Recently Verizon Wireless asked me to share some of my favorite mobile apps. I sent them a list and 6 of them made the post. But it got me thinking: what mobile apps do other marketing and communications professionals use?
I know mobile phones and apps are an inseperable part of everyone’s life and people are often looking for new apps for both work and especially for fun. So I’ve included a list of my 10 plus 39 more that were suggested by my team mates at TopRank Online Marketing.
1. HootSuite – This is my on the go, social media command central. HootSuite gives me access to multiple Twitter accounts, LinkedIn and even VK (Russian). iTunes – Google Play
2. LinkedIn – If you’re in business, your business needs to be on LinkedIn and I check Pulse every morning to see what my biz network is talking about, read messages and invites to connect. (LinkedIn is one of our clients too). iTunes – Google Play
3. Instagram – This is easily my favorite mobile app for taking and sharing photos with other visual enthusiasts in my network. I love seeing what my friends all over the world are doing through their over-saturated and filtered photos. iTunes – Google Play
4. Jelly – Got questions? Have answers? Then Jelly is for you. People ask ANYTHING on Jelly and you’ll get answers to some tough questions like the identification of artifact I bought at Chelsea Flea Market – it’s a decorated dung-dkar from Tibet. Who knew? Jelly did. iTunes – Google Play
5. Evernote – This is an amazing app that stores notes, images, lists and reminders that sync across devices: laptop, tablet or another phone. I keep my travel itineraries, saved articles for reading offline and ideas and notes for my next book there. In fact, I’m writing this list on Evernote! iTunes – Google Play
6. Flixster – This is my go-to app for finding what movies are playing where. Auto location detection shows the closest theaters and there are always trailers and reviews to help make choices. For the kids of course. It’s always for the kids. iTunes – Google Play
7. Comic Book – If you have photos and time to kill (car wash, waiting for takeoff/landing) then Comic Book will bring you joy. Choose any panel layout and add your photos with Halftone filters to make them look like real comics. There are pre-made graphics and fonts to add some Wow! Pow! Zoom! to your comic too – then you can share directly to your phone or share on Facebook. iTunes – Google Play
8. Paper – This is a new news app from Facebook and I’m addicted. It’s basically your news feed visualized plus other pre-set categories of information from Facebook, with stories curated by their popularity. iTunes – Google Play (unofficial app)
9. Fly Delta – I travel a LOT and the Delta app keeps me on time and serves as my boarding pass too. You can also change seats, check your miles, track your bags and book flights too. iTunes – Google Play
10. Vine – Working in the social media world has dramatically shortened my attention span, to about 6 seconds. You can’t imagine how happy I was to find an app like Vine, full of 6 second videos! If you follow the right people, Vine is an incredible repository of creativity that I draw inspiration from. Plus now I know who Bat Dad is, how clever Samsung Mobile and Taco Bell are and I’ve become addicted to the magical voice of Emma Harriss. iTunes – Google Play
Here are some additional mobile app suggestions from a few members of our team:
Eliza Steely – Associate Account Coordinator
11. Snapchat – I use it for happiness. I constantly send my friends goofy pictures, inside jokes, smiles, or quotes. Responses tend to make me laugh out loud, or question their normalcy though 🙂 iTunes – Google Play
12. Google Maps – I am extremely directionally challenged. The app helps me get home J I also use it for finding things near me when I’m in a city I don’t know. The other day I used it to find a florist to send flowers to one of my dad’s clients, I’ve used it to find client offices, new restaurants, and even faster routes to work! iTunes – Google Play
13. iFunny – Used daily. All the time. It’s just so funny! iTunes – Google Play
14. App I love/hate the most: Shopular. I have a love/hate relationship with this app. It saves me money and points out deals in my favorite stores or even the ones I’m in, which I love. But it also shows me lots and lots of things I can buy—even though I probably shouldn’t (12 soaps from Bath and Body Works anyone?!). iTunes – Google Play
Amie Krone – Operations Manager
15. Starbucks – It keeps my card balance so I can pay with my phone and keeps my rewards handy so I can always cash in for a free drink! Caffeine is a must to keep going with my 2 kids 🙂 iTunes – Google Play
16. Pandora – It keeps the music going – especially during workouts! iTunes – Google Play
17. Food Network – I am always looking for new recipes to make & I’m awful at making lists, so I can be sure to get all the ingredients while at the grocery store. iTunes – Google Play
Nick Ehrenberg – Content Marketing Lead
18. Flipboard – Collects information from my various social/RSS feeds into a handy magazine-style format. It’s my source for keeping up-to-date on news and trends without opening several different apps at once. iTunes – Google Play
19. Google Music – I uploaded my entire music library to the cloud a few years ago, allowing me to fill my devices with other content and stream everything online. No company loyalties here – I’ve got Google on my Android tablet and my iPhone. iTunes – Google Play
20. Alien Blue – An unofficial Reddit client. I’m a Reddit addict, and this app makes it easy to peruse through the endless array of subreddits and AMAs. Perfect time waster! iTunes
Renee Whisnant – Copywriter
21. Grocery IQ – This way both my husband and I can update our grocery list and both can go shopping when time allows. iTunes – Google Play
22. WhatsApp – It allows me to text with my overseas friends and family members for free. iTunes – Google Play
23. Timehop – It searches my social media past and reminds me of what I posted “this day in history”—just for nostalgic fun. iTunes – Google Play
Brooke Furry – SEO Copywriter
24. The Nike Running app – not only does it log your distance while you run and show your calorie burn, but it keeps track of personal best times… and even provides motivation from stars like Ellie Goulding once you’re finished (not why I use it, but it’s kind of fun 🙂 ). iTunes – Google Play
25. Google Maps – I’m ashamed, but I can’t get anywhere without it. iTunes – Google Play
26. SleepMachine – all the white noise you could want, so whether you’re at home or on vacation, you can tune out distractions and sleep soundly. iTunes
Ryan Rutz – Associate Account Manager
27. Shazam – I use Shazam when I hear new music through friends or on the radio, specifically “The Current” in Mpls. I am so busy with so many other things that it is sometimes hard to stay informed on new artists and album releases etc. When I hear something good I ask about the artist and if it’s unknown or I missed the callout…I Shazam! I can then reference the tunes and purchase on iTunes when I have the time. iTunes – Google Play
28. Soundcloud – I use Soundcloud because I started recording music with Logic Pro over the last few years since buying a guitar up in Seattle and letting the hobby spin into many instruments. A lot of my tunes are rough and short but Soundcloud gives me a hosted solution to see where I started and how much I’ve progressed. It acts more like a “progress log” versus a social network for music. iTunes – Google Play
29. LinkedIn – I love building my network and learning more about innovation, product development, tech, business, creative, and more. LinkdeIn is the go-to for all of these needs! I stay in tune with where my friends are working, new skills acquired, and I throw endorsements and recommendations out there when needed or necessary to help those looking to ramp up their resume. iTunes – Google Play
30. App I Hate (sort of) the Most – Snapchat – I have a love/hate relationship with Snapchat because the best images and video are sent via this app, but you only get a sneak peek. When you try and screenshot the image the user finds out. I guess that’s ok though. They just have to wrestle the phone out of my hands, guess my password, and remove the image from my photo album J The app is genius. I understand why Zuckerberg and team presented the acquisition offer. I have a few friends who are anti-social media for some reason (aka “against the grainers”) but they all have and love Snapchat! iTunes – Google Play
Carrie Daklin – Copywriter
31. Hotwire – I am a vagabond and always in search of a new destination or adventure. I am also thrifty. So why would I spend $400 for a four-star hotel room in D.C., when I can get the same room for $100 simply by booking on the day of arrival? Sure, it requires some flexibility since in order to get those low prices you have to “blind book” — meaning you won’t know the name of hotel until after you’ve paid for it, but that is the adventure part! And I have stayed at some really lovely hotels I would not otherwise have been able to afford. iTunes – Google Play
32. Pandora – Over the years I have created my very own station with all my favorites from the 60’s and 70’s. Everything from “Sh-boom” by the Crew Cuts to “Downtown” By Petula Clark to “Build me up, Buttercup” by the Foundations. I listen to it while I write. It gets me in my “zone” and with the added focus, I produce much better copy. iTunes – Google Play
33. Facebook – I know, I know. But here it is: I have friends all over the country and all over (some) of the world, and I can’t simply pick and visit whenever I would like. Facebook is my ongoing (and private) conversation among my peeps and because of it I have been able to re-kindle many old friendships that have delightfully enriched my life. iTunes – Google Play
Jesse Pickrain – Content Marketing Lead
34. Pulse – Love the content coming from the LinkedIn influencer program and Pulse lets me eat it up whenever I have a few minutes available. iTunes – Google Play
35. CBS Sports Fantasy – This will be my favorite and most hated app over the next few months as I experience the highs and lows that come with being a passionate, yet mediocre fantasy baseball team owner. iTunes – Google Play
36. Evernote – I’ve been doing most everything with this app, but the best part has been no more repeat trips to the grocery store. iTunes – Google Play
Evan Prokop – Digital Marketing Manager
37. Google Earth – just freaking cool. iTunes – Google Play
38. Uber – I’ll never take a regular cab again. Great social service too, one time a friend left his phone in the car, we tweeted them and the driver was back with it in 10 minutes. iTunes – Google Play
39. iTunes Radio – recently usurped pandora as my go-to music service. iTunes
40. Find My iPhone – simple but incredibly useful for tracking down misplaced devices. iTunes – Google Play
Jolina Pettice – Executive Director
41. Walgreens – you can scan the barcode on your prescriptions to ping your pharmacy to refill it and within what timeframe. iTunes – Google Play
Hugely helpful and much easier than calling the pharmacy. iTunes – Google Play
42. Pinterest – Quick place for creative inspiration, recipes, kids activities etc. iTunes – Google Play
Susan Misukanis – Co-Founder & President
43. Evernote – Organization on the go. And indeed it logs, sorts and backs up my every note! iTunes – Google Play
44. CorePower Yoga – With this app I’m down for yoga anytime, anywhere. iTunes – Google Play
45. Flixster – All things movie theatre. No Rotten Tomatoes please! iTunes – Google Play
46. Pandora – If you can handle the commercials in this music app, there’s no need to put another dime in the jukebox baby! iTunes – Google Play
Mike Odden – Research Analyst
47. IMG to text– It is very helpful to get a screen shot of a document & have it emailed to me as editable text. iTunes
48. Tune in Radio – I like the 18.1 fm comedy channel – good humor. iTunes – Google Play
49. Art Studio – For drawing on the go. iTunes
What mobile apps would you add: For work? For play?
I’ll leave you with an all new Marketing Cartoon from Tom Fishburne about this very topic:
Top image: Shutterstock
