Top Digital Tools for Virtual Teams

Just because you're situated in one time zone and your associate is halfway around the world doesn't mean you can't get business done. We are truly in an age of instant global interaction. Everything from a conference call to design planning to video chat sessions can be conducted through cyberspace. Here are some terrific digital tools for virtual teams:

Scheduling

Before you can set up that cross-country meeting you need to know when everyone on your team will be available. 

Doodle lets you survey the group for the best time and day for a meeting. You don't have to register with Doodle and you can get it up and running in a few mouse clicks. 

Timebridge takes virtual scheduling to the next level by letting you set the best time but also an agenda, action items and allows for notes. If you'll be using audio-conferencing then Timebridge lets you attach the numbers via freeconferencecall.com.

Working Together

Once the meeting has been set, you might find he need to go over documents together or brainstorm in a creative session. To accomplish that you'll need to create a virtual environment where you can share a "cyber whiteboard" along with the ability to chat in real time. Here are some wonderful collaboration tools:

Join.me lets you have an ongoing teleconference while sharing desktop documents or programs.

Speek is a 100% online conference without a phone number or pin. Team members will go to a designated link to join in the call. There is even an option to send a text to that link and get in on the discussion.

MeetingSamurai sets up a virtual version of a board meeting that offers terrific note-taking features. You'll be able to vote on measures and then "park" agenda items to deal with later. All of this plays out for all the participants to view in real time.

Google Drive was formally known as Google Docs and is a very popular option among business professionals. What many users don't even realize is that there is a chat feature which is perfect for conference calls. This is great for those much-needed brainstorming creative sessions.

ConferencePad is perfect for the iPad users on your team who want to opt for remote collaboration. With this app you'll be able to view and make notes on any document presented to the logged in team. Even if you're in the same conference you can plug into this app and forego all the cumbersome power point presentation equipment. Everyone can just look at their pads!

5 Reasons Why Online Businesses Need Content Marketing

Imagine this scenario - you wander through a bookstore and find a novel with a very appealing cover and title. It looks like it’s going to be a great read. However, inside all the pages are blank. There is no story. This is not a lesson in “judging a book by its cover” but instead a reminder that without strong content, your online business will falter. In other words, you could have a great service or product but unless you engage and expand your customer base through strong content your business with wither on the vine. The following is a list of important reasons why online businesses need strong content marketing.

Customers Want the 411

You might have occasionally gotten lost in a “YouTube maze” clicking through random videos but when a potential customer goes in search of the specific product or service they are looking for valuable information. That information can be provided through well written content articles with catchy headlines. Be concise and give them the “bullet points” of what they are searching for. By providing valuable information to consumers, you can become considered an industry expert with the content you create and people will start seeking out your website for updates and tips.

Customers Want Quality

First impressions matter, whether you’re at a dinner party or developing an online business. If a customer stops by your website and is greeted with a poorly written article, then chances are they won’t be coming back. Don’t fall into the trap of sacrificing quality over quantity. There is no reason why you can’t have both; it just might take a bit more effort to find.

Customers Like To Be Targeted

Everything and anything can be Googled. No matter what the search, chances are there will be several websites that pop up in response to a user’s question. The goal for your website is to take advantage of these niche searches by providing targeted content. If you have a product for women, determine if it’s suitable for “busy moms,” “hard working professionals,” or “singles searching for love?” Maybe it’s for all three categories. That just means you’ll need specific content geared to all those groups.

Customers Like to Matter

Content should not only serve to provide information but also to engage the reader. Whenever possible you should leave room for comments. This is how you get online discussions going and pull in even more customers. Everyone likes to share their opinions online. Even if you receive negative comments, take the time to consider the comment and the way in which you can “fix” the problem. Perhaps the customer had a poor experience with your services – take the time to respond, apologize and offer a solution. Your customers will appreciate the open communication. Providing a personal touch gives customers a sense of security which will bring them back to purchase again.

Customers Are Always Searching

As mentioned above, potential customers are always on the prowl for those goods or services they need in that moment. Just as you need to create engaging content for them to read, you also have to create content that the search engines will pick up on. This will improve your search engine rankings which will place your website at the top page of any search. If you’re not familiar with how to achieve these goals then seek out experienced content management consultants to help build up your online presence.

How to Manage a Remote Workforce

Just because a business has been deemed as “small” doesn’t mean they can’t take advantage of the same remote workforce that the big players tap into. Thanks to innovations in Internet technology, it is a lot easier (and often more profitable) to utilize the services of a remote workforce to handle a business’s many tasks. Even your own company roster could benefit from flexible hours by completing their work tasks from home. This type of scheduling goes a long way to increase productivity and promote company loyalty. Although your workers might be “off-site” and online, that doesn’t mean they still won’t require decisive and strong management. What follows are some helpful tips to help your small business manage a remote workforce.

Put It In Writing

If you are hiring a new remote worker you should create a clearly defined list of goals for the project they are working on. These guidelines should leave nothing to doubt as they will serve as a vital template for the project. It’s also helpful to provide examples of just how you want the work completed.

Tap Into Technology

While it is true that the bulk of your communication with your remote workforce will be handled through email, there is no reason why you can’t utilize other forms of communication. Today most savvy remote workers have access to web cameras and headsets which allow for video conference calls via services like Skype. It could be beneficial to schedule a weekly Internet conference call to check on the progress of an ongoing project. This is also the perfect method for providing power point demonstrations as training for new remote workers. What’s great about this for a small business is that many of these conference services can be set up for free or at a minimum cost.

You can also set up a common communication area through a project management system where all the remote workers will have access to upload their projects and share comments or questions.

Set Deadlines

Just as you should provide your remote workforce with complete guidelines it’s important to provide them with a thorough schedule of when their work needs to be delivered. For your own sake, you should pad these deadlines with extra time. As a small business it is vital that you build a solid reputation with your clients for dependability. Although a remote worker can promise to meet the deadlines, sometimes they end up faltering. You should never put your own business at risk.

Tackle Problems ASAP

In a typical office setting, a worker who has a question about a particular project can simply walk down the hall to their manager and get an answer. A remote worker will have the same type of questions that can be related through email. It’s your responsibility as manager to answer those queries as soon as possible. You don’t want to bring a remote project to a grinding halt due to a lag response time. 

If you small business plans to active a remote workforce, treat them as you would your own immediate staff with proper instructions, deadlines and support. You might just find that with the help of a remote workforce, your business can expand faster than you’ve ever imagined.

Beam Me Up, Captain Quirk

Advertising is a world of its own. Without a doubt, it has tremendous influence on our daily lives. Certainly, the more effective ads remain in our minds for seemingly an eternity. How many of us can remember jingles or advertisement characters from decades ago? Today, though, there appears to be a metamorphosis in advertising and a change in direction entirely.
 

Do an Internet search for the term "quirky advertising" and discover an entirely new realm. Gone are memorable characters selling products or scenes that evoke a warm, fuzzy feeling. Advertising, today, is moving in the direction of strange and weird. The norm in advertising today is quirky. Rather than extol the virtues of a product, advertisers are attempting to create strange beings, scenes, and concepts that have virtually nothing to do with the product. Rather, they hope that the consumer will easily remember the quirky advertising and associate that with the product. Of course, many a television program today is equally quirky and weird. Shouldn't the advertising complement that?
 

No, it shouldn't! Advertising, primarily on television, has become merely additional entertainment, rather than a medium for promoting sales. Entertainment for the sake of itself is perfectly legitimate but the jury is still out on whether or not these quirky ads have managed to attract consumers. Will a weird ad encourage you to purchase a product or simply tune in for the next installment of the advertisement?
 

With all the competition to produce odd and different types of advertising, it seems that connecting with the consumer – the primary goal – has been ignored. Perhaps, after the dust has settled and some of the strange creatures that inhabit the advertisements have been retired, consumerism will again be the driving force behind advertising.

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Starting a Small Business Survey: 12% to Establish Internet Enterprises

Starting and owning a small business appears to be the aspiration of many Canadians, according to the findings of a poll conducted for the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

Over the next several years, some 3.3 million Canadians intend to start their own business. Moreover, the survey found that there appears to be a change in preferred industry focus of would-be entrepreneurs. The desire to open a retail business dropped by 2 per cent from previous surveys; personal services and arts also dropped by 2 percent; and business services/consultancies dropped by 3 percent. The top industries of choice appear to be Internet related businesses. Nearly 12 percent of those interviewed plan to establish an online enterprise.

The RBC survey also rated advice by veteran entrepreneurs for newcomers to the business world. The top piece of advice was to do thorough research before setting up shop. Know exactly what you're getting into. Learn about your competition and be realistic about what share of the market you can capture.

Other pieces of popular advice of what to do before opening a new business included preparing a detailed business plan, networking with others in the field, allocating time and resources for marketing, surveying potential customers, and selecting the best site for the new enterprise.

The survey revealed that 61 percent of Canadian business owners are satisfied with the way they opened their business and would not change a thing, if they had to start over. More than 60 percent felt that, looking back, they probably should have started at a younger age. 58 percent of those surveyed felt that it would have been beneficial to get more financial advice at the onset.
 
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