Every business owner has a trail of tools and apps scattered behind them like Dove wrappers at the end of a particularly intensive project. When I tell you I have used every tool, app, software, and notebook out there…rest assured, I have. My LastPass looks like a SaaS graveyard.

Okay, perhaps I’m getting a bit dramatic. What I mean is that between my days in the marketing agency world, my Project Management Professional (PMP) classes, and the countless teams I’ve collaborated with, I have tried a lot of tools. That said, there are a few I keep coming back to because of their functionality and features — especially in the virtual team space.

Cut out the trial-and-error for tried-and-true options to help you get down to business (in an organized, efficient way, of course) — these are 5 tools I use with every project, no exceptions. Let’s dig in!

1. Asana

Asana is my brain if my brain were color-coded and had every link, deadline, and deliverable perfectly organized into one place. I use this as the central project management tool for all marketing projects I work on.

It’s incredibly flexible depending on how you like to view information. You can set up virtual bulletin or pin boards and organize virtual index cards, see project deadlines on a calendar, checkout timelines and workflows…you name it!

It’s also incredibly effective for teams because you can add all the details of the project you’ve talked about during your project kickoff call into each task (or card if you’re grouping tasks) so everyone has the info they need to complete their job at their fingertips. Hello, efficiency!

I also use this to help business owners and their teams store lists for administrative to-dos, operational action items, etc. so things don’t slip through the cracks when there are general to-dos that fall outside of a marketing project (i.e. client reminders, upcoming important dates/holidays, etc.). Because of its ease of collaboration, you can add subcontractors, team members, and even clients to only what they need so they stay organized, too.

Success Tip: You could easily fall down an organized black hole if you try to micromanage Asana. Don’t get too “in the weeds” — decide how involved you want to be in your Asana account, then let your project manager and/or your VA/OBM handle the details in Asana. Trust your team to keep the project management going and allow yourself time and space to be the visionary and leader of your business. 

Related Reading: Turn Your Ideas Into Action in 3 Steps — Koree Ritter Consulting

2. Slack

Rather than getting inundated with a ton of emails only to realize a key player wasn’t included in the message, I use Slack as the central communication tool for the clients I support. It’s user-friendly and allows the team to share and route information like content, links, files, etc. in a central, easy-to-access place.

And unlike email platforms, you can easily send and respond quickly to messages with their desktop and mobile apps. If you’re worried that all those notifications will get on your nerves, you have the ability to set your availability and snooze notifications when needed to maintain boundaries and limit distractions when you need time to focus.

Success Tip: Use integrations with programs like Google Calendar, Asana, and your other apps. to help streamline your systems and support your project management process. And make sure you integrate Giphy… trust me, it’ll make things more fun!

3. Voxer

I use Voxer in conjunction with Slack to support team communication and collaboration. My recommendation (as with all of these tools) is to establish a clear plan for when, how, and where to communicate so you and your team understand expectations. 

I suggest using Slack as the primary form of communication because it’s easier to track and search if you need to find anything in the future. Then, when you need to work through an issue, to collaborate on something a little more complex, or when you just need to talk something out that might get misinterpreted or misunderstood if you typed it…use Voxer.

It also adds a level of personalization, so I like to send quick messages to keep team morale up. When you get in the weeds, nothing turns your day around like a “hey, you rock!” voice note!

Success Tip: Before you send a voice message on Voxer, send a short typed message that has a quick description of what the voice message will be about. Adding “Question about this week’s social posts 👇”  before your message will help keep things organized if you have to backtrack to find an old message.

4. Google Drive

Believe it or not, I’ve run into folks who don’t use Google Drive. And I do use it almost daily, so it deserves to be on this list of project management tools.

Google Drive is pretty self-explanatory — it’s a great way to store docs, collaborate on copywriting, provide feedback, etc. Since it’s cloud-based, I use Google Drive to store all documents for my clients so everyone can access what they need. Drop a link into an Asana card and you’re golden.

A word of warning, especially for those folks who have a ton of half-used notebooks sitting on the corner of their desk (you know who you are!) — Google Drive can get really messy, really quickly. Set a recurring calendar reminder to consolidate and clear out all of those “Untitled Docs” and other clutterbug files.

Success Tip: To avoid getting a Slack in the middle of the night (and interrupting someone else’s workflow) saying “Can you share this doc? I can’t see it,” make sure your team has the right access and permissions in your Google Drive before sending out links to docs.

Related Reading: Two-Minute Tip: What Is Brand Strategy?

5. Loom

Like Voxer, Loom is a great project management tool to use when you don’t want your message to get lost in translation, AKA, it’s easier to “talk something out,” but now with visuals! It’s great for more complex feedback or collaboration where you want to also be able to show visuals while you speak. 

I use Loom for sharing complex feedback or sending tutorial videos. Loom isn’t good for quick updates or questions, so leave that to Slack or Asana.

Success Tip: Keep Looms short and sweet when possible. If you’re sharing long feedback or multiple points in your video, try breaking it up into separate videos. For example, break up feedback on a website into videos like: Website Feedback, Pt 1 – Homepage. Website Feedback Pt 2 – Services Page. Website Feedback Pt 3 – About Page.

BONUS: Zoom

Like Google Docs, I think almost all people already use Zoom, but it’s my go-to tool for client meetings so it’s earned its spot on this list! I think most of us are already pretty familiar with Zoom (and if you’re like me, you’re kicking yourself for not buying stock in Zoom before the pandemic).

Zoom is a great way to maintain a connection and have visual contact with your team and your clients, even in the digital day and age. It helps foster relationships, build connections, and create a culture among your team. And the more your team feels aligned to you and your business, the more cohesive everyone will be. 

Success Tip: Always record your meeting, even if you don’t think you need to. Great for those moments when someone says “Oh that was good! Repeat it!” and you can’t get the wording again. Then, save these recordings in Google Drive instead of on the Zoom cloud to save storage in Zoom and also make sure everyone can access it.

Related Reading: 4 Reasons to Integrate Brand Strategy and Project Management