Tips, Tools, and Technologies to help Small Business and Entrepreneurs Leverage Technology for Maximum Growth and Profit.
I will be at Google Pittsburgh later this month. If you haven’t already checked out the latest collaboration tools available from Google.. you will want to. Then you will want to join me at Google to find out how you can improve your business.
You will hear from Andrew Moore regarding opportunities for business with Google Commerce. We will go through…. A day in the life of an entrepreneur… and there will be breakout sessions on Google Apps, Location Based Services, and Google Ads.
Register at http://buildingbridgesforbusiness.com
The biggest challenge for small business owners by in large……..getting and retaining clients. So what tech tools can we use to help us accomplish this?
I’d like to take a step away from the tech tools on this one … to first talk about basic strategy. Too often, we look to implement the tools rather thant the strategy. The tools should help to automate the existing strategy, but without the basic underlying strategy you may be setting yourself up for failure.
Ask yourself and ask your customers….
Who is your target market…refine, refine, refine. The more specifc and focused your target market, the easier it will be to establish and implement your sales and marketing plan.
How does your target market make buying decisions?
Where is your target market spending their time?
How will you reach your target market?
Which customers do you retain at all costs?
Which customers do you need to stop spending your resources on?
Once you have a written, clear strategy… then you can talk tech tools. CRMastermind can help with both strategy and tech tools.
I recently researched the options for an automated time tracking software —— I narrowed in on Chrometa……and so far am pleased with the results.
I don’t do to much with true “software” these days —— but still liked this option best. Chrometa is a licensed, windows based product that you must dowload to your PC. It is a fully automated time tracking software that captures all of your PC-based time. Chrometa records time spent within all applications, documents, emails, and web pages without data entry.
When you are away from your computer, it will record the time away and prompt you for a note. This product is most ideal for heavy PC users. It is not great for someone who is out of the office regularly.
The major plus —- is it really helps multi-taskers. If you touch 6 projects/ clients within an hour and go in and out of them you get a great time summary with zero effort.
The downside —- when you step way from your computer….. you still need a good way to account for your meetings etc.
This is a keeper right now for me and I have added it to the Techno-Tools section at http://www.crmastermind.com.
You may be shocked. Is there a difference in how you think you are spending your PC time and how you are really spending your PC time? The truth will prevail.
With the help of Tonia White and Affluent Concepts, we have developed the next evolution of www.crmastermind.com.
Be sure to check out the Techno Tools section. We make sure we have the most up-to-the-minute information on web-based technologies as they are released. We exhaustively research, review and experiment with new developments so that we can match the latest tools with your unique logistic workflow. You can review our research and try the tools that suit your needs, or you can take it a step further and consult our expert knowledge base for custom recommendations to improve systems you already have in place.
Recently, I have had a few big conversations on Social Media and also attended a great webinar-during Women’s Small Business Week with Gina Schreck. Along the way, I picked up a few hints I’d like to share.
Instructional Videos
Check out Gina’s website — She has some great instructional videos for Social Media. I haven’t had a chance to check it all out — but it is in the plans.
Linked In
On your linked in profile, you have the option to include your websites. You can edit the default title “My Website”, so that it reads as you like. This is also a great place to post a link for your blog.
Another great tip, for Linked In is to link your blog to your discussion groups. I have recently had some great success with this. If you get stuck on this, feel free to reach out to me.
Facebook
Facebook has amazingly powerful search capabilities. When you enter a search on Facebook, you will land in the “All Results” filter by default. This filter includes all of the most relevant content from Facebook in addition to the web. To refine your search, select a filter from the menu on the left side of the search results page. Selecting one of these filters will display search results exclusively from that filter, and will also give you the option to narrow your search even more. You can use the search features beyond the scope of people, groups, apps, events, etc — you can also get news and info from within the facebook community. Click here for detailed search instructions and tips.
Social Media Management
I also realized that it was time for me to start using one of the Social Media Management Tools. I did some research, asked around—- and selected Hootsuite. So far, I really like this tool. I like it because you can schedule several post simultaneously- and well in advance. This is ideal for the Small Business Owner to better manage their social media time. I can take 1-2 hours a week to manage my Social Media, without disrupting my productive time.
And How It Can Help You Grow Your Business?
I recently stumbled on an article that challenged what I thought I knew about email marketing.
The article suggested that our (small business owners) perception of marketing is completely flawed. We decide what our customers and prospects want to receive from us based off our own experience. We think, “Would I like to receive an email like that?” and then send it - or not - based on our own feelings. (Or based on a desperate need to make a few sales.)
But here’s the thing…we are not typical consumers. We’re business owners. And that means our judgment of how to use email marketing is completely clouded.
So how do you effectively use email marketing if you’re thinking like you and not like your target market?
I’m curious about that myself.
So I am inviting you to attend a webinar I’m planning on joining. The webinar will be:
Increase Your ROE (Return on Email)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
Register Now.
In this webinar, you will discover:
- The secret to creating an email marketing strategy that works for YOUR business
- How to get your subscribers to read your emails (and anticipate getting them)
- One business owner’s strategy to increasing sales by 80%
- The 3 email marketing campaigns your business can’t survive without
The webinar is completely free.
Register Now.
Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck — wins —-my favorite business book of the year. Motivating and entertaining. A must read for every entrepreneur.
……….Just read it!
As we move our lives to conference calls and web-meetings. There are still times when an old fashioned face to face meeting is still your best bet. There is a great website I have been using for many months now - http://www.meetways.com/. Meetways is a free website that has saved me time, gas, and money.
This is a great tool that will allow you to meet a client, partner, or employee “halfway” for a meeting. Just type in the starting point, destination, and point of interest- such as coffee shop or restaurant - and meetways will make suggestions for your meeting location.
Most recently, I am getting ready to travel from Pittsburgh to Hilton Head, and want to stop at a hotel halfway. So I enter my starting point, my destination, and Choose”hotel” as a point of interest and wallah….. - I now know that I should stop in Fancy Gap, VA.
After the hotels popped onto my screen - I was then thinking that it would be much better if I could enter Marriott Hotels- so I tried it, and it 5 hotels popped up by name with small “push-pins” indicating their location on the map. Perfect, I now have a Marriott hotel I can stop at that is less than 1 mile from the interstate - and approximately halfway.
One word of caution… when I first started using the site - I selected a coffee shop for a networking meeting using meetways. Upon arrival, I realized it was a drive-through coffee shop (these are not very popular in Pittsburgh so it came as quite a surprise)…..we had a good laugh and moved to a nearby restaurant, but from now on I check.
Happy Meetings.
Conference calls and web meetings are increasing reality in today’s workplace. As small business owners, we need technology to host conference calls. I recently did some research and testing on available conference calling services. So far, I am liking freeconferencecalling.com.
What I liked
- Super Simple to Set Up. Realistically, you can have your first call within minutes of the set-up.
- You use the same number and codes for all of your conferences.
- You can control features from phone or computer.
- Ability to record calls, with options to create a podcast, download, or publish to a website.
- The service is completely FREE. (I am still trying figure out this company’s revenue model.)
What I didn’t like
- The attendee is greeted to the message “Welcome to Free Conference Calling.com”. I haven’t decided if I am 100% comfortable with my customers hearing that message
- This service does not provide an 800 call-in number. Depending an individual’s long distance provider and plan, they may incur a long distance charge, just like any other long distance phonecall.
As always, I welcome your suggestions for new and improved solutions.
Despite all of the Social Media and the great cloud- Outlook is still probably my #1 go to place each day - between my laptop and blackberry —- I use outlook to manage tasks, addresses, and e-mails.
So today, I downloaded a new tool FBLOOK.
http://www.techhit.com/FBLook/
What FBLook Is
FBLOOK appears at the top of your screen. You can update your Facebook status directly from outlook, see your friend statuses and see the number of new requests without having to open the browser or any other applications.
What is FBLook Isn’t
FBLOOK does not appear to integrate with your individual contacts in either FB or Outlook
So far …. I like it. It allows for a faster Facebook review. I see this as a great productivity tool ….and it’s a freebie.
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