Apps that Deliver: 5 Marketing Professionals Share their Favorites

We’re all striving for that work/life balance. The struggle is real for most of us. We admit it. It can be tough to turn off work. We want to be the best we can be and find it hard to relax until we’ve tackled the total to-do list. If professionals can rely on something (or things) to help us simplify a busy lifestyle -- there’s a good chance it will be technology-based.

Whether it’s staying organized while offsite and on the go, or injecting personality into work from the palm of your hand -- being a modern day professional means getting on-board and online with apps for your smart device to remain pleased with your productivity. Everyone deserves time for family, friends and that pilates or crossfit class.

Members of our Communications and Marketing team weigh in on their favorite apps and why they consistently deliver.

Amy Schram, Senior Community Outreach Specialist
Fave: Google Calendar: time and event management

Why: It is literally my whole life. I have anywhere from 10 - 15 places each day that I need to be, often in different cities in different states. I am able to not only save and reference the address of each location but contact names, phone numbers, links to relevant websites and details on each event as well. I could not do my job without it!

Jaime Slatt, Community Outreach Specialist

Fave: Waze: real-time map with re-routing functionality

Why: I actually do not know what I would do without it, especially as someone who is on the road on a daily basis visiting with businesses in BBB’s service area. Not only does it alert me to delays on my route, it updates me with opportunities to avoid the issues that crop up between me and my destination. It is the best traffic app out there, in my opinion.

Paula Fleming, Vice President of Communications and Marketing

Fave: Google Drive: file storage accessible from any of your devices

Why: It allows me to work on the go. I can edit, share and review files with the team. Drive is very user friendly from a handheld device and documents can be worked on simultaneously with a colleague. In addition, edits are made quickly and automatically.

Rachel Gelb, Communications and Marketing Manager

Fave: Giffage: gifs literally at your fingertips

Why: The app allows you to send gifs right in a text message, using your own keyboard to search for them. You can see trending gifs and save your favorites. You can even make your own gifs and save them for later. It makes finding and using gifs effortless. In an increasingly gif-centric world, it’s a marketer’s dream.

Stephanie Benz, Senior Social Media Associate

Fave(s): Twitter and Pic Stitch: an online timeline and one-stop shop for photo editing

Why: If you can’t find me, check Twitter. It’s where I go for real-time news, how I stay up to speed on what other BBB’s are saying or doing and one of the main platforms for communication with BBB Accredited Businesses online. Pic Stitch and Twitter go hand-in-hand for my social media efforts. Since tweets including media are proven to perform better than those without, many of our BBB tweets will contain an image. In addition, our Instagram account is a mainstay for featuring snapshots from our Community Outreach team’s travels. Pic Stitch allows me to edit, embellish and create images for both social media accounts -- all in one app.

Do you have a favorite app? Do you use it for personal or professional reasons -- or maybe it’s one that allows you to balance the two? Let us know. Tweet us at @BostonBBB with the app and your “why” and we’ll retweet you! #FaveApp

For more information you can trust, visit us at bbb.org/boston, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Linkedin.

Written by Stephanie Benz, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.

New Feedback Feature on Square

Last week, Square introduced Square Feedback, a new feature that asks the customer to review their experience with the business. It simply asks "How was your experience?" The feedback is sent directly to the business owner. 

This new service is available for $10 per month and they are also offering a free 30-day trial. We should also mention that business owners can leave comments on the reviews, whether they are good or bad.  

Square credit and debit card readers made a splash into the small business scene in 2010 and have rapidly gained popularity. Square is a neat mobile payment device that small business owners can plug into their smartphones or tablets. The app portion sends the customer a email receipt of their purchase. Square takes a small percentage of the transaction as a fee.

We've talked a lot about customer reviews and how important they are to businesses. They have become part of everyday life for consumers. Through online reviews, it seems that consumers aren't afraid to tell you how they really feel. In our experience, it seems that people really do want to say nice things when their interaction with a business has been positive.

Image courtesy of Square

BBB Warning: Smart Phone Apps May Share Your Information

Smart phone apps can make life easier, putting dozens of useful tools in the palm of your hand. But BBB is warning consumers to make sure the apps they download don’t take more information than they need to do the job.

In a recent settlement by the Federal Trade Commission, the agency found that a flashlight app’s privacy policy had been deceiving users into sharing their geographic location and device information with advertising networks and other third parties. “Brightest Flashlight Free," developed by Goldenshores Technologies, LLC, is one of the most popular apps on Android mobile devices and has been downloaded more than 10 million times.

However, according to the FTC, the company's privacy policy told consumers that any information collected by the app would be used by the company, and listed some categories of information that it might collect, including geographic location. The privacy policy failed, however, to mention that this private information would be released to third parties. The complaint also involved the company collecting information as soon as users opened the app, even before accepting or refusing the terms of the privacy policy.

Goldenshores Technologies has agreed to settle the FTC charges. The settlement goes on to prohibit the company from misrepresenting how users' information is collected and shared and how much control users have over the way the information is shared. It also requires defendants to obtain consumers’ affirmative express consent before collecting, using and sharing information.

It’s not always easy to tell if an app is going to collect your information or how it will use it. BBB is urging

smart phone users to:

• Research companies and apps before downloading, including industry publications and user reviews;

• Read the full privacy policy (and, on Android phones, the “Permissions” screen);

• Opt out of location sharing when prompted;

• Periodically check all privacy settings on your smart phone and keep them set as high as you can without altering the functions of your apps (some apps, like maps and compasses, need geo-location information in order to work properly);

• Update your apps when a new version comes out (your phone should alert you); often app updates fix “bugs” from earlier versions;

• Delete apps you no longer use from your phone.

For information on apps for children, check out BBB’s Children’s Advertising Review Unit.

For more tips you can trust, visit bbb.org.