While I have some fun apps e.g. Shazam (song recognition) and  Check Please (for calculating tips when travelling in the US), most of the apps I use enhance or enable my social media activity.

The applications allow me to post to my blog (and respond to comments), tweet, check my web stats, record an audio blog, instant message my contacts, create a video and post it with one click, add photos to my social networks – to name just a few options.

Here are 9 of my favourite social media related apps. They are not in order. All are in the itunes Applications store but I have included below links to the developers websites. Most apps are free, but a couple have a small (and worthwhile) fee.

AudioBoo – Create and share audio easily

Audioboo

This is an iphone audioblogging application. You record a message (up to 5 mins) and host it on the Audioboo site with the click of an icon. You can then use the embed code in blog posts or in statuses on Twitter and Facebook. 

Analytics

The free version is sufficient for me to be able to check the traffic on our blog and website easily.

Tweetie

While I also have TweetDeck and Twitterific, Tweetie is the one that I find easiest to use to track Twitter conversations and add tweets.

What’s App

This is very cool. What’s App is an iphone to iphone messenger without text/SMS costs.

Gorillacam – Great added functionality for your iphone camera

Gorillacam

Adds great functionality to your iphone camera. Paparazzi (3shot) option, self-timer, time lapse as well as a ‘press anywhere’ option overcomes some of the frustrations of using an iphone camera. Team it with a Gorillapod (a mini tripod for your iphone) and you have a pretty cool camera.

Facebook

You’ve probably got this if you’re on Facebook. It’s improved and easy to use to update status and stay up with news. Could use a little more functionality.

Dragon Dictation

This app provides voice recognition on your iphone. You can record and translate sound and then send to mail or txt. Great for quick memos.  [I have to share this as it made for a good laugh. When I was first using it I was speaking slowly saying "This is Suzi". The translation was coming up as "This is Crazy"… so I guess it needs a little practise to get it working write (or a feined US accent may help)].

Animoto

Select from pics on your iphone, choose a soundtrack from Animoto’s library and click a button – and you have a professional customised video, for free. Fun for holidays and capturing special moments.

FaceMic for Facebook

This is a new one and was recommended by Facebook maven Mari Smith. It allows me to record a message and post it to a friend’s Facebook page. Great for birthday messages.

BONUS – CAUSE IT’S WORTH MENTIONING!

CrushIt

You may have heard of Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV fame.The story goes that he turned a $5 million dollar business into a $50 million and has created fame and fortune online through his video blog. His book – Crush It - has been created as an app that is a vook (a video book). At the start of each chapter you get to see and hear Gary and then you can read the book Kindle-style within the app. It’s a great way for any author to deliver their content and I can see applications for many educators and content creators.

As I said earlier, these are just a few of the tools that help me manage and create social media content and which allow me to keep up with the conversations that I choose to be a part of – while I’m ‘on the go’. (Of course that is today… apps are being created so quickly some of these may be replaced by newer/better ones… in which case I’ll be sure to post any new discoveries.)

Got a great iphone app to share? I’d love to hear about it.

To you success in 2010,

Warren

In this current climate the sales process can be very frustrating and lonely and when I first began selling, I had my fair share of obstacles to overcome. It wasn’t until I started reading, listening to, and meeting specialists in the art of sales that things began to change. I accomplished sales of $1 Million in just 1 month after applying the techniques I learned.

The art of selling covers an entire spectrum of human behaviour including communication, culture, physiology, trust, sales and persuasion theory. By using both verbal and physical skills achieve a better level of understanding of your customer.

Sales bring cashflow and once this has been achieved in your business almost every other aspect or issue can easily be resolved. Without sales you do not have a business!

This is why performance in this area is crucial, and with the right education your business can flourish. In my career of specialising in business development and sales there are two things, in my opinion, that always stand out and they are ‘PREPARATION’ and ‘CLOSING’.

Preparation is key! Whether it’s making that first tele-sales call, to confirming an order with an existing customer. In-depth knowledge not only about your products but also about the customer and having that information available every time you communicate is so important.

Always move towards closing, this should be something that happens naturally throughout the sales process. Unfortunately so many business owners and salespeople get caught up in the different closing techniques. They just don’t see the indicators that the customer is ready to buy and oversell to the point of losing the sale.

I have perfected my “Open to Close” technique which is now available as a seminar, training course and a quick reference ebook which you can download and start taking action.

FREE Ebook on how to Open and Cloase any account. Click here now -  www.opentoclose.com

The value of the average order placed online has surged 94% compared to the same period last year, figures from Coremetrics‘ Benchmark Survery of 150 top online retailers have revealed.

The figure represents an increase of 54% since 2007, making the effect of the recession on consumer spending last year clearly visible. The average order value decreased 20% during 2007-2008, before rising 94% from 2008 to 2009.

The number of items that are purchased per transaction has also increased significantly, from 2.7 in 2007 to 3.7 in 2009.

Coremetrics’ figures are based on data from the two weeks leading up to 7 December over each of the three years.

The Benchmark figures also reveal which days were the most popular for online shopping in the UK. Surprisingly, says Coremetrics, UK shoppers followed a similar pattern to the US where online shopping really picks up following Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday in November. During the last three years in the UK, shoppers have chosen to spend most near the end of the week, usually on a Friday.

“The Benchmark data reveals hard statistical information around a multitude of comparative parameters,” says Coremetrics’ Richard Shepard. “This includes information on how well online marketing, email and search work for a particular site as well as granular data on conversion rates, orders, page views, basket values etc. It gives us, and our customers when they compare themselves to the industry average as a benchmark, insight into how consumers are behaving at any given time.”

“What is interesting about this year’s benchmark data is how UK consumers are clearly feeling much more optimistic about the economy than last year, with the average value of an order up 94 percent in just twelve months,” he added. “The recession has had a huge impact on online sales, but the Benchmark figures demonstrate that more shoppers than ever are going online in search of great deals.”

Enterprise UK and Rockstar Group webchat: Get your online marketing strategy sorted!

Join us on Thursday 17th December @3pm for this very special webchat, when Rockstar Group mentor and marketing guru Warren Knight will be here to answer your questions about getting your online and social media marketing strategies on track.

About Warren:

Warren specialises in the global expansion of products into retail and ecommerce, with over 15 years experience. Warren works with the global brands Disney and Nickelodeon, growing a licensee from $5 Million to $30 Million, selling to over 30 countries in a 5-year period achieving $1 Million sales in 1 month.

Having written books on social media for business, sales and international business, Warren is an expert in social media, brand recognition and increasing sales globally for any product driven business both on/offline.

Post your questions for Warren below!

http://www.enterpriseuk.org/resources/webchats/webchat_onlinemarketing

On Twitter? Tweet your questions with #eukwebchat. You will also be able to follow the chat on the day @enterprise_uk

For more enterprising banter head to the Enterprise UK community

For more resources about starting a business head on over to our make it happen section.

From the 25-27th June 2010, Clothes Show London will return to the British capital to host a fashion extravaganza. The showcase will feature a range of leading fashion and beauty brands; an impressive 2,500 seat Fashion Theatre combining dance and fashion performances, and a host of celebrity and expert appearances, all under one roof.

Taking place at Earls Court, Clothes Show London will cater for stylish females delivering shopping experiences, celebrity expert advice and catwalk shows. Katie Price at this year’s Clothes Show London Beauty Queens inside the Fashion Theatre Clothes Show London celebrates the best in UK fashion.

Clothes Show London 2010 will showcase a selection of high end fashion at the designer and boutique outlets in addition to a selection of clothes from the high street. There’s also a 45-minute fashion show performance on one of the largest catwalks in the world. Set in the heart of the show the Designer Beach, featuring a swimwear catwalk, a bed of real sand, cocktail bar, DJ booth and musical performances, is the place where shoppers will feel like they’ve been transported to an exotic holiday location.

Brand new to the 2010 edition will be the Fitness Studio and Photographic Studio. At the Studio there’ll be aerobic and fitness demonstrations showcasing the latest in street and sportswear. In the Photographic Studio visitors will have the chance to be a cover star on a magazine. Clothes Show London 2010 will also see several winners of The Clothes Show Awards, The Clothes Show, The UK Beauty Awards and The Textile and Design Awards.