The 2019 Tech Toolkit for Business Growth:
Social Media Management
Businesses of all sizes should already be using social media to interact and engage with their customers. If there’s one tech development that every business has been affected by, it’s social media. The modernization of the customer-to-business relationship has resulted in the need for consistent immediacy at all times. It’s essential that you use the right tools to schedule, monitor, and respond to every relevant conversation on social media. In 2019 the most popular was Hootsuite, with CoSchedule and Buffer also proving very useful. As of Nov 2026, Hootsuite's plans page says its Standard plan manages up to 10 social accounts with a free 14-day trial, Buffer's pricing page shows a Free plan plus a 14-day free trial of paid plans, and CoSchedule's Starter plan is $29 USD per month billed annually for 3 social profiles, with a 14-day free trial. Using these tools is going to be very important if you want a more effective social media strategy, with everything from customer feedback to consumer engagement benefitting you in both the short and long-term.Automation and Workflow
You’d be hard pressed to have missed out on the growing reliance for businesses when it comes to automation. As a way of cutting down on unproductive time mismanagement, automation is incredibly valuable, and it’s not all about manufacturing or the factory floor either. From software that can help you more quickly finish those mundane, time-consuming tasks, to the latest voice automation tools that can help improve the customer experience at every touchpoint, automation is fast becoming the single must-have for the businesses that are looking for organic growth.Inbox Marketing
Emails continue to be one of the most popular marketing tools for businesses in 2019. While this method of reaching out to your existing customers sometimes dips in popularity, the last two years have seen much more impact. The key to this rise in popularity is the recognition of the importance of personalization. This means avoiding sending out mass emails to everyone on your newsletter lists. Mailchimp can be invaluable when it comes to segmenting your audience into set demographics (as of Nov 2026 its pricing page lists Free, Essentials and Standard plans, with a 14-day trial on Standard), and that’s the key to more effective personalization and a more hard-hitting email marketing strategy.Improving Internal Communications
When your team could be working from anywhere in the world, communicating in-house could be a potential problem. However, there are some reliable collaboration tools available that are much more efficient ways to chat internally without resorting to emails. Slack is by far the option that the majority of tech-savvy business owners are opting for, although there are a growing number of alternatives available. In 2019 Slack had become the market leader simply because it allowed for group chats, attachments, and even connected to your Skype account. Skype itself is gone now: Microsoft Support says that as of May 5th, 2025, Skype is retired, and it points Skype users to Microsoft Teams Free. Businesses that hope to thrive and survive in the digital age need to ensure that they are making use of the best available tools. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that these tools are only available for big brands. They are more accessible than ever before, and no matter the size or ambition of your business, you can use these tools to build a stronger foundation, and organically grow your business so that it is much more secure and profitable.Related reading
- How to Grow Your Business
- A Guide for Startup Owners: How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation for Your Business
- What are the Top 3 RPA Benefits for Your Business
- Best cities for starting any type of business
- how to start an online business
2026 Update: What I Would Change About This Toolkit Today
I wrote this post back in 2019 and, honestly, reading it back made me wince a little. Not because the advice was wrong at the time, but because the landscape has shifted so dramatically that some of it reads like a museum exhibit now. So before you scroll down and start bookmarking tools that may have pivoted, been acquired, or simply become irrelevant, let me give you my honest take on what a business growth toolkit actually looks like in 2026.
The biggest shift I have seen working with clients this year is that AI-assisted tools are no longer a "nice to have" layer you bolt on top of your existing stack. They are the stack. Tools like Notion AI, Claude, and newer entrants to the project management and content space have eaten the functionality of what used to require three or four separate subscriptions. If you are still paying for a suite of single-purpose tools that do not talk to each other, you are almost certainly overspending and under-performing.
What I keep telling people in 2026 is this: consolidation is the strategy. The businesses I work with that are growing fastest are not the ones with the most tools. They are the ones who audited their stack ruthlessly, cut anything that required manual copying between platforms, and rebuilt around two or three central hubs. Your CRM, your content workflow, and your reporting should all be pulling from the same source of truth. If they are not, that is your first fix, not your last.
Short-form video and social search have also completely rewritten which distribution tools matter. In 2019 I was recommending certain scheduling platforms because reach was the goal. In 2026, reach without signal is meaningless. You need tools that help you understand what content is actually starting conversations and driving searches, not just racking up impressions. That requires a different kind of analytics thinking than what I outlined below.
So please do read the original post for the foundational thinking, because the principles around building systems and measuring what matters still hold up. But treat the specific tool recommendations as a starting point for your own research rather than a finished shopping list. I will be updating this post in sections throughout 2026, and you can find my current recommended tools over on the resources section at lilachbullock.com.
Related reading: Best Hootsuite Alternatives for Scheduling Social Media in 2026.
Related reading: Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2026: The Honest Guide After Testing Them.
The short version: The right tech stack in 2019 comes down to a handful of tools that handle marketing automation, social media management, and customer relationship tracking without draining your budget. Business owners who pick two or three core platforms and use them well tend to outperform those who chase every new app on the market.
Where this 2019 toolkit stands as of Nov 2026
Most of these tools are still around, but one is gone and the plans have all changed since 2019. Here's the quick version, from each company's own pages:
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- Skype: retired. Microsoft Support says that as of May 5th, 2025, Skype is retired, and Skype Number subscriptions ended in May 2026. Skype users can move to Microsoft Teams Free.
- Slack: still has a Free plan, $0 USD free forever, with 90 days of message history, per Slack's pricing page.
- Buffer and Hootsuite: Buffer has a Free plan, and both offer a 14-day free trial of paid plans.
- Mailchimp: Free, Essentials and Standard plans, with a 14-day trial on Standard.
My verdict: the toolkit idea holds up. Swap Skype out of your stack and start on the free plans before you pay for anything.
If you write on this topic, see pitching a business guest post.
I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
What tools should a small business prioritize first?
Start with a CRM to keep customer data organized, an email marketing platform to nurture leads, and a social media scheduling tool to stay consistent online. These three cover the basics that most growth strategies depend on.
Do I need to invest in expensive software to see results?
No. Many affordable or freemium tools offer everything a growing business needs. The key is choosing software that matches your current stage rather than paying for features you won't touch for another year or two.
How often should a business review its tech toolkit?
A yearly review works well for most businesses, with a quicker check-in whenever a tool stops fitting your workflow or a team member flags a recurring problem. Waiting too long usually means paying for something you've outgrown.
Can automation replace a marketing team?
Automation handles repetitive tasks like scheduling and follow-up emails, but it still needs a person guiding strategy and reading the results. Think of it as support for your team, not a substitute for one.
