How to Promote a Small Business Using Free Online Tools

Promoting a small business on the Internet seems straightforward, but many small business owners and marketing managers overlook important online tools that can transform a simple web presence into a powerful Internet traffic generating instrument. The most useful online tools available for promoting small businesses are easy-to-use and completely free, with the exception of the time invested. Save your advertising dollars to use on printed publications and real-world trade shows and discover surprising opportunities that are just a few mouse-clicks away.

Register for a free Google account by visiting the Google home page and providing the necessary personal information. Provided with the free Google account are several key items that will be useful for promoting your business. Gmail is a free web-based email service that may be accessed from anywhere an Internet connection is available and it has a great anti-spam filter. Google Documents is an important application because it includes a word processor which may be used to create and save documents online. For the best results using Google Documents, try the free Google Chrome web browser, which may also be downloaded from Google's home page.

Write simple, but informative articles about your small business using Google Documents. Articles may be about products, services and any interesting news or updates that are taking place within the company. Save each article as its own document. These articles are very important and will be used to provide content for other websites. Because the articles were created and saved online, each will be easily accessible when needed. Write several articles every day in order to build a collection of information, and have someone proofread each one for spelling and grammar errors.

Take pictures in and around the company using a digital camera. Photograph products, employees (with permission) and services as they are being provided by the company. Upload the photos from the digital camera to Picasa, which is also accessible through a link in your free Google account. These pictures may be used in conjunction with the articles to present a powerful representation of your small business and what it can do for the customer. Content is crucial to attracting visitors; it will be useful to have this collection of articles and pictures to draw upon as you build an online presence for the company.

Register a free Facebook account for your business. Sign up for a business page using the link toward the bottom of the page, which says "Create a page for a celebrity, band or business." Be creative and personalize the Facebook profile page for the business using your collection of pictures and articles. Refer new and existing customers to the company's Facebook page both over the phone and through links in email messages so that you will slowly build a following of loyal friends and customers. Designate time each week to update the company's profile page in order to keep the content fresh and relevant.

Create a personalized blog using a free blogging website. The same Google account login information may be used to access Blogger, which is owned and operated by Google. Tailor the topic and content of the blog to closely match the message that you feel will convince visitors to contact your company. If you already have a company website, use links from the blog to direct visitors to that site; otherwise direct them to the company's Facebook page, which should present all of the necessary contact information.

Promote both the Facebook profile page and the company blog using other free online resources such as Reddit, Twitter and Squidoo. Regardless of how many online accounts are created for the company, the most important component is always the content provided. Without premium content, your company's online presence is just another obstacle in the customer's way to finding the information they seek.

Warning:
Do not create empty profile pages and on-line persona that leave visitors with too little information. Consumers search for products on the Internet because they want to learn more about them. If you can satisfy a visitor's need for information, your company stands a better chance of converting that visitor into a paying customer.

How to Protect Pictures and Video of your Family

Digital cameras continue to grow in popularity. It is becoming the norm for precious memories to exist exclusively in a digital format. The average person copies photos to their computer and saves them, but how many of those pictures are ever printed on photo paper? What happens when that computer eventually crashes?

Save your pictures onto a local hard disk drive. One method for sharing, organizing, and storing photos, which is becoming very popular are the online photo sites. They allow members to upload, organize, share, edit, and print pictures. The problem with these sites is that once the photograph is uploaded to them, the member will eventually have to pay that company each time photo prints are needed. That's fine as long as the company stays in business, as long as their quality remains intact, and as long as the member doesn't need pictures in an hour. These are several things to consider and should encourage everyone to at least keep backup copies of photos whether the online photo websites are used or not.

Store a copy of your pictures on a protected PC also. Saving pictures exclusively to the family computer that everyone uses is not very secure or reliable either. A computer that is used daily to connect to the Internet is exposed to many dangerous threats that can corrupt data and ultimately destroy, not only pictures and precious memories, but any hard work which is stored there. It's alright to save files and pictures to that computer, but precautions should be taken immediately to protect them.

Use a hardware firewall to protect the computer from the Internet. Firewalls are available at all electronic retail stores that sell computers and are easy to install and configure. Use a trusted antivirus program to monitor the computer for harmful viruses, Trojans, and worms. Install a spare hard disk drive into the computer and either manually copy important files to it or use a software backup utility to do it automatically.
An even better idea is to build a stand alone computer that is used exclusively for storing pictures, important file, and videos. Do not connect this computer to the Internet and be sure it is password-protected and logged-out when not in use. Install a DVD writer in this computer and make DVD backup copies of all important files and keep the DVD's stored in a locked box or filing cabinet in a temperature-controlled room. If this computer needs to be networked to the computer that uses the Internet, then it is possible to block Internet usage on the backup computer and still send files back and forth between the two.


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How to Protect Your Company from Fraud and Scams

Stressful times often bring out the worst in people. People who are desperate to support their family may make bad decisions and turn to crime as a solution. And then there’s the usual cast of thieves and scammers who do things like that on a daily basis. It’s unfortunate, but many businesses will become the target of crime this year. As a business owner or employee it is in your best interest not to leave your company unprotected.

Protect your company from the dangers of new technology. As technology provides the business world with new opportunities, it also opens the door for new threats. It's not enough to rely on the security measures of yesterday to protect your computers and sensitive data. If you do not have a properly configured firewall isolating your computer network from the Internet, then you might as well hook up a networked computer in the parking lot for anyone to use. Employee training and good communication about threats is also important. Employees can open the door from within the company network and unleash all manner of evil upon you if they are not closely monitored and educated. Spend the time and money to hire an IT professional or train someone within your company to perform in that role.

Use physical security measures on your building. How secure is the building where you work? Are there monitored security cameras? Locked gates and doors? Keypad entry protection? These are not really options but rather necessities unless you work hundreds of miles from civilization. Companies should keep all doors locked to keep intruders out. Special measures should be used to keep sensitive information and company equipment from leaving the premises as well. All important company documents should be destroyed instead of just thrown away. Familiarize yourself with different types of fraud, like check washing, and identity theft.

Hire a good attorney. Another key protection is to have a good legal representation in place to assist with legal decisions. Don't trust your skills with searching the Internet to know the right decision to make. Know exactly what the law entitles you before you go in any new direction and keep your company from being the target of frivolous lawsuits. Also, educate each employee as to the level of authority they have and do not let them make decisions for you, especially when they are dealing with an unknown caller. Monitor all bills, especially from utility companies, who under law can now allow third-party billing by other companies in most states.

Stay vigilant. As strict and tedious as this all sounds, it is in the best interest of your employees and the company as a whole. Good prevention keeps your company from having to apologize for stupid mistakes later.



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How to Spend Time with your Family and Still Write Articles

Writing articles for websites like eHow, Bukisa, and Associated Content is a great way to express your thoughts and to also put some extra money in your pockets each month. Just like any activity, writing articles needs to be added to your schedule in a responsible way so that you don’t neglect your family.

Budget your time wisely. Writing articles for websites has become a popular way for writers on every level to express themselves and harness the power of the Internet to generate traffic and ultimately revenue for their work. Writing can consume a large portion of your time and can draw your attention away from other responsibilities. Like any other activity, time for writing should be isolated into its own time slot in order to allow time for other activities.

Experiment to find the best time of day for you to write. The most obvious time to write articles is late at night after everyone in the house has gone to sleep. By then, your chores are done and the house is quiet because everyone is sleeping. The problem with late night writing is that you could begin to lose more and more sleep and you don't typically have anyone to tell you when it's time to go to bed. If you are going to stay up late on the computer, set an alarm for yourself, but nothing audible or you'll wake everyone up.

Utilize break time and down-time. If you have access to a computer at work, you could use your break time or lunch time to write an article. The only problem with this is that if people see you sitting at your desk, they may think you are on the clock and approach you with business. Don't start writing articles on company time. It's dishonest and you shouldn't lose your job, while working on secondary income. If you can afford it, a laptop or netbook is a good investment because you can take it to a quiet place outside the office and write.

The most important thing is to use discipline and spend writing time for writing and family time for family. If you want to try both, you could brainstorm with your family for ideas and they could help you write articles, but if they aren't interested, then don't impose it on them. Everyone has different tastes.


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How to Make Money Risk-Free Online Without Spending Your Own

I am going to share with you several easy ways that I have made money online over the last few months. They are all easy to do and best of all, they're all FREE. Not a scam or a sales pitch. I don't want anything from you other than your attention for a few minutes. Money will never exchange hands between us unless you buy something from me on EBAY.

After having tried and failed to make money using advertised systems and even setting up a website with paid links and spending more than I made, I decided that I wanted to make just a little money; something for my troubles. It didn't have to be a lot. I just didn't want to have to pay anything to do it and I wanted to do something simple. Using this advice won't cost you anything other than your time.

Set up a free checking account at your local bank using whatever their minimum deposit is. This should preferably be a new account that doesn't contain your life savings. It will be used, for starters, to set up a PayPal account and then later it will be used to hold the money you make. That money can then be withdrawn as cash or transferred to another account for safekeeping. Set up a free email account and then set up a free PayPal account. PayPal will require you to have a checking account (your free one) and you have to verify your account by confirming two small deposits that PayPal will make to you.

Sign up with a trusted online survey website and complete surveys for money. Now, find several of your friends who want to make money too. Have them set up free email accounts and then refer them to the same survey websites. Use your best judgment and don't give away too much personal information to any website unless you trust them. Keep in mind that when you do reach your payout point, there may be a waiting period from the end of the current month before they issue your check. This is normally done for security purposes and it is a little inconvenient, but it's free money.

Join an online auction website and sell random items throughout your house that are taking up space and that you no longer need. Some examples of things that sell very easily are video games and systems, DVD's, die cast model cars (very popular!), and books. There are usually fees involved when you sell things online, but I've found that if you regularly pay off your auction account using your PayPal account, you will stay fairly well ahead and never spend any money out of your checking account. Just be sure to leave enough money in your PayPal account to cover these fees. If you do not have enough money in your PayPal account to cover the fees, it will be withdrawn from your checking account.

Another useful online tool are online classified ads, which are comparable to the classified section of the newspaper. The major difference is that most of these online classifieds do not charge you to list items for sale! Do you have some exercise equipment or furniture that you want to get rid of? Why not make some money from it and have someone else take it away for you? You can also find items on these classified ad websites that people are giving away for free! All you have to do is contact them and go pick it up. What are you going to do with all this free stuff? Well, remember that online auction account that you set up? Sell these items for profit. Friends and family are also good resources for free things. Offer to help them clean out their storage areas and get rid of old junk. You'd be surprised how much of that "old junk" is very valuable to someone in another part of the world.

True, using these methods will not make you rich overnight and I don't expect to be featured in any financial magazines any time soon, but these ideas do help to make some money. For example, using the ideas mentioned above, I've made over $600 in just a little over a month. Granted, you and I may not have the same type of personal possessions to sell, but yours may be worth much more than mine. One last tip, set up an account on eHow.com, write articles like this one, and share your success and your ideas with other people. If your article becomes popular, eHow will pay you. I hope these tips are helpful to you and that they make you as much money as they have for me!


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How to Avoid Online Money Making Scams

Opportunity presents itself around every corner on the Internet for the average person to become a millionaire overnight. I have spent some time and money "investing" in some of these opportunities and I want to help you avoid spending money on something that will offer you no return.

The first thing to consider when reading an article about making money online is, does the article sound believable? Does it sound legal? Does the program or system that you are buying into produce anything tangible or of any real worth to anyone? Does it offer a guarantee or trial period?

If everything seems to be legitimate at first glance, then it's time to do some investigating. Does the website offer contact information? Is there a phone number listed? If so, call the number and try to speak to a living human being. If you can't get through to anybody now, imagine how hard it will be to get a refund later if needed.

Visit the Better Business Bureau's website (www.bbb.com) and search for the website address (url) for the company that you are considering paying for services. Are they registered? If so, do they have any complaints against them? Do a whois lookup on the domain name. (ex. makelotsofmoneyovernight.com) Web sites like register.com are useful in performing a whois lookup. What name is the website registered under? If you search on this name, what information can you find online? If you find other web sites associated with the original website, search for them with the Better Business Bureau as well.

If you decide to make a purchase from a website, check to see if the "check out" page is on a secure server. If you are using Internet Explorer, look for the yellow lock symbol at the bottom of your web browser. Also be sure the web address begins with "https". When making a purchase, use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit card companies usually cover fraudulent spending if someone obtains unauthorized access to your account.


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