Category: Tips

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Why You May Want to Consider Using Tumblr

Screen shot of my Tumblr page.
Follow me as “Just Nancy” on Tumblr.

When I drive a long distance with my high school senior kids in the car, it gives me time to ask what is trending and is hot with their friends. I’ve found that what happens with their generation is a very good indicator as to where businesses should be looking to build for the future. Temper that with a review with my older kid who is 25 and I get a great viewpoint of how businesses should be embracing certain new technologies and avoiding other ones that may be becoming passé.

In my most recent drive Tumblr came up several times with my kids, so I checked it out. You can view my own Tumblr page here at http://nancymccord.tumblr.com/. I call mine “Just Nancy” as it is a place for now for me to share just about anything.

This is what I have found using Tumblr and why you may want to consider using it.

1. It is actually incredibly simple to set up and actually fun to use.

2. It has a very nice smartphone integration that allows you to post photos, quick quotes, and just about anything on the go.

3. The desktop interface is cool, user-intuitive, and the smartphone app simple.

4. I love the ability to add multi-media and text simply.

5. It feels like there will be a more visual and different demographic on this platform and so may be a more energized platform than a blog for a business.

6. From my own initial testing to me this seems like this may be the place where you can merge all your online enterprises into one cohesive message.

It remains to be seen how I will use Tumblr for business, but for now, I am having plenty of fun checking it out.

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Best Ways to Build Website Visibility and Organic Placement

Two small statues on top of a computer shaking hands.
How do you improve traffic and visibility?

What is the best way to build visibility and traffic on your website as well as to place better organically (unpaid search results)? These three issues really go hand in hand. What you do to build traffic and visibility will typically benefit your site organically.

Here are my top picks as to where you should consider spending your money to get more activity on your website.

1. For immediate traffic, but at a cost, there is simply no replacement for Google AdWords. AdWords will not only drive immediate traffic, but immediate leads. When you need quick activity, this is the place to turn first.

2. To improve visibility and improve organic placement over time, blogging is still hands down the best way to build natural links and get the attention of search engines. The big caveat is however that you need to blog well, consistently, and write shareable information. If your blog posts are simply redux of your services, all about you, and do not explain or answer a question, you will not build links and provide strong value for readers. You will not build traffic, you will not build links, and you will not get shares. It used to be that most clients blogged three times a week, but now the trend appears to be blogging once a week with longer more creative content.

3. Social media helps to build buzz and helps to pass your shareable content around the web and to drive traffic to your blogsite and website. If you are just blogging and not sharing your blog posts on social media you may never tap into the true power of the web to create the traffic that you really thought you wanted or that you needed. Great content works hand in hand with social sharing. If you don’t have the time or budget to do this, go back and read number one and just stick with that approach – paid advertising.

4. E-newsletters continue to be an excellent way to build rapport with existing customers. It is three times more expensive to get new customers than it is to continue to sell or to build a sale with an existing customer. E-newsletters keep your name in front of your clients and provide for an easy avenue to share information, soft sell new services, and to position yourself as the “go-to” person for your areas of expertise. Besides that creating an e-newsletter list has strong intrinsic value. You can sell your list if you sell your business. E-newsletters appear to have strong staying power. It is not unusual for a client to read and then re-read a newsletter and touch base with you several days to a month after you’ve sent one. But here’s the caveat, just like number 2, your content has to be great, of value, interesting, not too self-serving, and be written in an interesting manner.

If 2, 3,  or 4 seem like too much trouble, you are a candidate for number one – paid advertising. It may seem hard to get started on building content and earning inbound links, but it is something that every single business should invest in as one part of their marketing program.

If you need help getting going on the web, I invite you to check out my firm at www.McCordWeb.com. I think that you will like what you see, find us affordable, and that we are a knowledgeable in positioning your website for improved traffic.

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OneDrive Versus Google Drive for Remote Teamwork – Who Wins?

 

Image of file folders
Working remotely on files is easy with OneDrive or Google Drive

I employ a number of tech specialists and interact daily with them to task them, pass files, give directions, load files, and pick up completed files. This allows me to easily expand my workforce, utilizing quality team members, that are not located in my same city.

I have tried a number of tools to stay connected and help them perform effectively for me. Two applications that I have really taken head to head have been Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. I actually use both, but here’s how they stack up for my needs and what I have found I like about each one.

Ease of Use:  Winner – OneDrive
In working with non-tech savvy employees who just really need to get to work and don’t want to take a lot of time to understand a system – OneDrive wins.

Although Google Drive can work for some staffers, the learning curve may require real hands on. The issue of setting up sharing, figuring out if they can save your file, having to turn the Google docs file into an Office compatible file are simply stumbling blocks for some in my remote workforce.

Integration with Your Desktop: One Drive – Google Drive a Tie
I love that when I install both programs, they automatically integrate into my file tree in Microsoft’s File Explorer. It is super simple to pull files out, load them in, and synching is automatic to your entire staff once set up.

Easy Set Up: Winner – Google Drive
As for easy setup, both are pretty easy, but Google Drive I think is easier. You simple send an invite to a Google account email address and then right click on the user to assign them properties of what they can use. OneDrive is pretty easy, but not quite as simple as Google Drive.

Features: Winner OneDrive
If all you need is file sharing and transferring, both OneDrive and Google Drive will do the job, but if you need remote access, integration with your team calendar, integrated instant messaging, and Skype, I personally like OneDrive.

Working on the Same File: Winner Google Drive
This is actually the only issue I have found I wish OneDrive would improve on where Google Drive has OneDrive beat. Two people can work on the same file at the same time. That can’t happen in OneDrive. If two do, OneDrive will make two copies of the file and it is up to you to decide which one to keep. My team and I just know on really important files when we can access them – we time share or I pull files out of a workbook, have my team work on the pulled out files and then when done overwrite my master file.

Both may be worth your while to try out. You can download One Drive here: https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/download/

You can download Google Drive here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/drive

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Try It Friday – The Pocket App for Reading on the Go

You’ve got to love Pocket! This is a great app that is a browser utility that allows you to then read things you mark as interesting on any device. Very cool, super easy, I use it all the time. View it at YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQs1-qLAXss&feature=youtu.be

Start first by installing pocket on your desktop or laptop by visiting http://getpocket.com/. You’ll be asked to set up an account and install a small app that will put the +Pocket app in your toolbar.

You’ll also want to download the app at iTunes and Google Play.

When you log in to your Pocket account on your devices, you will then be able to see content you’ve saved to read later across any device. I love this app use it to provide personalized content that I can read anywhere on the go.