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Posts tagged 10 small business apps
We Check in on the Mobile App vs Mobile Website Debate
Oct 22nd
Unless you’ve been living under a rock that blocks Wi-Fi, you’ve probably heard that the world has reached the tipping point where mobile activity is surging ahead of desktop and PC activity. And as businesses strive to move along with the trends and stay close to their target markets, many are wondering how best to approach “the mobile issue.”
Mobile strategies boil down to two main channels for connecting with your community: 1) mobile websites that are accessed via device browsers and that are written in HTML5, and 2) native apps that are downloaded to devices and written in the programming language that is specific to that device (e.g. Apple devices run the iOS operating system, while others run Android, or the Windows Phone system, for example).
Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and many outlets have analyzed them at length, arriving at various conclusions. But because there is no one-size-fits-all for every business, the debate has not resolved in favor of one strategy or another. Instead, many industry participants now recommend that businesses publish both a mobile website and an app, maximizing opportunities and leaving no user or function behind.
That said, the decision still remains one that each business must address for itself. To help guide those that are new to the mobile arena, here are the pros and cons of each channel:
Mobile App
• Users spend about 80 percent of their mobile time each day on apps, but much of this time is spent on games (about 30% of the daily total) and social platforms (about 20% of the daily total).
• Apps function more smoothly and more quickly than mobile websites.
• Apps are more robust, with access to more device features (e.g. GPS, accelerometer).
• Apps need to be written for a variety of platforms in order to be used on various devices.
Mobile Website
• Users spend only 20 percent of their mobile time in a browser.
• A mobile website can be built once and then be usable across all devices (and is therefore findable by all users worldwide).
• A mobile website is more limited in function, and typically won’t work as smoothly as an app.
Of course, with Bizness Apps, you don’t have to choose between the two. You get both a mobile app and a mobile website included in one low monthly fee!
If you’re ready to “go mobile,” click here to learn more about the web’s easiest way to build and deploy simple, beautiful mobile apps and websites.
10 Awesome Apps for Small Businesses
Sep 25th
With the help of great apps, a small business can turn into a big business in short order!
(Okay, that’s not the whole truth. You also need customers, a profitable business model, a great team, and a few dozen other stars in alignment for all of that to happen. But still, the apps are helpful. Below are ten that are awesome.)
We’re told that once upon a time, people used to meet in person to transact business and to collaborate. We think that’s probably just a myth, but just in case there are people actually still meeting in meatspace, we wanted to highlight WebEx. WebEx is an app that lets you hold slick videoconferences in HD.
It’s better than real life!
If you try to send a big file through email, you’re going to get a bounceback notice. (Email systems have their limits, after all.) With Dropbox, however, you can upload big files and share them easily and securely with anyone. You can also setup automatic folder uploads so that your own files are always backed up. That way, your next virus or crash won’t destroy your business, just your computer.
Since we’re being digital elitists in this post, we’ll go ahead and say it: business cards? Actual business cards? Ew.
If you’re someone who feels the same way, but who can’t avoid taking business cards here and there, CardMunch is for you. It convers the cards directly into LinkedIn contacts through your smartphone.
Then you can toss that little card in the trash, where it belongs.
Do you constantly forget things that you need to get done? Do you wish you could take notes conveniently? Evernote is the answer.
Not only can you jot down notes and schedule reminders, but you can also share things easily, create markups, search, and do lots more. Evernote is just too darn helpful to ignore.
If you travel a lot, and administration of travel details is getting out of hand, TripIt can make things a lot easier. Just forward your confirmation emails to TripIt, and an itinerary for your trip will be created automatically. It’s much easier than cutting and pasting things into calendar apps and losing details like customer service numbers or trip IDs.
If your business is based on hourly billing, or you’d like a cleaner solution than timesheets for your employees, Toggl gets it done. With Toggl, you can easily push start and stop on different tasks, type in descriptions, and get an automatic record of what you did, how long it took, and how the day was otherwise spent.
The gold standard for taking payments with your mobile device. You download the app, plug in the Square, and your customers can swipe their plastic all day long. The cost is a straightforward 2.75% fee, a small price to pay for instantaneous payments from anywhere.
Conferences and industry events are all about networking. With Bizzabo, you can see who is at your event and propose a meetup, making the whole process a lot more valuable and efficient. Why wonder if there are relevant contacts at an event when Bizzabo can let you directly browse the people that are there from your mobile device?
The world’s most popular business applications, on your mobile device. ‘Nuff said.
But wait, that’s only 9 apps. What’s the 10th?
Bizness Apps, of course!
If your business hasn’t published a simple, cost-effective mobile app and website yet, you’re missing out on an essential opportunity. Going mobile is simply no longer an option. The world (i.e. your customers) has gone mobile and we all need to follow suit.
Go mobile before the competition does, and their market share will soon be your market share!
