Are you a serious craft beer enthusiast/hobbyist or do you have a job in social media or marketing in the beer industry?
If so, keep reading! I want to share my favorite apps that I use for my blog and social media. I have found these to be the most helpful for my strategies, photo editing, and more.
- Canva
- Lightroom
- Mojo
- Untappd
- Preview
You may be thinking this is a LOT and it looks a little overwhelming. Each app has a different purpose, and you don’t necessarily need them all, but I think they make things easier in the long run!
1. Canva
Canva (as most of you in the marketing field know) is a SUPER helpful app and website that you can use to create graphics for your Facebook, Instagram, or website! They have a wide selection of free templates to use or you can create your own! I use this for my stories, creating graphics for Pinterest, or even graphics for my website. I absolutely love this app. It makes graphic design easy to do, right at your fingertips.
2. Lightroom
USE LIGHTROOM. If you cannot afford the yearly subscription for your computer, I highly recommend getting the free version for your phone which allows you to edit your photos, but lacks the “healing” option in addition to a couple other detailed features. That being said, it is still a fantastic photo editing app. I use this for literally every single photo that I edit. If you aren’t into figuring out your own editing style, research the internet or Etsy for pre-sets you can purchase to edit your photos (most only cost just a few bucks). This is hands down, the best photo editing app out there.
3. Mojo
This app is AMAZING. Seriously, when I finally stumbled upon this app, I was wondering why/how I never used it before. I usually use this to announce a new post or blog post. This app could be a lot more useful for businesses, like breweries (or anything, really). Mojo makes it incredibly easy to look professional in video editing and design. The free option has a range of templates to use that you can also tweak to make your own. It also rotates some templates that are exclusively available in the “pro” version, which only costs $10 a month.
4. Untappd
While some of you have certain opinions on this app, it is still a very popular app used in the craft beer community. I don’t keep up with it nearly enough, but that’s because I Just simply don’t have time. Essentially, it is a Facebook, but for craft beer. I will pop on there occasionally to check in beers that blow me out of the water, so I can remember them. What do I use it for most often? Beer checking. If I cannot remember the name, ingredients, color, brewery, or tasting notes of a beer (we have all been there) this is a handy app to provide you with that information. Untappd is very handy, even if you don’t post on it!
5. Preview
Preview is an app that allows you to “preview” your Instagram feed before you actually post the photos you want to. You can upload a bunch of photos to see how they’ll look in your feed and it will show you what the crop will look like in the tile-feed. You can also schedule posts out, so you aren’t scrambling to get something uploaded in the moment! It is such a handy way to plan out Instagram, and I use it almost every single day.
There you go, all my secrets for running my craft beer blog and social media. I really hope you find some of these apps helpful and I would love to know what you use for your own! Leave me a comment and let me know what other smart phone apps you may find helpful.
I am always here to help you all and if you ever want to know anything about something I do or post, don’t hesitate to ask!
Cheers!
–Ashley