Mobile Apps To Help You Run Your Business

Staying connected while out and about is important to me. As a marketing consultant, these are mobile apps available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad that I find to be incredibly useful to keep me connected, keep me organized, promote my business and keep productive.

Staying Connected…

• Google Mobile (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Reader).
• Tungle – An easier way to schedule your meetings.
• Linkedin – Stay active among your professional network.
• Twitter – Promote yourself to the world.
• Facebook – Stay connected with your private network.
• Foursquare – Check in at your favorite destinations.
• Hootsuite – Publish to multiple social networks at once.
• Skype – Make free VoIP calls and instant messaging.
• AIM – Chat with your connections.

Staying Organized…

• Evernote – Upload and keep track of everything, syncronized between your device(s) and computer(s).
• Things – Keep track and manage your tasks.
• Remember The Milk – Keep track and manage your tasks.
• Dropbox – Share your files between device and computers.
• 1Password – Safely store and syncronize your passwords between your mobile device and computers.
• Xmarks – Syncronize your bookmarks across between your mobile device and your desktop browsers.
• VehiCal – Track your mileage and expenses.
• LogMeIn – Login to your desktop computer.
• SimpleMindMap – Organize your thoughts.

Analysis…

• Net Status – Quick status check if your websites are up and running.
• Analytics Pro – View Google Analytics data complete with charts.

Feed Your Mind…

Sometimes, you need to take your mind off of work for awhile and catch up with what’s going on in the world. I recommend these apps:

• BBC News
• Slate Magazine
• NY Times
• USA Today
• Pulse News
• The Wall Street Journal
• NPR for iPad
• The Onion

Of course, there are countless other apps you could use. But these should be a good place for you to start.

I hope you find this helpful.
-Roland

How To Make An Effective Website

When hired to redesign a business website, I always ask the client what he/she thinks was wrong with the old one. Aside from looking outdated, the response usually is, “it didn’t work.” Obviously that’s a bit vague. So through more questioning, I try to specifically define what is of most value to the client, which factors into how to make an effective website.

“It Didn’t Work!”

It’s important to understand why someone believes that. The rationale will vary from person to person. It could be based on one or multiple factors, such as:

• No traffic.
• No lead generation.
• No sales.
• Poor communication.
• Old information.
• Wrong business strategy.
• Internal disagreements.

How Do We Make It Effective?

I work with my clients to think about the following:

• Define your goals and priorities for the website.
• Define the target audience(s) for the website.
• Determine an appropriate keyword strategy.
• Design for both humans and search engines.
• Plan for scalability.
• Plan how to drive traffic.
• Define specific metrics to measure success.
• Finally, always be testing!

All the above are critical to build an effective website. That way your team is on board and you can make informed decisions over time as you adapt your website to future changes in the market, trends and your business plan.

Hope you find this helpful.
-Roland

Sluggish Computer Driving You Crazy?

Is your PC or Mac very sluggish? Do you find yourself waiting what seems to be an unreasonable amount of time for applications to open or perform standard tasks? Well there are a couple of easy actions to try to get that critical business tool functioning efficiently for you again:

1. Check if you’ve used most of your hard drive free space.
   Just because you have a 60 GB hard drive, it doesn’t mean you can load every bit of it. PowerPoint decks, video/audio files can take up significant space. Offload whatever isn’t critical to an external hard drive.
2. Make sure your anti-virus software definitions library is up-to-date and run a scan to check for unwanted pests.
3. De-fragmenting your hard drive helps to make your OS and software run a bit more efficiently.
4. Check for unnecessary programs that are loaded into memory but you never use.
5. Add more memory.

I Feel The Need For Speed!

I find that adding RAM helps me extend the life of my older equipment and ensure the responsiveness I need. Time is money and I have the need for speed!

I just upgraded a year old iMac. By default it already had a total of 4 MB (a pair of 2 MB each cards). But I’ve been running more demanding software. For example, I run Windows on my Mac using Parallels so I can use the Windows version of Quickbook Pro (which unfortunately is superior to the Mac version, but that’s a rant for another day.)

Two excellent sources I’ve bought from (Crucial.com, TransIntl.com) have good documentation to help you determine your computer model number and recommend compatible memory. Pricing is competitive. Sometimes they offer free shipping. Plus you should search online for a promo code that might help you get a discounted price.

My Mac had 4 MB RAM and accepts up to 16 MB. After evaluating prices and need, I settled on 12 MB total being acceptable. So I ordered a pair of 4 MB each cards. to compliment the pair of 2 MB cards I already have installed.

Backup Your Hard Drive Before You Tinker Inside The Case

Always make sure you have a current backup of your critical business files. Memory installation isn’t hard, but what if you accidentally knock over the computer? Or somehow generate a static discharge while touching the components? Stupid accidents can happen and you want to reduce risk of accidental destruction of your valuable data.

After taking precautions, the installation process was easy. I’ve done this several times before with PCs and Macs, so I am comfortable with the DIY approach.

I turned the computer off, opened the access cover, inserted the 2 additional RAM cards into the empty slots. In moments I was booting up and logged in.

This particular iMac model has 4 slots and allows me to have a combination of 2 MB and 4MB cards. You definitely should check your Mac/PC specs to confirm what’s acceptable in your model.

Performance wise with 12 MB total, the software that used to respond slowly are now running much better. I dedicated 4 MB RAM to running Windows using Parallels. As a result, Parallels, Quickbooks and other Windows apps now open and respond much faster.

Mac video editing apps (Final Cut Express, iMovie) and audio editing app (Garageband) noticably render output much faster now. I’m happier because my iMac’s responsiveness doesn’t feel sluggish any longer.

Your Turn

Don’t settle for technology slowing you down. With a little research you can do the work yourself, save some money and feel proud that you got to roll up your sleeves, got under the hood for a bit, and accomplished something outside your comfort zone.

Hope this is helpful.
-Roland

Flash Websites Are A Bad Choice For Small Businesses

I am frequently approached by business owners looking to build an updated (2nd or 3rd generation) version of their website. What surprises me are that the ones who have an old website entirely built in Adobe Flash are looking to build their next site entirely in Flash.

Should I Use Flash?

Sure some Flash sites can be cool, while others extremely tedious. But my professional recommendation is that you absolutely do not want your entire website to be built in Flash.

Why Not?

Think of a website entirely built in Flash as a self-contained movie file. Everything is stored inside. The search engine can’t crawl inside this movie file to see what keywords and amazing content you have. Therefore the search engines don’t know what to do with your listing. The outcome is you probably wont show up in the search results that you want your business to be found in.

Reasons Why Flash Websites Are A Bad Choice For Your Business

1. Flash is not search engine friendly. Although Adobe has made some strides to improve, it’s not there yet. It also is highly dependent on Flash designers having the proper skills/experience. There are some who simply do not care about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because it limits the creativity and “coolness” of what they can produce in Flash.
2. Fewer pages for search engines to index.
3. Flash is not viewable on hugely popular devices such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
4. Flash is not easy for you or your non-technical staff to update. Therefore you’ll be paying for every minor edit you want to make.

You Can’t Ignore The Importance Of Search Engines

Unless you have a massive marketing budget to promote your URL wherever your target audience spends their time, you really need to do everything you can to encourage the search engines to find and index your website. If you hinder the ability for the search engines to index you, you’ll definitely suffer from low visitor traffic, and likely spend more in the long term to compensate or fix it.

Using Flash The Right Way

You need a healthy number of web pages, built with a keyword strategy and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices in mind. Then use Flash sparingly as an aid, not a replacement for your primary content.

Don’t Forget The User Experience

Do you think your visitors using the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch will be impressed when they see a big blank space where your Flash content should appear? These devices have growing market share and should not be discounted.

Check out the numbers: Data Supporting Why To Avoid Flash On Your Website

While Flash can be a terrific a visual aid to demonstrate your product or service, you need to carefully consider the trade-offs. Don’t build your entire website within Flash. And never use it for your primary navigation.

Hope you find this information useful.
-Roland

Creating Audio/Video Content for Your Website – March 30, 2011

Demonstrate your subject matter expertise to prospects through audio and video. From planning to production to distribution, this class pieces together the skills and tools needed to create professional content to promote your brand or organization and publish it online.

Register Online: http://www.sbdcrvcc.com/courses/
Or call: (908) 526-1200, ext. 8516

SB255
CRN 23854
Sect. 01
Wednesday March 30, 2011
1 session
6:00-9:00pm
Course fee: $50 ($35 tuition, plus fees)
Held at Raritan Valley Community College @ Bridgewater

Instructor: Roland Reinhart
Marketing Consultant/President
Reinhart Marketing Group
http://ReinhartMarketing.com

Get Found Online! An Introduction for Business Owners – March 23, 2011

The focus of this class is to help your business be found on the Internet. Learn the essential steps every small business owner should follow to introduce and manage their brand online. Gain a better understanding of social media marketing and how to best use social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others to promote your business.

Register Online: http://www.sbdcrvcc.com/courses/
Or call: (908) 526-1200, ext. 8516

SB242
CRN 23949
Sect. 01
Wednesday March 23, 2011
1 session
6:00-9:00pm
Course fee: $50 ($35 tuition, plus fees)
Held at Raritan Valley Community College @ Bridgewater

Instructor: Roland Reinhart
Marketing Consultant/President
Reinhart Marketing Group
http://ReinhartMarketing.com

Social Media For Business – March 18, 2011

Learn how to use Social Media tools and services to give you a competitive advantage. We’ll cover:

• Social Media in brief
• Planning to carve out your niche online
• How to use Social Media
• Building your online networks
• Tactics to get value from your efforts

The Emerging Leaders of Somerset County (ELSC), a networking group of the Somerset County Business Partnership, will present “Marketing Yourself & Your Business Through Social Media,” on Friday, March 18, 2011, from 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. at the offices of Business Partnership, 360 Grove Street at Route 22 east, Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Presented by Roland Reinhart of Reinhart Marketing Group, Bridgewater, New Jersey, the workshop will focus how to use social media tools and services to create a competitive advantage. Areas to be covered by Mr. Reinhart include an overview of social media; how to use social media; planning steps to carve out a social media niche; building online networks; and tactics to get value for social media efforts.

Mr. Reinhart has over twenty years of experience in the planning and execution of advertising campaigns, direct marketing programs, corporate and promotional website design. He assists organizations and business owners in attracting new customers and growing existing customer relationships. His digital marketing company, Reinhart Marketing Group, specializes in custom website design, search engine marketing, digital advertising, email marketing, social media marketing, and more.

“Roland Reinhart has maintained a position at the forefront of the dynamic and evolving social media world,” commented Kimberly Charne, Director of Tourism for the Business Partnership and staff liaison to Emerging Leaders. “His insight will serve as an introduction to social media that will be easy to implement for both business and personal growth.”

The ELSC serves for business people of any age who are rising within their professions or community organizations. The Emerging Leaders present after-hours social and networking events, monthly breakfast seminars on topics of interest, and other initiatives for its members and guests.

The workshop is free to Business Partnership members and $10 for non-members. Pre-registration is recommended and may be accomplished at http://events.SCBP.org or by calling the Business Partnership at 908-218-4300.

Mobile Apps for Business – Feb 25, 2011

Learn How Mobile Devices and Apps Can Help You Manage Your Business More Efficiently

Fact: 1 BILLION Mobile App Downloads! Your clients are there. Are you? Learn how professionals and entrepreneurs use mobile technologies to manage their businesses, stay connected, market themselves and keep productive from virtually anywhere.

Confused by the mobile device market? Allow us to demystify some of the mobile technology so you can take advantage of new opportunities to build your business. Specific topics will include selection criteria for mobile devices and useful mobile apps.

This event is being sponsored by the SCBP Technology Special Interest Group, consisting of members in the technology field who meet regularly to share best practices and assist the membership at large with their technology concerns.

When:
Friday, February 25, 2011
8:30 AM to 9:30 AM

Where:
Somerset County Business Partnership Conference Room

Who Is It For
Business owners and managers interested in using mobile technologies to improve their productivity.

Register Online.

Increase Your Website Traffic with Search Engine Optimization – Feb 23, 2011

Your website isn’t effective if it can’t be found by the search engines. Whether you have a website already or intend to create a new one from scratch, this class is essential for you to understand how to improve your website visibility in the major search engines. Participants learn SEO best practices to follow and have the opportunity to have their own websites critiqued during the session.

Register Online: http://www.sbdcrvcc.com/courses/
Or call: (908) 526-1200, ext. 8516

SB173
CRN 23948
Sect. 01
Wednesday February 23, 2011
6:00-9:00pm
Course fee: $50 ($35 tuition, plus fees)
Held at Raritan Valley Community College @ Bridgewater

Instructor: Roland Reinhart
Marketing Consultant/President
Reinhart Marketing Group
http://ReinhartMarketing.com

Drive Traffic to Your Website Using Search Engine Advertising – Jan 26, 2011

Drive Traffic to Your Website Using Search Engine Advertising:
A Guide to Google Adwords and Google Analytics

Engage consumers while they search for information related to your business. In this course learn how to: identify unique keywords and phrases that consumers are currently using to find your business (and competitors), write ads, design landing pages, setup a campaign in Google AdWords, test the effectiveness of your ads and learn more about the visitors to your website using Google Analytics.

Register Online: http://www.sbdcrvcc.com/courses
Or call: (908) 526-1200, ext. 8516

CRN 23947
1 session
Wednesday Jan 26, 2011
6:00-9:00pm
Course fee: $50 ($35 tuition, plus fees)

Instructor: Roland Reinhart
Marketing Consultant/President
Reinhart Marketing Group
http://ReinhartMarketing.com

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