7 Free Apps for your Business

Being a Realtor can become expensive at times so I compiled a list of 7 Free Apps you can use to help run your Business.

1) ifttt.com

This App is my favorite.  It stands for If This Then That.  With this service you can connect the apps that you already use and create “Applets” to help you automate a ton of different processes. This can help you save time in so many ways.  I’ll give you some examples.

• IF I post a picture to my Facebook Business Page THEN share it to linkedin
• IF a specified RSS Feed posts something new THEN Share it on Facebook
• IF someone posts an ad to Craigslist with keyword string “For Sale By Owner” THEN email it to me

The Possibilities are endless on what different Applets you can put together.  I have over 100 that run on a daily basis. It even connects with many Smart Devices for the home including the Amazon Echo. Here are some ways that ifttt can help you in the home.

• IF I enter a specific GPS location (near home) THEN set A/C to 72°
• IF I exit my home location THEN turn off lights and Appliances
• IF the time is 6:30AM THEN turn on TV

Have fun playing with this app.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  Try to see how many of your daily activities you can Automate.

2) Followupthen.com

How many times have you received an email and forgot to reply?  You check it on your phone while in the middle of something and forget to respond when you free up.  I’ve lost listings over this.

Before when I used to receive an important email I would STAR it in my gmail.  The problem with that was that I ended up having a ton of emails in there and it kind of defeated the purpose.  I would also forget to go into my STARRED folder and respond.  This tool was the answer.

Now when I receive an important email I forward it to a specific FOLLOWUPTHEN email address depending on how I want to be reminded. Here are some examples from their website.

• “This email is sitting in my inbox, but I don’t need it for 2 weeks!” (Forward it to: 2weeks@followupthen.com, then archive the message).
• “I have to have a response to this email!” (Forward it to: 3hours@followupthen.com, or bcc 3hours@followupthen.com on the original message).
• Sales Person: “Hi Customer, I understand there’s not a need now. I’ll follow up in a few months.” (Bcc: 3months@followupthen.com).

You can also use this service the same way to hold other people accountable.  If they don’t respond to your email within a certain time period then the email will automatically go out to them again.  If you need them to complete a task, you can have the service email them every morning until they have completed it.  So many cool ways to use this.

3) Bitly

Do you Share links on Facebook? Most of us do but not all of us are using a link management platform.  If you are not using this service, then you need to start.  Here is some of the features you get with Bitly.

• Shorten and Brand Links
• Track Analytics and get information about your Audience
• Use Mobile Deep Links to direct your Customers to a specific site based on what mobile device they are using

I use Bitly all the time.  Almost every time I share a link.  Make sure to Install the Google Chrome Bitly Extension to make converting your links a breeze.

4) ViewedIT

Video is so important these days and so powerful when you are trying to build a relationship with new contacts.  If a Picture is worth a thousand words, then a Video is worth a Thousand Pictures.

With Viewedit and Google Chrome anyone can create, send and track a Video right from your browser.  All you need to do is install the extension and you are ready to go.  Here are a few uses you can apply.

• Send a new contact an intro Video introducing yourself
• Record your Tab and create a Presentation
• Include a Video in a Mass Email and Track who Opens it

So next time you are about to send someone a long email, why not send them a custom video you made just for them.  They will love it!

5) BeLive

Facebook Live is becoming so popular these days.  Anyone can broadcast to the world at any given moment and most definitely have some sort of Audience.  Facebook makes sure of that.

BeLive allows you to engage your audience with an amazing Live Broadcast.  Go way beyond just doing a regular FB Live with these cool features.

• Show Audience Questions on the Broadcast allowing them to Participate
• Host a Live interview using either Split Screen or Picture and Picture
• Anyone with a Smartphone can join your Live Broadcast from Anywhere

Start building your Audience.  Start creating your Show.  Start getting your name and face out there and become the local celebrity in your town.

6) Folio – Amitree

When you start a new deal how do you keep everyone on the file updated.  Do you provide any sort of Timeline that they can view?  With Folio, you can now keep track of your Transaction in Gmail and make sure your client stays updated every step of the way.

• Automatically organize all your emails by transaction
• Keep everyone on the same page with a beautiful shared timeline
• Stay on Top of your Transaction with scheduled updates.

I add all my important dates to these timelines and have the client updated with email reminders.  You can also add all the points of contact on the file like Escrow and Inspectors.  You can even include important resources like who to call to turn on the water or get a quote on home insurance.  Clients love everything all in one place!

7) Discoverly

These days our potential customers are doing research on us.  Looking us up online.  Checking out our Facebook Profiles.  Do you do the same before you decide to work with someone?  I highly suggest you do.  These days you never know who you might be meeting up with.  Here is how this service can help.

• When the client emails you, cross reference their email with their social media profiles
• See what Mutual Friends you might have
• Find History and Work info

Now when you meet up with someone you have a little background info on them.  You can use this info to decide if you want to work with them or use it to try and connect on a deeper level.

I hope you found these 7 Free Apps for your Business useful and I hope they help you grow your business.