Getting more done through your day is always a struggle for bar owners. It’s not a matter of sitting down and working harder, it really comes down to efficiency and working smarter. Lucky for us there are quite a few smartphone apps that allow us to do just that, even while on the go (and any time of the day we want, for that matter). It’s pretty obvious that our work habits have changed drastically with the constant growth of technology and apps. These days, there's nothing wrong with squeezing in a few minutes to push out a flyer design or update a social media post in between phone calls or meetings. Everyone should have these staple apps on their smartphones: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, email, etc. But there are a few amazing apps that keep me promoting without being chained to my desk.
These 5 are my favorites:
1. WordSwag (iOS, $3.99) / InstaQuote (Android, Free)
I’ve been raving about this app for a while now. The days of the traditional nightclub flyer may be nearing the end. People on social media really want a better user experience and obvious flyers full of text and information are skipped over more than you think. If you want to engage your target audience, think outside the box when posting images. Remember, a picture really does say a thousand words and adding a tiny bit of stylish text gives a better user experience and thus puts more eyeballs on your marketing.
Grab any image from your phone or use one of the WordSwag or InstaQuote pre-loaded backgrounds, type in your event text and choose from a number of fonts and styles. Save your new ‘flyer’ to your phone or share right away to all of the major social media platforms.
2. Facebook Ads Manager (iOS & Android, Free)
I'm a big fan of advertising on social media platforms. While organic reach is fantastic and offers a no-cost way to promote, there's something to be said about increasing your potential audience and really targeting the perfect customer. I spend way less time attached to my desktop now that I'm using the new Facebook Ads Manager. From my phone I can create, edit and manage ads, track performance, edit budgets, and more. You should be monitoring your advertising metrics at all times of the day to get the best impact and ROI.
With this app you can really increase the efficiency of your ads and make tweaks where and when needed.
3. Facebook Messenger (iOS, Android & Windows Phone, Free)
Almost everyone is on Facebook on a daily basis. Millennials have bought into the messaging lifestyle so much that even text messaging has been replaced by apps like Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Voxer, and other comparable apps. The beautiful thing about Facebook Messenger is twofold: 1. the direct interaction with your page’s fans and 2. keeping the user contained within one world. Removing any obstacles in the sale process is key and there are times that keeping them on one platform works wonders.
Fun Note: In the United States Facebook has rolled out Messenger Payments which allows you to send and accept money within the app. How easy is it to accept a deposit for bottle service? Super quick, super easy, super seamless.
4. Cameo (iOS, Free)
Video is absolutely crucial in today’s social media world. Surely you've noticed more and more video in your own Facebook, Twitter and Instagram news feeds. It's critical to your success that you're playing that game as well. You don’t need to create a television-style commercial to promote your event. In fact, that style of visual doesn't translate well to the digital world. The psychology of the customer while online is vastly different than when watching TV. Plus, it’s really expensive.
So, what works? Take video with your smartphone and use the free Cameo app to edit. Quick, 10- to 30-second videos have been doing exceptionally well in event marketing. Micro moments are what the customer wants to see: short recap videos, behind-the-scenes videos, short interviews with talent, and video flyers for an upcoming event all work extremely well.
5. Dropbox (iOS, Android & Windows Phone, Free)
I use Dropbox on a daily basis. Uploading and downloading designs, documents, team schedules and more is a breeze with this app. The free account offers 2GB of storage which should be plenty of space for most users. Sharing your folders with team members gives you on-the-go access with everyone.
Some of my uses include sending bottle service forms to customers (email the link right from the Dropbox app), downloading image designs to my phone so I can post to social media and uploading talent headshots or venue pics to my promoter folder for my team to use.
BONUS APP
BufferApp (iOS & Android, Free)
This app allows me to connect and manage several different social media accounts. Being able to connect to users via Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and even Pinterest all in the same place is really beneficial. I can schedule posts in advance so that I keep traffic flowing, increase engagement with fans and save a lot of time.