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7 tools we use at Teach Better.
Published 11 days ago • 8 min read
Hey Reader,
We've been running Teach Better for 9 years now...almost 10. We have tried a lot of tools. Like, A LOT. Some have been great, others have been terrible, and a few have stuck with us for the whole journey so far.
Our team is fully virtual and has been since day one, so organization and communication have been crucial the entire time. Tools that allow us to collaborate on projects, keep tasks and appointments on track, and allow us to stay connected, are the ones that have lasted.
We've also tried hard to reign in our shiny object syndrome when it comes to tools. There are so many amazing things out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed trying to use all the latest tech.
With that said, this list is absolutely not the end-all-be-all list, AND it may not be the right list for you and your business. But I've had a few people ask about some of what we use at Teach Better, so I wanted to share.
So, here we go.
#1 - All Things Google
Our team is fully digital and spread all around the US and Canada. Because at any given time we could have multiple people traveling to work with clients in different states, running livestreams, or meeting with potential future clients, keeping everything organized is absolutely crucial for our team. Everything goes on Google Calendar - if it's not on there, it's not a real thing, lol.
We use Gmail for all our external communication with clients, vendors, etc. All our files are stored in Drive. We use Docs for proposals, contracts, brainstorming, and agendas. All of our workshop and speaking slides are on Google Slides (although we're doing more and more of these in Canva.) And we track our cashflow and projections in Google Sheets.
So, all things Google is definitely a good way to start this list.
#2 - Basecamp
We use Basecamp for all our task management, internal team communication, and for storing all our SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), templates, guidelines, etc.
Basecamp is a little more expensive than some other task management solutions out there, but we have a decent-sized team, so their flat-rate pricing is nice. You can get started for $15/month per user.
Full disclosure: I've been a Basecamp customer since long before Teach Better, so we are on an amazing legacy plan that makes our cost ridiculously low compared to the current pricing. That may cause some bias on my part. However, I think it is a super powerful tool that they have done a nice job of not allowing to get so robust that it's intimidating.
#3 - ActiveCampaign & ConvertKit
I'm including these two together because they are both email marketing platforms. We tried a lot of different options for this, and there are a lot of great ones out there (FloDesk, MailChimp, Aweber, to name a few), but we landed on ActiveCampaign somewhere around 6 years ago and have stuck with them ever since.
We use ActiveCampaign for all of our email marketing. From our weekly emails to complex automations (sequences, funnels, or whatever else people want to call them) it can handle just about anything.
I'm including ConvertKit (soon to be Kit) here because that is the platform that I am writing this email on. We wanted to test out ConvertKit, so when we launched the EDUcreator Club Newsletter, we tried it out.
ConvertKit is super user friendly, has great pricing (starting at $0), and most of the features you would need to grow a really strong email marketing game.
They also have what they call their Creator Network, which allows you to recommend, and be recommended by, other newsletters. This can help get your subscriber count growing from day one.
I expect some really cool new features to come with the official change to "Kit" as well, so definitely consider this one. Several people in our EDUcreator Club+ Community and Mastermind use ConvertKit.
#4 - HubSpot CRM
ActiveCampaign actually has a built-in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) feature, but we don't use it. We like to keep our email lists and our leads lists separate, so we use HubSpot's CRM.
We track all sales leads in here, step-by-step through the sales cycle and even through sending invoices and receiving payment.
We switched because it allows for a lot of growth, and we now use it for payroll as well. So inside Quickbooks, we handle all our invoicing, payroll, paying contractors, and running reports like P&L and balance sheets. We're able to track P&L reports for each client and project.
#6 - Canva
Like I said above, we're creating more and more of our slides in Canva, but we also use Canva for all of our design work related to social media, sales materials, website design, and more. Canva continues to expand on its already impressive list of features, and we are here for it!
Honestly, if you're doing any design work and not using Canva...I might be judging you. 😁
#7 - Circle
We use Circle for our EDUcreator Club+ Community, Mastermind, and MBA Program. Circle is essentially your own, private, social media site. It has a very "Facebook" feel to it - with a home feed, posts, likes, comments, DMs, etc. Where it differs is that there is no algorithm. Post show based on when they are posted or the most recent activity. You choose how things are set up.
You create what are called "Spaces" - essentially different categories for posts to go in. Your community members can create posts to ask questions, get feedback, share value, etc.
You can also set up chat spaces (think a Slack channel) and build and sell courses inside the community as well.
Click here to check out Circle. (This is an affiliate link. If you end up purchasing a paid plan, we may be compensated for it.)
If you want to know more about how we use this and how you might be able to build your own community, just click 'reply' and let me know.
A couple of things to wrap up:
I want to be very clear that you don't need to use all these tools. In fact, depending on where you are in your journey, you probably shouldn't be using them all just yet.
The hope with this email was to give you an idea of the go-to tools we have chosen to use throughout our almost decade in business. I strongly suggest getting some sort of task management system in place, but that doesn't need to be anything that costs money. It could be Google calendar or a simple note-taking process you have.
Moreso, you absolutely don't need to use the same tools as we do. If you do a search on any of the above tools, you'll likely get results with a bunch of competitors. Try them out! Find the ones that work for you and your needs.
My hope here is that I gave you a few ideas. If you have any questions on any of it, just ask!
I'd also love to hear what tools you are using. Hit 'reply' and let me know what's working or you. Or, let me know if I can help you find a good tool for your needs.
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More accurately, the open rate considers an email as opened only when the graphics load for the recipient. The email is still counted as unopened if the graphics don’t load.
Open rate is a key metric for your email marketing performance because it indicates the number of recipients who found your email interesting enough to view it.
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This article lays out 10 tweaks to your emails that can help increase your open rate.
🤖 How to use AI to analyze and summarize large documents, books and videos
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What if there was a way to quickly and accurately summarize these colossal files?
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This guide will guide you through the process of using this AI tool to analyze and summarize large documents and videos, highlighting its strengths and some areas where it might fall short.
You can now compare your performance across key metrics with industry peers, providing crucial context for strategic decision-making.
This new feature will provide valuable context for advertisers trying to understand their performance relative to their peers, potentially informing strategic decisions and goal-setting.
Users can access benchmarking data if their property has the “Modeling contributions & business insights” setting enabled in Admin > Account Settings.
The EDUcreator Club+ Membership gives you access to a community of educators who create content, products, and services to help others increase their impact. The EDUcreator Club+ Membership was built to provide a space for learning, growing, and supporting each other.
Creating & building can get lonely sometimes. Don't do it alone.
What's included:
Private Community: An active community with hundreds of posts and conversations where educators come together to request feedback, collaborate on new ideas, and support each other as we all work to create and share content that provides value to others.
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Curated Content & Resources: We're curating the best tools, resources, and opportunities related to creating valuable content. Inside, you'll find community challenges, self-paced courses, discounted resources, and more, all easily accessible to you!
The EDUcreator Club Newsletter is made possible by our awesome partners. Please consider supporting them. Note: While we may receive a small affiliate fee for any purchases made via the below link, we will never recommend a product, service, or brand we do not believe in.
💡CONTENT CREATION IDEA
Create Crowdsourced Content
Send out a few emails, and social posts, to your colleagues and/or audience. Share some thought-provoking questions to get their thoughts.
Use their answers to generate new ideas for content to create.
If you're going to quote them or create anything specifically connected to their answers, make them aware, ask for permission, and give them credit.
Happy creating!
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