Monday, May 10, 2010

Technology can help you with branding your business

My family gave me the BEST mother’s day gift….an ipod touch. Yes, I am one of those people who loves their Palm Pilot and day timer. If my house were on fire, (and the kids were safe) the thing I would grab is my lap top and now my ipod.

I especially love the use of technology for the entrepreneur. We can literally run our business from a remote setting if needed. If you set it up correctly, technology can help you keep your brand in the public eye, even when you are not. As you can tell, the ipod touch was a perfect choice! The first thing I did was tweet and update my Facebook page & Linkedin status announcing my new “toy”.

Then I started shopping for apps. There are so many, I didn’t know where to begin….which is what inspired this article. I asked myself, "What are good apps for business and the entrepreneur?" I began my research and found the majority of my data on AppCraver.com

If your company is not using social media for a form of communication, you are missing out on an opportunity to reinforce your brand. You would be surprised what people will recall when it pops up as an update when they log onto Facebook or Linkedin.

Here are a few apps for SOCIAL MEDIA:

Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter to easily update your status to keep your branding message fresh and up to date.

WordPress to update your blog and post links to related articles.

Bump is interesting, like beaming but instead you bump your fists while you are holding your ipods and your information is exchanged and added to your social contacts. I haven't tried it, but it looks like a good conversation builder at networking events.

Here are some apps to help you stay productive and organized in BUSINESS:

VIP Access by VeriSign adds an extra layer of security to your accounts like paypal.

MapQuest 4 and Mileage Trackers to help you more efficiently track your business travels.

ABC Contacts to manage your contacts and send out emails.

reQall gives you the ability to record a note or reminder which can be transcribed to text.

SmartTime organizes items on your schedule, prioritizes them, accommodates unexpected changes and also links meeting locations to Google maps.

These are only a few that I found in my casual search, I will keep you posted as I discover more.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Why international outsourcing is not always a smart financial move

In todays business world, many are considering outsourcing some or parts of the company. To those who have already outsource did they see a lower cost for their customers? Is it worth it? You be the judge, find out more at "Why international outsourcing is not always a smart financial move"