I am a pen and paper girl, I always have been. There is something about putting an idea to paper or crossing something off a to-do list that resonates with me. However, I also understand the benefit of easy access, organization and convenience. Apps are the easiest way to achieve all that.
The sheer number of apps available can be overwhelming. If you can imagine it there is probably an app for it. With the market for apps crowded and advertisers telling us that each one is perfect for our business, how can we know which ones are right for us?
Let's simplify it. Here are the 7 apps that every small business owner should know about.
1. Audible: Finding the time to read while building an empire can be difficult. However, books are so incredibly important for personal development. Enter Audible. Audible is a subscription service through Amazon that gives you one audio book per month. You also get a 30% discount on any other titles you'd like to purchase. Using audible allows you to fit your personal development in while cleaning, exercising or working. Cost: $14.95 per month
2. Canva: Creating graphics for your blog, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. can be intimidating. Canva simplifies the whole process. With thousands of pre-made templates for every social media platform you could think of, its a simple as changing pictures and text. For those of you more creatively inclined the options are endless. Using preset platform dimensions you can create anything. Cost: FREE with in app purchases
3. Expensify: Bookkeeping is key for any successful small business. Tracking expenses can be tedious and exhausting. Expensify will save you countless hours. With this app you can easily scan and save receipts for taxes, itemize spending, track employee expense accounts and automatically sync business credit cards. Cost: FREE for individual users $5 a month per user for teams
4. MailChimp: This app is the solution to on-boarding systems. Detailing the benefits of MailChimp could easily fill an entire article. Using this app you can create and manage subscription lists, create email templates and setup marketing/email campaigns. When you throw in it's detailed analytics that will show you who is seeing your emails, what they are clicking on and what isn't working in your campaigns you can see why this app is so popular. Cost: FREE if under 2,000 subscriptions.
5. PLANN: This is my new baby. I'm brand new to PLANN but I've already fallen in love hard. PLANN allows you to curate the perfect Instagram feed. Within the app you can plan posts, edit photos, create text overlays and more. One of my favorite features is the ability to preplan your posts and see what they will make your grid look like. However, the true value of PLANN comes from their analytics. PLANN will help you figure out which posts perform the best, what hashtags are working for you, which time of day is best for you to post and even which color palette receives the most interaction. Cost: There is a FREE version available but you wont be able to do much with it. $4 a month for one account or $8 a month if you manage multiple Instagram accounts.
6. Todoist: If to-do lists are your jam you will love this app. Within in Todist you can create projects, assign tasks to other people, color code your lists, set tasks, receive notification reminders and more. For most this is the go to task management app. Cost: FREE there is a premium version available but most will find the free version sufficient.
7. Afterlight: A picture speaks a thousand words and in this day and age those words are priceless. Representing your business with carefully selected and edited pictures on various social media platforms is key. There are hundreds of photo editing apps available. So, what makes Afterlight special? I think its the combination of user friendly presets for those brand new to photo editing and the individual adjustments available to the pros. You can manually adjust curves, brightness, contrast, vibrance and more. There is also the overlay functions, artwork text and double exposure to work with. All of this is presented in an incredibly user friendly interface. Cost: $2.99
Comments