We all want to do better at work—and in life, really. But traditional professional development courses can be soul-sucking and aren’t the only way to improve. Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands when it comes to upping our efficiency, streamlining our workflow or integrating tech tools.
We reached out to other businesspeople to see what products and tools have helped them stay at the top of their work game. Here’s what they shared:
1. Customized learning
You never want to go stagnant on learning new skills, so options like MasterClass at Work are a great way to customize education for your teams or organizations. The online platform offers classes on topics like leadership, personal development, creativity and communication, all taught by industry leaders. Lessons can be customized to meet team goals so you can improve employee engagement and retention. Prices start at $10 per month for one device; contact the company for group rates.
2. Tests with personality
Remember when the Enneagram was all the rage a few years back? It had a way of helping you gain insight into your own personality while helping others understand you at the same time. While personality typing isn’t new, tests from Personality.co can still help teams function better by allowing them to understand their colleagues more fully. The monthly plan is $30 for one person; contact the company for group rates.
3. Embrace your creativity more efficiently
Need a professional-looking graphic but limited on time? Canva Pro can help you create eye-catching designs quickly and provides access to high-quality content, design tools and AI. This resource is a go-to for those hoping to produce outstanding designs without all the complicated software. The platform can be leveraged for social posts, slideshows and more. This premium app costs $120 per year for one person, but also offers a free version with limited features.
“During one campaign, we used Canva to make 30 social media images that looked good together in less than three hours,” says Jake Ward, online marketing professional and founder of Kleo, a free browser extension for consuming and creating content on LinkedIn. “This saved us almost 40% on design costs.”
4. An integrated business platform
HubSpot is an AI-powered platform that helps businesses focus on their customers. It has software, integrations and resources to connect your marketing, sales, customer service and other teams. Each team can see the same unified view of the customer at all stages of their journey, which saves time, thanks to streamlined processes and automation. There’s a free version of the platform, but the paid version(s) range from $15 to $3,600 per month, depending on how many seats you buy and the types of software you choose.
“I can see in real time how campaigns are doing, where leads are in the pipeline and what is truly generating conversions instead of having to manually track every interaction or transfer between platforms,” says Arthur Favier, founder and CEO of Oppizi, a startup that digitizes offline marketing. “Making data-driven decisions has always been more difficult in offline marketing, so that kind of clarity is quite helpful.”
5. Conquer social media posting schedules
Social media might be the necessary evil of the business world, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Products like Buffer can help you create content and schedule it on popular platforms like Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. The platform also helps you respond to comments quickly and understand analytics related to your socials. The free version gives you 10 scheduled posts per channel per month. The paid versions cost $5 (for one person) or $10 (for a team) monthly and give you unlimited posts.
“Using Buffer’s reporting features, we analyzed audience activity patterns and optimized posting times across three different industries,” says Ward. “This data-driven approach resulted in a 35% boost in click-through rates and a 12% increase in conversions over three months.”
6. A better way to collate your reading list
You meant to read that article later. But where did you save it? Matter is a content aggregation app that pulls together multiple articles, podcast episodes and videos into an aesthetically pleasing and accessible format. You can even have your newsletters sent straight to the app.
There’s a free version, but the paid version ($8 per month or $60 per year) offers extra features, like transcribing podcast episodes.
7. Say thank you with style
In the digital world, a handwritten note from your company can really stand out. Handwrytten can send notes in calligraphic fonts to clients four or more times a year on stationery or on cards bearing your logo. The platform can integrate with productivity tools like Salesforce and Hubspot. Many price points are available, including $3.25 for one card and $373 per month for 100 cards.
Photo by Vadym Pastukh/iStock.com
