Back It Up Today With Hard Drive In The Cloud: Review of Carbonite |  |
- Back It Up Today With Hard Drive In The Cloud: Review of Carbonite
- 12 Surefire Strategies to Increase Customer Loyalty
- 4 Ways To Fairly Use Other People’s Content
- Yammer Purchase Confirmed as Social Networking Becomes Integral Business Tool
| Back It Up Today With Hard Drive In The Cloud: Review of Carbonite Posted: 26 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Storage space. We always seem to want more of it. There is always a shortage of storage space, in our homes, offices, and on our computers. So we buy external hard drives and create a daily and weekly backup plan. Not. Confess in the comments if you start your new year with thoughts of backing up all your data, on a regular basis, and then don't do it. Even if you are not willing to confess, you will want to read this review about Carbonite and its online backup service. It may just save your small business from a big, big headache.
Carbonite is a remote, not on your premises, cloud-based hard drive. As you can see from the screenshot of their home page, they are laser-focused on making it easy to try it out. Pricing right on the splash page (home page) and two calls to action. That alone pushes it to the top of list, in my book. Make it easy, easy, easy on a small business owner and I’m seriously interested. You can buy a large multi-terabyte external hard drive for around $120, give or take $20. It will be shiny and cool looking on your desk. But you will have to exercise serious discipline to back up your data each day or week. If you don't think you'll do it, spring for Carbonite and enable their automatic backup process. The “Home” option is for home offices and 1-2 person businesses, so if you fit that description, click “Try Home Free” first. How it works: When you sign up, you have to download a small application (8.7Mb) and install it. This small package enables the communication between your machine and Carbonite’s servers. The download, install, setup process took less than two minutes. Then the service asks you a few questions and if you want an automatic full backup or an “advanced” backup which allows you to select which folders and files to backup. But, they even make that super easy and have a “default” option to include standard folders like Documents, Pictures, etc. I chose full manual as I’m really only testing their 15-day free trial, but I will say it looks very, very user friendly and compelling as a time-saver. With plans starting at $59 for one year, it may be one of the handful of services that I choose to buy for my company after my review. Then, it asks you to choose a continuous backup (meaning consistent and regular) or if you want to choose a schedule that fits you. That’s the main thing to remember: Carbonite strives to really fit their service to your needs. That’s not a comment to make for a nice review; they really have thought about you and me in the tedious process of backing up data. It is impressive. Normally, i have a what I liked section and what I’d like to see improved. I can’t find anything to improve, except that it took me so long to test this service and alleviate my concerns about a failed future hard drive. Now to the last point you might be thinking about — what do I do if I have to restore a file or folder or drive? You can look at the Carbonite drive as if it was a hard drive on your machine. You can choose to “restore” the drive, or just a folder, or even one file. You can restore that file in its original location or put it in a new folder on your desktop. Learn more about Carbonite and how you can securely back up your small business computer hard drives. From Small Business Trends |
| 12 Surefire Strategies to Increase Customer Loyalty Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Lead generation is one of the most important components of any company’s marketing plan. Conducting research to find more customers and target new audiences not only keeps the business afloat, but can also push it to new heights — when done properly, of course.
But every time you convert a new client, the fresh customer-company relationship shouldn’t be one with a time limit; it shouldn’t end once the deal is done. Because an equally important component of any marketing plan is customer retention, and turning a one-time purchaser into a repeat customer. With the right approach, the people who were once skeptical to try your product can become your biggest brand ambassadors and bring in endless referral traffic. We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation only nonprofit organization comprised of the country's most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out what their secrets to retaining their clients: "What’s your best tip for increasing customer loyalty?" Here's what YEC community members had to say: 1. Always Over Deliver “First and foremost, meet the needs of the customer, then take it up a notch and over deliver. Whether you provide deliverables ahead of schedule, throw in bonuses or surprise and delight with cool new features, continue to give more.” ~ Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems 2. Ridiculously Good Customer Service “To quote a recent customer email, “I really appreciate your thoughtful and professional response. I don’t get that a lot from customer service. Usually, it’s scripted nonsense that makes it seem like I’ve done something wrong. You’ve single-handedly improved my perception tenfold. Someone there ought to give you a pay raise.” ~ Matt Mickiewicz, 99designs 3. Treat ‘Em As You Would Want to Be “Empower your employees to help customers the way they would want to be helped. Ditch scripts and “company policy” in favor of dialogue and intuitive problem solving. Customers want to be treated like human beings, not sales figures.” ~ Vanessa Nornberg, Metal Mafia 4. Try Genuine Transparency “If you screw up, be willing to openly acknowledge it and take responsibility for it. Always be real with people, and cut out the “robot act.” Show a genuine desire to improve, even if you’re already doing a good or great job in servicing them. Customers really appreciate that sort of interaction, especially when you show you understand them and actually give a darn.” ~ Matthew Ackerson, PetoVera 5. Love Them and Thank Them “As Gary Vaynerchuk says in his book, The Thank You Economy, you need to “shock and awe” your best customers. This means actually giving a crap and rewarding them for no particular reason with thoughtful gifts. I agree 100 percent. Are you telling me the best you can do is an automated Happy Birthday email?” ~ Patrick Curtis, WallStreetOasis.com 6. Customer Loyalty Works Both Ways “If you want customers to be loyal to you, don't forget to be loyal to them. Focus on your core, die-hard clients. The fringe customers will come and go, but your core will stick with you through the good times and bad. Keep those customers happy at all cost. Customers reward loyalty with loyalty.” ~ Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk 7. Build a Broader Relationship With Clients “If the only times you talk to a customer is when you’re getting paid or providing support, you won’t exactly be their favorite person. Creating a broader connection makes you someone that they’ll want to seek out. Something small, like forwarding a relevant article, can be enough to create a positive association, but keep your eyes out for bigger opportunities.” ~ Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting 8. Sincerity, Seriously “Customer loyalty is, in my opinion, built and substantiated with honesty. But more than honesty, it’s really about sincerity. Clients or customers want to look into your eyes and know that you don’t just mean what you say, but you are what you say. They know that everything you do and say is a part of who you are. Because of that, they know they can trust you, and that keeps them loyal.” ~ Steven Le Vine, grapevine pr 9. Send the Message Clearly “How much would it mean to you if the founder or president of one of your vendors called you up on the phone to ask you how your business was doing, and if there was any more that they could provide for you? Don’t say you care, show you do. Pick up the phone and make it personal.” ~ Benjamin Leis, Sweat EquiTees 10. Reward the Remaining Ones “Make your customers feel special by rewarding them for their loyalty. A thank-you gift, access to an exclusive event, a special offer, they all go a long way. And now, there are many services that can help without requiring a major capital investment. For instance, at Merchex, we’re working with dozens of luxury merchants to identify their best customers and effortlessly reward them.” ~ Michael Tolkin, Merchant Exchange 11. Keep Their Best Interest in Mind “I believe the best way to increase loyalty is to only offer people what they truly want and need. If someone isn’t the right fit for my company or they no longer need the services, I tell them. Coming from a place of total authenticity not only turns clients into raving fans, but also wins the hearts of people who are amazed you didn’t try to pressure them into a sale.” ~ Elizabeth Saunders, Real Life E® 12. Educate Your Customers “You can provide great value and consequently develop stronger loyalty with your customers by taking the time to educate them about what they need. Determine what you want to communicate and then establish a timetable for regular interactions to cover issues that should be important to them.” ~ John Berkowitz, Yodle
From Small Business Trends |
| 4 Ways To Fairly Use Other People’s Content Posted: 26 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT Whether it's for our blog, newsletter, social media updates or something else, we're all a little obsessed with content right now. And who can blame us? The search engines have been clear that it's through our content that customers will find us, trust us, and buy from us.
So, just like that, we've all committed ourselves to producing pages and pages of content each week that we're using to attract customers and promote our range of services. But what if you could reap the benefits of content without doing all the legwork to create original content all by yourself? Well, you can. Below are four ways to make use of other people's already existing content. Things that add value to your user but that don't steal or diminish what someone else has already created. Because while we all want to get more bang from our buck, we don't want to steal other people's content either. 1. Simplify It If Apple were to announce today that the new iPhone would only come in the color lime green, do you know what would happen? We'd be inundated with blog posts written by all the greatest tech pundits about what the announcement meant. There would be posts about why that color was chosen and its significance, what such a color means to smart phone manufacturing, the history of the iPhone, and whether or not it was just another ploy from Apple, etc. Pretty soon TechMeme would be filled with 500 blog+ posts all adding their own commentary to the same three details released. It would be a mad house. We know this because it happens every week in the tech sphere. And I bet it happens in your corner of the world, too. Maybe a new law has been enacted that will change how your industry operates. Or a competitor has been outed for some controversial practices. Instead of being another voice in a sea of confusion, do your audience a service by breaking down what's already out there, explaining what it means, and showing them how to find more information on the topic. Help them understand what everyone else is saying in their posts and you'll make your blog the one they trust and refer to. 2. Offer Round Ups Don't have time to whip out a blog post or a new article? Use content from the Web to offer a round up instead. Maybe it's a roundup of news related to your niche, maybe it's the ten best posts you've read about X or maybe it's a list of fun things you simply want to share with your audience. Either way, it allows you to share content without the burden of having to write it from scratch. It also encourages you to step outside your site and recognize others who are doing and saying great things. This makes your site more interesting to your readers, while also helping you to establish relationships with related bloggers for use in the future. 3. Use it For Commentary One of the most difficult aspects of keeping fresh content on your site is that it's pretty easy to run out of things to talk about. By aggregating content that others share on their blogs it provides new talking points on your own site. Maybe you agree with Joe X's opinion on how women are treated in your industry. Or maybe you disagree with Jane Y about a new way to market your business online. By keeping up to date and sharing what others are saying, it creates a new platform for you to express yourself. And don't go crazy thinking you need to write 400 words about a topic – you don't. Just share the link that caught your eye, summarize the person's point, and then agree or disagree with what they had to say. By sharing the content it gives you something easy to talk about and by adding your own insight to the mix you establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Win-win. 4. Curate It All content moves fast, but it moves even faster in social media. How many tweets go by about a certain topic on any given day? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? If you can find a way to curate that content for your audience and make it more accessible you're going to be providing them an enormous amount of value. And you're going to do with without ever having to write something yourself. There are tools out there dedicated to helping you become known as a great resource by making it easy to curate and share the information passed through social media channels. For example, Storify lets you tell stories by aggregating content from sources like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc, and put all of that related content into one stream, which can then be embedded onto your Web site. Or you can use a site like Scoop.It to aggregate content from others in a magazine-type format and direct users there. We're all on the hunt for fresh content on our sites, blogs and in our newsletters. But that doesn't mean we need to recreate the wheel each time we head to the keyboard. By finding ways to leverage and profit off content that others have already shared, it allows you to establish yourself as a resource, start new conversations, and act as a filter between your customer and the larger Web.
From Small Business Trends |
| Yammer Purchase Confirmed as Social Networking Becomes Integral Business Tool Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:30 AM PDT Rumored purchase of Yammer by Microsoft was confirmed Monday in official announcements by both companies. The acquisition is another confirmation of the importance of social networking technology to businesses of all sizes, but some believe the revolution is already under way. The Big AnnouncementShow me the money. If you want to know how important online social networking has become to business, there is no need to look any further than the $1.2 billion sale of Yammer to software giant Microsoft. The acquisition has been rumored for some time, but was first confirmed by both companies on Monday. Microsoft News Center An office necessity. On his company’s blog Monday, Yammer CEO David Sacks announced his company would be folded into Microsoft’s Office Division after the agreed upon purchase of the company. It seems a clear indication that both organizations are positioning Yammer’s secure private social networking solution as a critical business tool on a par with other office products. Yammer The Blog What It MeansMore yammering about Yammer. Yammer calls itself “the enterprise social network.” More than one source has described Yammer as a Facebook for business. Microsoft describes its new acquisition as technology that business both loves and needs. The purchase seems a confirmation of the importance of social networking to the business community, something analysts say Microsoft has been slow to deliver. DealBook A gated community. Certainly businesses are already using social media ranging from Facebook to LinkedIn for everything from marketing to networking, and in truth, sometimes as a bit of both. Yammer introduces a more gated community, but the question is whether businesses will see the added value of private online networking when so many other options already exist. CNNMoney Timing Is EverythingRiding the wave. Yammer was created four years ago when social media was just kid’s stuff, said company CEO David Sacks in the official announcement confirming Microsoft’s acquisition of his company. The plan was to create a networking solution for business, a wave that Sacks believes the company is still riding today. The purchase can be seen as an increased focus on cloud-based services with roots in popular consumer products. Tech Crunch Late to the party. Yammer’s purchase allows Microsoft, and perhaps business networking in general, to catch up with consumer social media solutions like Twitter and Facebook. Microsoft tools like SharePoint have lagged far behind in terms of adoption, and it’s thought by some pundits that the new deal between Yammer and Microsoft will help online business networking catch up. BetaNews Pieces in the puzzle. Business customers are likely to see Yammer incorporated into Microsoft’s Office 365 as part of the software company’s overall offerings. The product will become part of a package that includes an increasing number of tools including Skype, SharePoint, and Dynamics, all adding to the kinds of business services the company can offer. Gigaom Other Social Media TrendsMarketing mavens. While business networking is catching up to its consumer counterpart, social media sites ranging from Facebook to YouTube have become the domain of marketing, even more than networking it seems. Regular dispatches on social media marketing tips have become commonplace and give hints on where this side of the social networking revolution is headed. Venture Beat Apple gives a Yelp. So popular are social review and check-in sites these days, that Apple has decided to feature this one in its latest iPhone Maps App. With so many iPhone users accessing these social media tools, it’s a foregone conclusion that businesses those users rely upon will be taking social tools a lot more seriously. Bloomberg Making the time for social. While big money is spent at the upper end of the social networking food chain, time is the critical investment for entrepreneurs interested in using free consumer social media options to market and network for their businesses. A recent survey suggests 24 percent of small business owners say they don’t have the time for social media, indicating there’s a competitive advantage for those who do. Street Fight From Small Business Trends |
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