Tools and software packages
What tools are cost-effective, and should you use for managing your digital presence?
The list of tools you use is often referred to as a software stack. Your stack will often have, and cover, a variety of different uses and needs – everything from video, to social media management, to the analytics tools and more.
We have gone ahead and put together a stack list based on the FAQ’s that we receive. Below you will find a list of some of the pieces of software we recommend to our clients.
So, what’s in the stack?
For a quick overview, here are the tools we use to ensure you can achieve a cost-effective and highly manageable digital presence for any brand on time.
Metricool, Full-Time Film-maker, Bit Defender, Oribi, Themify, Trusy, Meetfox
1. Metricool: Social Media Management Tool
In a few words, Metricool helps you to analyze your website in detail, without needing to be an expert at web analytics. Monitor your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn accounts. Know in real time which followers are active in the moment so you can interact with them and publish content that can be of interest to them.
At Loveridge Digital, we have used a variety of social media management tools, and have found Metricool to be one of the easiest to use from a consumer standing point, whilst allowing you to pull some baseline social media reports. This is by far one of the most cost-effective tools we implement with some of our customers who want to manage their own social content.
2. Full Time Filmmaker: Education
Full Time Filmmaker is an online training facility for people to learn about video production. In the course, Parker Walbeck covers some of the very basics – from what gear to buy and how to use it, to some cinematography techniques, basic editing workflows (on both Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X), and more! The curriculum currently consists of over 400+ training videos (80+ hours), and new videos are added every month to keep the learning relevant and up to date.
At Loveridge Digital, we think this is a great resource for anyone wanting to understand more or learn about how to become a videographer. However, we don’t believe this course will give you the expertise, knowledge or professional understanding of how to become a leader in video productions and film making.
3. Bit Defender: Antivirus Software
Bitdefender is an industry leading antivirus and malware software. You can use it like any other antivirus softwares (e.g. Avast, Norton 360, etc). With a pretty simple and easy to use U.I, Bitdefender is very user-friendly which makes it a joy to use. Install it in your system and use the documentation on the site/disc to know how to scan and keep your system protected using Bitdefender. We utilize Bitdefender across all our servers and devices.
At Loveridge Digital we highly recommend Bitdefender to any of our small to medium businesses looking to take control of their security.
4. Oribi: Marketing Analytics Tool
Oribi is your all-in-one cost-effective marketing analytics tool. Oribi empowers your business to make smarter, data-driven decisions with their technology, while having some powerful features, and an optimization guidance system.
At Loveridge Digital, we highly recommend Oribi to any of our small to medium businesses looking to take control of their data and measure their digital channels effectively. Oribi is a really great tool and the support team is always responsive.
5. Themify: Website Builder
Themify Builder is one of the easiest and intuitive page designers and builders for WordPress. You can design any layout imaginable with minimal to no experience! Simply select, drag-and-drop, and watch your beautiful site come to life in front of your eyes with a live preview, and without a single line of code.
At Loveridge Digital, while this isn’t the builder we use or recommend to developers, it is a perfect tool for someone who wants a website and really wants to build it themselves. A major consideration when building through Themify is to understand that this is really for beginners and/or start-ups looking for a cost-effective solution.
6. Trusy: Instagram Social Proofing
We all know Instagram is huge, but up to this point, no one has offered truly effective growth strategies that are necessary to build and grow a profitable Instagram following. Instagram followings have quickly become one of the greatest profit centres for online businesses. Period. The problem is, no one has figured out how to control and deliver growth on Instagram consistently.
At Loveridge Digital we do not use Trusy ourselves and have only heard about their service after an enquiry from a customer asking about it. From our experience, you would only ever use Trusy for social proofing a brand from a marketing strategy. However, understand by relying too heavily on Trusy, you may ultimately tank your page. So, we sure hope Instagram is not your main platform to use if that is the case!
7. Meetfox: Online Booking/Meeting Tool
Use MeetFox’s secure video, audio, and messaging tool to speak with clients anywhere and get more out of your meetings than a regular phone call. Host video calls in your browser with no downloads required and easily share your screen, so you and your clients are always on the same page. Set up automated text messages and email reminders, and also take payments via Stripe/PayPal.
At Loveridge Digital, we do not use Meetfox ourselves, but we have trialled the service and can say it works. However, we found this would be dependent on your geographical location. From what we know and understand, you should only ever use Meetfox as a booking engine, as their video conferencing tools are a little “Sketchy” at the best of times. Consider using Google Calendar and Google Meets if you don’t need to take a payment.
Acknowledgement to Country 2024
Loveridge Digital would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional custodians of the Australian lands on which we work. We are honoured to be on the ancestral lands of those whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in human history. We pay respect to the Elders, past, present and to the younger generation of the community who will be the future leaders in years to come.