Guest Author

Greg Fry

I thought I’d share my favourite business tools I have used this year. I am amazed at how many amazing products for business are very inexpensive or often completely free. The only challenge is to find them in the first place.
Here are my top 5 business tools of 2009:
1. Animoto – Allows you to make really impressive videos. You can add text, photos, short video clips and music to the site. Within minutes a jumbled mess will be produced into a highly impressive video. Animoto is free for 30 second videos and as little as $30 a year for full length videos. Here is an example of an Animoto video I made this year.

2. Eyejot – Video email. I have found this a really useful tool to follow up with prospective clients I have met. It enables them to see me again and to hear how I may be able to help them.
This visual email is a powerful follow up after a busy night’s networking. Eyejot is easy to personalise with your own branding. Eyejot is free to use without branding. With branding it is as little as $29.99 per year. Here is an example of a video email.

3. Screenjelly – Allow you to record your computer screen and your voice. I have used this service to comment on cvs and tell them how and where their cv should be strengthened. Once you record your message just send it via email or twitter. Cost – Free

4. Tungle – A great application for the busy entrepreneur. Tungle makes scheduling meetings effortless and synchronises with both Outlook and Google. It makes it easy for staff and clients to see when you are available and set a meeting with you. Tungle is free to use.

5. WiseStamp is  a really nifty and free product that enables you to personalise your email signature. It works on Firefox. It seems to work with most email providers (Gmail ,Yahoo Mail ,AOL, Hotmail, Google Apps…) It is easy to customise. You can add social media buttons to your signature and even your photo.
Here is a sample of a signature or two on Wise Stamp looks:

Signature Template:

John Smith Your City, Country Mobile: +983-23832842 Email: John@wisestamp.com

Chat: Google Talk: John Skype: John MSN:

Greg Fry Careers Coach - fast track your career to success Tel. +353 872039855 Email. greg.fry@careerscoach.eu Web. www.careerscoach.ie Blog. http://wwwcareerscoacheu.blog.com

So what top tools have you used in 2009?

Which ones would you recommend and why?

Greg Fry has over 10 years Recruitment experience in the Irish and US markets. He holds a Diploma in Business and Life Coaching and a Marketing degree. He runs a company called Careers Coach and assists people with their career transition. In these challenging times Greg believes that in order to excel in life and business we need to think and act smarter than before. Today’s job seeker can find employment if they take a proactive approach. Areas that Greg specialises in include: Career Coaching, Career Guidance , Group Coaching courses (including - Finding Employment in challenging times) , Marketing yourself, Interview preparation and techniques, Self Improvement, CVs, Using Social media as a business tool, How to start your own business, Leadership skills.

Btb Guest Author

Zeke Camusio

Twitter looks like a foreign language and Facebook intimidates you with its features. You signed up for these social networking sites but you are stumped – how can these sites actually help your company?

Social networking sites are easy to navigate, yet they look confusing to new account users. The following tricks will take the mystery out of how to use popular social networking sites to promote your company.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/
Fill out your business contact information in your profile. Make sure you include your real name and company name. Set up a “business page.” If you have multiple companies or branches, set up multiple pages. Include hours of operation, phone numbers, emails, etc. This is important because search engines will pick up these business pages. Facebook allows you to send out messages to your friends list to become “fans” of your business page. You can also add company events to your profile—another great promotional tool.

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/
Twitter is the hottest and fastest growing micro-blogging platform on the Internet. Twitter boasts 5 million users and has been touted by companies as a high-profile branding tool. Twitter acts like an instant messaging program. The best way to take advantage of Twitter is to follow the RIGHT people. Promote important company news and links in your tweets (message updates). These are helpful applications which make it easy for you to update tweets: TwitterFox ( https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5081 ) and TweetLater ( http://www.tweetlater.com/ ).

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/
If you want high visibility, add professional pictures to your profile. Photos are a great way to attract people to your MySpace page. MySpace also allows you to write a catchy headline for your page– keep it simple and make sure you include your company’s website link. Stand out as an expert in your field, and use the copywriting trick of “call to action” (invite them to your website or blog).

LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/
LinkedIn is one of the most effective business social networking sites. Tailor your profile accordingly to your specific industry. A great tool is the email import feature – you can invite business colleagues and clients via your email account. One of the fastest ways to get your company name out there is to join professional groups. These groups allow you to easily connect with potential clients and colleagues. You can also add comments and interact on group forums. Update your profile on a regular basis and make your profile public (or no one will see you!)

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/
The largest free video hosting site on the Internet, YouTube allows you to promote company videos to a mass audience – over 100 million U.S. viewers per month. If you represent sports and fitness industries, demonstration videos (i.e. yoga, weight training, etc.) are an effective promotional tool. Become active in the YouTube community and subscribe to other channels that target your industry. Add keywords to your video descriptions and account profile – search engines will pick up your video and company profiles.

Zeke Camusio is CEO of the Outsourcing Company, an online marketing agency with offices in Aspen, Colorado and New York. The Outsourcing Company is Zeke’s sixth company. His ultimate goal is to start an entrepreneurship school to give people the tools they need to make the world a better place to live.

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