Do you find it hard to concentrate on your social media marketing tasks? Would you like some productivity tools to help you focus on your social media marketing goals?
There are too many distraction everywhere. They range from your television to books to magazines to online distractions.
Online distractions are the worst for business owners and marketers for whom is an everyday necessity because they have instant access to scores of distractions right while they work. The distractions range from videos to updates to to audio and so many more.
All of us have been distracted by these media some time or the other and it effects our work. People check their social networks . The average person has 5 social media accounts and browsing through them daily. That’s a lot of time wasted.
We all need a solution as these distractions keep us from doing our work and getting results.
Therefore, I have listed some tools that will boost productivity, limit social media usage and help you focus on what matters most for your business.
I am not going to cover social media marketing tools here as I have already covered and 30 more of them for . The apps and productivity tools in the post will mainly help you focus on your social media marketing so that you can complete your tasks in time.
So here are the productivity tools to help you focus on your social media marketing goals…
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Social media organisers
Social media organisers are productivity tools that organise your social media feed so that you only view content that is important. Some organisers might even modify it in such a way that even the feed doesn’t show like the first one below…
#1 News Feed Eradicator:
Facebook is a network most businesses can’t really avoid. It might not be , but it still monthly active users and is beneficial for both . Also ads are very cheap.
If you have a Facebook page, you will need to visit it regularly whether you use a third party tool or not as there are certain activities you can only do directly on Facebook.
We usually do this by visiting the Facebook home page as all our pages are listed on the left sidebar. When we do this we end up getting a sneak peak of the feed and then we begin browsing through it.
All of us a sudden we see that someone has had a baby so we congratulate them. Then we come across a video of a dog and cat doing something cute and we have to watch it after that we get click baited into reading an article and then we see some pictures our ex shared and then we are onto something else.
Before you know it you have wasted an hour doing nothing important. We spend an average of . I used to have this problem all the time, until I got the .
This is a wonderful Chrome extension that discards the newsfeed. So every time you visit the Facebook homepage you won’t see the feed and in its place there is a quote on productivity or time management that encourages you to focus on your work. You also won’t have access to your ticker.
As you have no distractions you directly visit your page from here and do your management tasks. I have become highly productive ever since I installed this and I have never disabled it and don’t plan to.
You also get to see a different quote every time you visit it. You can add your own quotes too.
#2 :
I might not visit my Facebook page on my PC anymore, but sometime I end up visiting it on my mobile device. I counter this habit by using the app. I can connect my Facebook page to Flipboard and view my feed there and it only shows me content posted by pages instead of stuff posted by friends.
As you can save articles you like with it, it’s a great way to find useful content to post on your social media channels. You can also use Flipboard on your computer by visiting the website.
Using Flipboard you can access content on your other social media channels and by topics you like.
Using these 2 productivity tools will make you more productive on Facebook.
Timers and blockers
Sometimes the above productivity tools won’t do the job of helping you focus on your . Hence you will need some more powerful tools like timers and blockers. Here are a few of them…
The is a free productivity tool that helps you execute the . Using this timer you can set 25 minute intervals and then and begin working on your project. After the 25 minutes is up you can stop your work (the timer will ring an alarm bell) and use the timer to set a quick break of 5 minutes or a long break of 10 minutes. After your break you begin working for another 25 minutes and continue the cycle.
You can also set desktop notifications on Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers.
The Tomato Timer isn’t for everyone as it only lets you set 25 minute intervals. For those who prefer custom intervals, that are longer or shorter than 25 minutes, will be perfect. You can even follow the Pomodoro Technique with the E.ggtimer. They have it preset.
#5
is a browser extension that blocks time wasting websites. There are various options that cut out access to sites that are affecting your productivity. One of the best features is that you can use it to restrict the amount of time you are allowed on a website. Once the time is up you won’t be allowed on the site.
#6
is a wonderful productivity tool that can be added to both your desktop and your mobile devices. There’s even a browser extension. It has several useful features. One of the most powerful one is that it tracks your daily activity to tell you how much time you have spent on different websites, apps and other software. You can even block sites with it.
To do list and project management apps
One of the best ways to stay productive is by writing down all your tasks in a notebook and crossing them out as you complete them. But if you prefer doing it on your mobile device or computer, there are several productivity tools that can help you out. Here are a few that help you create to do lists and more…
#7
You can create to do lists and a lot more with . It is sort of a complete productivity tool.
One of the other features you can take advantage of is the ability to write notes. Sure you can write them in a notebook, but a lot of ideas come to us at the wrong time as .
This is why I like to jot them down on my Evernote app when I don’t have my idea book next to me.
You can also clip webpages and images with Evernote.
#8
If you don’t want a tool like Evernote that helps you do everything and are looking for a simple one that only helps you complete your tasks, you should check out . It works for both individuals and teams and can be used on more than 10 platforms.
#9 Asana:
If you’re looking for a productivity tool for teams to execute projects, will be great for you. With it you can assign tasks to people, communicate with your team and easily check progress.
#10 Trello:
is another great app that helps teams work on projects in an organised and productive manner with the help of boards, lists and cards. You can attach files, add comments, create checklists and do so much more. It is very easy to use.
Social media marketers and business will find it very useful when creating their content calendar.
#11 TeuxDeux:
is another to do app. You can create to do lists with it and if you don’t execute all of them, they will be moved to the next day automatically. You also get to view all your tasks in an easy to use calendar.
#12 Workflow Max:
is a very advanced project management tool. It has amazing features like time tracking which determines how productive your employees are. It can also help you manage clients, send quotes and invoices, manage leads and so many other things. It also does everything necessary for effective job management.
Content saving productivity tools
Reading articles and other forms of educative content is a good habit. But you only have so much time to read everyday. If don’t have enough time you should save the article and read it later instead of completely avoiding it. Here are a few that can help…
#13 Pocket:
One of the greatest features of modern browsers like Chrome and Firefox is the ability to open and save several tabs so that they load every time we start the browser. But the problem with this is that it decreases browser loading time and makes it hard to find tabs. We can always save it with using the browser’s bookmark feature, but those folders are very unorganised.
The solution to this is . With pocket you can save the article you like with a click of the browser extension. You can tag it so that it is easy to find later. I like to use this productivity tool to save content I want to read or share later.
You can also add it to your mobile device and use it to save content on apps like Flipboard, , Twitter and so many more.
If you prefer printing the webpage or converting it into a PDF you can try . All you need to do is click the browser extension while you are on the page you want to print. It will create and display a new version of this webpage. You can then modify it and print it or convert it into a PDF. You can even email this version.
Writing productivity tools
For your you will need to do a lot of writing. This will be for your updates, your blog posts and so many other things. I have listed some apps that make this task easier below.
#15
is a browser extension that corrects 250 types of grammatical errors. It works on various websites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Gmail, etc. This way your emails and will remain error free, unless you want to .
Grammarly also works with Microsoft Office.
#16 Hemingway:
Another productivity tool that can help you edit and proofread your writing is . This is actually more powerful than Grammarly, but there is no browser extension.
Task automation
Task automation tools help you automatically perform a task on an app or website when you perform a task on another.
#17 IFTTT:
helps you connect apps and/or services together so that you can automatically execute an activity on one of them when you perform an activity on another. These activities are called applets.
Here’s . This one will tweet your Instagram photos as native photos on Twitter. Usually when you link your Twitter to your Instagram account everything you post on Instagram is shared as a link, but with this applet the whole image will show up on Twitter and as you know .
#18 Zapier:
is another productivity tool that is just like IFTTT. The only difference is that with Zapier you have access to more professional apps like , and .
Online data storage productivity tools
Online data storage tools help you easily store various kinds of files. These can range from documents to videos to images.
#19
is probably the most popular data storage app. You can access it through a website or through an app. You can upload and download files using both options. It also makes it easy to share these files with other people. You can also integrate with other tools and transfer data easily. There are other alternatives like , , and so many more that more or less do the same thing.
Email productivity tools
Email can take up several hours everyday as it is the best medium for personal conversations. Here are a couple of productivity tools that not only make you productive, but also help you get the most out of email.
#20 MixMax:
is an email automation and tracking software. Using it you can track to see if people are opening your emails and clicking on the links you send. You can also use it to schedule emails. There’s also a templates feature so that you can quickly load templates, make modifications and send them to people.
#21 Hubspot Sales Extension:
The helps you execute many of the same tasks as MixMax. It can also help you find email addresses.
#22 GetResponse:
If you are looking for a complete and affordable solution, would be a great option. Using it you can create lists of subscribers, set up autoresponders and landing pages. You can even run webinars with it.
#23
If you prefer a simple email marketing solution instead of a more complete one, then you can try instead. I currently use it. The main problem with it is that it lacks advanced automation features like tagging clicks, lead scoring, etc. .
Payment productivity tools
Every business has its costs. In order to be able to cover these costs and still make a profit with your online business you need tools that help with online payment so that people can buy your products from anywhere in the world.
#24 Moon Clerk:
is a great tool that helps you accept both one-time and recurring payments. You can set it up in minutes and you don’t need a merchant account to use it.
#25 Due:
A good alternative to Moon Clerk is Due. It lets you accept and make payments online. It also makes it easy to manage invoices and get paid quickly.
#26 SamCart:
is another online payment/checkout tool. One of its best features is the one click upsell.
#27 Gumroad:
If you’re looking for a free tool to help you sell your products you should checkout . They have various payment options. One of the best is the pay what you want feature.
Miscellaneous productivity tools
Here are some miscellaneous productivity tools that don’t fit into any category, but are still very useful.
#28 Twilight:
is an app that restricts your Mobile device’s ability to emit blue light after a certain time of the day. This will help you sleep better as . When you sleep better you will be more productive.
does the same thing as Twilight, but for computers.
#30 Lastpass:
When you execute a you will be using a lot of tools and social media channels.
You will require usernames and passwords for all of them. For security reasons it is necessary to create unique passwords for each one. But we avoid doing this as we will probably forget them. If you fear this you should try out as it will store all your passwords for you and automatically fill them in when you need it. You can even share these passwords with others by using Lastpass. They will need an account too.
It can also generate passwords for you.
is a great productivity tool that can help you remember meetings, tasks and all kinds of events whether they are offline or online.
Bonus productivity Tool
Get a notebook and pen
Apps can do amazing things, but using books to jot down ideas and to create to do lists will never get old. So get a notebook or a few of them and a pen. They work really well.
If none of the above tools work you can hire a slapper…
This guy wasn’t productive so he whenever he got on Facebook.
These are all the tools you can use for being productive while executing any task. Try them and see which productivity tools help you focus on your social media marketing. Many of them are free or inexpensive.
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Which of the above tools do you like most? What productivity tools do you use to help you focus on your social media marketing? Please provide your responses in the comments section below.
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Mitt Ray is the Founder of Social Marketing Writing. Connect with him on Instagram.
