Noted :: Have You Flipped, Bumped or Keeked?

Last month I reviewed three of my favorite new apps and it spawned a number of our readers to ask me what other great new social media, marketing or business-related apps were out there. Well, you asked and here they are:

1. Bump

Simply put, this app is awesome. When I first downloaded it I thought it was too good to be true – content sharing by bumping your iPhones together, really? Well, it works. When you first download the app it will take you through a number of screens where you can choose what content you’d like to share. This includes photos from your camera roll, Instagram photos, apps, contact information, videos, audio and even access to your DropBox account, if you have one. Once you have selected the piece of content you’d like to share you can do one of two things – bump your iPhone together with another iPhone {who also has the Bump app} or go to http://bu.mp and bump your iPhone with your computers space bar to send the information to your computer. I tried this from my iPhone to my computer and it worked. The image I selected on my iPhone showed up on my computer screen with the option to download, email or upload to Facebook.

How Is It Relevant For Your Business? 
There are so many ways you can use this for your business. Here at Elements, I regularly take images on my iPhone to share on various social media platforms. Then I usually Instagram the image on my phone, pull up my email, email the image to myself, find the email on my work computer, download the image and then post it to the blog or social media. With Bump, all those steps are removed! Aside from image sharing, the file sharing options are perfect for any business meeting or presentation. There’s not need to pre-email the files to your clients or carry your presentation on your laptops. Ask if they have the Bump app and you can share all your documents right there. It can also work as a virtual business card. Forgot your cards at home – bump your phones together to share your contact information with each other on the spot.

2. Keek

Keek has been described as a combination of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. There certainly are similarities with this app and the social media platforms it compares itself too. I would simply describe it as a video “status update.” It has a length limit, much like Twitter, of 36 seconds.  You can subscribe and follow others on Keek, browse videos that are the most viewed and most popular and you can see all of this information in your own profile. Hastags are also used in Keek and you can search for videos using these “klusters.” The videos are very easy to create, just hit the record button, and then even easier to share on other social media platforms.

How Is It Relevant For Your Business?
Three words – user generated content. The same way businesses use YouTube as a social media platform to get their brand out, Keek can be used similarly. Where YouTube can be used for commercials, branded videos and promotions – Keek can provide a much more personal experience for your followers. Are you on the road and want your followers to see what you’re up to? At a trade show  A conference? Give them a behind-the-scenes look using Keek. Do you have an exciting new announcement to share? Use Keek as a 36 second teaser and share it on your social media pages to start the hype. Will millions of users and traffic increasing on the app everyday, Keek is an up-and-coming app and social media tool that you don’t want to miss out on.

3. Flipboard
When I sit down to look at my computer or my phone each morning, there are thousands and thousands of news sources, social media platforms, forums, blogs and websites that I can go to for infomation. So where do you start? Flipboard will make your own personal “magazine” filled with news and topics that are tailored specifically to your interests. When you first signup for Flipboard it will ask you about your interests – are you into food, travel, design? Yes, yes and yes – you can check off all the categories that you like and exclude the ones you don’t. You also have the option to sign into your Facebook and Twitter accounts to include news from the pages and friends you follow. You can also search for other blogs, magazines and news sources, that share their information online, and receive all of their content related to the categories that you follow. Additionally, you can search for specific topics that are breaking news or trending. Flipboard also makes it easy to share these stories on your social media sites to your friends and followers.

How Is It Relevant For Your Business?
Knowledge is power! Ok a little cheesy I know, but very true. The more you know, the more you can share. Who has the time to scour hundreds of websites everyday to make sure you are up to speed and ahead of the game? No one. Flipboard makes it easy to literally “flip” through hundreds of articles and news sources and find the most relevant and newsworthy items for you. Who wouldn’t want a personal magazine written for them everyday?

Have you tried any of these apps? Give them a try and let us know your feedback!

~Allyson