Technology is intertwined into almost everything we do, and such the opportunities to innovate and be successful in every industry are boundless. It’s imperative to keep up with the latest tech advancements in every business, or you could be left behind in this fast-paced world and risk your company’s growth. So, how do you keep up? Let’s start with the basics of leveraging mobile apps to stay organized and efficient – two key components of successful businesses.
Mobile devices enable new ways of doing and learning things. They help us discover new ideas and new businesses. They help us manage our to-dos, tackle our problems, and inspire our plans. According to Statista, the overall number of mobile phone users worldwide is expected to grow to 4.77 billion in 2017. Furthermore, a survey from Harris Poll found that 67% of Americans never even try to unplug from technology. In other words, they have either a smartphone, tablet or laptop with them at all times.
No matter your industry, there are mobile tools you can leverage to help boost your productivity and stay on track to achieve, and even exceed, your business goals. We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 favorite, and FREE, productivity mobile apps. Take a look!
Organization
1. Evernote
Evernote is the ideal online notebook for to-do lists, reminders and any information you need to store. Your notes are accessible across all mobile and desktop devices. The free version allows users to upload 60MB worth of content monthly. Notes can be organized into categorized notebooks, keywords are searchable, and the notes can even be shared with others via email or social media.
2. Google Drive
Google Drive provides 15GB of secure online file storage for free as long as you have a Google account. Google Drive allows you to create new files using Google Docs, Sheets and Slides presentation, as well as upload or sync new files, photos and folders. You’re able to access these documents from any device, as well as share files so other people can edit, view or comment on them.
Similar to Google Drive are Dropbox and OneDrive, two additional free online file storage tools. Lifehacker shared, File Syning Showdown: Google Drive vs. Dropbox vs. OneDrive, which breaks down the services of each of these three tools. We recommend using the program that best fits your online file storing needs.
3. Genius Scan
This app is known as the “scanner in your pocket” and helps users digitize documents on-the-go. With Genius Scan, you simply snap a picture with your smartphone and then save it as a JPEG or PDF file, saving valuable time. Other functionalities include perspective correlation, editing tools, export and sharing options, search and security.
Time Management
4. Momentum
Set yourself up for success with a daily reminder to review your habits without even unlocking your phone. The Momentum Habit Tracker app seamlessly allows you to set a daily focus, track your to-dos, and get inspired with a daily photo and quote. You can set up daily reminders, notification alerts, weekly targets, and even export data. The App Store reviews it as, “Insanely great – beautiful and simple. The best habit tracker, hands down.”
5. 30/30
30/30 is a task timer that incorporates lists and timing of tasks into a simple and easy-to-use interface to help you stay productive throughout the day. Features include fully customized task lists, options to let you control how you’re notified, and a gesture-based interface free of clutter.
Payments
6. PayPal
Wherever your business goes, you can process your customers’ credit card payments with PayPal’s free mobile app and card reader. PayPal conveniently lets you link your credit, debit and other bank accounts to your PayPal account, making paying people and getting paid quick and painless. PayPal’s standard merchant service plan is free and allows you to accept credit cards and PayPal on your site and in store. Minimal charges include 2.7% for swiped and check-in transactions or 3.5% + $0.15 for keyed/scanned transactions on the mobile card reader, or 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for online process fees, so you’ll want to consider this when setting prices for your goods and services.
7. Square
This free app makes credit card processing simple and is great for small businesses such as beauty salons, boutiques, food trucks, and consultants. Registered users receive a small, portable card reader that they can attach to a phone or another mobile device to take fast, convenient payments. Square accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. See deposits in your bank account as soon as the next business day. Square deducts 2.75% of every swipe automatically, so again you may want to consider this minimal service charge when setting prices for your goods and services.
Social Media Management
8. Hootsuite
As a SMB owner, you should be taking full advantage of the most popular social media networks to help market your products and services. The Hootsuite mobile app is an efficient social media management tool to help you engage with your customers across all social media accounts from a single dashboard. Hootsuite helps automate your social media content publishing to maintain your presence, saving time and resources. Also, learn more about how we can help power up your social media marketing efforts.
9. Spark Post
Create stunning social images on the go with Adobe Spark Post. You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to create beautiful, professional-looking images with this app. Simply select and apply a theme or layout from their design library, add “magic text” and tweak it to fit your needs. Share via social media to capture the attention of your audience.
10. Feedly
It’s important to stay up-to-date on the pulse of your SMB industry. Discover and follow blogs and news articles related to specific people, products and companies as they are published. Feedly aggregates, or collects, articles all in one place to simplify the consumption of the news for your convenience. You can easily save articles across devices and share them on your social networks.
What other mobile apps do you use to help your SMB stay efficient? We’d love to add them to our list!
Looking to start or grow your business and need help with digital marketing? We can help! Call us at (904) 638-7555.
Marketing professional focused on digital strategy, lead generation and brand development for corporate and local SMB’s in a variety of industries and audiences, including advertising and local media, staffing, local government, tourism, and technology.