Google Apps For Business Best Features

Google Apps is a suite of Google Applications that are utilized by business. It is a cost efficient alternative to the Microsoft suite. Google has both pay and free versions. The standard pay version is $50 per year per user. For those who are not familiar with Google Apps, we have broken it down to 8 amazing features.

1. User Accounts and Storage: Google Apps impressively allows the creation of up to 200 user accounts with 25 GB email storage per employee. 10 with the free version.

2. Gmail: This web based email system is spam and virus protected, organizes email by thread, is able to sync with smart phones, and contains instant message and video chat.

3. Google Calendars: This system creates, shares, and sends reminders of events. Also all Google Apps users can view a calendar displaying others’ events.

4. Google Docs: This allows you to access documents online, collaborate on documents in real time, share documents, and view past drafts.

5. Support and Security: Google Apps provides 24/7 phone and email customer support. Also, Google Apps has achieved certification for FISMA (Federal Information Security Act). The highest level of security is not included in the free version, however the free version is extremely secure.

6. Customizable: You are allowed to customize Google Apps so that the applications are tailored for your business needs.

7. Integration: All of the Google Applications work with each other. Thus, making employee training of the application suite simple.

8. Accessibility: Google Apps is based online, so you can access your work information anywhere. Also the applications sync with smart phones, making it even easier to get work done while on the go.

Overall, Google Apps is a great application suite option that is definitely worth checking out.

WordPress

We work with our clients to create custom Websites including custom WordPress websites. Custom wordpress sites allow the client to have full control and make all kinds of custom features. Some people however want to make their own more simple site. For that, you can create a free account at WordPress.com. WordPress.com is a site that allows you to create your own blog or website in minutes.

Over 60 million people use WordPress as their blogging software, some of us at Piedmont Avenue Consulting included. Not only that, but big companies like CNN and People Magazine are even using WordPress too. Why?

Read on to discover some of the features that make WordPress in general and WordPress.com if you want to make your own simple site our top choice in blogging software.

1. It’s free. Anyone with a valid email address can use WordPress to create a blog or a website. You can post as often or as little as you like.

2. WordPress isn’t just for blogs anymore- you can join the ranks with the legions of companies that have created entire web site on WordPress, with a custom home page and your blog as one of the sub-pages.

3. You automatically get 3 gigs of storage space. That’s equivalent to over 2,500 photo files or around 1000 songs.

4. Over 100 (even more with the paid premium service) of customizable designs to suit all kinds of personalities and content. From classically minimal to edgy and modern, there is something for everyone. Journalists, photographers, business owners; whoever you are there’s sure to be a design that suits your needs.

5. It’s easy to include lots of creative, interactive content. WordPress lets you upload photos, music and videos in seconds, from sites like YouTube, Flickr and SoundCloud.

6. WordPress drives traffic to your blog. Just include tags with your posts and they’ll, automatically add them to their global tag system and tag surfer, so people who are interested in the topics you cover will easily be able to search for your content.

7. The WordPress integrated stats system lets you view activity on your blog and find out more about who your audience is. How many people viewed your blog post? What links did they click on? Were they referred from another site? Find out what people are really reading.

8. If you find yourself wanting more, you can upgrade to WordPress premium services for even more storage, features and capabilities.

Custom WordPress sites allow us to set up your site for a flat fee and their are no additional fees for space or upgraded features.

Your Groupon Offer – 5 Tips to Get More Out of Your Offer!

So, you finally took the leap and created an offer for your business on Groupon. Think you’re done? Think again!

Do you want to get even more out of your offer? How about converting all of those deal takers into long term customers?

While working with Bay Area businesses like yours, we at Piedmont Avenue Consulting have found that when combined with a Groupon offer, these 5 tips can make a huge impact right now!

1) Create a special landing page on your Website specific to this offer. This reinforces the value of the offer, and it encourage users to take a look at other services your company offers.

2) Build your direct email list! Collect emails from those that redeem the offer, and input them into a customer loyalty program like Constant Contact.

3) Create customized online surveys for participants who take advantage of this offer, to gather information and intelligence on this audience.

4) Encourage users to engage in social media – Ask Groupon offer participants to like you on Facebook or Follow you on Twitter, or to review your business on Yelp. This will create even more publicity for your company!

5) Offer participants additional incentives to return, like 10% off future purchases, or a free product on their next visit.

4 Ways to Optimize Opentable to Make Your Restaurant More Successful

1. Join Promotions
Find promotions you would like your restaurant to be a part of and join the lists. Joining promotions will increase your restaurant’s visibility to potential customers.

2. Deals & Offers
Deals & Offers show your restaurant’s current deals. For example, you may offer a free appetizer on a slower night. This deal will be seen by visitors of your site and may influence them to come. Also you can promote different drink specials or new prix fixed menus. Tip: Once submitted, an offer cannot be edited for 24 hours.

3. Diner Feedback
Pick 3 of your customer’s reviews to be placed at the top of the Diner Feedback section. This will showcase the best of what your customers have say about your restaurant. Tip: Reviews only stay on Opentable for 120 days so try to pick recent good reviews.

4. Opentable Widget on Restaurant Website
Make it easier for your customers to make reservations when you add the Opentable Widget on your restaurant website.

7 Tips for Writing a Successful Blog Post

When writing a blog post everyone hopes to get their message across and gain readers. You don’t have to be a professional write to accomplish this. We have outlined 7 Steps for writing a successful Blog post.

1. Have a Call to Action
Make a connection with your readers. Do this by providing them with information about something they want to learn how to do or about. Readers will want to read more about something that applies to their life.

2. Grab Readers Attention with Title
The title is your first impression to your readers. Therefore it needs to capture your reader’s attention and state what the blog post is about.

3. Keep Readers Attention with Opening Lines
Now that you have captured your reader’s attention, you must keep it. Follow up your title with an opening paragraph that summarizes what your blog post is about. Do this in an entertaining, but brief way.

4. Use Key Words
Be more conscious of the words you are using. By utilizing certain keywords you will increase SEO for your blog. Also, you want to keep your readers focused on the main point of your post. These key words will reinforce that point.

5. Make Blog an Appropriate Length
Blogs with a high word count can be overwhelming for a reader. Writing a long blog can discourage readers from reading past the first couple of lines. A blog around 300 words is an appropriate length. But if you feel the need to write more, make sure to use less than 1000 words.

6. Use Lists/ Headings
Utilizing lists and headings helps readers to scan for a blog’s key points. Also it is visually easier to read online this way than a traditional essay format.

7. Conclude by Reinforcing Call to Action
Effectively convey your message to readers by reinforcing it during the conclusion. This helps them to retain the message.

Remember creating writing a successful blog is easy when you reemphasize a message, pay attention to your content, and use a reader friendly outline.

Ways to Improve Your Business With Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging site with 140 million active users and one of the top ten most visited websites. With these statistics in mind, it is no wonder why businesses choose to engage in this key aspect of social media. Here are five top ways you can use Twitter to help grow your business:

1. Network with people with similar interests, or who have an interest in your business by joining industry and topic groups related to your business, via sites like www.twibes.com and www.wefollow.com. This could help you find new clients, new partners, and get referrals.

2. Monitor Your Brand and Reputation through Twitter Search. You can see what people are saying about your brand. This feature helps you revise your strategies and ultimately grow your business.

3. Conduct Market Research by following experts, companies, competitors, and leaders in your industry, which will help you build expertise in your industry and consequently build your credibility.

4. Promote and Broadcast Content, informing your audience about upcoming events, promotions, new products, important news, etc. You can also have your Tweets reposted on other social media websites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Consistently sharing valuable information helps your business gain exposure and increase brand awareness.

5. Provide Customer Service by sharing tips, helping others with problems or questions, and linking to helpful articles posted elsewhere. Active communication on Twitter can not only help you get new customers, but also build strong relationships with current customers.

Following these five simple steps can go a long way in marketing and developing your business.

Facebook Best Practices for Business

With over 900 million monthly active users and over 500 million daily active users, Facebook has become an important free mechanism to market and promote your business. Here are the top 5 ways Facebook is a good marketing tool for business:

1. Business Newsfeed. Facebook Business Pages provide a space to showcase new products, promotions, and upcoming events to your fans. By consistently providing fresh and varied content, like a combination of photos, videos, promotions, business updates, etc, it gives reasons for fans to return.

2. Communication Channel Between Business and Fans. Having a business page allows for a two-way communication between a company and its fans. Fans can comment on posts and provide feedback on products, while the company is able to provide customer service if questions or concerns arise. This helps build and maintain relationships with fans.

3. Word of Mouth Marketing. Every time the content on your page or the page itself is shared or liked by your fans, or when someone checks in at your business location, the link to the content is reposted on the fan’s Facebook wall and newsfeed for all their friends to see. The increased exposure of your Business Page can result in an increase of brand awareness and can generate interest and attract new customers.

4. Search Engine Optimization Opportunities. Having a Facebook Business Page can aid in improving your SEO score, particularly when you do things like use a custom Facebook URL and put relevant keywords and links in the “About” and “Info” sections of your business page.

5. Analytics Tools To Track Your Progress. Facebook has a free Page Insights feature, which provides useful information, such as the demographic of your audience, how many times you’ve been mentioned in someone’s post, what tabs generate the most interest, where the referrals to your page are coming from, and number of times your post and page were viewed during a certain period. This information helps you assess and change your content strategy to make Facebook a more effective marketing tool.

The benefits of using Facebook for business are clear. It provides a great opportunity to grow your business, not only by allowing you to market it and create a community around it, but also by helping you analyze and improve your strategy.

9 Reasons the Facebook Timeline is a Positive Change for your Business Page

All Facebook pages were forced to switch to the new Timeline format on March 30 2012, no matter if you wanted to or not. Here are a few reasons why this change may actually be a positive one for your business.

1. Cover Photo Feature allows your business page to be more personalized and visually appealing with an eye-catching banner at the top of the page.

2. Easier to Make Updates to your business page, as well as managing notifications and messages, as all the necessary tabs and apps have been pushed up to the top of the page. You can also select the apps you want displayed beneath the cover image.

3. “About” Section is Visible and emphasized right underneath the large banner or cover photo. This change allows the company to summarize its purpose, which is the first thing fans will see when they open the page.

4. More Information is Displayed on the wall at once with the new Timeline format; thus, making it easier for fans to skim your business page, learn about your company, and find what they are looking for.

5. Newest Business Information Shown First making it simple and easy for fans to quickly learn about your company and current activities.

6. Fans See Your Business’s Growth and Progress with the new “Milestones” feature, which allows you to display all of the important company achievements and awards.

7. Control What is Highlighted by pressing the star button at the top right corner of any post for fans to notice and pay more attention to, as it expands the area which the post you star occupies across both sides of the Timeline.

8. Control Where Posts Appear by changing the dates on posts.

9. Pin Option allows you to keep a post positioned at the top of your business page for seven days without getting pushed down and buried by new updates. This is especially useful if there are important notifications of events, offers, or any other announcement you want to keep in the forefront for fans to notice.

As you can see, the new Facebook Timeline not only makes your business page more visually engaging, but it also makes it easier for fans to navigate around and learn more about your story. So embrace the change!

Why Participate in a 15% Back Charity Event?

How it Works

An agreement is made between a business and charity to have a portion of their sales go to a cause. Therefore when a customer mentions the charity while they patronize the business by buying a product or service, 15% of that purchase goes to the charity.

Good For Charity

• An alternative way of fundraising for a cause
• Great way to advertise charity
• Build alliances between charity and business

Good For Business

• Generates more foot traffic and sales for business
• Brings in new customers
• Great way to advertise business
• Build alliances between charity and business

Everybody Wins!

Generating Leads from the SF Business Times Book of Lists

The SF Business Times Book of Lists 2012 is an incredibly useful resource when it comes to broadening your client base in the San Francisco Bay Area.  To make the process even easier for you, we at Piedmont Avenue Consulting have created this step-by-step guide to Creating an Email Blast to Generate New Business, using the SF Business Times Book of Lists.

1). Pick up a copy of the 2012 SF Business Times Book of Lists.

2). Select a page that showcases several potential leads, such as top solar companies, top construction companies, or whatever might be relevant to your business.

3). Looking over the list of 25 businesses, identify any contacts that one of your employees might know, and record their information into a Google Spreadsheet or other Excel file.

4). Upload the contact information to SalesForce or another CRM program, so that all interaction with each lead can be tracked.

5). Create case studies of previous clients who might be similar to the businesses listed such as solar, construction, etc. Be sure to include examples of several services provided by your company.

6). Make sure to include some of the case studies from step #5 on the company website.

7). Construct an email blast so that it displays these case studies. We think Constant Contact is a great email marketing solution, but you can choose which ever works best for you.

8). Target specific employees from the list of companies created in step #3 by emailing or calling them directly. Then, either mention the case studies of similar companies you provided services for, direct them to your website, and/or suggest a meeting or coffee break to discuss what you might have to offer them.

9). Lather, rinse, repeat.

Although we recommend utilizing the SF Business Times Book of Lists, the above steps can be used for any published list that pertains to your specific business. (i.e. 7×7 Magazine’s Best Of Guides, Diablo Magazine’s Best of the East Bay, etc.)

Resources:

Constant Contact

SalesForce.com

Piedmont Avenue Consulting Blog

Piedmont Avenue Consulting excels at helping businesses expand into new markets.  To schedule a free consultation, contact us today.