Benjamin Franklin as soon as mentioned, “Misplaced time is rarely discovered once more.” Whereas that isn’t precisely probably the most optimistic quote, it’s sadly true. Till scientists determine time machines or immortality, we’re caught with adopting strategies to stay productive and higher use our time.
We will’t deny AI’s cultural renaissance. It has develop into part of on a regular basis workflows and conversations. HubSpot’s AI Proof & Positioning Report discovered that staff are most involved about dropping their jobs as a consequence of AI, and the #1 purpose they don’t use AI is as a result of they fear about changing into too reliant on it.
Whereas I perceive how unsettling it might really feel to have a device that appears to do your job higher than you (the professional), I’ve acknowledged that AI is definitely simply serving to me do my job higher and quicker.
Nonetheless skeptical? Learn on for extra knowledge from our AI Proof & Positioning Report and The HubSpot Weblog’s State of AI Report, which surveyed 1100 entrepreneurs.
Desk of Contents
AI Productiveness Stats
AI instruments assist entrepreneurs rapidly sift by way of massive quantities of data and current it much less complexly. I can attest that, as a marketer, AI instruments like ChatGPT and Grammarly have helped me streamline analysis, current textual content clearly and concisely, and improve my skill to multitask throughout a number of campaigns.
Professionals who’ve carried out AI and automation into their workflow share that these instruments assist them get menial duties finished quicker, enhance the effectivity of their duties and targets, and unlock time that might be higher spent on probably the most crucial tasks.
On this manner, AI is just not solely enhancing productiveness but additionally serving to to make your job extra pleasant.
Listed here are some survey outcomes from actual business professionals who see the worth of AI of their every day workflows.
- 75% of respondents both considerably agreed or strongly agreed that AI helped save time on handbook duties.
- AI instruments give advertising groups 12.5 hours again per week, which equates to 25-26 further working days per yr. This permits entrepreneurs to deal with strategic duties, artistic work, and other people administration.
- 84% of bloggers/SEOs state that AI and automation have impacted their web optimization technique.
- 83% of entrepreneurs say that AI helps them create considerably extra content material than they may with out.
- 85% of salespeople utilizing AI and automation say it makes their prospecting efforts more practical.
- 72% of companies which have carried out AI instruments state that AI and automation make their staff extra productive.
- 68% of enterprise leaders say that AI will help their firm scale in a manner not possible with out it.
- 53% of entrepreneurs who use generative AI to put in writing copy say they solely must make minor edits to the textual content afterward.
How I Examined the Finest AI Instruments for Work
So many AI instruments exist, every with totally different functions and worth components. I imagine the easiest way to check new instruments is to use them to my work — kill two birds with one stone, and all.
To guage the productiveness instruments talked about under, I utilized every throughout my writing for this weblog publish. Whether or not to extend the pace of the particular writing or enhance my time administration across the writing course of, I discovered the instruments under important to entrepreneurs and writers.
Whereas I particularly utilized them to my work as a author, I can verify that, as a marketer, I already use a few of the instruments under or would fortunately implement them in my day-to-day job at Nickelodeon. In any case, 35% of entrepreneurs say they already use AI and automation instruments every day.
AI Productiveness Instruments
1. Jasper
As a weblog author, I naturally began my analysis with a content material creation device.
Jasper is an AI device that helps write all kinds of enterprise-marketing-style content material, from press releases to web site touchdown pages to, sure, weblog posts. It’s the second-most widespread AI device for advertising.
I used the “Model Voice” characteristic to hyperlink certainly one of my latest HubSpot weblog posts. This characteristic helps the device set up your “voice” so it might finest match that when producing textual content.
Subsequent, I clicked “Create Content material” and toggled to “Create a weblog publish.” The publish you’re studying is finest served as a listicle, so I selected “Listicle” as my sort of publish. Jasper then requested me to fill within the subject, viewers, and description.
After filling on this fast data, I hit “Generate now.” Look ahead to your self how Jasper sprung to the check.
I didn’t count on the publish to be able to ship after Jasper wrote it since AI content material is just not full sufficient to publish by itself about 96% of the time. I used to be right in my considering as a result of the publish was far too quick and a bit too stiff.
However that’s okay since solely 5% of entrepreneurs use generative AI to put in writing whole items of content material. Extra folks merely use it to spark inspiration (35%), create a top level view (33%), or get a number of paragraphs to increase upon (25%).
What I Like
- The “Model Voice” characteristic lets you add or hyperlink to your or your model’s writing samples so Jasper can pump out content material that meets your distinctive type. Many writers, like myself, are very protecting of our voices, so this characteristic made me really feel comfy and assured that the textual content might keep true to me.
- Your content material takes simply seconds to be written up. You merely must fill in some transient details about the content material, resembling subject, audience, or name to motion, and Jasper will rapidly use that data to draft a comparable piece. My jaw dropped at how briskly the device pumped out a model — albeit shorter and fewer pleasant — of this very weblog publish.
- Jasper does an incredible job of staying inside the standards you request. For my weblog publish, for instance, I listed the precise headline titles and variety of instruments I wished to include, and the device made positive to comply with these guardrails.
- You possibly can create a Marketing campaign to maintain all of your content material in a single place. If I had been utilizing this device for my job at Nickelodeon, I might set up social and print adverts, electronic mail newsletters, Instagram publish copy, and press releases for a similar new children’ sequence marketing campaign inside the similar folder.
What Wants Enchancment
- Regardless that I linked to a latest HubSpot weblog publish to assist set up my voice, the AI-generated publish was much less private, a lot shorter, and extra formal than my writing normally is. The concept of “Model Voice” is sensible, however it could require a number of writing samples earlier than Jasper acknowledges your type.
Pricing
- Creator plan: $39/month ($468/yr) – 1 consumer
- Professional plan: $59/month/seat ($708/yr) – as much as 6 customers
- Marketing strategy: Should contact Jasper group for pricing.
2. Grammarly
Grammarly is a device I’ve been utilizing since faculty earlier than AI had a reputation. I’ve at all times been obsessive about phrases and grammar (very cool, I do know), so I grew to become equally as obsessive about a device that might enhance my writing in real-time.
I’ve the free Grammarly for Chrome extension, which gives options on numerous writing-related points, together with correctness, tone options, full sentence rewrites, readability, engagement, and supply.
How loopy is that? You possibly can see how Grammarly can present reside suggestions when you sort. It’s a necessary device for content material creators of all types. Regardless of how quick or lengthy your textual content is, having an AI co-creator wanting over your shoulder like an AP English trainer is useful.
Why I Like It
- You possibly can obtain writing options as you go (like I do with the Grammarly extension), or for those who’d fairly sort up your textual content and acquire suggestions on the finish, you’ll be able to add a doc or copy and paste a whole physique of textual content instantly into the Grammarly device.
- Grammarly analyzes your piece for the subject and argument and makes use of its “Improve your affect” characteristic to counsel how one can meet these targets. This elevates the device from a spelling and grammar checker to an end-to-end writing companion in seconds.
- The facility remains to be in your arms as the author; whereas Grammarly gives suggestions on every little thing from rephrasing a sophisticated sentence to deciding on a extra substantial synonym, you make the last word choice. I do know my writing finest, so I select to train my artistic liberty when Grammarly’s options are much less technical.
- College students and professionals alike can use the “Verify for plagiarism” characteristic to make sure you haven’t by accident borrowed some phrases from one other supply.
- The AI device can simply be built-in into different instruments, web sites, and apps, resembling Microsoft Suite, Google Drive, iOS, Android, and even Hubspot, so you’ll be able to guarantee your writing improves throughout all platforms.
What Wants Enchancment
- As a lot as I like this device, I need to admit it might typically be visually distracting. I’m continually sifting by way of dozens of multi-colored, underlined phrases and phrases, which may develop into tedious.
- As is true for all AI instruments, Grammarly can’t be trusted to be 100% good. It’s at all times finest to make use of your experience as a author (or that of a trusted colleague or good friend) to provide your writing a once-over and guarantee Grammarly doesn’t miss an incorrect verb tense or pointless capitalization.
Pricing
- Free plan: $0
- Premium plan: $12/month, billed yearly (or $30/month, billed month-to-month)
- Marketing strategy: $15/month, billed yearly (or $25/month, billed month-to-month)
3. ChatGPT
We’ve all heard of it — one of many forerunners within the AI business. In 2022, OpenAI developed ChatGPT, a chatbot and digital assistant, and it has rapidly develop into a trusted device for information, solutions, concepts, and help. You possibly can chat about numerous matters, as seen from the prompt prompts under.
53% of entrepreneurs who use AI instruments use chatbots. For this weblog publish, I used to be inquisitive about what differentiates ChatGPT from different chatbots, so I requested.
As you’ll be able to see, ChatGPT is exclusive as a result of it has information of a variety of topics and might perceive and talk in a human-like method. It’s made to converse, so that you don’t must formalize your writing, and it might usually comprehend minor spelling and grammar errors, as I examined under:
Why I Like It
- ChatGPT gives priceless help to professionals. You possibly can prepare your ChatGPT to satisfy your particular skilled wants, resembling conducting market analysis or discovering concepts for buyer surveys, by inputting your model pointers into the “Customized Directions” characteristic, constructing templates for prompts, and extra.
- It simply integrates with different instruments and web sites, providing alternatives for personalization, AI-fueled conversations with customers, and environment friendly streamlining of data and knowledge throughout platforms. I lately used the Expedia app’s AI assistant, which has ChatGPT know-how, to plan a visit to Charleston.
- You possibly can depend on ChatGPT for a lot of use instances that will in any other case should be break up up throughout a number of AI instruments. I’ve used it to search out out what sorts of influencers are hottest in worldwide markets, uncover synonyms for frequent phrases, and even learn to burn up leftover produce in my fridge.
What Wants Enchancment
- ChatGPT can’t be taught in real-time, so its information solely exists up till the final time it was up to date (at present January 2022). Which means a few of its data is perhaps barely outdated or now not factual.
- Whereas it might talk like a human, it’s not human. ChatGPT would possibly typically miss the context for or misread your prompts or questions. It might probably additionally present biased or incorrect data, so its phrase can’t be relied on as legislation.
Pricing
- Free plan: $0
- Plus plan: $20/month
- Crew plan: $25/consumer/month, billed yearly (or $30/consumer/month, billed month-to-month)
- Enterprise plan: Should contact ChatGPT group for pricing.
4. Reclaim
“Reclaim” your time with Reclaim, an AI calendar scheduling app that optimizes your (and your group’s) schedules to extend private and group productiveness, all whereas prioritizing your work-life stability.
Reclaim boasts supplying you with again an additional work day each week, with 7.6 extra productive hours, which I do know I might definitely use.
I accomplished an excellent chunk of this publish on a rolling foundation however discovered myself a few days earlier than the due date with roughly 8 hours of writing left. I used Reclaim to assist me optimize my time round my morning exercises, Nickelodeon working hours, and night social plans to get my publish finished in time.
Reclaim additionally gives a wide range of skilled and private behavior templates to select from, and it’ll robotically match the behavior into your calendar for nonetheless lengthy and at no matter cadence you like.
My work calendar rapidly fills up with conferences, so I’d use Reclaim to arrange Focus Time all through my week to work on tasks and Mindfulness breaks to make sure I take quick walks and time away from my display.
Entrepreneurs spend roughly 5 hours every day on handbook, administrative, or operational duties. AI instruments like Reclaim will help the typical marketer save practically 2.5 hours every day on these duties and spend extra time on the issues that matter most.
Why I Like It
- It’s exhausting to schedule time for private actions resembling studying, exercising, or having a correct lunch in the course of the workday. Reclaim encourages you to find time for this stuff and robotically provides these habits to your calendar.
- The “Good Conferences” characteristic analyzes your whole group’s schedules and finds one of the best time for recurring conferences, so that you don’t must manually search for calendars, electronic mail colleagues, and handle scheduling conflicts.
- The “Calendar Sync” characteristic helped me mix my Nickelodeon, HubSpot, and private calendars to maximise my time and effectively prioritize all my commitments.
What Wants Enchancment
- The app isn’t as user-friendly as different AI instruments I examined. It took a while for me to get acquainted with the assorted options and to determine the easiest way to optimize Reclaim for my HubSpot Weblog writing wants.
- Reclaim works finest in a piece setting if all of your group members additionally use it. In any other case, you’re unable to train a few of the finest options, like “Good Conferences.”
Pricing
- Lite plan: $0 – 1 consumer
- Starter plan: $8/consumer/month – as much as 10 customers
- Marketing strategy: $12/consumer/month – as much as 100 customers
- Enterprise plan: $18/consumer/month – over 100 customers
5. ChatPDF
48% of entrepreneurs at the moment use generative AI instruments like ChatPDF to conduct analysis. ChatPDF has revolutionized the thought of “skimming” into an AI-powered machine. You merely add any PDF and look forward to ChatPDF to soak up the knowledge.
Then, you’re delivered to a chat web page, the place you’ll be able to ask any questions concerning the PDF. The chat characteristic is extremely useful for college kids and professors trying to summarize prolonged instructional supplies.
Nonetheless, it additionally has limitless potentialities for professionals. Acquired a 50-slide presentation from a shopper that you want to sift by way of by the morning? Or a 30-page report from a client survey that may present insights on your subsequent marketing campaign? ChatPDF has your again.
As you’ll be able to see, ChatPDF helps you digest massive quantities of data and pick no matter knowledge factors and conclusions are obligatory on your work. I get pleasure from utilizing this device as a fact-checker or second set of eyes.
I learn by way of the HubSpot Weblog’s State of AI Report, a 33-page PDF, to analysis some key AI productiveness stats and knowledge. Then, I used ChatPDF to double-check my work and guarantee I included an important materials on this weblog publish.
Why I Like It
- This device is an ideal instance of how AI will help us do our jobs higher with out really doing our jobs. ChatPDF doesn’t offer you any new data; as a substitute, it helps you narrow by way of the noise and get the precise knowledge you want.
- The device may be very simple to make use of. Its look is straightforward, which works nicely for this sort of AI device. Even probably the most technologically challenged particular person can determine ChatPDF.
- You possibly can add a PDF in any language. That is particularly useful for me, as I work in Worldwide Advertising and marketing. Slightly than asking my regional advertising groups to translate their PDFs into English earlier than sending them to me, I can settle for the unique format and summarize it myself.
- I respect that, fairly than merely summarizing the contents of a PDF, this AI device introduces a chatbot characteristic. This manner, you ask for exactly what you need, which works twofold — you aren’t slowed down by unneeded data and are pressured to have some semblance of the contents since it’s a must to know what to ask for. It prevents us from getting negligent with our work.
What Wants Enchancment
- The device has a really area of interest objective. In contrast to ChatGPT, which can be utilized for numerous private {and professional} duties, ChatPDF has a restricted workflow. It does what it does nicely, however you could not want to make use of it every day.
Pricing
- Free plan: $0
- Plus plan: $5/month
- Premium plan: $15/month
6. DreamStudio
Stability AI is the proprietor of a wide range of AI merchandise for text-to-image and video technology. Entrepreneurs who use AI to generate written and visible content material save a median of greater than 3 hours per piece, so I used to be wanting ahead to testing DreamStudio, the web-based app model of Steady Diffusion 3.
I’m not a pure artist or designer, however at Nickelodeon, I sometimes transient our artistic groups on a brand new sequence (from predominant characters to animation type to places), which they then use to tell the creation of the sequence key artwork.
Instruments like DreamStudio would assist me rapidly visualize my advertising technique, which the artistic group might use as a diving off level.
I made a decision to check this device to generate a picture I might use inside this weblog publish (see How I Examined the Finest AI Instruments for Work).
This immediate was an incredible instance of the capabilities of this text-to-image generator. I added numerous prompts and filters to hone in on the precise sort of picture I wished.
Studying how one can write sturdy prompts that information picture technology is the simplest manner to make use of text-to-image generative instruments. Chatbots will help with that by drafting a selected immediate on your desired picture, which may then be plugged into DreamStudio.
Why I Like It
- As I discussed, it is a nice approach to visually carry your concepts to life. Like a written define earlier than a weblog publish, DreamStudio can give you a picture define that you should utilize as inspiration on your design or pictures work.
- You possibly can generate imagery to again up a pitch at work. If I had an thrilling thought for a Nickelodeon activation, I might use AI-generated imagery to carry my thought to life and assist my group visualize it.
- Not all picture turbines have a “Destructive Immediate” characteristic, however it is vitally useful to share not solely what you need to see but additionally what you need to keep away from in your picture. You can even play with the facet ratio and the variety of photographs you obtain.
- Slightly than a month-to-month subscription, as with different AI instruments, DreamStudio lets you purchase credit per picture, which gives extra flexibility.
What Wants Enchancment
- The pictures generated weren’t at all times correct. One of many occasions I examined my above immediate, the pictures on the laptop computer display resembled scenes from a fantasy film fairly than AI-related imagery. Whereas promising, this device might take some trial and error to lock down precisely what you’re searching for.
Pricing
- 25 free credit
- $10/1,000 credit: Roughly 5,000 photographs
My Takeaways From Utilizing AI Productiveness Instruments
I used to be fortunate to check a few of these exceptional AI instruments whereas penning this weblog publish. I had already used or heard of some, whereas others had been utterly new.
Grammarly proved to be probably the most useful gizmo for me as a author. I used a free trial of the Premium model, and the intelligence of its options blew me away.
Most of us need to do some kind of writing for our careers, so it is a useful device to take your textual content from passable to extraordinary.
The device that shocked me probably the most was ChatPDF. I had heard of it on social media and was conscious that college students closely use it, however I didn’t count on how helpful it will be in a piece setting. It’s extremely intuitive and is a good instance of how AI can improve effectivity with out compromising the usual of our work.
Whereas many might concern AI overtaking their experience, we are able to’t deny the importance of humanity in every little thing we do. That’s why I at all times use generative writing and content material options as solely a top level view or leaping level.
AI might be able to elevate our lives, however it might by no means substitute what we, as distinctive people, have to supply.