Free Apps We Use Everyday for Business
Admittedly, by nature, I'm not the most organized person (my husband is probably reading this thinking that this is the understatement of the year). I'm the type that will leave 100 sticky notes all around my house only to lose every single one. Making sure that my business is seeing growth and that I'm staying on top of my game REQUIRES me to find ways to stay organized and plan ahead. Which brings me to this list! I honestly can't believe that you don't have to pay for these apps (as with anything now, there are multiple tiers to choose from - some free, some paid) because they are so useful and used every day, multiple times per day.
Let's jump into it. Here are my go-to free apps that I use every single day:
1. ASANA
I don't know how I ever made it through the day before I discovered Asana. I was using weird alarms on my phone, writing reminders in my planner that I always forgot about, and just felt overwhelmed trying to remember everything on my to-do list. Asana has saved me. It's a task manager that can be used as an app on your phone and a program on your desktop. You can set up a calendar, create tasks, set reminders, and organize everything into categories. You can also add team members and assign tasks with due dates to them. It's truly amazing. Of everything I mention on this list, this is by far the most important thing you should be using.
2. LOOM
My job requires me to send a lot of tutorials to my clients on managing their websites or their social media accounts and I like to do screen shares in order to show them step-by-step exactly what to do. I was originally using QuickTime, which is efficient, but takes up a lot of space on your computer and doesn't keep things super organized for you. So now, I'm using LOOM and I'm never looking back. I have it set as a plug-in on my browser (all of the instructions are on their website about how to do this) and with one click of a button, I can screen record everything that I'm doing on my computer. They keep all your videos on their website for you which is especially helpful if you find yourself creating the same tutorial over and over again for people. Create once, copy link, and send away!
3. UNUM DESIGN
One thing I always tell my clients is to plan their social media posts ahead of time. Don't post just to post. Make sure you're creating quality content and make sure that it all flows nicely on your feed. This is where UNUM comes in. It lets you upload your photos onto a grid and move them around to see how you'd like your Instagram feed to look. You can set reminders on when to post which picture, create the captions ahead of time, and store your hashtags. Easy peasy, user friendly, and leaves for for ZERO excuses on not posting enough on Instagram.
4. VOXER
I spend a lot of time going back and forth with clients and sometimes it's just easier to leave a voice memo. I do prefer that they contact me that way if it's after office hours because I'm 10x more likely to check it right away vs. an email or a voicemail. It's a free app you can download on your phone and it works like a walkie talkie. You can leave and receive quick voice messages with anyone who also has the app. You can also create groups. So, if you have a team of people you're working with and want to leave a message for everyone, you can do it right in your Voxer Group Chat. It's simple and get's your point across right off the bat, just the way I like it.
5. LIGHTROOM CC FOR MOBILE
I edit all of my photos in Lightroom CC, the free app version on my phone. It's amazing and let's you edit with so much detail and precision. I'm honestly blown away that it's free. I've used pretty much every photo editing app out there and this one takes the cake. It can be a little complex if you're new to editing so you may want to stick to a more simple app like Setty or A Color Story until you learn the ropes a bit.
And there you have it. Free apps that help my business grow on a daily business. Anything else that you guys use that I should know about? Please share!
