Tech Services We Recommend For Your Small Business

October 22, 2015 By Abhishek Prakash Leave a Comment

Has technology taken over the world? We certainly think so. Look around you. High in the streets, billboards aren’t paper anymore, they’re electronic. Think about where you get your news from. You don’t bother with the TV or radio, it’s all the internet. You’ll get important news updates to your phone if you have the right app, Or, what about how we interact, socially. We don’t meet up for coffee anymore, we talk across social networks. Scientists claim that this isn’t having an impact on our ability to socialise. But there is no denying that the way we interact with one another has changed. That’s society as a whole but if we narrow it down to the business world, it’s no different. [Read more…]

Entrepreneur Madness: 3 Reasons to Create Your Own YouTube Channel

December 14, 2013 By Guest Author Leave a Comment

What if there was a way to put your brand in front of more than 800 million consumers, speak directly to them, explain to them exactly why your product or service is the best on the market, and be able to do all of this for free? Creating a YouTube channel allows you to do all of the aforementioned things and more, and a personal channel is an essential media tool for every entrepreneur. YouTube has evolved into a powerful marketing platform that can reach audiences of every possible demographic, and every large company has begun employing their services to help promote their brand. There are many good reasons to create your own YouTube channel, and this article looks at three of the most important.

Reach More of Your Target Audience

Promotional printed materials simply cannot compare to the awesome power of the internet, and the most effective form of advertising takes place either online or on television. Whatever your business type, chances are a large portion of your customer base are online users, and many people will even choose to buy a product or service based on research they have performed on the internet. If you do not have the time or necessary skills required to make a professional looking video, it may be worthwhile hiring a production company that can create one for you. It is also a good idea to perform some extensive research on online marketing strategies. Badly executed YouTube videos have a habit of going viral, and the last thing you want is for your company to become a laughingstock.

Provide a Service to Your Customers That Relates To Your Brand

Many companies create video tutorials for YouTube that refer back to their brand, and by following their example you will expose your brand to millions of users without paying a penny. If your company sells kitchenware, why not create a series of cooking tutorials that demonstrate your product being used? Users can even download your video to their handheld devices using a service such as youtubedownload.altervista.org and refer back to it whenever necessary.

Receive Honest Feedback on Your Brand

If you have ever looked at the comment section under a YouTube video you will already know it’s a place reserved for brutal honesty. Consumers that take part in market research usually give polite answers to the questions asked and will give a sugar-coated feedback on your product. YouTube is the place where consumers really let rip, and you will soon get an accurate picture of what people really think about your brand.

Above all, the videos you create for your channel must be engaging and tell a story that will keep viewers watching until the very end. You may even be lucky enough to produce a video that goes viral and reaches millions of users. Some of the most successful viral marketing campaigns were disguised as amateur videos that had been uploaded by regular users but were actually the clever creation of professional advertising companies. YouTube opens up a whole new world of marketing opportunities for your brand, and it only takes a few moments to upload a video and begin attracting new customers.

Remember to respect IP: http://www.stopfakes.gov/consumer-tools/ip-resources-educators-and-youth/

Author Bio: Dexter Bell is a small business marketing whiz. He focuses his writing on how to integrate technology into marketing strategies.

Making Smartphones Work for Business: 10 Tips to Improve Productivity

March 27, 2013 By Guest Author 1 Comment

Smartphones have become a standard device in the corporate world in recent years and keep workforces connected at all times. Outside of the corporate realm, smartphones are still the top choice as Mashable reports that 45 percent of adults are equipped with these capable devices.

The mobile technology is still relatively new to users so there is much to learn about how to best use these devices to increase productivity on a daily basis. Here is a list of techniques and tips that will help beginner to intermediate smartphone users manage their time.

1. Evernote – The ultimate idea tracking application allows user to never lose or forget their thoughts. This free application is available on Android, iPhone and iPad. Keep track of business ideas and collaborate with other users to bring ideas to life.

2. Skype – This video conversation application allows you to face-to-face conference call distant contacts for meetings or casual conversations. Keep business meetings personal by avoiding the email and saying hello to clients and customers. Optimal Skype call performance comes on 4G tablets such as the BlackBerry PlayBook and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Tablet reviews come in handy when finding the best platform.

3. Expensify – Track expenses while on a business trip to avoid going over budget and dodge the lengthy report on return to the office. Expensify expedites the process of expense reports and allows users to scan receipts instead of gathering them in their pockets. Keep your trip focused on the business aspect rather than the receipt collecting.

4. Keynote – This application is only available on Apple products but it is great for creating and editing presentations on the go. Sync up with your Macbook or iMac to keep important presentations available before big speeches.

5. Dropbox – Available on all major smartphone operating systems, Dropbox is the ultimate file storage application. Dropbox safely stores photos, videos and other files so important information is not compromised while on the go.

6. Print Central – This is another Apple exclusive application at the moment but it provides great value for a difficult task we all face. The app allows users to connect wirelessly via 3G to available printers in the office and create hard copy documents with ease. The world of printers can be unreliable and a pain but this app helps make things a little less difficult.

7. XE Currency – Quickly determine the value of the dollar in foreign countries or translate orders from clients to make educated business decisions. This is also a great application for backpacking through any country.

8. – Intuit offers mobile applications for Android and iOS that allows users to track business accounts through Quickbooks. This is a great app for small business owners who need to view the books while away from their main computer.

9. – Access all your Google favorites like Google Docs via this free mobile application. Even Apple and BlackBerry fans like to use Google’s suite of free tools and this app gives them a central dashboard to access it all.

10. Sorted – Simplify daily activities with this application that allows you to prioritize tasks and set reminders easily. This app is a great way to increase productivity in all facets of daily life.

3 Important Reasons Why Small Businesses Need To Incorporate Smartphones

November 9, 2012 By Guest Author Leave a Comment

Nearly every small business owner has to mind the bottom line carefully. Cash flow is almost always tight, and so every expense warrants scrutiny. When a small business owner sees something that appears unnecessary on a budget, the reflex is often to cut it out. Unfortunately, this reflex can often set back small businesses, because they’re not looking far enough into the future.

One large expense many small businesses wrestle with is providing employees with smartphones. The smartphone has become a staple technology, yet many small businesses are unwilling to pay employees’ monthly bills. Since startup employees typically aren’t mobile, there seems no need to keep them constantly in touch with a smartphone. Plus, many of them will bear the costs themselves, so why offer to pay?

Why offer to pay? Because the smartphone can be crucial to a small business’s success. It might not seem obvious at first, but there are a number of reasons why small businesses should ensure that their employees have smartphones.

1. Flexibility and organization

One of the most valuable traits for any small business is flexibility. In many ways small businesses cannot afford the rigidity of large corporations. They don’t have the financial might to power through certain obstacles, so they must have the flexibility to circumvent them. The greatest way to achieve flexibility is through organization. The highly organized small business will stand a greater chance of weathering tough times.

A smartphone’s personal information management, or PIM, applications allow employees to remain highly organized. When a company supplies its employees with smartphones, they also imply an obligation to use them. By keeping important dates in line, including deadlines, small businesses can move with efficiency. The smartphone also keeps the employees connected at all times. This isn’t to say that they should work around the clock, but rather that they can be reached when necessary.

There are many instances where employees cannot make it to work. The New York City area was recently hit with a , leaving many without power and access to transportation. Small businesses kept chugging along, though, because their employees were able to work from home. Part of the reason was they all had smartphones, which helped them access information normally stored on their office computers.

2. Customers use smartphones

Small businesses need to find any means possible to identify with prospects. It is through identifying with them that they can effectively market to them. And it’s not until the marketing phase that the prospect realizes his or her desire for the product. It’s a long, complicated process, and small businesses should embrace any means of making it simpler. Equipping employees with smartphones is a step in that direction.

Analysts forecast next year alone that consumers will buy 1.2 billion smartphones and tablets. That doesn’t even take into account consumers who purchased smartphones this year, who won’t be upgrading until 2013. Billions of prospects worldwide use smartphones, and small businesses can leverage this fact by familiarizing employees with them. The more ways in which an employee can relate to a prospect, the greater chances they can find common ground. Sales typically occur when salesperson and prospect find common ground.

Smartphones also help companies more effectively market to prospects. Mobile websites, apps, and social media are staples of modern marketing. By arming employees with smartphones small businesses afford them an opportunity to dig in deep and learn how to use these marketing tactics. One big reason is because the phone comes from the company. Employees might be less likely to learn if doing so on a personal phone.

3. Sales

Sales are the backbone of any small business. Without sales there is no money, and without money there is no business. Every small business must sell or it is no longer a business at all. Just as small businesses must remain flexible with operations, so it must remain flexible with sales. If there is any obstacle between the prospect and the sale, the prospect likely will not turn into a customer. Smartphones can now help eliminate many obstacles.

Imagine a sales employee traveling around with the ability to sell to anyone, at any place, during any time. Not only that, but imagine that payment is instant. There is no need to input customer information, nor is there any real barrier to the sale. It just involves swiping the customer’s credit card. This is possible now with mobile payment systems. These are units that attach to a smartphone, and allow salespeople to ring people up, as though they were at a real cash register.

Intuit is one company leading the field here, with their Go Payment unit. They keep a that can help explain exactly how small businesses benefit from using these new devices. Of course, they’re only good with a smartphone. They’re just another good reason for small businesses to invest in smartphones for their employees.

Yes, the monthly bill for a smartphone, roughly $100 US per person, can look like a weight on the bottom line. But there are too many advantages to smartphone ownership. Smart small businesses will see this cost as an opportunity to make employees more organized and flexible, while allowing them to gain common ground with prospects and generate sales. Instead of being a cost, smartphones should be viewed as investments.

Author Bio: Joe Pawlikowski writes, edits, and consults for several technology blogs across the web. He keeps a personal blog at JoePawl.com.

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