Twilert
With Twilert you can be notified by email of Twitter activity for any term (or set of terms) you specify. Similar to Google Alerts, Twilert is especially helpful for keeping track of what’s happening on Twitter without having to spend all day monitoring your feed. The filtering options help keep the results pertinent to your business.

You Send It
You Send It has been a go-to service for years for people who need to exchange large files, like editors and graphic designers, without having to worry about exceeding their server’s file size limit. Free for files of up to 100MB, or choose a “pro” program, for a monthly fee. They’ve also recently expanded their services and now offer cloud-based file sharing, similar to other file-sharing sites like Dropbox and SugarSync.

Animoto
Video accounts for 51 percent of Internet traffic – a number that’s only going to increase in the coming years. It is an essential part of a business company’s media mix, but professional video production can be expensive. If you’re on a shoestring budget, there are a number of easy video editing programs out there. One I like is Animoto, which lets you incorporate photos, video clips and music to easily create videos that you’ll be proud to call your own. Free 30-second videos; prices go up from there.

What are some tools you’ve found to help run your business?

The way you treat clients directly affects how successful your business will be.

We’ve said it before: Being nice can set you apart. I was recently reminded of this again thanks to one of our client’s blog posts. Tony Quintong of Securieon posted an article on his site about one rule to live by in business: Treat others as you would want to be treated. The whole idea is that no matter who you’re working with, the way you interact with them can play a big role in how successful you are in your business.

Here’s some of what Tony wrote:

Here’s the essence of this observation: It’s a Glengarry Glen Ross world of pushy real estate salesmanship. We live in a plethora of readily accessible information. There is no need for the capital required of the Procter & Gamble’s or Mattel toy companies of the world. Market research of what a client is likely to buy – and why – is a few keyboard taps away, yet how many sales people really do their homework? Here is a simple Sales 101 Training approach to catching a prospect’s attention:

• Do the homework on the person and their company
• Develop a solution statement based on their needs – not on your unfounded opinion
• Provide an insightful view on their industry/company challenges
• Follow up with a compelling point of interest to them

If you want the potential customer to be receptive, treat them as you would want to be treated. If you don’t agree or have not considered their point of view, its ok with me; however I would seriously consider another profession.

Have you taken the time to actually do the homework, listen to your customers and find a compelling point of interest to them? Not only can this help you make the sale, but it can help you develop a marketing strategy to actually reach your target audiences effectively!

Photo Credit: JodiWomack

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These 6 articles will tell you what your body language is saying, how to jump into social media and more.

Is your body language getting your message across? How should you start using social media for your company? Here are 6 articles to help you with those topics and more:

1. 10 Words That Don’t Mean What You May Think They Do http://ow.ly/4WVQf – English changes little by little over time. This post shares 10 words that mean something different than you may think.
2. 10 common body language traps for women in the workplace http://ow.ly/4TnFa – Is your body language saying something different than you intend? This article shares common ways women in the workplace miscommunicate their message based on how they stand, tilt their head, etc. A quick study of psychology might have some big payoffs.  Check out 50 Mind-Bending Psychology Blogs.  It provides some great advice to further understand your reader.  Never stop learning.
3. Do you run your business or work from a home office? Here are 7 steps to help you achieve work-life balance http://ow.ly/4VYhi – A lot of small business owners work from home. This article shares helpful tips for managin work-life balance.
4. How to jump into the social media pool without drowning http://ow.ly/4YLUI – This is a great resource for business owners jumping into social media. It includes advice regarding which types of media to use and activities you don’t want to forget.
5. Are you an educated business blogger? 12 things every business blogger should know how to do http://ow.ly/544tX – There’s a LOT of advice out there for business bloggers. This post shares a good list of things you don’t want to miss.
6. Life Without Twitter – An Infographic http://ow.ly/4VYi8 – This is a fun infographic of what life might be like without Twitter.

Photo Credit: Rd. Vortex

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Get more information
Register Now!
I can’t make it

Want to know why successful small to midsize business owners know the importance of revenue growth and succession planning? Or how a privately owned business can have business dollars create personal liquid net worth for the owners? Come to the panel discussion to find out!

WHEN: Thursday June 30, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM PDT

WHERE: Silicon Valley Capitol Club, 50 W San Fernando St. #1700, San Jose, CA 95113

Find out more about this exciting event here.

Not sure what to name your business, product or website? Eat My Words' SMILE & SCRATCH Test can help!

I have a friend that’s beginning the process of starting a new business. On Facebook, he recently asked for advice in coming up with a name for his business that would have an effective URL associated with it. My first thought immediately went to Eat My Words’ SMILE & SCRATCH Test:

If you’re naming a company, product or service, here’s a fast and free way to find out if you have a great name. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test is based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head. Go ahead, give it a whirl and be honest with yourself…

SMILE if your name has these 5 winning qualities:
Simple – one no-brainer concept
Meaningful – customers “get it”
Imagery – visually evocative
Legs – lends itself to wordplay
Emotional – makes a connection

SCRATCH it if it commits any of these 7 deadly sins:
Spelling-challenged – isn’t spelled exactly how it sounds
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, descriptive, uninspired
Curse of Knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, unapproachable

If you’re naming your company, brand or product, or picking out a domain name, Eat My Words has a lot of really useful advice like:

Do not name your business after yourself. Your own name is meaningless to your future customers and evokes absolutely nothing about your business. If you’re like most of us, your name is either hard to spell, hard to pronounce or hard for people to remember. The only time to use your name as your business name is when it lends itself to wordplay, such as a consultant named Steven Lord. His business is called “Lord Knows!” The Wynn Hotel in Vegas is also a great example of when it makes sense to use your own name.

Your brand name should be spelled exactly how it sounds. If you don’t, you will constantly have to tell people how to spell it, e.g. “That’s Takkle with two k’s.” Think of how often you have to spell your own first or last name for people. Why would you want a brand name with the same problem?

Make sure your product names work as a family. Roomba was the initial product from iRobot. They thought they were onto something when they named their next product, a wet vac, Scooba. Then they were stuck. They ran out of “ba” names. How do their next two robots Verro (pools) and Looj (gutters) fit in? They don’t. Apple had the foresight to name their operating systems related names – even years before they were launched. Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, Leopard, Snow Leopard – they all are part of a family, which makes them easy to identify and remember.

Make sure your domain name doesn’t spell something unfortunate. I’m sure Pen Island didn’t check this when they bought the domain penisland.com. Ferreth and Jobs also made this mistake: ferrethandjobs.com. Our all time favorite “Slurl,” is Mole Station Nursery, also known as molestationnursery.com.

See more tips at www.eatmywords.com.

Photo Credit: o5com

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These five articles are perfect for small business owners and entreprenuers.

What does your body language say to coworkers and colleagues? Does your online content stand out? Here are five articles I’ve recently stumbled across that can help you with your business.

1. 10 common body language traps for women in the workplace http://ow.ly/4TnFa – One small nonverbal signal can change the dynamics of an entire business interaction. Women are usually the champions in the warmth and empathy arena, but lose out with power and authority cues—mostly because they fall prey to these ten common body language traps.
2. 8 Ways To Make Your Online Content Stand Out http://ow.ly/4UHCS – This article includes 8 ways to consider when creating online content for your business.
3. Five, Five-Second Rules for Delivering Your Message http://ow.ly/4TnBG – 5 tips valuable for getting your company’s message out quickly. These suggestions are great for numerous types of marketing.
4. Integrate Your Brand for Marketing Success http://ow.ly/4Ry3x – This post includes tips for integrating your brand in marketing communications materials.
5. An important concept for small business owners? Delegation! http://ow.ly/4UHAr – Time management and productivity expert Brian Tracy recommends “if somebody can do [a task] 70% as well as you, [you should] delegate it, especially if it is not a major task…. As your business grows, you get someone to do the little things that are of low value so that you can do more of the things of high value.”

Photo Credit: Johan.V.

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Sometimes you need to turn everything off

I recently read this article about Twitter addicts that wake up 2-3 times a night specifically to check interaction online. The blogger admits to sleeping with her iPhone under her pillow, and then writes:

You can point your finger at me and call me weird (which I am); however, according to recent studies, lots of people do this! Whether it’s to check Twitter, send texts, wait for a midnight phone call or use their cell phone as an alarm clock in the morning, more and more people are sleeping with their phones. When I asked a few of my close Twitter friends about this, they almost all reluctantly admitted it. One friend told me she not only sleeps with her phone, but her laptop open and ready also.

This got me thinking about boundaries. What boundaries do you set for yourself? As a small business owner, sometimes it can feel like you have to be available 24/7 for any emergency that might happen, but how does this affect your personal life?

At Three Girls, we place a lot of value in work/life balance, although it isn’t always easy. When you own a small business it’s impossible to keep work at work – it will always come home with you, especially if you run your business from your living room. With that in mind, here are 5 ways to help you work personal time into your busy week:

1. Keep your weekends free. Of course there are always times you’ll have to take evening or weekend meetings, but try to arrange your schedule so you have at least two days each week in a row that aren’t consumed with your work. Having a couple of days off will actually help you work more efficiently the other five days!
2. Turn it off. Avoid the temptation of checking email one last time by physically turning your computer off after a day of work. Anything you receive in email can wait until the morning.
3. Schedule personal activities. Whether it’s spending time with a loved one or simply reading a book, add it to your calendar so you keep that time free.
4. Don’t always answer the phone. If you’re enjoying time with your family or friends, resist the urge to pick up the phone. If it’s important, whoever calls will leave a message or, depending on your relationship, you can send a text to quickly help them if it’s small or see if it can wait.
5. Sleep 8 solid hours. Your sleep is extremely important! It will keep you healthy and help you think more clearly during the day. Of course there will be nights where 8 hours isn’t practical, but make sure you get a solid chunk of sleep. If you’re tempted to wake up to check email, Facebook or Twitter, remove the distractions and keep the technology in another room.

What additional ways do you incorporate life balance into your busy work week?

Photo Credit: SMercury98

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From website design and content to communication lessons and laws, here are 5 articles we don’t think you should miss.

From website design and content to communication lessons and laws, here are 5 articles we don’t think you should miss:

1. 7 Things That Annoy Website Visitors http://ow.ly/41xw7 – A lot of websites annoy visitors with slow loading times, cluttered layouts and more. These 7 things not to do on your site will help your site even more powerful.
2. 5 useful reminders about communication from a 5-year-old http://ow.ly/43JVT – With all the reading, painting, Disney Princess snap, Dora the Explorer computer games, and splashing through rivers in the forest, communicators can learn a lot from the younger (well, much younger) generation, and their way of viewing the world.
3. 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing http://ow.ly/42kWT – These are 10 helpful rules to understand the social media marketing fundamentals.
4. Ten tips for writing for the web http://ow.ly/3Mjbu – Consumers read websites differently than they read books. This post provides ten tips for writing for websites and blogs including keeping it short, using numbered lists and bullets, adding links and more.
5. Why You Aren’t As Successful As You Want To Be http://ow.ly/46QNL – Words of wisdom from Chris Brogan about why you aren’t as successful as you want to be, including the distractions, worries, etc.

Photo Credit: Frerieke

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Here are five helpful articles that will help you improve your business.

For those of you managing your own marketing and PR, here are five helpful articles that will help you improve your business:

1. Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period http://ow.ly/3Jxi3 – Slate’s take on whether or not you should type two spaces after a period (the answer is no, you shouldn’t).
2. The Myth of the Perfect Writing Environment http://ow.ly/3JxfB – A post in which Chris Brogan discusses the excuse of needing the perfect writing environment.
3. 7 Reasons Your Posts Aren’t Getting Retweeted http://ow.ly/3IdMb – How can you make your tweets more retweetable? This article gives you 7 things to fix.
4. 11 Quick (and Good) Content Ideas for Your Ezine or Blog http://ow.ly/3FqcV – For those times that you run out of ideas for your blog, this article provides 11 ideas for content.
5. 10 Writing Mistakes Smart Bloggers Make http://ow.ly/3CTgo – Blogging is better if you write well, which is why this post gives you 10 mistakes to watch out for.

Photo Credit: chimothy27

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