These AI Instruments Upped My Productiveness, Here is How

Benjamin Franklin as soon as stated, “Misplaced time isn’t discovered once more.” Whereas that isn’t precisely essentially the most optimistic quote, it’s sadly true. Till scientists work out time machines or immortality, we’re caught with adopting strategies to stay productive and higher use our time.

We are able to’t deny AI’s cultural renaissance. It has change into part of on a regular basis workflows and conversations. HubSpot’s AI Proof & Positioning Report discovered that employees are most involved about dropping their jobs on account of AI, and the #1 motive 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 could really feel to have a software 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 information from our AI Proof & Positioning Report and The HubSpot Weblog’s State of AI Report, which surveyed 1100 entrepreneurs.

Desk of Contents

AI instruments assist entrepreneurs shortly sift by means of giant quantities of knowledge 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 potential 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 carried out quicker, enhance the effectivity of their duties and objectives, and release time that could possibly be higher spent on essentially the most crucial tasks.

On this approach, AI shouldn’t be solely enhancing productiveness but additionally serving to to make your job extra pleasurable.

Listed here are some survey outcomes from actual trade professionals who see the worth of AI of their every day workflows.

1. 75% of respondents both considerably agreed or strongly agreed that AI helped save time on handbook duties.
2. AI instruments give advertising groups 12.5 hours again per week, which equates to 25-26 further working days per 12 months. This enables entrepreneurs to deal with strategic duties, artistic work, and other people administration.
3. 84% of bloggers/SEOs state that AI and automation have impacted their website positioning technique.
4. 83% of entrepreneurs say that AI helps them create considerably extra content material than they may with out.
5. 85% of salespeople utilizing AI and automation say it makes their prospecting efforts simpler.
6. 72% of companies which have carried out AI instruments state that AI and automation make their workers extra productive.
7. 68% of enterprise leaders say that AI will help their firm scale in a approach inconceivable with out it.
8. 53% of entrepreneurs who use generative AI to put in writing copy say they solely have to make minor edits to the textual content afterward.

Whereas I particularly utilized them to my work as a author, I can affirm that, as a marketer, I already use a number of the instruments beneath 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.

Jasper is an AI software that helps write all types of enterprise-marketing-style content material, from press releases to web site touchdown pages to, sure, weblog posts. It’s the second-most in style AI software for advertising.

I used the “Model Voice” characteristic to hyperlink considered one of my current HubSpot weblog posts. This characteristic helps the software set up your “voice” so it could greatest match that when producing textual content.

Subsequent, I clicked “Create Content material” and toggled to “Create a weblog publish.” The publish you might be studying is greatest 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 info, 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 shouldn’t be full sufficient to publish by itself about 96% of the time. I used to be appropriate in my pondering as a result of the publish was far too brief and a bit too stiff.

However that’s okay since solely 5% of entrepreneurs use generative AI to put in writing complete items of content material. Extra individuals merely use it to spark inspiration (35%), create an overview (33%), or get a number of paragraphs to broaden upon (25%).

What I Like

• The “Model Voice” characteristic permits you to add or hyperlink to your or your model’s writing samples so Jasper can pump out content material that meets your distinctive fashion. Many writers, like myself, are very protecting of our voices, so this characteristic made me really feel snug and assured that the textual content might keep true to me.
• Your content material takes simply seconds to be written up. You merely have to fill in some transient details about the content material, reminiscent of subject, target market, or name to motion, and Jasper will shortly use that info to draft a comparable piece. My jaw dropped at how briskly the software pumped out a model — albeit shorter and fewer pleasant — of this very weblog publish.
• Jasper does an ideal 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 needed to include, and the software made positive to comply with these guardrails.
• You may create a Marketing campaign to maintain all of your content material in a single place. If I had been utilizing this software for my job at Nickelodeon, I might manage social and print advertisements, electronic mail newsletters, Instagram publish copy, and press releases for a similar new children’ sequence marketing campaign inside the similar folder.

What Wants Enchancment

• Although I linked to a current 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 often is. The thought of “Model Voice” is wise, however it could require a number of writing samples earlier than Jasper acknowledges your fashion.

Pricing

• Creator plan: $39/month ($468/12 months) – 1 consumer
• Professional plan: $59/month/seat ($708/12 months) – as much as 6 customers
• Marketing strategy: Should contact Jasper crew for pricing.

2. Grammarly

Grammarly is a software 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 software that might enhance my writing in real-time.

I’ve the free Grammarly for Chrome extension, which gives strategies on numerous writing-related points, together with correctness, tone strategies, full sentence rewrites, readability, engagement, and supply.

How loopy is that? You may see how Grammarly can present stay suggestions when you sort. It’s an important software for content material creators of every kind. Irrespective of how brief 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 may obtain writing strategies as you go (like I do with the Grammarly extension), or for those who’d somewhat sort up your textual content and acquire suggestions on the finish, you possibly can add a doc or copy and paste a complete physique of textual content instantly into the Grammarly software.
• Grammarly analyzes your piece for the subject and argument and makes use of its “Enhance your impression” characteristic to counsel easy methods to meet these objectives. This elevates the software from a spelling and grammar checker to an end-to-end writing companion in seconds.
• The facility remains to be in your palms 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 final word resolution. I do know my writing greatest, so I select to train my artistic liberty when Grammarly’s strategies are much less technical.
• College students and professionals alike can use the “Verify for plagiarism” characteristic to make sure you haven’t by chance borrowed some phrases from one other supply.
• The AI software can simply be built-in into different instruments, web sites, and apps, reminiscent of Microsoft Suite, Google Drive, iOS, Android, and even Hubspot, so you possibly can guarantee your writing improves throughout all platforms.

What Wants Enchancment

• As a lot as I like this software, I need to admit it could generally be visually distracting. I’m always sifting by means of dozens of multi-colored, underlined phrases and phrases, which may change into tedious.
• As is true for all AI instruments, Grammarly can’t be trusted to be 100% good. It’s at all times greatest to make use of your experience as a author (or that of a trusted colleague or pal) 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 trade. In 2022, OpenAI developed ChatGPT, a chatbot and digital assistant, and it has shortly change into a trusted software for data, solutions, concepts, and assist. You may chat about numerous subjects, as seen from the instructed prompts beneath.

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 possibly can see, ChatGPT is exclusive as a result of it has data of a variety of topics and may perceive and talk in a human-like method. It’s made to converse, so that you don’t have to formalize your writing, and it could sometimes comprehend minor spelling and grammar errors, as I examined beneath:

Why I Like It

• ChatGPT gives priceless help to professionals. You may practice your ChatGPT to satisfy your particular skilled wants, reminiscent of conducting market analysis or discovering concepts for buyer surveys, by inputting your model tips 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 knowledge and information throughout platforms. I lately used the Expedia app’s AI assistant, which has ChatGPT expertise, to plan a visit to Charleston.
• You may depend on ChatGPT for a lot of use circumstances which will in any other case should be cut 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 not be taught in real-time, so its data solely exists up till the final time it was up to date (at the moment January 2022). Which means a few of its info could be barely outdated or now not factual.
• Whereas it could talk like a human, it’s not human. ChatGPT may generally miss the context for or misread your prompts or questions. It might probably additionally present biased or incorrect info, 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 crew for pricing.

4. Reclaim

“Reclaim” your time with Reclaim, an AI calendar scheduling app that optimizes your (and your crew’s) schedules to extend private and crew productiveness, all whereas prioritizing your work-life steadiness.

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 carried out in time.

Reclaim additionally gives a wide range of skilled and private behavior templates to select from, and it’ll routinely match the behavior into your calendar for nonetheless lengthy and at no matter cadence you like.

My work calendar shortly 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 brief 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 reminiscent of studying, exercising, or having a correct lunch throughout the workday. Reclaim encourages you to find time for these items and routinely provides these habits to your calendar.
• The “Sensible Conferences” characteristic analyzes your complete crew’s schedules and finds one of the best time for recurring conferences, so that you don’t have to 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 greatest in a piece setting if all of your crew members additionally use it. In any other case, you’re unable to train a number of the greatest options, like “Sensible 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 right now use generative AI instruments like ChatPDF to conduct analysis. ChatPDF has revolutionized the concept of “skimming” into an AI-powered machine. You merely add any PDF and watch for ChatPDF to soak up the knowledge.

Then, you might be delivered to a chat web page, the place you possibly can ask any questions concerning the PDF. The chat characteristic is extremely helpful for college students and professors seeking to summarize prolonged academic supplies.

Nevertheless, it additionally has limitless prospects for professionals. Obtained a 50-slide presentation from a shopper that you should sift by means of by the morning? Or a 30-page report from a client survey that can present insights to your subsequent marketing campaign? ChatPDF has your again.

As you possibly can see, ChatPDF helps you digest giant quantities of knowledge and pick no matter information factors and conclusions are obligatory to your work. I get pleasure from utilizing this software as a fact-checker or second set of eyes.

I learn by means of the HubSpot Weblog’s State of AI Report, a 33-page PDF, to analysis some key AI productiveness stats and information. Then, I used ChatPDF to double-check my work and guarantee I included a very powerful materials on this weblog publish.

Why I Like It

• This software is an ideal instance of how AI will help us do our jobs higher with out truly doing our jobs. ChatPDF doesn’t offer you any new info; as an alternative, it helps you chop by means of the noise and get the precise information you want.
• The software may be very simple to make use of. Its look is straightforward, which works effectively for any such AI software. Even essentially the most technologically challenged particular person can work out ChatPDF.
• You may add a PDF in any language. That is particularly useful for me, as I work in Worldwide Advertising. Reasonably 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 admire that, somewhat than merely summarizing the contents of a PDF, this AI software introduces a chatbot characteristic. This fashion, you ask for exactly what you need, which works twofold — you aren’t slowed down by unneeded info and are compelled 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 software 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 effectively, however it’s possible you’ll 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 mean of greater than 3 hours per piece, so I used to be wanting ahead to testing DreamStudio, the web-based app model of Secure 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 most important characters to animation fashion to places), which they then use to tell the creation of the sequence key artwork.

Instruments like DreamStudio would assist me shortly visualize my advertising technique, which the artistic crew might use as a diving off level.

I made a decision to check this software to generate a picture I might use inside this weblog publish (see How I Examined the Greatest AI Instruments for Work).

This immediate was an ideal 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 needed.

Studying easy methods to write robust prompts that information picture technology is the best approach to make use of text-to-image generative instruments. Chatbots will help with that by drafting a particular immediate to your desired picture, which may then be plugged into DreamStudio.

Why I Like It

• As I discussed, it is a nice method to visually carry your concepts to life. Like a written define earlier than a weblog publish, DreamStudio can offer you a picture define that you need to use as inspiration to your design or images work.
• You may generate imagery to again up a pitch at work. If I had an thrilling concept for a Nickelodeon activation, I might use AI-generated imagery to carry my concept to life and assist my crew visualize it.
• Not all picture turbines have a “Unfavourable Immediate” characteristic, however it is rather useful to share not solely what you need to see but additionally what you need to keep away from in your picture. You may also play with the side ratio and the variety of pictures you obtain.
• Reasonably than a month-to-month subscription, as with different AI instruments, DreamStudio permits you to 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 somewhat than AI-related imagery. Whereas promising, this software could take some trial and error to lock down precisely what you’re in search of.

Pricing

• 25 free credit
• $10/1,000 credit: Roughly 5,000 pictures