Archive of "Small Business" Category
January 13, 2011
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If you use the Internet, you know about Skype. Skype has actually been around for several years and we are pleased to report that most of the PC crashing, file eating virus problems with early versions have been properly handled and put to rest. Everyone, everywhere is starting to use Skype as a free communications tool that lets Internet users conduct:
- Skype-to-Skype calls
- Video calls
- Instant messaging
- Screen sharing
Skype also has paid services (by the minute at 2.3 cents per minute and by the month at 1.2 cents per minute) that expands the reach to include additional calling features including non-Skype smartphone calling, SMS, call forwarding and a “Skype to Go” number.
Business uses for this amazing platform include video or voice conference calling, which is free when placed Skype to Skype. The latest version, 5.0 gives remarkably clear and quick video relay, even for international video; and it’s free when all members of the conference are Skype members.
You can manage group conversations by assigning topics using a number of tools that can alert members by topic and conference times. Chat and messaging features let you create organized, focused conversations with just the right team members for the topic at hand.
You can also track conversations and create a sense of community between team members and between your team and your clients, even if they are halfway around the world. Check out what Skype has to offer today – it’s easy to use, flexible, and free!
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Resources, Small Business, Software, Technology
December 30, 2010
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Tired of spam and junk email? You should be – Symantec tells us that 72% of your email messages are spam. In spite of rules and regulations, clever marketers and spammer gurus just keep changing the game and how they get their messages to you. They’re pretty crafty, but if you follow some basic guidelines you can reduce your junk email significantly. Here are some tips to can the spam:
- Never respond. Sure, it’s tempting to lock and load a hostile or sarcastic response, but all that tactic does is assure the spammers that your email address is valid. They’ll simply cross you off their list and sell your email to someone else.
- Report the sender right away. Spam is illegal and even if the sender is going around the regulations, the messages are still junk and you can turn them into spam@uce.gov or to your ISP.
- Block the sender’s domain. Most email services have a handy tool that lets you block all email from specific sources. Block the whole domain, since they may use a specific email address just once.
- Block images. If you automatically block all images, you can reduce your junk email quite a bit. Once the image opens, even if you don’t click through any links, the spammer knows he has a good address.
- Protect your email address. Don’t post your email address in a public place where anyone can see it and capture it – be wary of posting your email on blogs and Twitter. Extra special tip – spell out “at” instead of using the @ sign – spammer software won’t pick it up as an email address.
- Include antispam software in your Internet security package. Go the extra mile when you buy security software and select an antispam option as well.
- Update your email address. If all else fails, you can start over with a new email address. If you decide to make a change, try a more complex address that what you had before. It’s a pain, but it may be worth it if you are inundated with junk email.
Whatever course you take – do something! We all have to make a concerted effort to stop spammers and minimize the unwanted and uninvited email in our inboxes.
Posted in
Customer Service, Resources, Small Business, Technology
December 12, 2010
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Tis’ the season for showing appreciation to the people who have played a part in your success and whether it is clients, employees or even vendors, there are many gifts available that won’t break your budget. Giftcards and food are always welcome gifts but if you are looking for more of a traditional gift, below are some ideas to get you started!
Personalized Engraved magnetic-pen This magnetic round desk pen stand with pen is supported in the stand with magnet. Personalize this gift by engraving a name or message or laser etch an order of 25 or more with a logo.
Ribbon of Success Paperweight: This paperweight is different from the norm. Each one is hand created so no two are identical in size or pattern. Intricate and colorful ribbon swirls make this piece a beautiful work of art. Add your logo for additional impact.
Unique Pen holder and Picture Frame Combination: A unique and useful desk item, this pen and pencil cup holder revolves to display 3 photographs. Comes in rosewood color or cherry wood color finish.
Pop Up Business Card Holder and Frame: A gift that is versatile and unique. The business card holder and frame serve a dual purpose.
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Clients, Small Business
November 12, 2010
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It’s great to build email lists, and we know that your subscribers love to hear from you – but how often? If you are a prolific emailer, your favorite subscribers may end up hitting the delete button before the ever open your message. Eventually, they may even unsubscribe just to lighten up their email boxes.
So why not help them lighten their load? With a couple of content changes and technical switches, you can create email lighter frequency lists that give your subscribers the options to get your broadcasts weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Here’s how:
Condense your content:
- Highlight the top news stories or tips each day
- Remove any announcements for timely events that will be obsolete
- Merge related articles
- Create topic lists that link back to the full story on your Web site
Tweak the Opt-In
- Make sure that your subscribers who opt in to lighter frequency aren’t still on the original daily deluge list
- Create a self-explanatory Web form for each list that makes it clear they are signing up for fewer emails
- Create confirmation messages that spell out what they have signed up for and when they will get emails
If you make the decision to offer lighter frequency email content, now may be the perfect time to reach out t your subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a while. Send them an email that lets them know they can opt- in for your email lite version. Write a subject that lets them know it’s a new opportunity. Ask them to select a frequency option and link them to a Web form that will set them up seamlessly. It may be just the way to get their attention again!
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Clients, Customer Service, Marketing, Resources, Small Business, Virtual Assistants
November 3, 2010
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If you aren’t using some type of Web analytics and Web usability tool, you should be. Now we have new, free usability tools springing up that are worth checking out and running on your site, even as a test. The latest cool tool is called Youseeble, a brand-new Internet tool that lets you see your Web site the way your visitors do.
Do you have your most important content in the right place? What are your visitors (and potential customers) really looking at? What gets ignored?
Youseeable doesn’t really replace a comprehensive Web analytics tool (Google Analytics is one that you can use for free), but it does let you see how people interact with your Web site, which is really the name of the game these days. Here’s how it works:
- Youseeable records the activity of each visitor then creates three different “heat maps” that show where people go on your site
- The Interaction heat map shows where visitors go and what they ignore; the Attention heat map shows cursor movement; and the Visibility heat map shows what visitors actually see on your pages based screen resolutions and browser differences
- Just insert a couple of lines of segments of HTML code into all your pages, then create a test
- Youseeable also offers a playback function that lets you watch the actions of a real visitor
The real benefit to Youseeable is the ability to take your visitor numbers and actually understand them by looking at the behavior patterns. It’s free to try – all you need to get started is an email address and the ability to add the code onto your pages.
Today’s Web marketers must be relevant, real and responsive. Tools like Youseeable help you create and place content and design to keep visitors on the site and to give users the information and applications they are looking for in Web 3.0.
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Marketing, Resources, Small Business, Software, Technology
October 21, 2010
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If you can’t get through a flight without a trip to Facebook or to check your email, then check out which fights offer in-flight Wi-Fi services with HasWiFi.com. While in-flight Wi-Fi is becoming more common, especially on longer flights, it’ not offered consistently and you may not know until you are on board or about to board whether or not you’ll be able to get connected during your flight.
So far, HasWiFi only offers fight information for six airlines:
- Airtran
- Alaska Airlines
- American
- Delta
- US Airways
- United
- Virgin America
Because airlines commonly switch out aircraft for scheduling changes, the HasWiFi system can’t be 100% accurate, but it’s still pretty helpful; and the sit even offers you the chance to give feedback on accuracy with a “You Tell Us” links to vote on whether or not the flight information was accurate.
The creator of HasWiFi, Anthony Petito, also plans to expand the listings with other carriers and also offer an Interface so that travel sites like Expedia.com can also search the database info for in-flight Wi-Fi.
Heard of SeatGuru? SeatGuru.com also provide Wi-Fi information, along with other details on particular flights like the arrangement and comfort of seats available. SeatGuru currently offers a larger database of carriers an flight information.
If you are going to get that report done while you are traveling, better make sure your boss isn’t checking up on you with HasWiFi!
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Resources, Small Business, Technology
October 8, 2010
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Email is one of the quickest and least expensive ways to reach a target audience with a sales or marketing message and email marketing campaigns are more popular than ever. So why is the road map to creating a successful email marketing campaign still a secret? Many questions still need answered such as how can you stop bounce backs? What is the best time to send the email and what exactly is an opt-in form?
Professional marketing companies are reluctant to commit to the ‘formula’ for success, stating that too many variables exist to be able to give you a specific ‘how to’ guide.
Sure, there are a lot of variables, but there are some good basic guidelines you should follow as well. Here are five keys to email marketing success:
- Subject Line – It all starts (and may end) here. A good subject line should be short – 50 characters or less, and to the point. The main feature found in the body of the message should be noted in the subject line. Think about you subject line as if it is a newspaper headline. You want the reader to see it and want to read more.
- Message – The message should also be short and sweet and not full of marketing ‘spin’. Make sure that your offer is clearly spelled out and include a call to action. Use tactics to build trust rather than actually sell. The call to action could result in a direct sale, but more likely, you should try to drive the customer to go to your Web site or a campaign specific landing page, or call to set up an appointment.
- Design – Apply the basics of good marketing design first and then layer on the specific techniques for online marketing. The page should be clean and not cluttered. Check grammar and spelling. If you must use HTML code, apply it carefully and make sure it is error free. Test any links contained in the mail message.
- Understand SPAM – Use a double opt-in (users must verify information) and also allow the opt-out option. Good opt-in forms also help you gather good information, like a secondary email address, that can help cut down bounce backs. Test your content against some of the primary email platforms like Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, and AOL. You may want to use an online content checker to see if your message comes across like SPAM. Also, most SPAM is sent in the early morning hours (between midnight and 4:00 AM), so don’t set your server to send messages overnight.
- Incentives – Offering an incentive is a great call to action. Try to determine what you want to accomplish from the message before determining the giveaway. Incentives are also based on the demographic – white papers and special reports are great for business people, but won’t interest teen consumers. Be careful of giving away expensive or trendy items (like an iPod or TV). If you have a high dollar gift, link it to setting and keeping a sales appointment.
Open rates (the customers who actually open the email) have improved as more and more people have transitioned into doing transactional business online. Experienced marketers can find rates of 20-25%, with lower rates attributed to direct sales message and a higher rates coming from e-newsletters or informational pieces. Following the five keys above can improve your open rate and your bounce back rate and get your message across to the people you really want to reach.
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Marketing, Small Business, Technology
September 3, 2010
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If you host small online meetings or conferences, teach online or have any need to share content but don’t want to pay high prices, then you should check out the latest desktop sharing tool – Mikogo.
Mikago lets you share any screen content or application over the Internet with up to 10 users simultaneously. And it’s free for both commercial and private use! Here are some of the applications:
- Web conferences
- Online meetings
- Product demonstrations
- Web presentations
- Remote support
- Team projects
- Webinars
Mikogo comes from BeamYourScreen, who offers a number of Web collaboration solutions. Most of BeamYourScreen’s products are not free – they offer more sophisticated features like a greater number of participants (up to 25), an HTML viewer and live customer support. The free version is great for small, simple applications. All of Mikogo’s features work on a Windows platform – a number will also run on a MAC platform.
Here’s how Mikogo works:
- The organizer initiates a phone conference.
- The organizer starts a Mikogo session, gets a unique 9-digit session ID from the Mikogo server, and distributes the session ID to the participants.
- Participants open their Internet browser, go to www.mikogo.com, and click on “Join Session”. No installations or registrations required for the participants. They simply join the session by entering the session ID.
- A connection is instantly established, and the participants can view the organizer’s screen in real time via the Mikogo viewer window.
Download it here and give the application a try. It’s cool, it’s free and it’s available in several languages.
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Resources, Small Business, Software, Technology
August 18, 2010
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When you become self employed there are things that you will need to handle that before were handled by your employer, health insurance being one of them. In the corporate world, typically Human Resources handles the paperwork, provides information on how the plans worked and the coverage and you could call them if you had any questions. Now that you’re self employed, you are the one who will be in charge of handling that aspect of your business. When you begin to research different policies, it is vital that you do your homework and don’t sign up for the first policy you find. Most importantly, ask questions, you will find that there is a lot of confusion out there that comes along with health insurance. To help you get started, below are some types of insurance that may best fit your situation.
Major Medical
This is the type of insurance that you may have had when you were with an employer. It covers a wide variety of medical treatments, prescriptions, and hospital stays. This plan is flexible as well by choosing the deductibles and amounts that suit you best.
Point of Service
Point of Service insurance or POS for short is where the patient chooses a primary physician and would have all care done with that physician. If you should have to see another doctor for a service that your primary physician doesn’t handle you would need to have them refer you or it may not be covered.
Limited Benefits Plans
This type of insurance covers only certain types of care this is so that you can keep your costs low but still have some types of coverage. These plans differ by state in the amounts and coverage’s that are minimally required.
Hospital Only Plans
This plan is exactly like its name implies, it only covers if you are hospitalized. This plan would only be a good idea if you had the means to cover expenses for regular checkups or lab work that is done out patient.
These are just a couple of examples of the types of insurances that are out there for the self employed. Start with checking out the plans that may be available through your car or home insurance or check and see if the group or organization you belong to offers benefits, you may be surprised.
Posted in
Small Business
May 30, 2010
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If you host telesemiars on a regular basis, having your seminar calls trancribed to help you generate additional income. By having transcribed seminars, you can reach a wide audience while earning extra cash and spreading the word about your company, brand name and seminar’s message. You can generate extra income by selling your message in various forms of printed media to seminar participants and to those who were interested in attending the teleseminar but were unable to make it. You can also offer a transcript of the seminar as an added incentive to those who are attending the seminar, potentially adding additional attendees.
When presenting interesting and relevant material, seminar presenters may tend to use many technical terms, speak fast and with enthusiasm or cover a great deal of material. These are all reasons why seminar attendees would be interested in purchasing a teleseminar’s transcript. Whether the transcript is used for reference or as a guide to share with co-workers, many are willing to pay for the convenience of this most accurate form of note taking.
If planning on writing a book, with information relevant to the teleseminar, a transcript of the seminar would be an excellent addition. This bonus material is a great marketing tool and can be used to promote the book plus the “free” bonus. When advertised to the appropriate audience, combining the book launch with other teleseminars can help cross-promote both mediums and allow for greater book and teleseminar sales.
Another idea for seminar transcripts is to include them in a promotional package. If offering a service, adding the teleseminar’s transcript allows persons ordering or registering for your product or service to gain full access to the missed event. Because the entire seminar is transcribed, it allows buyers to read the transcript in their own time and implement the given ideas or discussed thoughts at their own pace. Throughout the trial and error process, users can refer back to the seminar’s transcript to perfect and refine their techniques. Once satisfied, the transcript can be passed to another person or kept for long-term reference.
Posted in
Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized
