Have you ever opened Facebook to check just one thing and then look up thirty minutes later to discover you forgot what you were there for initially?

Or maybe it’s just me?

Social media gets such a bad wrap, but there are so many amazingly cool apps that I use every day. I love seeing what my friends across the country are doing, seeing their family vacation pictures, and watching the snapchat stories our kids post.

How do we harness the positive aspects of social media without it taking over our lives?

I compiled a few tools that I love to help keep you focused and more productive while growing your business.  Try one or try them all.

Need to post something on Facebook, but don’t want the clickbait? Then try the News Feed Eradicator for Google Chrome. Now you can skip that usual verbal Facebook fights and still post your kiddo’s award for grandma across the country without getting lost in hours of distraction.

Curious if your most business headshot creates the impression that you are likable, competent, and influential?  Submit it to Photofeeler and let website visitors vote, you may get excellent feedback. It turns out that my favorite pics created good ratings in all categories, but they weren’t the best. So I quickly changed my LinkedIn and other professional photos.

Before your next sales call or meeting, check out your prospect on LinkedIn using the Crystal Chrome Extension. Crystal uses their LinkedIn profile to assess (or guess) their DISC behavior style and then provide you with communication strategies that will work best based on their profile. This app is great for people you are meeting for the first time or those with whom you are struggling to connect.

Want some quick graphics for social media or posters for your retail shop? Google has some excellent tools at marketingkit.withgoogle.com. With a few simple clicks, google takes your google reviews and makes them into shareable social media images. So now you can publish your 5-star reviews all over Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Here’s another one for salespeople:  Hunter.io.  Do you have trouble getting past a gatekeeper or reaching a prospect by phone?  Hunter.io searches public data to find their email address. I know you might hate that this is available, but it is. Use it judiciously.

Try one of these apps and let me know how they work for you.

What are your favorite apps for saving time or growing your business?