Tag: Computing

How to design a business blog?

Published on by businesstouch

How to design a business blog? 1

It seems like most of the population around the globe owns blogs. Literally, there are millions of blogs and hundreds are being made every day. Many are there just for sharing things but most of them are there as business blogs. Well, everyone needs and wants an extra source of income today and having a business blog is the best way to achieve this goal. Designing a business blog such as for corporate receptionist jobs is pretty different from making a normal blog just for sharing things; there are many things you need to take care of.

First of all, you can create a blog easily via WordPress for free. However, if you plan on buying your own domain and hosting; it is totally your choice but I think WordPress would be just fine. Once you have done this, now is the time to select a theme for your business. Now, there are several free ones and many of them are actually pretty good as well. However, for business blogs particularly I suggest that you go for a paid or premium theme that will make it look highly elegant and professional. You can select a theme that reflects your business giving you plenty of more options and features as well.

The most important part for a business blog I would say is the content on it. Whatever your business is about, make sure you put up highly relevant content on it. People on the web are hungry for quality, authentic, and fresh information. If you fulfill these three requirements; your business blog will get high traffic pretty soon. Whatever postings or articles you prepare for your blog, make sure to read them twice so they are free from any grammar mistakes and do not sound confusing at any point. Keep the content simple and sound honest. A business blog is only successful when you are putting up honest yet interesting content on it.

The job is not done yet; people will surely come to see what you have on your blog, if they find it interesting they will come back. Therefore, you have to make sure that the next time they come back; you have something new uploaded for them. Allow your blog readers to comment on your postings, interact with them, honor their suggestion, and build a relationship with them. These are the people who are your future customers therefore treat them like your customers already.

Four services a solo entrepreneur needs to look Into if they want to grow their business

Published on by businesstouch

Four services a solo entrepreneur needs to look Into if they want to grow their business 2

When you start a new online business it’s very easy to go it alone. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. What more could you possibly need? Nothing in the beginning, but when you become successful you don’t do everything on your own. It’s impossible. There’s not enough of you to go around. There’s not enough hours in the day. You need some help if you want to grow the business even bigger.

You could hire an employee. Maybe a few, but you don’t need to go down that route just yet. There’s lots of businesses that provide a service you can hire. It makes life a lot easier. You don’t have to worry about the money coming in each month so your employees can feed their family. A monthly payment to an outside business will make all your problems go away and you will still be able to grow quickly. To give you an idea of what types of services you can use we can look at some now.

Taking care of customers

Businesses have to deal with people and that means having great customer service. You can’t do that yourself once you reach a certain level. Sooner or later you will spend all day constantly answering emails and you won’t have time for anything else. Think about hiring a customer service rep and they will make your job a lot easier. You don’t even need to look for anyone. A company will do that for you and they will make sure the person is perfect for the job. It will take a huge weight off your shoulders and let you concentrate on making more money.

Sending out emails

Every business should be building a list of buyers and prospects. It’s absolutely vital if you want to be as successful as you dream about. Don’t build an email list and your profits will go down. You won’t have any way of contacting previous customers and asking them to come back. People will forget about you. If you sign up to an email provider you can easily get email addresses from people as they pass through your site. You should already be building your list, but if you’re not you should start now.

Hosting can become a problem

When you start out with any website you never go for the biggest package you can find. It usually takes you a while to build up to a much more advanced host. But that day will eventually come. You will wake up one morning and realize the website has crashed because you made the front page of Hacker News, then all of a sudden you’ll be running around like a headless chicken. Don’t leave it too late to sign up with a quality hosting company. They will help you make the transition easy and constantly give you all the support you need. It will save you a lot of stress.

Looks nice and runs smoothly

You always want to change things on a website. It might be because you want to test something out, or maybe it’s because you think it will look prettier. But if you don’t have a clue about design or programming you won’t be able to fix it. Let someone take care of everything for you. Have to go-to guy. That can either be through a service, or you could just hire someone who freelances. But as long as you can contact them and they can make the necessary changes as quickly as possible, they are great to have as part of the team. But remember, if the work is more advanced you might need one of both.

Ivan Lanter is an established writer and owns a business blog. He recommends everyone to check out the mentioned link to get details on RSVP Call Handling.

Five billing softwares for freelancers

Published on by businesstouch

Five billing softwares for freelancers 3

The internet has made operating a startup extremely simple. There are a variety of options available to people now that get operations as close to what they are in a real enterprise. For freelancers, billing is often a big headache with different employees sending in their invoices in different formats. There are many applications available that allow invoicing to be made, and a format adhered to. This makes writing and processing these bills much faster. Here is a look at five software applications that allow invoices to be made and sent very simply.

Cashboard – This is a very strong invoicing app and takes care of almost every invoicing need there may arise. Most features for this app can be configured according to user needs. It also has direct payment options through gateways like PayPal. Taxation options and details have also been provided and even these can be customized by the users. It combines like time tracking and payroll expenses and can be programmed even to provide estimates. This application is over five years old and has been around very long to have a group of satisfied customers. It has a free version as well while the premium options take up the cost to around $140 per month.

Blinksale – This is a billing application that has provided users with a lot of designing options. Users can use CSS to design their invoice sheets and it really looks pretty decent. It offers all the basic options to users and with flexible cost plans. This is best professionals with carefully designed invoices and offers many safety options as well as payment options as well. The Blinksale API is also available once you purchase it and can integrate it with any other options that you may want. It has unlimited plans of around $15 per month as well as free plans.

SimplyBill – This is another customizable application that comes with a lot of options including widgets, email alerts and preparing price quotes. It is an extremely quick app and is compatible with Microsoft Excel. It also has an iPhone app that clients can make use of. Invoicing is a simple and easy process with designing options available. It comes in four variants, the free variant with all the basic features and plans costing $5, $15 and $25 per month depending on the features you require and select.

Freshbooks – One of the most popular applications being used by freelancers doing designing work, this application allow users to receive payments within a few minutes using the credit card payment options provided. More organized application behavior and bookkeeping options ensure this app is a winner. Options to send invoices through email and creating timesheets online make this one a winner. It offers potential users a month long free trial period and monthly plans up to $149. It is available on the App Store as well.

LessAccounting – One of the best accounting and billing applications in the market, LessAccounting presents the user with a very simple interface. It has different plans with a free version as well as a cost effective $20 per month plan. It can be integrated into a lot of 3rd party applications. This application has one of the best tech support options and has suitable deals for a lot of startups available. Banking and payment options complete the options available.

This guest post is written by Ben Thomas who works as a business consultant and provides tips for its development. He also works in providing business tools and products like invoice & Templates through his website.

Beyond Facebook: the importance of face-to-face interaction in the modern world

Published on by businesstouch

Beyond Facebook: the importance of face-to-face interaction in the modern world 4

Although Facebook provides connectivity with people, we live in a world of greater depression, loneliness, and even chemical dependency. You would think this would not be the case, but virtually all the people using the social networking device/service are talking to themselves, hearing no tonality and seeing no body language from their responders. But, I suppose this does provide a “safe” environment for those individuals who find it difficult to genuinely relate to others except behind a sort of mask or shield. Comedians, or actors, often dwell in the same category. Some might describe this as a way to be something you’re not, the opposite of the adage and advice given to children in their struggles to achieve social acceptability, “just be yourself.” Of course positive attributes exist as well. For example, military service folks have opportunities to communicate with their families from around the world.

Really Replaceable?

Since Facebook is probably here to stay, the fact remains that it must not replace face-to-face interaction. Think of it, a couple meets on a website and maybe even becomes Facebook “friends,” but they eventually want to spend time with one another, experiencing each other’s spontaneity and just how those little quirks define their personalities. After all it is a bit difficult to go to a favorite hangout while on Facebook; “let’s leave Facebook in the house, dear!” Would you, parents, really want to know your children are succeeding in academia without playing well with others?

Why?

To be honest, the reason people need interaction with other people is because it is in that image we assumed our form. I know it’s an old song, but appropriate here: “People Who Need People…are the luckiest people in the world.” Centenarians usually do not live so long because they are hermits affixed to Facebook, contrarily because they consider others greater than themselves.

Anything Wrong?

Qualities of human nature still tend to show even if Facebook is the mode of communication. In fact, the abrupt shutting down of Facebook time with a “friend” communicates the possibility of something being amiss in the relationship…or a bit of manipulation between the parties. Further attributes include jealousy, greed, and uncaring. Many times these are incorrect perceptions which clear through personal interaction.

Nothing New

Therefore, it seems to me that, as the poem and song communicate, “No Man is an Island.” And it is via these I will close this editorial on the need for face-to-face interaction in the modern world, despite the opportunities Facebook may provide. Included below are the lyrics to the song demonstrating the need for personal interaction which has apparently been around for a while, i.e., since John Donne penned the phrase in the 1600s.

No Man is an Island

No man is an island, no man stands alone
Each man’s joy is joy to me
Each man’s grief is my own
We need one another, so I will defend
Each man as my brother
Each man as my friend

No man is an island far out in the blue
We all look to One above
Who our strength doth renew
When I help my brother
Then I know that I plant the seeds
Of friends that will never die

I saw the people gather
I heard the music start
The song that they were singing
Is ringing in my heart

No man is an island, no man stands alone
Each man’s joy is joy to me
Each man’s grief is my own
We need one another, so I will defend
Each man as my brother
Each man as my friend

This and many other educational articles helping educate people on the importance of communication skills have been prepared for you by Travis Lee, thanks to SEOMap.