Essential Apps I Love

As a blogger and a small business owner, there are a number of essential apps I love for mobile, tablet and pc that I just couldn’t be without. These are the apps that make my business run smoothly and I use most of them weekly, if not daily. I love these apps because the majority of them are free and those that aren’t, are low cost.

Zoom

Zoom is a video conferencing app. It really made a name for itself in 2020 and became a massive success and one of the most essential apps for many. I use to record some of my video content when I need to share my screen (such as in my Social Media Planner & Tracker Demo), for co-working sessions with friends, for meetings with clients, to conduct my one to one Power Hour so that I can record and send the recording to my client, for networking meetings, and as it also allows you to stream directly to social media, I use it for guest experts in my Facebook group.

Dubsado

Now, this is absolute magic! Strictly speaking, it’s not one of my essential apps, it’s essential software! I use this CRM (client relationship manager) in my business to allow me to send quotes, contracts, invoices, and other documents to my clients as well as to allow me to receive enquiries. I can use it to track the time I spend on projects for clients so that I can invoice them accordingly, I have some automation set up that take the back and forth messaging out of my hands so clients can book a one to one Power Hour at a time that suits them (the times displayed are set by me), it then sets up the Zoom link and sends it to us both, adds the meeting to my diary so I know when it is, blocks out time before the meeting so I can prepare, sends an invoice to the client and sends them a reminder before the meeting and when its over, it sends them a feedback form. This alone saves me so much time and better still they do an unlimited free trial (up to 3 clients) so you can really test it all out. If you sign up with my link then you’ll get a 20% discount off your first month or year (depending on which subscription you choose) and I’ll get a credit towards my own subscription.

Canva

I love Canva, it is a fantastic graphic design tool that I use to create social media graphics, presentations, posters, documents and other visual content. I use it for images on my blog articles, to edit some of my video content, to create pdf downloads and so much more. The possibilities are endless and better still, it’s free for the standard subscription. If you sign up with my link and created a design then we will both get a premium photo, icon or illustration.

SmarterQueue

SmarterQueue is a social media scheduling tool. I’ve tried lots of others but this is by far my favourite as once you have loaded it with your posts it will cycle through them until you tell it to stop. It boosts engagement by 10x and saves you hours each week. Get a free extended trial with my link and I’ll get credit towards my subscription.

Trello

A virtual noticeboard where you can keep track of all of your to-do lists. You can also share boards with team members. Nicky Armstrong, Your Business VA, has a fantastic Trello template available as a free download.

Mailerlite

Email marketing software. This is free to use up to 1000 people on your mailing list. You can also link it to other apps and set up automated email sequences such as the delivery of downloadable content or a welcome sequence when people sign up for your mailing list.

Boomerang

A great way to make quick eye-catching videos to share on social media. Fantastic to allow sneak peeks into your world on your stories.

Clips

This video editing software is for iPhone only. It allows you to add text, graphics and effects to your videos and is fantastic for auto-generating captions for your video content.

Repost

This clever little app allows you to share other peoples Instagram posts to your own grid whilst crediting them.

Leetags

A handy hashtag generator. Just enter a word or phrase and it will come up with hashtag suggestions for you. Make sure you check them all though as some may not be relevant to your post.

Drivers Note

If you are travelling anywhere for your business then tracking your mileage is essential. Drivers Note will track your mileage for you so that you can add it to your expenses.

Stripe

This allows you to receive card payments from your clients, I have mine linked to Dubsdao so that when clients are sent an invoice, they can click the button and pay by card. I also have this linked to my ticket selling app so that again, people can pay by card for tickets to any events I am hosting.

PayPal

I use this as an alternative to Stripe but I usually use this to pay for things rather than receive money.

Grammarly

The grammar police are in your pocket with this handy app. Use this to make sure there are no errors on your social media posts or comments, emails, text messages or documents. It can be used on tablets, smartphones and computers.

Dropbox

Easy file sharing with your clients or team. Also, a great way to make sure you can access your documents and images across all your devices.

Google My Business

Allows your business to be found more easily online and allows you to receive Google reviews.

Google Analytics

Track the traffic that your website is receiving, this is particularly useful for bloggers because it shows you which are your most popular articles and where your traffic is coming from.

Simple Mind

This is a fabulous app that is great for brainstorming on the go. This is an iPhone only app.

What essential apps or software do you use to keep your business and blog running smoothly?

^{*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This page may contain affiliate links that mean I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full privacy policy here.}