When running an online business there is so much to do. Just as with any traditional brick and mortar business you have expenses, clients/customers, vendors and more. Keeping track of all your expenses as well as your invoices and billing can be a daunting task if you don’t have a good system in place.

One program that is worth its weight in gold is Freshbooks. This easy to use, online program can save your countless hours when it comes to your billing and expense tracking. With Freshbooks you can send and manage all your invoices from one easy ti use application. Plus you can accept payments online with Credit cards, e-Checks or PayPal.

Are you tired of sending out payment reminders to your customers? Well, those days are over as Freshbooks has an automated reminder system that handles this task for you. If you’re a small start-up, you can get the look and feel of the big boys with professional invoices that can even accommodate your business logo.

Freshbooks is one of the top rate programs for billing and expense tracking. Learn more of what this amazing tool can do for your business by clicking here.

Social media is all around us. As a business owner, chances are you’ve heard of all the benefits that social media has to offer. This information isn’t false. Social media can and does change the faces of businesses each and every day.

Sadly, a lot of businesses still are not using social media and those that are may not be using them effectively. Too often businesses get the mentality that “more” is the better way to go. This isn’t always true when it comes to social media.

Any marketing plan should have a social media aspect incorporated into it. However that plan should not include every social media platform known to man. Why? Because as with anything, if it doesn’t apply to your business then why use it? You need to understand your business audience and on what social media outlets they are interacting. Your audience may be using Facebook and not Twitter. So it seems a waste to post on Twitter right? The answer is yes and no.

You’ll want to focus your efforts on the main social media platforms that your target audience is using. However, just because a social media outlet is not as widely used as another doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it. These outlets can open the door to a new target audience. This is why having a complete and through marketing plan is important. You need to know where to focus your efforts first and why. You then can decide on newer avenues of gaining customers by using other avenues of social media.

Nothing runs smoothly without a plan and in business not having a plan can mean the difference between success and failure. Check out an article that discusses this very topic by clicking here.

Everyday social media is growing by leaps and bounds. It has changed the way we socialize with one another and it’s changing the way people are doing business. Businesses are learning how to take social media and turn it into a benefit for them. Whether it is advertising a sale or special or announcing a new product; social media is changing the business landscape.

Here is an article on how social media and businesses are interacting: Click here to read

Businesses have realized that using social media can literally change their business overnight. You can go from unknown to well known in no time if you use social media properly and effectively. Social media is not all about just posting a message on Facebook or simply sending out a tweet. In order for businesses to harness the power of social media they must make sure that their message is reaching their intended audience. If it’s not then social media is nothing more than a message board without anyone to notice to the message.

Word of mouth in the viral world has taken your every day mom and pop business and turned it into a household name. Granted this doesn’t happen overnight but it does happen with an effective marketing plan. Social media should be an important part of that marketing plan. Many businesses still aren’t using social media and that’s a shame.

Social media allows businesses to reach a wider audience. Businesses can reach new demographics that they normally wouldn’t come in contact with. All it takes is the right message; in the right hand and you’ve got one powerful marketing tool. If you’re not sure how to use social media then there is never a better time then the present to learn how to use these platforms to help you increase business.

Recently, I created a video that would put into prospective my opinion about social media websites like Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter and they view the updates or changes which are made to their websites. This was created to help put into prospective how the owners of each website operates when it comes to updates or changes to their websites.

Take a look at the video below and then share your opinion in the comment section. I’m looking forward to the creative opinions that you share regarding how each network views itself.

Music provided by:

Fanatik
“Long range(instr.)” (mp3)
from ” “Kuboniqs” Instrumental LP”
(New Andalus Records)

More On This Album

Wow, it looks like Twitter has done it again by acquiring another company called Backtype (<<– click here to read more about it). What’s so special about this company you might ask. It is an analytics company that can give you detailed information regarding your Twitter activity. Yeah, I know, that are many websites that will allow you to do this so why did Twitter find this company so special?

Great question so let’s see what their website can deliver to you. Once you view the video, please feel free to comment below and then share it with a friend.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

If you are looking for a way to keep communications open between you and your customers, then choosing to invest in social media may be the answer you are looking for. Social media has become a vital way for individuals and businesses to generate awareness and increase promotional opportunities. If you want to implement it into your online presence, there are several tips that you should keep in mind that will assist you with your efforts.

Start by creating profiles on the major social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Each of these will allow you to communicate with your target customers in different ways:

• Twitter is more of an instantaneous way to reach your customers. It allows you to quickly connect and build your circle of influence.
• Facebook has basically two ways you can connect with your customers: with your personal page upon approval and with fan pages that allow instantaneous connection.
• LinkedIn is more of a corporate environment and connecting with your customers may take longer. It is worthwhile, especially if you want to connect to businesses that are more corporate-minded.

You can keep your social media communications open through the process of sharing information and creating a FAQ section on your website to answer questions regarding your industry. By doing this, you can create an information portal and it can help you become an expert in your industry. Encouraging your readers and followers to post comments, suggestions, and other relevant information is a way for you to add to your information portal. In doing so, your customers will be much more involved and dedicated if they feel they are an important part of the process.

Another component of social media is marketing, which is a great way to connect with your customers whether it is online or offline. Many business owners have chosen to hold contests to attract their target customers while others have used social media to find joint venture partners to combine marketing efforts. Some examples of marketing techniques are:

• Twitter allows you to host on a weekly chat that is industry-specific where you can connect with others and encourage them to participate.
• Facebook allows you to purchase ads or sponsor content that will appear on your target customer’s sidebar. It will also allow you to point your ads to your fan page to grow your fans. Incorporate the “Like” button for your fan page into your website.
• LinkedIn allows you to ask questions or answer questions. When you answer questions that are industry-specific, it gives you a way to get your name in front of your target customers.

If your followers see that you encourage and foster interaction, then they will most likely give greater value to the information and follow it more closely. Your readers will also take action to recommend you and your content to their friends and followers.

Finally, with all of your activity on social media, don’t forget to measure your return on investment (ROI). By measuring your ROI, you will be able to determine what social media efforts work best to keep the lines of communication open between you and your target customers.

Social media marketing, or SMM, for business involves using websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare, to grow your business online. Business owners can choose to connect with friends, peers, and potential customers while increasing their social media interaction. If you can access the Internet, chances are you have already been exposed to the concept. SMM as it is sometimes called, is the latest attempt by Internet businesses and marketers to reach targeted audiences.

Social media marketing is a great way to connect with your customers whether it is online or offline. Many choose to hold contests to attract their target customers while others use it to find joint venture partners to combine marketing efforts. SMM programs can focus their attention on different promotional aspects of business. This is accomplished through one or more techniques, such as direct advertising, public relations, personal promotions, and other advertising techniques that all have basically one thing in common. Using social media marketing to promote services and products on social media websites, in hopes of connecting with their target customers.

Another aspect of SMM is social media advertising which allows a business owner to explore their marketing efforts via social media websites using tools such as Facebook Ads. It can be used locally and globally to reach target customers. For example, a business owner can use Facebook fan pages locally and could receive high return on their investment when they show their ads toward their target audience.

When businesses start creating fan pages and adding content on social media sites, targeted customers tend to interact favorably with websites that have become familiar to them. Your business can be easily recognized by your targeted customer when your branding message reaches them and draws them in. Using your Facebook fan page is a way to reach your target customer and it can help you brand your business online. Using blog posts and messages on Twitter to post information about your business’ products or services is a great way to reach your target customer too.

All of these techniques are examples of the technological version of word of mouth, and is proving to be very effective. Using social media websites can help instill a sense of loyalty with your target customers. Another area that SMM has reached is cell phones with mobile marketing. As popular websites continue to expand, targeted customers are visiting websites using their cell phones and other mobile devices. This opens up a whole new market of Internet users worldwide.

One last thing to keep in mind as you start your social media marketing is that you should always measure your ROI for your efforts. A business owner cannot afford to be carelessness with their social media efforts. In order to measure the ROI in social media, you must first decide what you want to measure then setup a system to monitor your efforts.

When building your business online, don’t overlook the power of Social Media. You can start by including social media in your internet marketing campaigns. There’s a revolution taking place in the way people communicate with each other and Social Media Marketing simply reflects that change.

It allows us to communicate with our peers directly, build a long term relationship with customers and potential clients. With recent statistic showing that Internet users spend more time on social media networks, business owners are starting to using it more. Keep in mind, if your clients are on the Internet, then that’s where your business should be in order to communicate and in order to market effectively.

There are many social media platforms where you can grow your business online. Every business is unique so you need to determine which platform will work best for your business. Social Media is indeed an effective way for marketing your business and a powerful method that will maximize your profits.

To see how one small business has effectively used it, please watch the video below.
It is a great example of how Social Media made a burrito business a phenomenon.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

There is much talk about Google’s Chromebook which is suppose to be a solution for laptop/netbook users. It is suppose to offer it’s uses the ability to have great support while paying a monthly fee for the bells and whistles that come with the computer.

To help you get a better understanding regarding Chromebook, visit the articles below:

• Five Reasons why Google’s Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer
• What’s wrong with Google’s Chromebook?

Watch the video below and then leave a comment regarding your thoughts about Google Chromebook.

I recently came across a new Facebook application cal Post Planner which allows you to post date your fanpage post. You can post to any of your fanpage and even setup repeat post. It’s almost hands-free content management for your fanpage.

Some of the things that you can do with Post Planner are:

• schedule future posts without leaving Facebook
• schedule posts for multiple pages at once
• schedule posts that repeat at specified intervals
• choose different time zones for different posts
• get email notifications when your posts publish

Watch the video below for more details regarding Post Planner.