Apps: A Lifestyle Choice

 

I don’t know why, but the warmer months make me think of shopping. Maybe it’s because I'm about to move to a new apartment, so I am spending money up the wazoo, but I don’t think I’m alone. This is why I’m going to tell you about my favorite lifestyle apps.

 

To make this simple, I’m going to break them up into two categories, coupon apps and shopping.

 

Coupon Apps

 

LivingSocial: One of the more famous apps for deals, this free app is a must have when looking for a cheap vacation and discounted entry to events. Search is by location. You can look through “today’s deals”, “escapes”, or “fun & events”. Worried about keeping track of your deals? Not to worry, they have a “my vouchers” section.

 

Groupon: Similar to Living Social, but they have more to offer. It’s not just about experiences, but products too! Browse through umpteen deals using “nearby,” what’s “featured”,  “goods,” “just for you,” “summer deals,” and “getaways.” It doesn’t end there. You can earn rewards by spending certain amounts of money at different locations. Also, you can earn $10 for every invite that purchases something. Just remember to read the fine print on each deal and realize that you don’t get your Groupon instantly.

 

RetailMeNot: Not a new app on the couponing block, but still great. You can now take the coupons with you on the go! Listen out for the cheerful “ka-ching” sound letting you know when they have coupons for you to look through. Both for online and in store purchases, this app is guaranteed to help if you’re shopping at the right places. Each coupon is rated by success, so you know when to not waste your time.

 

SnipSnap: New to my iPhone, this app is almost like a social network for coupons. Share what you have and search for those you don’t! Follow people that post the best coupons for your needs and organize the coupons you electronically save. It’s easy to use and fun too!

 

Shopping

 

Etsy: If you’re a lover of anything and everything handmade or someone who has something worth selling, this is the app for you. Look through what seems like an endless amount of products and items that were made with TLC. There are some incredible artists on this app and impressive craftsmanship.  It’s really hard to ignore, especially with the app being so visual.

FAB: This little gem is very addictive. You have officially been warned. Anything that you would want to buy that has a unique look or purpose can be found here. Under appreciated artists join together to make this app special. Swipe through furniture, jewelry, nick knacks, and more. Fab really is fabulous and organized to boot. You won’t be disappointed. Prices do vary.

 

eBay Now: It’s not surprising that this app took off so quickly with it’s mother eBay backing it up. This is the app to use if you need something last minute. Search through the items and products based on your needs and have it delivered to you by the end of the day. The delivery fee can be annoying, but if you’re caught in the rain without an umbrella, well, you get the picture.

 

Overstock: A veteran to the online and television shopping world, this app has everything that the site does on the go. Load time is almost as quick as your bank account emptying. Super easy to navigate and place an order.

 

Tophatter: This newbie may turn out to be my best friend or my worst enemy. Have a go at the animated 24/7 auction house in your pocket.  Bid on endless items, while chatting with others bidding on your item and the auctioneer. Interested in selling? Here’s the app for you. Communicate with those bidding on your item to help get it off your hands! This one’s a good way to try to get quality items for cheap or watch for the entertainment value.    

Recycling My Pinterest Post

It wasn't so long ago when I wrote this post for my mother's professional tech blog.  It's not surprising that it's still relevant to any profession that has a visible or tangible product or service.

Pinterest is a site made up of pins - photographs and videos of anything that you can imagine - positioned on pin boards (virtual bulletin boards.) These visuals includes clothes, animals, architecture, DIY projects, tech gadgets, and much more. Anyone can open an account in a matter of minutes for FREE and create one, or dozens of boards to showcase products, opinions, ideas, etc. Remember that no one buys anything they can’t see.

The social media aspect is that there are millions of pinners all over the world, so just like Facebook, or a blog, you can follow, “like”, and comment on people, brands, single pins, or entire pin boards. Pinterest is a massive network of people who simply like all sorts of stuff, and you have the opportunity to make them like you, your products, and your ideas.

If I were you, I would get going before your pins get lost in the mix.

Still not sold? There is a tab at the top of the Pinterest home page titled “gifts,” which allows users to name a price range for items they might want to buy. In the blink of an eye, a page with a huge number of purchasable products of all kinds appear on your computer screen. Just click on a pin and you are linked to the site where that product is sold.

There are other great things about Pinterest. You can spend time checking out your competition, communicating with fans, or posting a short video, hoping it goes viral. Did I mention that there is a smartphone app?

Pinterest is a marketer’s best friend. And in case you’re saying to your computer screen, “I’m not a marketer,” you’re in denial - because every professional needs to become a brand in this day and age in order to be successful.

Happy Pinning!

LinkedIn: Your Link To Success

It’s time to focus on the most important online networking tool, LinkedIn. After celebrating their 10^th birthday, LinkedIn is still a hot topic.

What’s LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a purely professional website and app that allows you to “link in” or connect virtually. The site, built on the idea of “six degrees of separation,” actually breaks down the degrees and opens your network up to millions of people. Set up a free basic account and instantly upload your online resume!

Why Is LinkedIn Important?

Where do I even begin? To start, LinkedIn is personal and accurate because you can only link with those you have met in person. In order to connect with them you need to have worked at the same location, gone to the same school, or have their email. It’s a great way to make sure you’re not wasting your time on spammers. Secondly, everyone in business today, especially small business, knows that referrals are only becoming increasingly important. You can refer one of your links to another! Finally, LinkedIn is a place for those who need to hire or be hired. They have a fantastic job section where you can filter through thousands of positions all over the world in many fields, or look through millions of online resumes.

Who Uses It?

LinkedIn is the site that EVERYONE uses. According to mediabistro.com, 175 million people all over the globe are Linked. To be more specific, of the 25 million daily active users, 55% are women and 45% are men. Of those people, 61% use it as their primary professional networking site. Are the light bulbs turning on yet? And these are educated users. Half of them have a B.A. or graduate degree.

How To Use It?

Thankfully, LinkedIn is designed to be user friendly. When you initially sign up, you will be given some guidelines to help you set up your profile. Add on all important jobs, charity work, education, interests, how to contact you, your skills, and more! Get recommendations from bosses and clients or even get endorsed for the skills you list. This is the place to show off! The site is divided into sections via tabs such as companies, jobs, profiles, a search, and more. Yes, I said companies! Create a company page that explains what your business is all about and what you have to offer!

It’s time to break down boundaries, people! Expand your network and learn HOW to network.

Managers Helping Manager

 

With so much content and so little time to post it, it’s comforting to know that there are a lot of websites, apps, and people who are willing to help. These tools take very little knowledge and time to utilize. Here is a list of content managers, some old and new, that can help your business sore.

 

1.     Hootsuite: A platform that allows you to post and schedule posts of texts, images, links, and more to multiple social media networks simultaneously. It even allows those who have more than one person working on social media to access the same account with ease. The basic membership is free and totally worth using. It’s time to stop worrying about having the time to tweet every single moment. The downfall is that it doesn’t connect with the more visual networks such as Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. However, there is a Hootsuite app, so everything can be done on the go.

2.     Refollow: This $20 a month Twitter tool will be your new best friend if you like it after a small test run. Manage your followers in bulk, block the inappropriate ones, and find out things like when they last tweeted or how many people they are following. This is the fastest and easiest way to unfollow and follow the wrong and right people.

3.     Barley: is one of the new guys on the block, but built on a veteran concept. Not everyone has the time, brainpower, or energy to learn code. This makes small companies who have even smaller budgets have a panic attack when they know it’s time to create a website. Once they let you in, the lucky 1,000 a day, will get to create, manage, and edit their websites flawlessly with zero code knowledge needed. Completely customizable on your laptop and on the go, Barley strives to get in touch with the middle man who wants to help small businesses set up for a small $18 a month.

4.     Get Satisfaction: May be new to you, but not to Pampers and Walmart. This company understands that small businesses are based on referrals, and loyalty comes from communities that are involved in the conversation. Check out their trial to set up one of their community managers on your website, Facebook, and more. Find out where the problems are, what people love about your products and services, and how you can answer client questions.

5.     Feedly: A user friendly app that will help you manage the content you want to share by feeding you information on different topics and from different blogs, sites, and RSS feeds that interests your clients. Organize your Feedly into categories that will help you access relevant content quickly and blast it out into the social media universe. Share on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Email, copy the link, and more.

 

It shouldn’t be difficult to manage your content. Become your own manager.  

 

*Feeling confused? Call me for a free 15 minute consultation!

Me, the Butterfly

I know that I am always preaching for you to get personal and tell your story to help your clients connect, so to be fair, I’m going to share mine.

I was always the decisive and determined type. When you are interviewed for a position at a company, they are likely to ask you what your five-year plan is. If I had been interviewed at the young age of 10, I would have told you that I was going to be a famous chef. I spent my high school years attending culinary boot camps, studying and cooking in various kitchens, and even doing a short stint at TheCulinary Institute of America.

One day, day I woke up and didn’t want to be a chef anymore. I felt disappointed, confused, and overwhelmed as many do who have to change their career path. It was time to keep food as my passion and move on. My parents refused to let me transfer out until I had a plan. Planning was in my nature, and it wasn’t long before I saw myself as a journalism student at SUNYPurchase. “I’m going to be a food critic,” I said confidently.

By the time I was finishing up my freshman year, I had started the food beat for their online news source, ThePurchaseBrick.com, created my own cooking show on Brick TV, and started a thrilling social media marketing internship. As if I wasn’t busy enough, I joined endless clubs, ended up helping with events as a member of the executive board of the oldest and largest club on campus, and co-founded another. Somehow, I still had enough time to throw some of the biggest and wildest themed parties on campus. Maybe you see where I’m going with this.

My last semester of college came and while others were freaking out about what they were going to do for the rest of their lives, failing on purpose to stay, or getting trashed; I was focusing on my next move. I completed my senior thesis on the link between food and social media in New York City, “The New York Food Chain,” and was on the prowl for a position that would be meaningful.

Yes, I was having a small existential crisis, but that only motivated me to dig deep inside and evaluate my talents and think about my desires. After a great deal of thought, I decided that I wanted to work in social media marketing and event planning. The two go hand-in-hand, really. Naturally, with this economy, it wasn’t easy to slip into the impressive full-time job of my dreams. However, I moved into working as an assistant to several executive vice presidents at a prestigious residential real estate firm, Halstead Property, LLC.

It only took eight months for the word to get out that I had social media experience. I found an incredible agent to be my first client, who then went on to refer me to many others. And this is when I transformed. With the support of my friends and family, I harnessed my entrepreneurial spirit, and started Social Butterfly Consulting. 

I became a butterfly and like real butterflies, I made an impressive journey, which got me where I am today. Now, as I spend my time trying to fly up my business ladder, I only wish to help you fly up yours.