medium_6292443114 Over the past several months, there have been quite a few exciting developments in the world of business tech. This week’s Friday Five covers five of the most notable. Used correctly, these tech tools can improve productivity, innovation, organization at your company!

1) LinkedIn Sponsored Updates

LinkedIn has been aggressively updating and improving its platform. The latest LinkedIn update is one of the most beneficial for businesses because it provides firms an opportunity to connect with a larger number of LinkedIn members.

LinkedIn Sponsored Updates now allows a company to target any LinkedIn member, even those not following the company. This means your business can target millions of professionals, increasing the likelihood that your marketing message will spread.

2) SlideShare Upgrades

Two recent enhancements to SlideShare focus on leveraging the popularity of infographics.

The first upgrade is the introduction of an infographics player. Users can now share and embed infographics with a minimum of hassle. Plus, all infographics are automatically detected and included in SlideShare’s infographic directory. (Be sure to check out our newest infographics on SlideShare today!)

The second upgrade applies to SlideShare Pro users. Now those who post infographics and other presentations can see how well they do. Meaningful analytics are imperative if you hope to uncover what’s working and why.

3) Instagram Video

Instagram is a widely used social platform whose user base is growing steadily. If you don’t currently have a business presence on Instagram, now is the time to seriously consider it. With the release of Instagram Video, there’s even more ways for businesses to leverage the platform. (Bonus: here are six ways to use Instagram videos for marketing your brand, and 10 brands that are doing it right.)

4) Flipboard For Desktop

Flipboard was the first ever tablet-optimized magazine platform. Just this past week, Flipboard became available on the desktop.

If you’ve experienced Flipboard from a mobile device, you understand its capabilities. Building your own magazine around what’s important to you and your business means you can stay on top of the latest trends. It provides an opportunity to engage your followers in a creative way and allows for quick scanning of large amounts of information. If you’ve avoided Flipboard because it was only available on mobile devices, now may be the time to check it out.

5) Smartphones Galore

Recently there’s been significant chatter around smartphone upgrades and releases. Take the time to identify what you and your employees need and then investigate each smartphone’s capabilities. Here are a few releases worth noting:

Have we missed any tech updates or releases you’re excited about? Let us know below!

Featured photo courtesy of @Jyonnnn via photopin cc.