How Mobile is Your Lifestyle Business?
Mobility, from workshifting to working as an LIP to the ways consumers, businesses and kids interact on mobile devices is surely changing the ways things are done. I’ve done my fair share of blogging from the Wordpress iPhone app (not the most convenient way, but when ideas are ready) and can attest to working while at the beach through email and texts to getting freelancers their contracts via mobile phones (again, not the most effective thing, but it worked!). The way we work is always adjusting and the mobility of your brand is becoming as important as the brand itself.
How can you manage your brand from a mobile phone? Can you access invoices, your bank accounts, your manufacturers and distributors, your team or other important factors?
Some of the tools that keep me, my business and my lifestyle afloat on the go:
Managing Finances
Be sure you get paid, even while you are on the go. We have been using Freshbooks since the Endagon days and can say first hand how awesome they are. With this mobile app you can manage clients, send invoices, run timers, and much more, all while on the go. Plus, MiniBooks synchronizes with your FreshBooks account, ensuring that you’ll have access to your data even when you’re off the grid.
Mint iPhone App and SMS Alerts
I was only recently turned onto Mint.com and the incredible value they provide on budgeting, account information and ways to get more bang for your buck. Being on the road a ton, it makes sense to get these types of alerts on the go. Fortunately for me, there is an iPhone application that allows me to check my accounts at all times and monitor my spending (should I get that extra snowboard session today?), credit card balances and investments (not the gambling in Vegas kind)
For those without the comfort of an iPhone there are some pretty handy SMS alerts that can be turned on from within your account. You can get a nice little text everytime your balance gets low (good for nights at the bar, when you second guess buying another round), credit card bills, your budget and so much more!
Producing Content on the Fly
Working with musicians and people in the entertainment business, things are always hurried, last minute or flat out on the fly. This means needing to have the tools and flexibility to do interviews and business in any environment with little to no setup time. Here is how I get it done:
Flip Video Camera - By no means is this still considered innovative, but it is mega-convenient. What I like about the Flip is that it seems non-obtrusive and allows me to interact with the person on a personal level, rather than hawking a huge camera and talking man to machine. Having the USB port to dump video onto my hard drive is another great feature. I am not one for doing too many edits (takes too much time, right) so grabbing short, 1-take shots are key to my mobility.
iTalk iPhone App - Many cell phones now have the ability to record audio and the iPhone now has a native app (Voice Memos). I have been a big fan of usig iTalk, a free app that allows for one button recording and through iTalk Sync I can easily get my recordings on my Mac for editing and made into downloads, Podcasts or get them for sale almost instantly after creating the recording.
Rock Star Tip: Those of you that use the Flip Camera have at some point recorded something you thought was amazing and when you went back to check it out the sound was anything less than stellar. On recent important interviews and events we have used both the Flip and iTalk to record. Then we dump both the Flip footage and audio along with the iTalk audio into Final Cut. Looking at the waves you can easily match up the audios, delete the Flip audio and use the iTalk for better overall audio quality. You just have to be sure you are handy enough to work both at the same time or have a partner that can hold it down.
TweetDeck - By far the most used button on my iPhone, TweetDeck has really changed how I use Twitter. For those that are unfamiliar you are able to see your live Twitter stream, @ replies and Direct Messages in easy to navigate tabs. The icing though is the ability to tap into Twitter Search. By entering queries, it will autoupdate on whatever you need to keep tabs on. Currently I am getting updates on Gen-Y, doterati, rockforhunger, rock for hunger, label 2.0 and genyrockstars and I am constantly adding searches based on client meetings, events and anything else that I happen to want to track in real time.
GlideMobile - Need to edit docs on the go? Using your mobile phone is not always the best place to work on important word documents, but sometimes a quick edit, guest posts that need modifying and contracts come through when you are on the move. For this I have been looking for a reliable app to edit and create docs from my iPhone. Currently I am using the free 2GB version that is helping me edit quick docs. This app can be used to sync with OSX, Windows and Linux systems and allows for exporting to Doc, PDF and RTF. What is really cool is the support for other mobile devices with support on more than 50 smart including RIM Blackberry, Palm Treo, Samsung and Nokia devices.
Business Performance
Google Analytics - For all of my sites and most of client work, we use Google Analytics and sometimes you need to get stats on the fly when getting calls, when sites go down and after major launches. There are a few mobile applications for the iPhone that can show you your GA account from basic traffic info to detailed reports (free and paid versions). Analytics Agent Pro is the one I have hooked up to my accounts and when on the run, in the car or on the beach I can get data very efficiently to speak to numbers.
Affiliate Stats - Lately I have been dipping more and more into affiliate marketing and sometimes you want info on the go. Clickbooth is one company that has helped me get into my account on my phone and access the latest offers, payouts, updates, and statistics quickly via an interface specifically optimized for mobile viewing, which means its not a native application (m.clickbooth.com). There are some native iPhone apps to track other popular affiliate networks like Clickbank (Flickbank and CB Stats). If you are a serious affiliate, then the Affiliate Stats app may be right for you as it tracks Ads4Dough, Affiliate.com, Convert2Media, Copeac, CPAStorm, DirectLeads, GlobalDirectMedia, MarketLeverage, Maxbounty, NeverblueAds and Offerfusion. It does cost about $10.
Conclusion
There are countless other apps, devices (I didn’t even really get started on digital cameras, bags, Kindles and all kinds of other fun stuff) and tips for working on the go and these are just a few that I use in my everyday travels.
Now I want to really open it up and learn from you guys. What do you use on the road to make business happen? What are your favorite apps for productivity? Share in the comments so we can all get that much better at working from the beach to the car to the airport to grandma’s house at the dinner table.
-Greg Rollett
A big one for me is Norada.com. It lets me manage all my projects, contacts, and collaborate with various partners and outsourced workers.
It is also available on the iPhone, but I just use it from my computers at work and home.
The cool thing is that it is activities, calander, PM, CRM, a wiki, email, project blogs all rolled into one.