My 7 most useful Marketing Apps
I was at a networking coffee morning a little while ago and the subject of useful marketing apps came up in our group discussion. This then leads to a discussion on the most useful marketing apps we were all using. As a VA I use and have used quite a few and thought writing a blog about them would be helpful to others.
I’ve put together this list of my most useful marketing apps that I use and did a little research to find some alternatives.
For Design
Canva
I started using Canva last year and found it the most useful marketing app for adding imagery to Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. I also found it handy for those clients who were looking for a bit of quick design on their leaflets or business cards. Canva has great little tutorials to talk you through how to use the site and a great area to store all your brand details. All of which is free, there are however costs for some images if you are looking to incorporate something specific and an option to become a member. Personally, I find the free version sufficient.
Other sites to use:
Gimp – Free downloadable software which incorporates photo manipulation and design elements.
Pxlir – Free online phone enhancing site based around Photoshop
PicMonkey – Online based design maker and photo editor with free options, I found this site useful for creating PNG’s easily.
For Scheduling Social Media
I have found Hootsuite the most useful marketing app for social media scheduling. It will work with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google my business, Instagram and YouTube. You are limited to 3 social profiles on a free membership, but if you only have one business to manage this should be sufficient. Hootsuite also provides free social media courses and paid for options for those looking at needing more profiles adding.
Alternatives are:
Buffer – Connects with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram, for free for one user.
LaterBro – Free for Twitter and Facebook
For Websites
Personally, I would use no other site to build and create my website. WordPress is by far the most useful and easiest site to use and believe me I have tried a few. Being a VA, clients are always looking for assistance on website updates and blog post uploads. WordPress is easy to use and if you are looking for someone to help. WordPress developers and designers are easy to find. It is also free!
Alternatives are (these are a couple I found on Google, as there are many):
Wix – Free site Builder
Moonfruit– Starts at £3 a month for one site with 5 pages
Weebly – Free for a site, if you display Weebly ads
For Website Tracking
Google Analytics is a one-stop shop for all website activity, it’s also free. All you need is a Google business account and you can access website traffic information, keyword ranking and much more.
For Email Marketing
I’ve been using Mailchimp for a good few years now, and have found it easy to use when creating good email marketing campaigns. It’s free for up to 2000 subscribers, there are loads of templates to adapt and gives a great report for each campaign.
For those who would rather use a different platform:
Mad Mimi – free for up to 100 contacts
ReachMail – free for up to 5000 subscribers
For Time Management
As a free time tracker toggle is great, it’s a simple site that has an app for your phone as well. You can even add up to 5 team members on the free package.
Alternatives:
Myhours – Free for one user
Timecamp – Free for one user
For Project Trackers
Now for a VA I have only just started project planning and creating to-do lists online for myself this year. I have found Trello useful, as you can get it on the phone, tablet, and PC, but after some recommendations, I am going to try some other options to compare.
Alternatives:
Asana – Free for up to 5 team members
Smartsheets – Free trial and then £7 per user per month
Now these are just a few that I have been using, but there are loads out there just have a look at this article I found outlining 41 free marketing apps.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any recommendation on apps that you find useful, and maybe I can write another blog about those too.
Photo by William Hook on Unsplash