With all of the cutting edge productivity tools and apps out on the market, you can’t help but make 2014 your most productive year yet – even if you’re still feeling a bit lethargic after the holidays.
But not all apps are created equal. Here are our top 5 productivity tools that are sure to become indispensible to your small business in the new year.
1. BoostSuite
Nothing makes you feel more productive than increasing traffic to your website – except maybe increasing conversions on your website. With BoostSuite, you can do both.
BoostSuite helps you increase your website’s SEO, find better leads, and convert those leads into paying customers. By following their effective, user-friendly tips and tricks, you can ensure that your website is easy to find by search engines and in turn, your customers.
Instead of shelling out thousands per month for so-called SEO experts, spend little to nothing (that’s right, $0/month for basic plans!) and get even better results.
2. Shoeboxed
The new year is the perfect time to clean out last year’s clutter and get ready for tax season. What, sifting through stacks of receipts doesn’t sound like fun?
Don’t worry – that’s where Shoeboxed comes in. At Shoeboxed, we understand what a pain in the tuckus it is to organize files, keep track of print outs, and scan receipts.
That’s why we do everything for you. No matter how much paper refuse is cluttering up your office (or wallet, or car), Shoeboxed will scan and digitize all of it in a matter of days.
Toss everything into one of their Magic Envelopes and watch as each scrap magically shows up in your Shoeboxed account. Even better, each item will be digitized, searchable and easily incorporated into expense reports and other tax documents.
Do it yourself with their forever free plan, or go premium and let them take care of everything for you. Plans start at just $9.95/month.
3. Asana
Asana is one of our favorite productivity tools for 2014 because it helps you and your team increase your efficiency throughout the day.
Let’s say you’re working on a project with multiple people. In addition to having an email trail a mile long, you’ll have to share documents, assign tasks, engage in one-on-one conversations, and set up meetings. You could easily get stuck using 4-5 different applications to manage all of the above tasks.
With Asana, you can do everything within a single application. Figure out who’s doing what, chat with your team, add new team members to certain tasks but not others, share documents, and more.
Teams with under 15 members can use Asana for free. If you have a bigger team, plans start at $50/month.
4. Mention
Mention is sort of like Google Alerts, but with more range and social power. This app increases your social and marketing productivity by helping you monitor mentions of your company, as well as any topics or keywords you may be targeting.
With Mention, you can easily keep up with industry news and trends, see who’s talking about you, and – most importantly – see what the competition is up to.
Trying to rank for certain keywords but a competitor keeps beating you? Mention will tell you when and where they’re succeeding so you can gain the marketing advantage.
Your Google alerts seamlessly sync with Mention, so no need to choose between the two! There is a free option that gives you up to 250 mentions a month, and paid plans start at $6.99/month.
5. Voxer
As more and more people become location independent, chances are you’ll be working with team members and employees all over the world. If your web designer is in Australia and your copywriter is in Germany, how are you supposed to connect?
Voxer is an app that takes Skype to a new level with its click to talk walkie-talkie functionality. Made for live events and on-the-go communication, Voxer is perfect for connecting team members in multiple time zones.
The app also lets you record calls, send text messages and photos, and leave voice messages for individuals or teams. It can be used on any type of WiFi or network connection, is compatible with iPhone and Android, and is totally free to download and use.
What are your must-have productivity tools for 2014?
