As a leading agency specializing in Paid Marketing and CRO for B2B SaaS and tech startups, incorporating robust SaaS tools has revolutionized the way we manage our team and interact with clients. In this post, we provide an in-depth look at our toolkit which enables us to stay effective, creative, and organized in a remote environment.
Project Management and Client Communication
In a remote setting, project management and communication tools become essential.
ClickUp
Managing teams can be a daunting task, but with ClickUp, we've got our hands on project management nirvana. From defining goals and assigning tasks to creating comprehensive dashboards, and tracking time, everything is available within a few clicks. This platform has improved our communication with clients, fostering a robust, reliable, and respectful rapport.
Slack
Both internally and for client-facing discussions, Slack is our go-to means for a quick chat or a deeper problem-solving conversation. The huddle feature has proven useful for real-time, collaborative brainstorming. And for diversity's sake, we sometimes utilize Skype and Microsoft Teams, suiting clients' various preferences.
Swydo
Effective client communication isn't limited to verbal and written contact - it extends to visually appealing and informative reports. Swydo, a dynamic client reporting software, offers customizable reports and live dashboards that provide actionable insights for our clients. This tool has allowed us to retire Google Looker Studio, its predecessor, by broadening our reporting capabilities and flexibility.
Grammarly & Language Tool
As communications professionals, the precision of our language is of paramount importance. To ensure mistake-free conversations, we use Language Tool and Grammarly. These AI-powered tools not only efficiently catch typos but they can also adjust the tone of voice to suit varying contexts, thanks to Machine Learning.
Miro
Creative processes work best when they're interactive. Miro, our go-to digital whiteboard software, is a testament to that. It allows us to brainstorm strategies for client paid marketing and conversion rate optimization projects live. However, the recent upgrade in ClickUp's Whiteboard feature might shift our preference, as it provides similar functionality, but within a familiar ecosystem.
Google Workspace
Collaboration has never been easier than with our transition to the paid Google Workspace.
Google Sheets, Docs and Slides
Over the years, these tools have become vital assets in our agency. They enable us to create dynamic project roadmaps, share insightful keyword research and catchy ad copy ideas, and keep meetings organized with clear agendas and notes.
Google Meet
Moving our meetings from Zoom to Google Meet has been a time-saver. The seamless integration with Google's other tools has made life easier for our account managers. Recording features have been beneficial to refer back to essential meetings, providing value for both our team and clients.
Google Calendar
Among a slew of features provided by Google Workspace, Calendar stands out when it comes to scheduling team meetings across various time zones. The option to view other team members' available slots makes planning meetings a breeze. Externally, for our sales team's booking needs, Calendly has been our mainstay. However, we're considering leveraging Google Calendar's booking page for its integrated functions.
Sales
Sales plays an integral part in our agency's growth. Here are the tools we leverage to keep our sales operations running smoothly.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive has proved to be a reliable CRM system for managing our lead generation efforts. The ability to create custom reports and use robust analytics appeals to our data-driven approach. With Pipedrive, we effortlessly build customized workflows for follow-up and enjoy a seamless integration with Slack. It's a simple yet powerful tool that gets the job done.
Expandi
A newer addition to our tech stack, Expandi has enhanced our cold outreach efforts. If you receive LinkedIn messages from us, Expandi is the silent force working behind it. Be sure to respond; we always appreciate connecting with exciting startups! Expandi also enables complex workflows involving email sequences, a feature we've found very handy.
TextExpander
Frequent responses to FAQs by leads can become wearisome without the right aid. That's where TextExpander plays a crucial role for Aimers. It stores all our response templates, saving precious time that would otherwise be spent typing out repetitive replies.
Team Management
We believe a happy team is a successful team. The tools listed below help us build a positive, supportive work environment where team members feel valued and motivated.
Karma bot for Slack
A part of our toolkit for over five years, Karma bot has helped us build a culture of gratitude and appreciation. We use it to thank our team members, celebrate their accomplishments, and acknowledge their hard work on performance marketing projects.
PeopleForce
Our central hub for all team-related information, PeopleForce, stores everything from compensation details to vacation days and performance metrics. By offering deep insights into our HR activities, it's helped us replace our earlier tool, the Slack Vacation Tracker bot. While the bot served us well, PeopleForce's features offer us more nuanced functionalities.
Knowledge Sharing and Learning
Among the ever-evolving marketing sphere and shifting trends, the need to stay updated can't be stressed enough. Here, robust knowledge sharing and learning tools come into play.
Tettra
Having been with us since our inception eight years ago, Tettra has become an irreplaceable part of our agency's learning ecosystem. Acting as a shared knowledge base or a team wiki, Tettra is our platform of choice for storing guides, checklists, and case studies. It helps us curate and share knowledge, ensuring all team members can access the critical information they need.
Inoreader
To stay at the forefront of the industry transition, our team uses Inoreader for tracking and reading news from the world of performance marketing. The curated updates are then shared with the team by our Head of PPC through an internal Slack channel, prompting insightful discussions on Slack or during team knowledge-sharing meetups.
Loom
In the realm of remote work, lack of face-to-face communication can often lead to impersonal interactions. That's where Loom steps in. A quick screen-sharing tool precisely designed for asynchronous communication, Loom has been a game-changer for us. When we need to provide swift feedback or demonstrate something directly on screen, Loom is our go-to. Providing the option to include video of ourselves in messages adds a crucial layer of personalization to our remote communication. It breathes life into otherwise static instructions or feedback, creating a more relatable experience.
Automation
Adopting automation has paved the way for improved efficiency and cost benefits. Here are the key tools powering our automation processes.
Zapier & IFTTT
The strength in our productivity surge is largely due to taking a smart work approach, generously fuelled by automation tools like Zapier and IFTTT. They connect our diverse tools, creating an efficient workflow that saves time and enhances coherence with apps like LinkedIn Ads, CRM and analytics systems such as HubSpot and Salesforce.
Adalysis
Adalysis has been our secret weapon for A/B testing ad copies and analyzing search terms. Despite an increase in automated bidding strategies, we still find great value in this tool to deliver precision and enhance our insights.
Google Ads Scripts
Google Ads Scripts holds the secret sauce to many of our automated routine tasks, from budget management to search term analysis, thereby simplifying our PPC specialists' workload.
ChatGPT
Contrary to initial fears about AI replacing humans, our experience with ChatGPT has been highly empowering. It works as a multipurpose tool for keyword research, transcription, ad copy idea generation, and grammar checking. What could have been time-consuming tasks are handled more accurately and faster, giving our team extra time for strategizing and innovation.
Takeaways
Combining these different SaaS tools has proven an effective strategy to streamline our agency operations and promote a healthy work culture. Every tool has a specific role, contributing to the big picture of enhanced productivity, simplified tasks, and smooth collaboration.
Our pursuit for technological perfection is an ongoing journey, and we’re delighted to bring you along via these blog posts. Stay tuned for more insights from our agency life!