In a digital world where business is open 24/7, appearing calm and collected from the outside isn’t always simple.  These marketing apps can reduce time and stress almost instantly, to keep your brand sharp around the clock.

The added upside is that almost all of them are free!

1. Buffer for social media scheduling. If you juggle multiple social media accounts, jumping into each individual one to post can take all day. Buffer lets you schedule posts in every account like Facebook and Twitter. This means you can set and forget, and analyse their performance in a single clear snapshot. Social media marketing or management is a sizeable area you can automate each month to save hours. And thanks to apps like Buffer, you will never miss what your social interactions look like. Just like Google Analytics lets you track and report website traffic, it’s vital to have a way to effectively track social media.

2. Slack for communication. The last thing you want is extra emails! Slack lets you direct message your team, send and receive files and arrange and set away conversations. The beauty of Slack is it keeps work separate from your social messaging apps, making it easier to shut off at the end of the day (especially if you switch notifications off). Slack is excellent at keeping everyone in the loop so your team can collaborate without missing a thing.

3. Skype for video chat. Skype is one of several tools our content marketing agency uses to communicate with clients who aren’t local, or are temporarily overseas. 

4. Lightroom CC for a cohesive Instagram feed. First impressions count, especially when it comes to Instagram. People decide in just a few seconds whether or not they like your feed enough to push Follow. Lightroom CC is a nifty app from Creative Cloud designed to edit each photo before you post. Apart from basic features like cropping, scaling and fine-tune adjustments, it contains presets (custom layers) to give each picture the same treatment and attain a consistent look. While Creative Cloud comes at a cost, the Lightroom app is free up to a certain level of features.

5. 1Password for security. Jumping in and out of a million accounts makes recalling passwords a complete nightmare, especially when you have a deadline or require a report stat! In a stressful situation, a misplaced password is enough to start a meltdown. 1Password collates and stores everything in a virtual vault that’s accessible in seconds, and uncrackable to anyone except you.

6. Zkipster – for events. If you’re sick of handling RSVPs for events manually, a nifty app called Zkipster can completely change the way you work. Zkipster lets you create and send beautiful invites, then instantly tracks RSVPs in a snapshot. You check guests in and handle seating straight from your mobile device, without searching a paper list. Zkipster allows you to see exact attendance at any moment. It even alerts you when the guest of honour is in the building – allowing you to add finer details like a personal welcome at the door. It means less time stuck in spreadsheets, a shorter line at the door and it syncs to any device to make collaborating with team members easy. It’s a simple app and has a user-friendly web version to enhance your marketing automation.

7. Calendly for bookings is a clever app which stops you scouring email chains to find the booking you made last week. At the rate we communicate in business, things get buried in emails so quickly, and Calendly conveniently separates bookings from your inbox.

If you work in digital marketing or market your own brand, the everyday tasks can quickly stack up. These apps don’t just take the manual work out of these tasks to stay on top; they can instantly level up your brand. 

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