Posts Tagged ‘Technology’
February 20th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Wideo
Don’t be intimidated by all those online videos you see on other websites. You can create your own with Wideo. The videos are animations and can be used for explaining how your product works, how your company founders came together, or whatever your imagination comes up with. You can create, edit and share animation videos for free–it’s easier than you think. Insert objects, backgrounds and shapes or upload your own images and add text. Animate any object in as little as three clicks of a mouse. Then build your story with animated scenes, and share your video with customers right away.
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Tags: Marketing, Resources, small business, Technology, Videos
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February 20th, 2013 :: Rieva Lesonsky
By Rieva Lesonsky
Are you a mad multitasker? You know what I mean—switching back and forth between 12 open programs on your computer while simultaneously talking on one phone, checking texts on a second phone and eating lunch at your desk. Women business owners are particularly prone to multitasking mania, probably because many of us are used to juggling dozens of tasks (overseeing the kids’ homework while working on the laptop and folding laundry) in our home lives. But that doesn’t mean we’re better at it than men.
Studies on male vs. female multitasking abilities are many and controversial. For every study showing that women are better at it, there’s one claiming men are. But the real question isn’t who’s better at multitasking, but whether multitasking is helpful or hurtful.
A raft of studies done in labs have indicated that while multitasking actually decreases your productivity, people tended to believe the opposite—that they were more effective when multitasking. An Ohio State University study went one step beyond to find out why people think multitasking is more productive. Researchers found that:
- People feel more productive because they are emotionally satisfied by multitasking.
- People tended to multitask when they had a specific task to do (such as studying); in other words, multitasking provided a way to avoid focusing on something that was rather unpleasant.
- As a result, people feel emotionally satisfied by multitasking, which leads them to keep doing it.
- As they continue multitasking, it develops into a habit, and the positive emotions that come from it plus the habit-forming nature makes them keep doing it.
So what can you do to break your multitasking habit? Like any habit, it will take time (about 21 days) to break the old habit and institute new ones. Try setting rules like shutting down your email and only checking it a few times a day; letting calls go to voice mail and checking them at set times; shutting your office door for short periods when you need to concentrate; and using online tools like Freedom or Concentrate to keep you from wasting time on the Internet.
Yes, I realize that these habits may be hard to institute, but start small. You’d be surprised at what just a couple hours a day of not multitasking can do for your productivity—and your business.
Image by Flickr user deux-chi (Creative Commons)
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Tags: Entrepreneurs, productivity, small business, Technology, women business owners
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February 19th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Startup Weekend
Want to start a new business or spinoff of your existing business but you’re thinking, “A new business is too hard and will take too long!” How does starting a business in a weekend sound (and maybe finding a partner to boot)? StartUp Weekend events are held around the world and are 54-hour weekends filled with hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if their startup ideas are viable. Typically, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical or design backgrounds, and the other half have business backgrounds, which leads to some very fruitful teams. How’s this for a success rate? Eighty percent of past attendees say they plan on working with the team they met during their StartUp Weekend.
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Tags: Events, networking, Resources, small business, Technology
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February 18th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Deohako
If you can’t live without your iPad and you’re looking for ways to use it in every part of your life, you’ll want to know about Deohako. The Deohako iPad Connection System is a revolutionary iPad Case and attachment system that allows you to use your iPad in places you never dreamed you could use it. Deohako’s products include wall mounts, car mounts, clamps, suction cups, kitchen stands, attractive cases and even an iPad tripod. Did you add the iPad Mini to your family? Deohako has accessories for those, too.
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Tags: Resources, small business, Technology
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February 15th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Haiku Deck
Haiku Deck is a free presentation app for iPad, designed to simplify creating exciting and beautiful presentations. The founders of Haiku Deck wanted an easier way to tell a story, pitch an idea, share some news, give an update, show your stuff, enliven a meeting, inspire a group and more. Once you download the app, the process is as simple as entering some text, choosing an image and selecting a layout to present it in. Repeat until your presentation is done. To share your story, go to the main menu, click on “share” and you can share your presentation via email, Facebook or Twitter.
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Tags: presentation tools, sales process, small business resources, Technology
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February 14th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Robobasket
Don’t let the thousands of files on your computer get the best of you. If you’ve ever misplaced a file in a forgotten folder, you know the importance of having a way to organize files and keep them filed in the right place. RoboBasket is an automatic file sorter that can copy, move, rename, delete and process files based on rules determined by the user. Rules are easily created by dragging and dropping. Files can be filtered based on name, extension, date created, date last modified, size, kind and many other file attributes.
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Tags: productivity, small business resources, Technology
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February 14th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
By Maria Valdez Haubrich
eConsultancy recently highlighted the top 7 reasons people buy from online ecommerce sites instead of brick-and-mortar stores. Based on research from MIT, Facebook, Google and Target, the key drivers of online shopping are:
- Value – 75 percent say online prices are more competitive. Can a small business always offer the lowest price? Clearly not, so how can you compete? eConsultancy says despite the emphasis on low price, 81 percent of those surveyed report they have paid more to get better service. If you can’t beat big-box retailers’ online prices, make sure you provide something else that’s special to make up for it.
- Open – 63 percent prefer being able to shop at any time of day or night. Be sure your site is up and running as smoothly in the middle of the night as it is during the day, and that you can handle increased traffic at any time. Also be sure that your customer service options—such as live chat or the ability to call and talk to a customer service rep—are 24/7.
- Delivery – 59 percent are persuaded by free delivery. That doesn’t mean you have to offer free shipping on everything, of course. You can keep it affordable for your business (while still meaningful to consumers) by setting limits such as “free shipping on all orders over $50.”
- Speed – 55 percent like being able to get products the next day. Again, that might be tough to offer, but in a separate eConsultancy survey about holiday 2012 shopping habits, 26 percent of consumers said they had paid extra for next-day delivery.
- Ease – 48 percent say online shopping is just easier. Make sure it’s easy by having a website that’s simple to navigate, allows for ease of sorting and searching, provides all the information a customer might want about products (including reviews from other customers) and has a wide range of product shots and even videos.
- Range – 46 percent like being able to see what’s in stock and available at a glance. Make sure your site is well stocked and your inventory management/fulfillment system is top notch. Also enable customers to sort for specifics such as size and color quickly.
- Choice – 40 percent cite the ability to buy new or otherwise unavailable merchandise. This is where small online retailers can really shine. Design your site, write your copy and develop your marketing materials so they emphasize the unique, custom or hard-to-find aspects of what you sell. Make it clear this isn’t your average big-box retail site—this is something special.
Keep these 7 key factors in mind, and you’ll do better at converting visitors to your site into buyers—and return customers.
Image by Flickr user ganesha.isis (Creative Commons)
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Tags: ecommerce, small business, Technology
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February 12th, 2013 :: Karen Axelton
By Karen Axelton
It may be hard to believe, but with the 2012 holiday shopping season just behind us, smart retailers are already prepping for the 2013 holiday retail rush. Shop.org and BIGInsights recently conducted a survey of retailers in which they asked them what they plan to do differently this coming holiday season. Here are the most common responses:
- Better inventory management. Retailers plan to do better in terms of planning their inventory, managing it and being better-stocked with the most popular products on hand.
- Improved online infrastructure. Online shopping was huge for holiday 2012, and that trend will only continue in 2013. No wonder that retailers are focusing on improved server capabilities, faster-loading pages and an overall better online experience for users. Shop.org notes that testing your site on multiple platforms and mobile devices is an important part of having a strong online infrastructure.
- Better marketing. Areas where retailers plan to spend in 2013 include keyword purchasing, email marketing, organic and paid search marketing efforts. Better strategic planning–of marketing channels, marketing messages and marketing spending–was a key theme among respondents seeking to avoid last-minute scrambling and changes.
- Cross-channel shopping and improved customer experience. Customers increasingly view shopping as a holistic experience where they move seamlessly from online engagement with your brand to buying online or in-store. Smart retailers are working to improve that experience at all touchpoints, and are harnessing data and analytics to understand how shoppers buy and interact with their companies both online and off. A full one-fourth of companies in the survey were planning a website redesign this year.
- Mobile commerce. Retailers are still feeling their way in the world of m-commerce, but companies are investing in areas including responsive Web design, optimizing their sites for tablet use and enabling mobile checkout. Shop.org cites another survey which found that 43 percent of retailers named tablets and mobile as among their top three initiatives for this year.
- Better customer service/fulfillment. More than 3 in 5 retailers say they will be investing in a wider range of shipping options for the coming year. Among the alternatives companies are considering: ship-to-store for in-store pickup, same-day delivery and free returns. Companies also say they want to provide better last-minute shopping options, better guarantees of Christmas delivery, and faster delivery in general.
Image by Flickr user Mike Kline (Creative Commons)
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Tags: ecommerce, Marketing, online retail, small business, Technology
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February 7th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
TrendSpottr
Keeping up on the trends affecting your industry could be your full-time job, so it’s good to know TrendSpottr wants to make the process easier for you. TrendSpottr works like a search engine, so it’s easy to navigate and find what topic or trend you’re looking for. TrendSpottr researches the top Twitter feeds in a specific category to tell you what is being said on a particular topic in real time. The algorithms used by TrendSpottr identify real-time trends at their acceleration point in order to provide early and predictive insights. You can also just click on any of the “Popular Topics” and “Popular Searches” to see what people are talking about in general. Subscribing to the dashboard costs $99 per month.
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Tags: Resources, small business, social media, Technology, trends
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February 6th, 2013 :: Maria Valdez Haubrich
Lingo24
If you’re not selling globally, you’re missing out on a huge market. If worries about translation are holding you back, don’t let that be your excuse any more. Lingo24 is an online translation agency with over 4,000 specialist translators worldwide, so there’s a Lingo-ist available to you help at any time of the day or night. Lingo24 clients span the globe, and the industries they serve are just as expansive. Whether you need help with language for technology integration issues, financial, legal and/or marketing translation, Lingo24 has specialists available. Prices vary depending on the project.
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Tags: Marketing, sales process, small business resources, Technology, translation services
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