QR codes have become essential for contactless information sharing, and this tool simplifies the process. The paid version is great because you can track how many scans the code receives.

eCommerce

  1. Faire.com: A wholesale marketplace connecting retailers with unique products. We recommend it to clients looking for a variety of high-quality merchandise. Check out our store on Faire! 
  2. Etsy.com: A popular platform for artisans and small businesses to sell their unique products. It’s great for clients in the handmade and vintage niche. Check out our Etsy store! 
  3. ShopIowa.com: A local eCommerce platform that allows clients to tap into their local customer base. It’s ideal for businesses looking to boost their regional sales. Check out our Shop Iowa store! 
  4. JotForm: As mentioned earlier, JotForm’s flexibility makes it a versatile tool for collecting customer information and processing orders.

Productivity

  1. Microsoft 365 (especially Microsoft Teams): Microsoft’s comprehensive suite for productivity and collaboration. Microsoft Teams is our choice for efficient team communication and project management.
  2. Asana: A project management tool that helps us streamline tasks, manage deadlines, and improve team coordination. Highly recommend!!!
  3. Quickbooks: A reliable accounting software for managing finances, creating invoices, and tracking expenses. It simplifies financial management for both us and our clients.
  4. Quickbooks Time: A time tracking tool that helps us manage billable hours and ensure accurate client billing.
  5. Chat GPT: We just recently dove into this new world of AI and have been using this AI-powered tool to help with sparking creative ideas and content creation.
  6. Mosyle: A mobile device management solution for efficient device and app management, which is especially useful for our team’s mobile devices.
  7. Google Docs, Sheets, & Forms: Google’s suite of office productivity tools, which we use for collaborative document editing and data analysis. We love how everyone can be on and editing a document at the same time!

Creativity

  1. Adobe Creative Suite: The industry standard for creative professionals. We use Adobe’s software to design and create visually stunning content. A must-have for designers and creatives!
  2. Shutterstock: A vast library of high-quality images and graphics for use in marketing materials.
  3. Unsplash: High-quality, free stock images. We like the aesthetic of these images since they are from real, professional photographers.
  4. Canva: Although we would use and recommend Indesign or Illustrator before Canva, we recommend Canva to clients who want to easily execute their brand identity on their own. It offers user-friendly design tools and brand management.
  5. AVR Pro: An audio recording tool that allows us to create compelling radio ads and videos for our clients.

Storage

  1. OneDrive: Included in a Microsoft Office subscription, it provides cloud storage and easy file sharing with seamless integration.
  2. Apple iCloud: Ideal for Apple users, it offers easy syncing across all devices and ensures that important files are accessible from anywhere.
  3. Dropbox: A robust cloud storage platform which we recommend for clients who need to collaborate on files but can’t all edit the same file simultaneously like in the Google suite.

Financial

  1. Quickbooks Go Payment: A mobile payment solution that simplifies payment processing for businesses on the go.
  2. Capital One: A trusted bank for business and personal financial needs.
  3. Apple Pay: A convenient payment method for Apple users, enabling seamless transactions.
  4. Venmo and PayPal: Widely used for secure online payments. We recommend these platforms to clients for their convenience and reliability.

Having the right tools in your arsenal is essential for success in the world of marketing. Here at Emerge, we’ve carefully selected and tested these software tools to improve our efficiency, enhance creativity, improve communication and collaboration as a team, and deliver top-notch results for our clients. Whether you’re looking to enhance your digital marketing efforts, streamline your eCommerce operations, boost productivity, or get creative, this comprehensive list of recommended software will help you achieve your goals. Keep these tools in mind as you continue to grow your business and marketing strategies.

What would you add to the list?

Why Emerge?

why Emerge

A common question many people get asked is, “So what do you do?”, but many people don’t go further to ask, “why do you do what you do?” or “why do you like your job?”. Questions that are arguably more important when it comes to a career. We asked ourselves what drew us to Emerge Marketing and why we are passionate about the work we do.

ShellySHELLY – OWNER OF EMERGE, MOM OF THREE, WORKING FROM MANNING, IOWA

Emerge is my dream, my vision, and my passion. This business has allowed me to not only pursue my dreams of owning my own business but also make an impact in my community and the businesses/organizations around me as well as revitalize rural Iowa and our country.  I absolutely LOVE helping other entrepreneurs and community leaders attain the unthinkable – to pair a visual identity with tactical tools and a strategic approach that allows them to achieve their vision. I believe I am using God’s gifts to better the world and nothing could be more satisfying. I believe this truly is the work of our Lord.

My favorite thing is connecting with our Emerge team who holds each other accountable, lifts each other up, and challenges one another to be the best we can be in the name of the Lord.

KATIE – FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE AND NEW MOM, WORKING FROM STORM LAKE, IOWAKatie

The opportunity to work for Emerge just fell into my lap, and to me, that was a sign that it was meant to be. In college, I did everything from broadcast journalism, marketing, event planning, public relations, to sports and rec management and human relations, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pursue after graduation. Working for Emerge has allowed me to combine so many of my interests and skills without having to pick just one.

I feel very fortunate to work for an organization that values family, faith, and friends. Our mission to revitalize rural Iowa has also really made an impact on me and opened my eyes about how much I love living in a small, Iowa community. The flexibility of working from home while still being able to meet in person occasionally is a great balance. I love the collaboration our growing team has as well as the variety of projects we get to work on and the different clients we assist.

ClaireCLAIRE – FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WORKING FROM SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

I enjoy having a collaborative team to work together with, and we each have our own skill sets that blend beautifully! The flexibility of working from home and getting to catch up and have in-person meetings every once in a while is nice. We aren’t limited by our location, so we have the flexibility to live wherever we want and still work with a great group of people! I like that we have different projects to work on for clients in a variety of industries. I also love our focus on revitalizing rural Iowa as I am passionate about small businesses and business owners too!

COURTNEY – PART-TIME EMPLOYEE, MOM OF FOUR, WORKING FROM RURAL CARROLL COUNTY Courtney

Emerge is not just a job; it’s truly fun, interesting, and meaningful work. I love being able to contribute to Shelly’s faith-filled mission of revitalizing rural Iowa with a wonderful group of women and clients. Emerge has made it possible for me to balance working part-time while still being able to do what’s important to me as a stay-at-home mom and wife.

AnnieANNIE – PART-TIME EMPLOYEE, MOM OF THREE, WORKING FROM RURAL CARROLL COUNTY

I enjoy working for Emerge because I get to combine so many elements of things I am passionate about with fun, new experiences! I love getting to focus on rural revitalization and keeping our slice of Iowa thriving and moving forward while maintaining our small-town way of life. In the short time I have been working with Shelly, I have met so many interesting people and learned how they are making an impact in rural Iowa. Emerge is also rooted in the belief that we are doing God’s work, and I am blessed to work alongside other women who share this belief.

PAIGE – SUBCONTRACTOR, MOM OF A TODDLER, WORKING FROM ROCKWELL CITY, IOWA Paige

I love working for Emerge Marketing Solutions because my job as a subcontractor allows for flexibility. As a stay-at-home mom to a very active toddler and a farm wife to a first-generation farmer, I am always busy. With my role at Emerge, I can still spend quality time with my family while making a little extra cash to help with the seasonal cash flow of farming. An added bonus is that the Emerge team is rooted in Christian beliefs, so I feel right at home with these amazing women who share similar core values. Not only am I able to serve my family because of my work at Emerge, but I am also able to work for the glory of God!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” -Colossians 3:23-24