Having trouble making connections? There’s an app for that. Keeping in touch or planning a meet-up? Your smartphone can help with that too. Expand your professional circle at the next conference or seminar.
Here are some trusty iPhone apps to help you network.
Want a simple and easy way to gather business cards without having to sort through a pile of small bits of paper at your desk the next day? Card Munch business card reader offers an incredibly easy solution to build your professional network. With this app, you simply photograph the image with the app software and the card details are automatically added to your address book contacts and can even be uploaded to your LinkedIn account as new connections. Bye-bye lost business cards…
Meeting people can be the hardest part of networking. If you’re new to business, this iPhone app will be your best friend. Happening finds upcoming professional events in your area—you can choose as many as you like, and the app will store them in your calendar.
Xing is an application that may be used for networking between business professionals. Similar to LinkedIn, Xing users can enter relevant business and professional information and connect with others with similar interests. Building a network of business professionals worldwide is the main purpose of the application.
Easy to search and find people with firsthand knowledge and experience, it’s also a great way to discuss with like-minded folks. Via these conversations, you certainly expand your network to include people you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered.
Google+ Hangouts is a messaging app that lets you send and receive messages, photos and videos, animated stickers, and even start free video calls – one-to-one or with a group.
The Meetup app will help locate meetups around topics of interest to you including social media, tech, business and entrepreneurship—and of course a range of fitness, hobbies, community, etc.
Highlight is all about people location discovery. It connects to your Facebook and other social networks to identify the people around you. If someone near you also has Highlight, their profile will appear on your phone. Most of the time, this person might be a complete stranger, but Highlight does a good job letting you know if there are any shared interests or connections.
Read: 5 Networking Tips to Get Results
Swarm, the new app from Foursquare, is the fastest way to keep up and meet up with your friends. With Swarm, you can easily see who’s out nearby and who wants to hang out later.
In comparison to Swarm the new app of FourSquare – If you run a business, Foursquare should still be your go-to app for connecting with users.
The app uses the iPhone’s built-in GPS to display restaurants, bars, parks, and other attractions in your city. When you visit any of those locations, you “check in” on the FourSquare app, which broadcasts your location to your friends. You’ll also see where your friends have checked in, which helps you meet up with them or find new things to do.
The free iPhone app gives you the power to connect with over 60 million professionals worldwide. A good feature is the ability to connect instantly with nearby users by enabling Bluetooth within the “In Person” feature. You can also set your status, invite contacts, accept invitations, read and respond to messages and keep up with your contacts’ updates.
Make calls and send text messages from your Google Voice number. Voicemails are automatically transcribed to text so you can read them like email.
At a conference, it’s all about swapping business cards. This meant inputting contact information into your address book when you got home. With CamCard (free), just snap a picture of the card and you’re done. Sure, some iPhone business reader apps wirelessly link up phones, but that seems a little intimate for someone you just met.
Another way to share contact information is electronically through apps like Contxts (free). Contxts, for instance, lets you share contact details quickly via text message, email or bump technology (which isn’t supported on the iPhone).
Planely introduces you to other people in the plane. Whenever you’re traveling by plane, tell them your flight, and they’ll connect you with other Planely Fliers who are on the same flight, or at the same departure or arrival airports as you.
These apps are only a glance at the offerings available to help businesspeople perfect their networking skills.
What apps do you use regularly for business and social networking? Which ones on this list will you consider trying? Leave your comments in the comments space below.
