As I was hustling to still accomplish everything I needed to WHILE traveling for a business conference this past weekend, I realized how valuable some of the apps I have are. A business owner who is on the go a lot HAS to be able to keep their business running. So here are the apps I use for communication, networking, marketing, project management and content curation!
Slack (Communication)
Our team uses this to communicate and stay on top of what’s going on with all of our different clients and projects. It works best when you set up your channels in a simple way so that it is easy to find things and keep conversations organized. For example: we set our Slack up with a channel per client, one for internal marketing, one for each of our internal projects, and so on. That way everyone on the team can know exactly where to go to find the information they are searching for or where to start a conversation.
How do you communicate with your team? Could you be communicating more effectively? If everyone in your business was on the same page, how much smoother would your business run?
LinkedIn (Networking)
LinkedIn can be a great tool for expanding your business when used in small doses. (Aka… don’t get on and scroll your feed for an hour!) I like to get on the app for around 10-15 minutes a day to make meaningful connections with new people and find inspirational and educational articles that I save (See Pocket below) to send to my team and in our email newsletter.
Are you growing your network daily? If not, you should be! It can take as little as 5 minutes a day… and for me LinkedIn is the place to be. So go and start making those connections now… but finish reading this first 😉
Facebook Ads (Marketing)
If you manage Facebook ads for yourself or others, you have probably gotten that frantic call from someone wanting to change the creative, increase the budget, or pause the ads all together. And of course it has to happen right now and your computer is nowhere nearby! This is where the Facebook ads app comes in. It’s surprisingly easy to use and has a lot of functionality so you can accomplish those simple changes on the go.
If you are running Facebook ads, download the app now and know you’re covered. If you aren’t and want to, schedule a call with me.
Asana (Project Management)
Asana keeps our office running. We use it for all things task management. Our project manager set it up in a Agile Project Management format with an implementation board for the current week, then individual client lists to house all backlog tasks. Every morning, each team member checks their task list so they know what to do for the day. No bottlenecks or time spent wondering what to tackle next! We also recommend daily huddles reviewing everyone’s day so no one is confused or held back.
How are you currently managing your projects? Are they individual task lists on sticky notes? Does everyone on your team know what to do? What to do first? Find a task management tool that works for you and that your whole team can (and will) use.
Pocket (Content Curation)
This is a lesser known app that can save you a ton of time. It allows you to save articles on the go so you can read or share them later. I recommend tagging them so you can filter by category later (ie. marketing, business, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc). Sharing content on social media is a great way to stay top of mind with your prospects and customers to build your authority.
How are you currently saving articles as you come across them? Are you sharing good content with your team? Your customers?Your followers? Download Pocket or similar tool so you can store and distribute your favorite articles.
What mobile apps are you using to keep your business running like a well-oiled machine on the go? Let me know in the comments!