Business Process Outsourcing: How it all begun

Outsourcing may sound like a 21st century concept, but it has essentially been existing for a very long time. Follow the timeline below to see its evolution, from mere division of labor to becoming an important business strategy in today’s economy. Read more at http://goo.gl/jBo1F8

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObNt1b3F9vM

Offshore Outsourcing: A Strong Combination

In today’s cut-throat economy, offshore outsourcing is one of those solutions that have emerged to remedy the need to reduce expenditures and produce more in a limited amount of time.

The combination of both strategies has allowed businesses and firms to: (1) take advantage of the low taxes and costs of factors of production in another country, particularly developing countries; (2) be able to focus more on their core competencies. (3) take advantage of continuous operations even when the in-house staff is already hitting the sack, and; (4) access a great pool of talents with the right skills and expertise for the job or function, thus ensuring more productivity in the least amount of time.

Today, with various BPO services providers emerging from different parts of the globe, the bar for providing the best offshore outsourcing services at a competitive price continue to get raised.

But it takes more than just quality and time and cost-efficiency to make a partnership with a BPO provider work. Selecting an offshore outsourcing provider with values and culture similar to yours will minimize miscommunications and breakdown cultural barriers to ensure a harmonious relationship between your firm and the vendor.


For this reason, the Philippines is the most favorable outsourcing destination. In addition to its high English literacy rate and the abundance of highly skilled and service-oriented professionals, the strong and ubiquitous presence of the US culture in the country has made it easy for Western companies to easily establish a strong and long-term business relationship with offshore outsourcing providers in the Philippines.

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Business Process Outsourcing Industry in the Philippines: A brief history

Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO), the practice of contracting operations and responsibilities of a certain function to a third party vendor, has become a pivotal tool in the success and continued growth of multinational corporations and businesses.

India and the Philippines were the major key players in the BPO industry. But in 2011, the Philippines beat India by a mile as the top BPO services hub across the globe. The combination of the country’s exposure to western culture through colonization and their people’s intrinsic qualities such as hospitality, perseverance and adaptability has made it the most preferred outsourcing destination in the world.

But while the BPO industry in the country has only seen massive growth in the 2000’s, they have been around for more than two decades already.

Accenture Global Research Center in Manila formally paved the way for the growth of the BPO industry in the Philippines. Developed and marketed by Frank Holz in 1992, the center focuses on software development and technology-driven solutions.

Following the success of Accenture was the birth of the early key players in the Business Processing Outsourcing industries, such as Sykes Asia (1997), SPi Global (after its acquisition by CEO Ernesto Cu in 1997), eTelecare (1999), People Support (1998), and ePLDT Ventus (2006).

To date, the BPO industry has become one of the biggest contributors to the growth of the Philippine economy. With an annual growth of 46% since 2006, BPO comprises 30% of the country’s export earnings.

And the Business Processing Outsourcing industry will continue to grow and evolve to meet the demands brought by the changes in our technologies and business trends.

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Variation Among Outsourcing and Offshoring

The need to cut costs while maintaining quality and productivity has urged many firms to explore the following options: outsourcing and offshoring.

While both terms have been used interchangeably in most of today’s business literatures, they technically refer to two different things.

Outsourcing is the practice of contracting a non-core function or a project to a third party vendor whether locally or abroad. Offshoring, on the other hand, happens when a firm sends their in-house jobs or projects overseas in either a subsidiary, or a third party vendor.

Both have their own sets of benefits.

For instance, the former allows companies to focus more on their core competencies by contracting non-core but critical functions to a third party vendor. In addition, a third party vendor with people equipped with the right skills and expertise will be able to accomplish tasks or undertake functions an in-house staff won’t be able to do, and produce better results. Lastly, firms can easily ramp up or ramp down quickly without having to face the repercussions of exterminating personnel. As a result, companies can hire people on a project basis only.

Alternatively, the latter lets companies take advantage of low costs of factors of production, such as wages, raw materials and utilities in other nations, especially developing countries. Added to that, the availability of human resources with skills and expertise specific for certain types of tasks have made this option viable for most companies. Take note that a company does not have to outsource in order to offshore. Some multinational companies set up captive offshore units to exploit the low costs and taxes without having to contract functions or projects to a third party vendor.

But then again, both systems are not without risks. An outsourced vendor’s lack of knowledge in the client firm’s business and long-term objectives could breakdown its otherwise ideal partnership with the client.
With offshore partners, miscommunication stemming from cultural gap could put a strain on the relationship of the firm and its subsidiary. On top of that, factors like political unrest, changes in the economic policies of the government and poor infrastructure could affect the output of an offshore unit.

But despite the setbacks, both practices are continually on the rise. In fact, the success of both systems has spawned a new practice that combines the benefits of the two strategies. Today, many offshore third party providers offer a wide range BPO services.


And with best practices being created to mitigate the risks and multiply the benefits of offshoring and outsourcing, they will not only guarantee more savings on your part but also more profits.

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The Best Way to Improve Social Media Marketing with Visuals

Looking to put a spin on your company’s social media presence in an effort to boost engagement? If so, you can start by increasing the volume of visuals shared with followers. And while you may have to spend a little extra cash for a graphic designer, the benefits will outweigh the costs if the new strategy is executed properly.

Household name companies like Charmin and Starbucks incorporate infographics, videos, and captivating photos into their social media platforms several times a day to communicate the essence of their brand. Consider following suit to take your social media marketing efforts to the next level.

Compelling Statistics on Visuals

“Why all the hype about visuals? Simply put, humans are drawn to images because they are a common form of communication,” Donna Moritz, founder of Socially Sorted, told the Social Media Examiner.

• Approximately 82 percent of respondents of a survey conducted by The B2B Marketing Mentor indicated images were an important tactic in social media content optimization.
• Thanks to expanded tweets by Twitter, tweets with images receive 18 percent more clicks, 89 percent more favorites, and 150 percent more retweets than plain text updates, notes Buffer for Business.

• A study from Social Bakers found the top 10 percent of posts with photos on Facebook brand pages account for 87 percent of total interactions.

Since social media platforms are flooded with more and more content each day, the attention of your followers is more than likely being pulled into several directions. Digital markers, well aware of the stiff competition for eyeballs, use visuals to keep their followers stimulated.

How to Incorporate Visuals into Your Strategy

Here are several methods for improving and incorporating imagery in your social strategy:

• How-to-guides: While you probably can’t embed all the contents of the guide into one image, you can create an image to display the essence of your message. Readers will be more inclined to click on the image since it’s much more noticeable and appealing than plain text. Just don’t forget to include a link in the caption.
• Tips: Do you have a post on your blog site that’s chock full of useful tips and accompanying details? If so, embed the tips on a relevant stock image and share with your followers. This will enable followers to grasp the main concepts and feel compelled to share with others before they click through to read the entire post.
• Infographics: Have a ton of information you’d like to share in an image? If so, an infographic is worth considering. Hire a graphic designer to execute properly.
• Videos: Flipagram, anyone? Not only is it ideal for sharing a series of photographs from a special event, but it can also be used to illustrate a visual checklist for a simple recipe or anything of the like.
• Quotes: Several individuals in the self-help industry, such as Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins, frequently share quotes on decorative backdrops to motivate their followers. The image could be something as simple as a company logo or small flower. Shifting away from traditional text heightens likeability and social interaction.

Boost your brand’s online presence and engagement with your audience by applying some of these strategies. And remember: a picture is worth a thousand words!

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Time Management Tips From Marketers: How to Deal with Weekly Commitments

As a marketer it can be tough handling countless, never-ending obligations on a week-to-week basis. If only we were tasked with sitting down and banging out 20-plus stories by the end of the week we would feel infinitely less stressed.

But this is the real world where marketers have calendar pop-ups and strategically placed post-it notes to remind us to update editorial calendars, review client workloads, conduct weekly client calls and attend monthly internal team meetings, among many other responsibilities. Before you know it, that once blank schedule is now filled to the brim with a number of seemingly small tasks that quickly add up—and it can be completely overwhelming.

This process makes me think of the way credit card spending works; you make seemingly small, miscellaneous purchases that very quickly add up until you’re looking at your statement wondering: “How in the world will I be able to pay all of this off quickly?” In many ways, time management can feel like paying off a mountain of debt; we work to shave off items on our weekly schedules within an allotted time frame—all while feeling the pressure to complete projects on time and within budget.

I may not know what projects or deadlines you have ahead of you this week, but I can promise you that they are doable with the right time management plan in place. For instance, I would suggest avoiding multitasking. With research showing that only two percent of people can successfully multitask, chances are you cannot multitask as well as you think. Not only this, but multitasking (ex: catching up on emails while in a weekly team meeting) has been linked to a number of negative, brain-damaging effects. For instance, aggregated research from Forbes shows that high multi-taskers have less brain density in their anterior cingulate cortex—a part of the brain responsible for empathy as well as cognitive control. Additionally, the research shows that multitasking is directly linked to decreased productivity and lesser quality work.

Therefore, your best bet is to take one thing at a time; hone in on that one task until it has reached completion or expectations, and then move on to the next.

Here are some other time management tips from my team that seem to work well for us marketers:

• “Use Google Trends instead of combing the Web for relevant information if you need a quick topic,” Gerald Baldino, Digital Content Editor.

• “The key with time management is to get really good at prioritization. Not every task is a must-do; some can be pushed to the backburner. When you get a better handle of how to prioritize work, you can execute more swiftly,” Carrie Majewski, Director of Content Marketing.

• “Never handle the same item twice. That is, whether you’re opening an email or listening to your voicemail, be prepared to address its contents then and there. If you put it aside for another time, you’re adding to the time each item requires of you,” Peg Ventricelli, Quality Control Editor.

What other time saving or management tips would you add to our list? Let us know!

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Internet marketing specialist tip: Get Personal with “Love Letters”

Make your customers fall in love with your brand with something as heartfelt and personal as an email.

Fellow Internet marketing specialist, you might be surprised to know that despite the popularity of social media email marketing hasn’t lost its glimmer.  According to the Radicati Group, Inc., a technology market research firm, the number of worldwide email accounts is expected to increase to over 5.2 Billion in 2018 from 4.1 Billion of 2014.  (Details can be found in this report).

So why does email remain to be more ubiquitous than social media? Unlike a social media post, which addresses all of your followers, an email is more personal.  First-name-basis personal, as a matter-of-fact.  It gives you a chance to create a more intimate experience with your customers.

But with all that said, achieving success in email marketing can be quite tricky.  You might be rubbing your customers the wrong way by constantly pitching your products or sending generic newsletters with irrelevant content that your efforts always go down the drain (and into the Spam folder).  But don’t despair.  You still have a chance to sweep your customers off their feet again with these tips:

Say thank you.
Let your customers know how much you appreciate their business.  Send them an elegant thank-you email, or give them a discount coupon for their next purchase.  Thanking them for trusting your company lets them know that you care about them, and are not always after a sale.

Apologize.
Order delays and services, and broken websites can be frustrating to your customers.  But they’re all an inevitable part of any business.  The best thing you can do is damage control.  Show how much you care for your customers by sending them an apology email.

Be thoughtful.
Nothing says “I love you” more than little tokens, gifts, and favors.  Remember how giddy you feel when someone hands you flowers, even when it’s not Valentines, or when your other half buys you your favorite dessert on the most random occasion?  Your customers, too, will feel smitten when you give them something that will add value to their life, without expecting something in return.  Sharing helpful advice for free will not only demonstrate your expertise, but also help build trust and loyalty among your clients.

Let them know that you remember them on their special days. 
Birthday cards and special holiday wishes are the best way to let customers know that they are remembered on their special day or during the holidays (and a chance for you to do holiday promotions).  Add in discounts, freebies, and fun images that are worth sharing.

Don’t be the “overly attached” partner
You may have a knack for crafting spectacular newsletters and emails thanks to your website copywriting prowess.  But just because you can send them a personalized email filled with love and appreciation everyday doesn’t mean that you should.  Blasting emails too often can come out as spammy-creepy.  Think about how an overly attached beau leaving you 29 voicemails everyday, or, texting you every minute can be so annoying.  Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Keep them looking forward to your next email by scheduling your email marketing blasts and sending only targeted and relevant content.

When done right, email marketing can do more than just win your customers’ affection.  It can help you earn a permanent place in their hearts.

So dear Internet marketing specialist, it’s time to get personal… with email marketing, of course.

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Generalists Vs. Specialists In SEO: Best Approach

In a follow-up to her last column, Erin Everhart takes on the question of whether it’s better for search engine optimization professionals to be highly specialized in SEO or more of a jack-of-all-trades digital marketer.

A couple of months ago, I talked about how the role of an SEO professional is undergoing a serious transformation.

Yes, our primary job is still to drive organic traffic and increase organic revenue — but the way that we do that now has changed so much that we’ve had to acquire additional skills in order to make that happen. Nowadays, you have to think and act like a content developer, user experience advocate, digital strategist, creative marketer and cheerleader if you’re going to survive in SEO.

That piece caused a bit of a stir, and it sparked some crucial discussions with a lot of people I deeply respect. Two key trends popped up in particular:

1. Do we specialize in one facet of digital, or has the industry changed so much that we’re forced to be cross-functional?
2. Should SEO be considered marketing? Are there SEO professionals who don’t want to adapt, who don’t want to see SEO as marketing?

Two Sides To SEO

Joe Hall wrote a rebuttal talking about how our job as an SEO should only be SEO, citing some great case studies for tactics that are “purely SEO” — things like redirects, URL structure, code review on a full AJAX site, and Panda/Penguin cleanup.

Joe’s article isn’t wrong. Mine isn’t either. But neither one of them, as individual articles, tells the full story of what SEOs are completely responsible for in 2015. Combined, they’re getting close.

Are there some instances when you can just implement tech improvements for a site-wide increase in organic traffic? Yes. Are there some instances when you can just implement digital marketing tactics for a site-wide increase in organic traffic? Yes. Are there even more instances when you have to do both? Hell yes.

You have to at least have a thorough understanding of how both sides operate to survive in this industry. The problem is that while everyone is demanding marketers to be more technical/analytical, I don’t see that same plea for the tech folks to think like marketers.

And that’s not entirely fair. It’s just making the gap larger, where both sides think their way is the only way to do SEO: marketing (content development, UX researcher, digital strategist) or technical (URL structure, code review, penalty cleanup).

The fact of the matter is that as long as Google keeps changing its algorithm, SEOs will have to keep changing their tactics.

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Creating the Ultimate Writing: Exactly How Tiny Facts Could Make a Change

Let’s start with a basic assertion: blogging is great.

Not only is blogging great, but it also offers numerous advantages to writers from around the world. Whether you want to create a monetized and lucrative blog or simply hone your craft as a writer, blogging regularly and about a subject that you are passionate about remains an extremely effective past-time.

With Google adopting an increasingly aggressive approach towards driving a higher quality of online content, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to create a compliant blog post that retains visibility. If you are keen to create a blog that ranks highly on Google and provides a suitable platform for your work, it is becoming increasingly keen that you pay attention to even minor details.

3 Small Details that Impact the Quality and Reach of your Blog Posts

These details can have a significant impact on the reach and ranking of your blog, while they also dictate how engaging each individual post is. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the following three factors and understand the best practice for ambitious bloggers: –

The Length of your Blog Post

Achieving the optimum length of blog post is extremely difficult to achieve, not least because industry guidelines are constantly changing. Bloggers may also write across numerous genres and content types, each of which will demand a specific number of words to do the subject matter justice. As a general rule, however, blog posts with higher word counts often correlate with a superior Google ranking. Posts with 2000 words or more tend to feature predominantly on the first page of Google, so you should use this as a general guideline when creating content.

What else can you do? Within this guideline, try to be flexible and create relevant content that articulates your point. Avoid using excessive language simply to drive up your word count, and focus primarily on earning and retaining the readers’ attention. You should perhaps aim to write one, 2,000 blog post each week, targeting one of your areas of expertise and exploring this in greater detail.

Use an Active Voice and Positive Language

Another small but significant detail for bloggers to consider is the tone of the posts. Blogs with positive or aspirational tones tend to perform better than those with an air of negativity, so regardless of your subject matter try to accentuate the positive elements of each post and empower readers with a sense of optimism. You should look to avoid writing with a passive voice where possible, as this tends to create dry and one-paced content that is less likely to engage casual readers.

What else can you do? While creating blog posts from a positive perspective may require a forward thinking outlook, this is easily translated through the use of an active voice. Active verbs infuse written content with energy and vitality, helping to engage readers quickly and for a longer period of time.  This not only compliments a positive tone, but it also has the potential to generate excitement and bring even dry or commercial content to life.

The Need for Media-rich Content

When it comes to embellishing your content, it is also important to consider whether there are additional content types that can help you to articulate your message. Diverse and media-rich content also fares well on Google, while it also helps to engage readers on a far more meaningful level. This means that you should look to incorporate images and videos that add value to your post, either by adding context to your written content or bringing a particular vision to life. Once again, the key is to focus on relevance and integrating diverse content that adds value to the blog post.

What else can you do? Once you have written, edited and refined your content, you should highlight any areas that require either substantiation or an alternative visual element. For the former you can embed authority links, while the latter demands that you source a suitable video or image that enhances the visual appeal of the blog post without confusing the message. This way, you will negate the risk of including content that creates a disjointed or confusing layout.

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7 Marketing Knowledge You Actually Need Throughout 2015 And Beyond

Marketing Skills for Marketers of Today and the Future

If you’ve been a marketer for less than a decade, you probably find it downright staggering to consider how marketing’s best practices have changed in the past 10 years. Consumers aren’t using catalogues, radio advertising, direct mail, or trade shows to make decisions any longer – at least, not at nearly the rate they used to. Social media, content marketing, apps, and personalized advertising are in. Data isn’t a mysterious asset closely guarded by the IT department any longer, either. Big data is now a necessary and accessible tool for making marketing and business decisions.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer, small business owner, or aspiring marketer, we’ve curated an updated list of the skills you need to bring your career into this decade. Better yet, we’ve even uncovered some expert insights on the skills that will serve you best in the years to come. If building relationships and revenue today and tomorrow is what you’re after, read on:

1. Social Media

Social media is still the most popular activity on the web. However, social media in 2015 looks significantly different than it did in 2011, or even in 2013. Facebook once reigned supreme, and it’s still uber popular, with around 56% of adults as members. However, multi-platform use is on the rise. Consumers are now more likely to split their time between Facebook and other platforms, including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. Frankly, sharp marketers are starting to do the same.

Between recent changes in Facebook’s algorithm, an increase in paid social advertising, and shifts in consumer behavior, today’s marketers aren’t just focused on how to create a really great Facebook post. They’re savvy researchers, who know how to discover the platforms their customers are using, and build a presence there. Focus less on platform-specific skill sets than the social and authentic aspects of social media marketing; and your campaigns are likely to really shine.

2. Content Marketing

Several years ago, blogging was a heavy player in marketer’s efforts to see success. Today? Blogging is still a remarkably effective tool, and HubSpot reports there are 31% more bloggers today than there were in 2012. However, blogging is just one form of content, and great marketers take a really comprehensive view towards building a content marketing strategy.

Marketers with a passion for content need to be able to write, edit, and articulate concepts well. They should also have a capacity for conceptualizing and creating visual content, creating real-time, relevant stories (news jacking), and taking a cross-platform approach to telling brand stories.

3. Lead Generation

Marketers can’t just focus on driving web traffic or gaining a social media following. The art of lead generation is crucial for exceptional inbound marketing; and it simply can’t be overlooked in today’s highly competitive atmosphere.

What does exceptional lead generation look like in 2015 and beyond? It could encompass eBooks, whitepapers, webinars, or other on-demand resources. It will likely include well-designed landing pages, too. However, the most critical aspect of lead generation is the concept of give and take. You ask your prospects for just enough information that they’re comfortable opting-in to your email list; in exchange, you offer them truly valuable and relevant information.

4. Email Marketing

I’m sorry, but email marketing isn’t dead. Spam and obnoxiously aggressive email marketing campaigns should have died years ago, but truly great email marketing? It’s definitely here to stay. Exact Target reports that nearly half of consumers make at least one purchase per year based on email marketing, and some 56% of marketers plan to increase their email marketing budget in the year to come.

While best practices are likely to continue to change, exceptional email marketing campaigns are always highly informative, personalized, and relevant to the recipients. Developing the ability to intelligently segment a list and target messages accordingly can only serve inbound marketers well.

5. Relationship Building and Networking

Marketers are essentially connectors. Really, they’re in the business of connecting consumers with needed products or service solutions, and their employers with a steady stream of new revenue. For this reason, a marketer’s career will be much more successful if they’re able to build relationships both on and offline.

Marketers need the ability to develop and project a consistent personal and professional brand online, through social media and content marketing. They need the customer service skills to professionally engage with prospects and customers in online forums. Perhaps most importantly, marketers shouldn’t overlook offline events for marketing their brands, which Content Marketing Institute reports are still among one of the most effective marketing methods.

6. Web Technologies and User Experience

97% of consumers look up a product or service online before making their final purchase. There is no changing the fact that a company’s website is their calling card. Do all inbound marketers need the ability to code a beautiful, mobile-responsive website from the ground up? Not really, especially if they’re in a position to outsource their web design to an agency or on-staff IT professional.

However, every marketer needs to understand the difference between good and bad web design, and be able to articulate this difference in a more detailed manner than simply stating “that is one ugly website!” Understand a bit about how the human mind works, and the behavioral psychology principles behind user experience. Know how humans and technology interact, and how this should affect your site’s design, layout, and load times. Keep up to date on best practices, and your brand will never suffer a terrible website.

7. Customer Service

If there was a single aspect of marketing that will never, ever change, it would undoubtedly be customer service. Brands that put people first, such as Whole Foods and Nordstrom, continue to experience growth and high customer satisfaction year over year. The focus on your marketing campaign should be to make your prospects happy, and reward your existing customer base.

Regardless of whether you’ve been marketing for 20 years or you’re just breaking into the field, remember that you are ultimately a customer service professional. As a public-facing member of your enterprise, your primary role is to represent your brand, and ensure high satisfaction with your organization. Every single marketer can benefit from continual attention to their customer service skills – in fact, this applies to every professional, too!

What are some of the skills you think are crucial to inbound marketers in 2015 and beyond? How do you feel they’ve changed over the past several years?

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The 21 Best Productivity Tools To Add More Hours To Your Day

If time is money, productivity is like that Apple stock you bought decades ago – it has the power to make you a very rich Scrooge McDuck.

I remember when I was younger feeling totally befuddled by the vast shelves of self-help books about time management. It all sounded like a capital snore fest. That all changes when you begin to realize just how valuable your time is; and with more ways to waste (and make really great use of) our time than ever before, we’re always looking for better ways to beat the clock.

Today I’m giving my two cents with this list of the 21 best productivity tools to make better use of your brief time here on this majestic earth. Feel free to save time and scan for what interests you – I won’t be offended.

21 Productivity Tools to Turn You Into a Time Lord

Use these tools and before you know it, you’ll find yourself floating through space in a police call box. Best of luck productivity traveler!

For: All-In-One Organization

There are quite a few applications out there aiming to become your virtual notepad of life. Let’s take a look at a few.

Asana

Asana markets itself as a team productivity tool, helping everyone stay on-task and organized. I kind of found it to be a more complicated version of a handwritten list. Probably not all that useful for solo workers, but if you’re on a team, Asana will help you keep all projects and tasks in one spot, assigning various users different jobs.

Asana is free to start, then you’ll pay $21/month for 5 team members, with the cost increasing as you add more team members.

Freedcamp

Freedcamp serves as a central spot for project planning, organization, and action. Share project to-dos, project files, and join in discussions with team members. The coolest thing about Freedcamp is that they provide a TON of functionality for free.

While adding team members and syncing with Google Calendar would definitely be a pro feature with other applications, Freedcamp lets you do the vast majority of activities pro bono. If there are advanced features like CRM and invoices you want to integrate, you can pay per add-ons so that you’re only paying for what you really need. I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!

For: Google Worshipers

Google Drive (and Company)

Google Drive (along with Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets) makes it easy to share and edit an array of files. Team members can even chat and share notes from within a document. It’s free, awesome, and not worth missing out on.

Google Analytics & Google Webmaster Tools

It goes without saying, but these are necessities. Talking about productivity without talking about Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools is like talking about April without mentioning Game of Thrones. You can’t neglect the important stuff!

These tools provide ultra-valuable insight about your website’s performance, traffic, referrals, and conversions (if you set up conversion tracking…which you damn well better)! Together, these tools will help you monitor and maintain your website to ensure it is internet-optimized and Google-friendly (which are basically one and the same these days).

For: Mobile Maveriks

Evernote

Evernote is a handy and versatile app that can save notes (audio and text), organize photos, set reminders, and upload attachments, all synced across your various desktop and mobile devices. Plus, Evernote’s bookmarklet makes it easy to clip web articles and store them for later reading. If you’re constantly jumping devices, this one is for you.

For: Social Media Masterminds

HootSuite

An oldie but a goodie, HootSuite is tremendously helpful when managing various social media accounts. Monitor all your social activity across networks in one easy-to-use dashboard which lets you schedule posts, delegate social assignments to team members, organize Twitter lists and followers, measure performance, and more.

Buffer

Buffer makes it extraordinarily easy to share web articles via social media without headache and hassle. Simply log into Buffer, connect social media accounts, and schedule specific content sharing times. When you’re out and about surfing the web and see an article you know your followers will love, hit the Buffer bookmarklet button and Buffer will throw that article into your queue, which it will then share at one of your designated share times.

Buffer helps promote great content across the web and helps you store and share content so you don’t cram articles down the throats of your followers all at once.

IFTTT

IFTTT, standing for If This Then That, lets you craft “recipes” that allow for various apps and services to connect and work together. For example, I can create an IFTTT recipe that automatically uploads my Instagram photos to my Google Drive account. Create awesome integration with zero programming experience! If you can think it, you can IFTTT it.

IFTTT can be utilized in endless combinations, and not just with regards to social media. However, social media users will find this an essential tool in their social shed.

For: Time Tracking

Toggl

Toggl is a simple time tracker tool – just click the Toggl button and your timer begins! It’s a super simple, super easy way to track the time it takes to complete various tasks. Toggl also lets you look at reports and see how much time you spent on different projects throughout the week.

Rescue Time

Rescue Time is a similar concept to Toggl, but offers more advanced features.

Rescue Time can be installed on your computer and will track what programs and websites you spend the most time on. It’s a pretty incredible tool, showing not only where you’re spending your time, but also what hours are your least/most productive, along with your best and worst days of the week (and month).

The Premium upgrade lets you block out distracting sites and offers even more filters. Still, the free version packs an impressive amount of insight. Try Rescue Time and see how you can make yourself more productive!

For: Copywriting

ODesk / ELance

Sometimes the best man for the job is someone who is not you. Heck, probably pretty often the best man for the job isn’t you. Maybe because you aren’t even a man; maybe you’re a carrot. Who knows?

If you need to get going with blogging content (and trust me, you do, because everyone does), then ODesk and ELance are decent places to start.

These sites are free to sign up with, then you provide them with 10% of each payment per project. Alternatively, scour LinkedIn for freelancers. Usually you can get a decent assessment of a freelancer’s skill level by checking out their profile and doing a little digging. Whichever path you take, just remember that copy can’t be done single-handedly, so don’t be afraid to hire out some help.

Hemingway

Back when I was compiling a list of the best content marketing tools, one WordStream commenter (thanks Nicole!) made a suggestion of trying out Hemingway – it’s a great little tool that checks your grammar and highlights potential sentence danger zones as you write. Give it a type!

For: Account Overload

LastPass

LastPass provides a modern miracle for users who are sick and tired of constantly struggling to remember passwords (and subsequently resetting most of them every time they log in). LastPass remembers all your passwords, like an angel Jiminy Cricket. One LastPass can be used across several devices, storing various passwords in your vault and auditing your passwords in order to help you create better, more secure passwords (since you no longer have to remember KLBTU6@34).

I know, it sounds too good to be true, but LastPass does seem to be pretty secure. Recommended by Lifehacker, CNet, and with a straight 5-star rating from PC Magazine, it’s safe to say that LastPass keeps you safe. LastPass uses multifactor authentication for your single master password, helping all your data stay all aboard.

Note: You’ll get plenty with the free version (and yes, the free version is still ultra-secure), but the best features (adding employees to certain password folders, mobile syncing, etc.) are for paying customers.

For: Pressing PR Matters

Google Alerts

Keep instant tabs on when your business or brand is mentioned anywhere on the web. Not only is this handy for keeping track of PR, but it’s also a great way to make sure that you’re getting links from anyone who mentions you biz.

For: Email Overwhelm

SaneBox

SaneBox analyzes your past and ongoing email activity to deduce, in a very Sherlock-esque manner, which emails matter to you and which don’t. SaneBox will move the less important emails into the @SaneLater folder that magically appears in your inbox, storing them for retrieval when you have a spare minute. You know, that spare minute when you say to yourself, “let’s take a look at more junk I probably don’t care about.”

Ultimately, the issue is that by hiding away “unimportant” (although notably not completely unimportant, otherwise you’d just unsubscribe) messages to the gloomy email moors, you risk never seeing them. But considering how inundated most of us are with spam and flash sales, we’d probably embrace sending them straight to the incinerator.

Unroll.Me

Unroll.Me neatens up your inbox by compiling all your newsletters (which you select) into one rolled up email bundle that you can open and scan when you feel like it.

Unroll.Me helps hide email clutter and also lists out all of your email subscriptions (beware, this can get pretty gruesome). Use the Unroll.Me unsubscribe option to kick some of those suffocating newsletters to the curb.

For: Chrome Users

StayFocused

StayFocused is a free Chrome extension that restricts the amount of time you are allowed to spend on “time-wasting websites” like Facebook. The tool is ultra-customizable – choose which websites (or specific pages) to block, how long to block them for, etc.

Chrome to Mobile

This Chrome extension let’s you move webpages and other stuff you’re working on directly to your phone, so you can continue your efforts easily when on the move.

For: News & Blog Junkies

Podkicker

If you’re a podcast addict, you’ll want a podcast app to help you organize your subscriptions. I’ve been using Podkicker for years and really enjoy its simple, easy-to-use interface. It’s free, but you can also update to Podkicker Pro (to get rid of ads) for $2.

Pocket

Pocket is a sweet little app that lets you save awesome content (articles, images, videos, etc.) to check out later.

Picture this: you’re surfing around researching and see a fun article about the all-time best Pokemon (Arcanine, duh). Hit the Pocket button in your bookmark toolbar and the article will go straight to your Pocket. Pocket syncs across devices so you that later on you can read those fun articles and watch YouTube videos of mini pot-bellied pigs during the train ride home.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/top-productivity-tools.jpg.jpg

For: Visual Organizers

Trello

Trello is a cute, relatively simple and handy way to stay organized. It looks a lot like a Pinterest board, but instead of being totally photo-centric, Trello lets you add lists, labels, and tasks that you can drag, drop, and play with at your leisure. While it’s nothing revolutionary, it could be just the thing for visual organizers and serves as a nice alternative to covering your monitor in post-it notes.

Bonus Productivity Tips

Bonus advice activated! Here are some general productivity tips to get you going.

• Learn Keyboard Shortcuts. Shortcuts can save you oodles of time, so if you spent many an hour in Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop, take the time to learn major shortcuts. Soon they’ll become part of your muscle memory and you’ll wonder how you ever got on without them!

• Clean Up That Computer. If you’re like me, then you’re a total tab monster, your desktop is covered in screenshots, and your computer rarely shuts down completely. All these semi-small issues amount to one big problem for your poor struggling computer. Tidy things up, empty the trash once in a while, and let the tuckered little thing sleep at night. A faster computer means a faster you, so don’t neglect the simple fixes.

• Old School Lists. Despite all the awesome tools we covered here today, there is something unique about writing down a good ol’ fashioned list. The physical aspect of handwriting a task list (and crossing out those to-dos) can be quite cathartic. Not everything needs to be digitized my friends.

• Don’t Burn Yourself Out. Contrary to what corporate may think, you just can’t be a productive machine 9-5 all day, every day. Our brains don’t work that way, and trying to activate robot mode will only hamper you in the long run. Humans actually achieve their maximum productivity when they’re happy and getting plenty of down time throughout the day. Read up on the Pomodoro Technique and make sure you are building regular respites in your day so you don’t fry your circuits.

• Be Realistic About Time Management. Structuring your day into time blocks is a great way to go into a new day feeling confident. However, being unrealistic about how long it will take you to finish that e-mail newsletter won’t do you any favors. Give yourself plenty of time to get tasks done (and include breaks!)

That concludes our list of top productivity tools! May they lead to a speedier, more efficient you. Do you have any awesome productivity tools you want to recommend that we didn’t call out here? Share your favs in the comments below.

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