If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner, chances are you’ve picked up on the major gleaming difference between entrepreneurship and working at a traditional company: An entrepreneur’s job description and typical workday is rarely defined—there are many hats to be worn, and many hours in which to wear them all. During any given workday as the Chief Connectologist at JJI, I may be a social media moderator, copywriter, art director, event host, public speaker—you get the idea. How do I juggle so many tasks and engagements without going nuts? It all starts with my smartphone!
It may be a bit untraditional for a businessperson to share the secrets of their success, but then, there isn’t much traditional about me in general. With summer officially kicking off this weekend, I’m pretty sure we need any free hours we can spare to stock up on Vitamin D and finally enjoy the beautiful weather. So go ahead, browse our list and grab these apps ASAP, and become an even savvier multi-tasking maven—with time for a mid-week happy hour marg’, to boot!
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MELDIUM
Summertime means school’s out—which means welcoming back your favorite swarm of go-getting interns. With this clever app, Meldium gives multiple users access to your social media, website, CMS and newsletter accounts with a single click, all while protecting your trusty passwords.
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SLACK
While we’re on the topic of growing teams, let’s talk interoffice chatting. Slack is a messaging service that allows you to take colleague comms up a notch with seamless file-sharing capabilities from the desktop to the smart phone to wherever you may be. It integrates nicely with Google Drive and Dropbox, two apps we use regularly. Even better? It’s free, searchable and accommodates unlimited users. Easier communication and file-sharing means work gets done faster and more simply. Now that’s what we call a great summer share.
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MENTION
At Janine Just Inc., we need to keep a track of client mentions throughout all channels of the social sphere, in addition to print and media sources. While I have experiences with the larger PR software companies, they always left something to be desired in the social media department. With Mention, you’re able to get real-time updates on the social impressions of the brands you’re working with. This program cranks up convenience, and frees our interns from sifting through seemingly infinite outlets manually to find out what people are saying. Summer Fridays, anyone?
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CAMSCANNER
The digital age is upon us. People wear glasses that have voice automated computer geniuses inside them—so, can we rid ourselves of loose-leaf paperwork yet? CamScanner turns your tablet or smartphone into a simple digitizer—all you have to do is swipe your device’s camera over your paper documents and zap them into your desired media folder. Make edits, send copies, and merge documents easily with this app, all while keeping your workspace free of messy paperwork—so you can hit the recycling bin hard and pay the environment back for all that A/C usage.
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MAKESPACE NYC
Traditional offices? Yawn. Why not be part of a fast-growing community of entrepreneurs who share deskspace with fellow industry innovators in a coworking space. While we love our square-footage at AlleyNYC, space is limited. With the MakeSpace service, we have easy access to microstorage bins located in Chinatown, NYC. All we have to do is schedule a pickup and wait for your bin delivery, pack up your bin with all the stuff that’s getting in your way, wait for a pickup to carry it all away, then browse your binventory on the handy app when you realize you can’t find that mini desk fan you really need right about now.
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HASHTRACKING
Hashtag campaigns: instant gratification and oh so easy! They’re even easier lately, thanks to the Hashtracking program, which helps you directly track the outreach, response rates, and patterns behind your hashtag, giving you front-row access in real-time. Use your oodles of amazing data to inspire ooh’s and ahh’s with clients come recapping time, when decks and analytics reports get amped up with timeline deliveries and overall reach with a simple click on the export button. Nice.
Feel inspired? Good, then I’ve done my job! Now grab your phone off its dock, outfit it in a snazzy new summer case, and get it to work for you ASAP. With all these longer days ahead, you have that much more time to nail your presentations, dazzle your clients, nurture your interns and change the game while never missing a weekend at your shorehouse. It all starts with a tap.
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With her technological savvy, industry knowhow and envelope-pushing public relations techniques, Janine Just embodies the boundless energy and style that New York City is all about. JJ, who has lived in NYC for 14 years and boasts seven years of professional experience in PR, is the Chief Connectologist of her eponymous PR/Social Savvy startup firm, Janine Just, Inc., bringing online, offline to further the conversation.
