Increase
Your Reach
Infuse
Your Marketing With Technology
September
2003
This
month's Increase Your Reach provides a straight
look at web site building tools which are marketed at small
businesses and bundled with many web hosting packages. I am also
reviewing the web service I use to get digital
photo prints. The first in a three part series of articles
about virtual professionals is here, and
I will share a resource for using writing to market your business. And lastly - I'd be lost
without happy clients so I've included
a short case study about the approach I took to an unusual design
project this month.
Truth
About Site Building Tools
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most business owners today know that having a web site
is an essential component of marketing. In the past, the choices
were to hire a professional web designer, hire a local teenager
to create a site for mall money, or learn to do it yourself. In
the last few years, the options for small businesses to get a
site developed have changed dramatically. Now there are sophisticated
"site builder" tools available to small business owners, bundled
with many web hosting packages.
This month's feature article takes a look at both sides of using
site building tools, and lets you know what the benefits and downfalls
of using this approach might be.
Learn
more about the pros and cons of site builders...
Review:
Shutterfly
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once you get used to digital cameras, it's hard use anything
else without eagerly looking at the back after every shot, to
see how it came out! As much as I have loved having a digital,
getting the pictures off the computer was always tricky - I printed
them myself but if it rained, they bled. So, I decided to try
out Shutterfly.com. And after seeing a long line at a Kodak photo
kiosk in Walmart the other day, snaking down two aisles, I thought
maybe some of you would be thrilled to hear of this alternative,
too!
Always on the look out for "user friendly" sites to tell people
about, Shutterfly.com was one of the easiest I've seen in some
time. You upload pictures right off your hard drive to the site
and organize them in folders. Then you can select quantities,
sizes, and even create a caption that will print on the back of
each picture. Give the secure site your credit card info and in
only a few days, you will have beautiful pictures delivered right
to you. Any time, you can log back in, order new ones, and send
them to other people. You're not limited to photos - you can print
postcards, note cards and even calendars! Shutterfly is a fast,
affordable way to get high quality reproductions of your digital
photos - you can even stack your account with bulk purchasing
ahead of time so you save money with discounts. And, here is a
chance to try it out for FREE!
Virtual Professionals: Snap Shot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earlier this summer, I developed a detailed survey aimed
at virtual professionals - people who work for themselves using
computers to communicate with clients and colleagues they may
never meet face to face. An invitation was posted on a wide variety
of business related forums, hoping to get a good spread of industries
and demographics. Seventy people responded during a 3 week period.
First in a series of three, this month's article is a snapshot
of the virtual professional community as it exists in 2003 - who
VPs are, how they got there, and what their work life is really
like.
Read
the Virtual Professionals Snap Shot...
Writing
to Market Your Business
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We've all heard that by defining your niche and writing
articles, you can increase name and brand recognition, build credibility,
and establish yourself as an expert.
Well, it actually works! I recently had two of my articles published
in the Albany Business Review - one based on my virtual professional
survey and the second a condensed version of the online business
networking article I featured here last month. As a result of
that, I now have an opportunity to be interviewed on a national
radio show, and an invitation to contribute to a published anthology!
How cool is that!?
I can't stress enough the potential of writing as a free way
to market your business. By the author of a popular new book called
"Get Slightly Famous," here is a free resource on how to get started!
Read
more about getting "slightly famous"
Happy
Clients
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My client, Lorraine, wanted a European style calling card
to represent her consulting work, and her wish was to put a Hudson
River School oil painting on it to reflect the view from her office.
I suggested she purchase the rights to the perfect stock photo,
and I would turn it into her very own unique oil painting for
the card. And because she owns the final "painting," she could
have it enlarged and framed, or even put on note cards if you
wants (hey, this is a good job for Shutterfly, come to think of
it!)
Click
here to see the case study!
Quick Links
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Do Your Own Email Marketing
Other SOHO It Goes Resources & Articles
Official Mumbo Jumbo
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© 2003 All Rights Reserved - This newsletter is intended
to be read and passed around by entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations
interested in electronic communication, design and technology. Please
don't reproduce this document or its contents without full credit
to Eileen Parzek, SOHO It Goes!
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