As digital marketers, our iPhones are more than just phones for us, it’s a mobile marketing command centre! We use our phones daily to help us do our jobs, so here are some tips on the apps you need to download from the app store. Part of a series of articles to accompany the FSB Business Bootcamp session in Derby on 18 September 2025.
From creating and managing campaigns, to analysing data, communicating with our clients and shooting and editing content on the go, our apps are invaluable added extras that helps us do what we need to do each week. So let’s take you on a tour of what we use, and what we wouldn’t be without.
Social Media & Community Management iPhone Apps
- Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter (X): These apps are the core platforms where our clients’ audiences engage, so are pretty much essential to have to hand on our phones at all time. Instagram and TIkTok are both best-served in-phone as an experience anyway, but all these apps allow us to keep an eye on inbound messages and comments. Our only bugbear is that Instagram is capped to 5 accounts per device… and we look after the social accounts of more than 5 clients. One day we are hoping this will change.
- Meta Ads & Meta Business Suite: Although we already have Instagram and Facebook apps on our phones, the addition of Meta Business Suite is really important for managing comments and messages, and generally keeping on top of the full portfolio of accounts. Unlike the 5 account cap on Instagram, the Meta Business Suite way of connecting Instagram accounts in, is not limited in this way. We also manage ads spend for a number of clients on Meta, and so the Meta Ads app, whilst not all that great for editing or setting up campaigns, is really good for just dipping in and pausing a non-performer or adjusting small things like ads sets or budget.
- Google My Business (now rebranded Google Business Profile): We work with one client who have over 120 physical locations and so this app is really important for keeping on top of reviews management, and for keeping listings updated.
- Hootsuite: Our scheduling tool of choice, though there are stacks of others out there such as Sprout Social, Buffer and Later. Similar to the Meta Ads app, it’s not great for authoring and scheduling on the go, but is a good way to check in on already scheduled stuff to see the upcoming calendar and for tweaking spelling and scheduling.
- Messenger, WhatsApp, Facetime: For instant client or team communications, for quick messages or video calls. Messenger is also the way we manage DMs for our clients’ Facebook accounts, so these apps get a lot of use!
Advertising & Analytics iPhone Apps
- Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta Ads: As well as Meta Ads, we also look after budgets on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, so these apps are good for a quick check-in to help us stay on top of campaigns by checking performance, adjusting budgets and pausing and enabling. We do all of the main work in Ads Management on our laptops, as the apps just aren’t up for it, and have many missing features, but it’s a comfort to be able to just quickly check in and perform quick actions on the little screen.
- Google Analytics: This is an absolute must for traffic tracking on your website so that you can see traffic levels, customer behaviours and channel breakdowns of conversion activities. Having this on our phone helps us keep things in check, and answer quick fire questions from clients.
- Triple Whale: If you have a Shopify store and you haven’t heard of Triple Whale yet, then OMG! Get this added to your website – TODAY – and then download the app and marvel at the info it provides about your Shopify stores performance.
Marketing Automation & Email Apps
- Mailchimp: We have a number of different email sending and automation tools such as HubSpot, Netsuite CRM and Klaviyo, but the entry-level and most enduringly popular choice for small businesses is Mailchimp. Yes, you can send email newsletters out via this tool – that’s standard – but it also allows us to set up automations when integrated with your website to help nurture customers along different customer journeys. Automating parts of your marketing effort like this can be a game changer, so it’s useful to have the app on you to perform quick actions like resends to new subscribers, or see how many people are partway through a flow you’ve set up.
- ChatGPT: Love it or loathe it, one thing is for sure… ChatGPT is disrupting the way we all search for things on the internet and how we research and produce content, code, and event check that our maths is right. So having the app for a quick fact check is really useful.
Content Creation & Editing Apps
- CapCut & Edits: We use these two free apps as powerful video and photo editing software, perfect for TikTok (who own CapCut), and Edits (who own Edits), with an easy access to music libraries, templates and much more.
- Adobe Express: This is another app we mainly use on desktop, and that is handy for setting up brand guidelines to help create all sorts of artwork for social media, presentations, print and other marketing collateral.
Productivity & Collaboration Apps for Smart Phones
- Microsoft Word, Powerpoint & Excel: You can make quick edits to spreadsheets, word docs and presentations by accessing the documents you hold on your network storage account via these apps. Whilst you wouldn’t want to embark on laying out entire documents on a small phone screen, an iPad screen gives you almost the same experience as editing on the ‘proper software’ on a ‘proper laptop’.
- Google Meet, Teams & Zoom: Let’s face it, Covid was the turning point for online conference and video calling. Let’s also face it, this method of meeting and collaborating with others is also here to stay.
- Web Browsers & Email Apps: We use Outlook and synch our Exchange accounts with our laptops and each other. We also use Safari, Firefox and Chrome web browsers to test websites on, but also to hold different online account logins so our cookie setting doesn’t get in a pickle!
What Other Apps Do We Use All The Time?
There is a surprising array!
Of course, the camera and images camera roll are apps that come as standard on a smartphone and we use these all the time for producing content or capturing information. But we also use the calculator a lot, and ask Siri questions and for driving directions whilst we’re navigating through tricky bits of unfamiliar, busy towns.
We use Dropbox to upload photos and videos so that we can access them as a team, and also to download images to use on our phone for some native scheduling work. We have authenticators to help us get into our accounting software, and to get into client servers via Google and Microsoft Authenticators. And we do our banking via an app too!
Bonus Hardware Tip: An iPad with a Magic Keyboard
The iPad is not just for kids who want to watch endless Netflix and Youtube videos! When coupled with a Magic Keyboard, you transform your iPad into a work-away-from-home laptop set up, which can be tethered to your phone for data, and that can share files, apps and tasks between the two. The keyboard doubles up as an ipad case with a hard shell, so you can pop it in your handbag without fear of damage, and its neat and compact design makes it an easy thing to carry around.
So if you use your iPhone a lot already but get frustrated by using the touch screen for fine motor skills tasks, and feel constrained by the small screen, make this your ‘this year’ investment! It’ll change your list, swear to god!
By grouping these apps on our iPhone, we can monitor campaigns, create content, and communicate seamlessly, all without needing to sit at a desk. When more screen space, my iPad with a Magic Keyboard pairs beautifully with my iPhone, giving me a lightweight but powerful setup for extended work sessions.
Other articles in this series
We put this series of articles together ahead of our presentation at the FSB Bootcamp at Pride Park in Derby on 18 September 2025. We showcased some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your smart phone for digital marketing without having to invest in lots of expensive kit.
Read the other articles in this series:
And here are a load of links from our presentation to ‘show-not-tell’, with lots of tips and tricks:
Contact us
If you’d like to talk to us about this news piece, or you’d like help with digital marketing strategy, content marketing, SEO or anything else digital, please email us on info@destination-digital.co.uk or give us a call on 01629 810199
