Category: Small Biz Go Mobile

Have a social media policy in place before your employees start sharing

by Jean Westcott

Right now your small business may be so small that you are the only employee.  You have the good sense to use your company’s name responsibly and protect its image.  You would not disparage your business online or make off-color jokes.  But what about when you start to grow?

The new part-timer you hire to do some bookkeeping, does she know that her Facebook posts might show up in a search of your business name if she mentions it?  Did your teenage intern’s Twitter followers get updated about private customer information?

Idle gossip or phone conversations never were searchable by your potential customers and competitors, but with modern search engines everything posted on the Internet can pop-up in search results.  The consequence could be embarassing at the least or in a worse-case scenario lead to legal liability for defamation.

Take the time to formulate your business’ social media policy.  Let your employees know your expectations and the consequences for violating that policy.  What may have seemed like idle chatter of a harmless nature shouldn’t come as a surprise with real-world negative results.

Depositing Checks With Your Smartphone?

by BrothaTech

Fact of the matter is, the technology is coming here. I mean, at the rate that mobile technology is growing, who REALLY didn’t see this coming? Some banks already allow customers to deposit checks electronically via a scanner and computer. So allowing customers to deposit checks with their smart phones, was the next logical step in my opinion.

Two banks, Chase and USAA are some of the largest banking institutions to create apps that among other things, give mobile customers the ability to deposit checks using their iPhone, Android & BlackBerry smartphones.

A quick and dirty breakdown of the process is you open the banking mobile app, select the check deposit feature, and the app fires up your mobile camera and you take a picture of the check. The app will let you know if the image is good enough to send and you will get confirmation that the check was sent. Most of the time, the funds are available immediately, once the bank verifies all the banking information. You don’t even have to send in the check afterwards. You can void & file it (for all you hoarders) or shred the check.

Personally, I have some clients (bless their hearts) who still insist on writing checks, even when I show them that I can also take debit & credit cards using my iPad. So I kindly take the check and figure out when is the next time I plan on going to the bank. I am a 99% online banker – Guess what I spend the last 1% doing? So I would jump at the ability to snap an image of my clients check, deposit it into my account, and show my client a confirmation of the deposit.

All small business owners may not have the same blind allegiance to electronic banking when it comes to funds transfers as I do. Even though most banking institutions back mobile banking with guarantees that ensure that your losses are covered in the event your mobile banking info is comprised, I can see how people can be concerned with their accuracy when doing something like depositing checks with their smartphone. I mean we are talking about a small screen with small buttons and ever-deteriorating eyes. So the chance of a user error is logically higher by default.

So what’s your stance? If your bank offered mobile check depositing, would you participate, or do you follow the “if it isn’t broken…” crowd and feel safer with personally depositing checks at your bank?

HTC Aria smartphone with Android is a sharp tool for small business!

by Mario Armstrong
HTC Aria phone on AT&T

For the past few weeks I’ve been testing out the new HTC Aria. I was more anxious than the LeBron James NBA decision to get my grimy hands on the phone! Reason for my excitement? I really like the Android mobile operating system and because the search still continues for the phone that can have that “iPhone” impact.

I gotta tell ya, I’m REALLY loving the HTC Aria & as of right now it is a smartphone that gives a beautiful user-experience and some awesome features. To me it’s a great alternative to the iPhone and shows the most competition to the iPhone. The HTC Aria is a serious competitor and brings some great diversity to the smartphone arena. Its 4 inches long, which is a tad smaller than the iPhone and is lightweight at 4 ounces. I love that it has both, a touch screen and a joystick which gives you more options to navigate the phone. The screen is 3.2 inches and is very crisp with color! The camera on the HTC Aria enables you to shoot video or 5-megapixel stills-one bonus I like about the camera is that you can touch anywhere on the screen to take the photo, most phones force you to click a specific button or touch a very specific area on the phone screen to take the photo. The HTC Aria also uses an integrated GPS, a digital compass, light sensor and has a microSD card slot for memory storage.

One of the features of the HTC Aria that I also like is called “Scenes” this gives you the ability to have your phone customized with certain on-screen apps and dashboard programs called widgets depending on your selection. I have a scene for travelling which changes my desktop and other screens to be customized with all my needed travel apps etc… OR I can change it to my “Work” scene and all the screens and apps will chnage to reflect my productivity and business-related apps. This ability to have quick-changing personalization is awesome! The phone costs $129.99 on a two-year contract (after $100 mail-in rebate, of course).

Here’s my HTC Aria video overview, take a peek:

Get more scoop and details on the HTC Aria phone!

Check Your Website’s Stats Anytime With Mobile Analytics Apps

by BrothaTech

Analytics by Google
Curious to check up on your site on the go? If you have Google Analytics loaded on your site (If not, you need to get on the ball), you can most definitely use your iPhone or Android smartphone to access many of the same stats and reports from your site you are used to if you were sitting at your desk.

Analytics App for iPhoneThe Analytics App I found for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad mobile devices is called (you guessed it) Analytics App. Clever names aside, this is indeed a robust app that gives you access to over 55 reports broken down into categories like:

– Overview Reports
– Visitors Reports
– Traffic Reports
– Content Reports
– Event Tracking Reports

side note: I chucked when I read the Analytics App site description of the app, so I just thought I would quote it here:

“Finally you can get to all of your reports and data with Analytics App for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Whether you’re on the road, in a meeting, or sitting on the throne, Analytics App gives you quick and easy access to your analytics data.”

Moving right along, the Analytics App supports multiple accounts/sites and gives you the ability to dig deep into your reports up to 100 rows of data. The Analytics App goes for $6 bucks and can be found in the Apple App Store

Mobile GA App for AndroidConversely, the Mobile GA (I am assuming stands for Google Analytics, another clever name) app for Android devices stresses quick, easy, and simple stats and reports on your smartphone in order to just get the ‘big picture’ and keep it moving.

“Mobile GA only requests and processes necessary data. Whereas other mobile applications use variations of screen scraping and consume more processor cycles, Mobile GA minimizes bandwidth, processor, and battery use.”

But Mobile GA is packed with enough firepower to make this a very appealing app to view the necessary site stats. Below are some of the features:

– Date range comparison
– Graphs and charts for each report
– Custom date ranges
– Favorites
– Geolocation reports
– Regex-enabled searches

In other words, the Mobile GA app is not a slacker either. Additionally, since this app runs on the Open-Source Android mobile Platform, you can customize the API via the app’s Parent site ActualMetrics to meet your specific needs. So if you are like me and just need the top level info, Mobile GA is right up your alley. If you don’t already know, a Brotha loves free, so it should be noted that the Mobile GA app is free to download from the Android Marketplace on your smartphone.

Line up your tech support before trouble starts

by Jean Westcott

As you grow your business your reliance on your technology tools grows along with it.  Our business is our connections, our knowledge, our history and our data.  Imagine losing access to all of your electronically stored information in situations ranging from a few hours of  down-time or complete loss.

We try to keep on top of everything through having data backup regimens in place; we keep our antivirus and other software up-to-date; we use surge protection and keep our computers cool and copacetic–but still things  happen.  Computers fail, bad guys break in and sometimes your software doesn’t play well with others.  Who are you going to call?

Well, Ghostbusters won’t be much help.  Do you have a backup plan other than wishful thinking?  Your data is your business and you can’t risk losing your data without having a rescue plan.

Find a reliable tech support service before disaster strikes.  Just like finding a good mechanic, a good doctor or a good receptionist–it takes some research, trial and error and advice from colleagues.  Ask around and ask questions.

A good way to test out a computer support professional is to buy a few hours of consulting time.  Get their advice on planning your next tech move (building your network, setting up VPN access, integrating your phones/ computers).  Are you impressed with their insights?  Have them repair or setup something that has exceeded your own tech skillset.  Did they listen and they solve the problem?  If you find good computer help, get them to provide a service agreement.  Have them commit to an acceptable response time.  If you secure good help in advance, when you have the luxury of time, you will be ahead of the game when the inevitable failure occurs.

Don’t ignore the basics – a website that works

by Jean Westcott

Are websites still necessary for a small business? 

Only if you want someone to know how to that you are open for business, what you do, who you are and how to contact you.  Today’s consumer goes online for information.  If you aren’t there to be found you put the burden on yourself to reach each and every potential customer.  And when you do contact the customer, they don’t have the ability to confirm your message or contact information.  A simple website provides reassurance and serves the role of the old yellow page ad.

Is it something that you can do ‘eventually’? 

Ideally, staking your claim to a URL is part of the business start-up process.  Your website is part of your marketing and getting the right name and right website address will ensure that your customers can find you.  The cost of getting your domain name (web address), web hosting and the design of basic website can be the most effective marketing return-on-investment available.   Don’t be concerned that your starter website doesn’t have all the bells and whistles from the beginning.  It is most important that you secure your domain name and that the basic who, why, how and where are answered.  A more ambitious web strategy can come later; be sure to claim your space.

 Be sure to get the affiliated email addresses and use them in your business.  You can forward the email to whichever account you prefer to use, but don’t waste the opportunity to reinforce your business name in all of your communications.  Using a free email service in your business communication shows that you aren’t investing your own trust in your business.

5 reasons for video conferencing in your small business NOW!

by Mario Armstrong

With more businesses looking to cut costs and employ workers from anywhere, video-conferencing is becoming more justifiable then ever before. Just take a look at the recent iPhone4 and you’ll notice that Apple has recognized how important it is to enable callers to be able to see each other. In business, non-verbal communication clues can be the absolute difference between closing or (without the”c”) losing the sale.

So if you are new to video-conferencing, here are 5 reasons why you should take a hard look at video-conferencing NOW:

1. Meet with clients and collaborate with internal staff more frequently! Face-time with customers and staff is critical but not always practical, so use video-conferencing to bridge the gap.

2. Demonstrate your thought-leadership skills and build your presence! Use it as a platform to deliver webinars and other thought-leadership activities, perfect for presentations and demos. Don’t translate that to mean it’s a place to sell, sell, sell!

3. Reduce travel costs! The next time you have a meeting out of the office, calculate all costs involved (gas mileage, parking & most importantly your time). It may shock you to see how much you are paying out in order to have an in-person meeting. Yes, I know it is best to meet in person when possible but do the calculations and see if it helps justify video-conferencing costs.

4. Reclaim your time! This is critical, every successful business owner will tell you that managing your time effectively is one of the most critical challenges to master if you intend to really maximize the impact of your business.

5. Video conferencing crushes a typical phone call! Phone calls are boring! Seriously, phone calls are boring and lack the non-verbal communication that can help tell you if your message is reaching its target appropriately.

Here’s a real-life example for you! Several weeks ago while preparing for a presentation about mobile apps and productivity I was introduced to the AT&T Connect conferencing app as a way of connecting and collaborating with several parties from different locations. I’ve used video-conferencing with other services like GoTo Meeting in the past, so I was certainly familiar with the platform but I don’t think back then that I really appreciated the productivity enhancements and the game-changing capabilities.

I was impressed with AT&T’s Connect service especially the mobile app which allowed me to join the conference, participate live, even view the whiteboard and other images that were being presented. To be on your mobile and interact with the conference as if I was at my desktop was really empowering!

If you aren’t sure if video-conferencing is for you take this trial for a spin and let me know what you think!

TRIAL:
https://trial.uc.att.com/portal/?Guid=26b2ca0f-2c55-4081-9086-136002d9e2e9;07858079-72F0-46F1-9460-BAFE7CDA84A4

The “Dark Side” of Android

by Sam Aparicio
Android has its dark side too

Some would say I’ve been waxing lyrical about Android in the last few weeks as I compared iphone vs android, I am a fan, no doubt, but –lest you think that I’ve lost my sense of objectivity– here are some worrying trends that have recently emerged about Android phones:

  • Some new Android models have been getting so-called JunkWare: gratuitous apps that are shoved into the standard distribution of the OS whether the user likes them or not. Mark Milian highlights some of the abuse in a recent LA Times article.
  • There are unconfirmed reports that the new Motorola Droid X (a very cool phone by technical standards), contains hardware preventing users from installing their own homebrew version of the Android Operating System. While most users won’t be doing any of this kind of hacking, it’s just bad style on the hands of a manufacturer.

So just because the Android platform has been making a lot of progress in competing with iPhones, it doesn’t mean that it’s devoid of its own dubious practices… remember, use your best judgement when picking a phone for your business.

image credit – scifi cool

Managing Digital Distraction

by Jean Westcott

Procrastination has always been with us.  It is amazing what can be entertaining when a deadline looms over your head, or worse yet, down the road.  Even as a kid of the 70s and 80s,  before cable TV, I could find almost anything more interesting than chores or homework.  We all have to admit, however, that the internet available anywhere is the ultimate procrastination destination.  So how can you head off these distractions when it gets in the way of productivity?  Here are a few things to consider:

1.  Schedule your surfing.   Give yourself a block of time to catch up on all of your tweets, personal email, and news feeds.  When you first get to your desk, check your business communications (voice mail, email, mail, etc) for emergency action items.  After that, look at the work flow in your business.  Do you have an intense morning followed by a slower afternoon?  Is there a particular deadline you need to meet each day?  Are the phones busy at a certain time of day or is your business reliant on contact with clients in a different time zone?  You want to work around those crunch times to make sure that you can devote your energies in an appropriate fashion.

2.  Don’t discount the importance of letting your mind and attention wander when you head out onto the web.  Follow something unexpected and you might find new ideas that wouldn’t have come to you by reading strictly your industry’s trade publications.  Engage with others.

3.  Take clues that let you know that you are wasting time and energy.  If you are constantly refreshing a favorite site or pressing send/receive, then you are not actively engaged, you are probably avoiding your longer-term priorities.  Even if the projects are at holding points, a walk around the block is probably going to be more beneficial than resorting to reading gossip sites.

4.  If you need rules set them.  We all know what works to motivate us.  Are you a list maker?  Make a list.  Need to put on some ‘blinders’?  Turn off your computer or silence your phone.  Reward yourself if that what works for you, one hour of proposal writing could earn you 15 minutes of TMZ.  Find your motivation and work with it.

We all need to put our nose to the grindstone to accomplish our goals, don’t let the ‘look at me!’ nature of the internet keep us from achieving success.

Join WebEx Meetings From Your Smartphone…Then “Handoff” To Your PC

by BrothaTech

Most small business owners I know are road warriors – always on the go looking for the next opportunity. That leaves a very small amount of time to sit in an office knee deep in meetings. As a result, the ability to conduct or attend a meeting while mobile is essential to staying on top of all that’s going on.

But merely dialing in and listening to others while they “ohh” and “ahh” over eye-catching, color-filled slides and screenshots of fascinating accounting figures isn’t enough for your typical jet-setting entrepreneur who needs to be included in all aspects of the meeting.

One of the most well-known web conferencing services that has recognized the need for people to attend meetings on the go via a smartphone is Cisco Webex. Download the WebEx App and via your iPhone or BlackBerry mobile device (other smartphone users can join meetings via mobile web browser), users can attend meetings and communicate/collaborate with other attendees with the same type of functionality of your typical desktop or laptop WebEx meeting.

The cool thing about the WebEx app is if you are attending a meeting en route to your office and want to continue the meeting on your desktop or laptop computer, with the flick of your wrist, you can “handoff” the meeting from your iPhone to your computer without interrupting your current session. No logging out of the meeting on your iPhone, just to look through your email inbox to find the link to the meeting and log back in hoping you didn’t miss any of those entertaining sales projections!

So if you are one of those road warriors who needs a more interactive way to attend meetings via your mobile device, check out the Cisco WebEx Mobile app …because we all know you wouldn’t dare miss all those presentation slides!

[/sarcasm]