Unfortunately, I cannot simply focus on the “glamourous” aspect of my job. With the amazing growth of my business over the past year, I have been forced to put some major systems into place in order to continue to grow at such a rapid pace (HUGE SMILE).

On my quest to find the best Estimate & Invoicing Software, I found two that I really liked. Both of these programs defiantly take the stress out of generating estimates & invoices for my clients on a daily basis.  Thus, allowing me to focus on the “glamourous” aspect of my job – making the internet a prettier place….one website at a time!

I have yet to determine which of the two programs will fit best into my business.  They are both amazing & have such great features.  Check them out & let me know what you think!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FreshBooks: Online Invoicing, Accounting & Billing Software. The Fastest Way To Track Time and Invoice Your Clients. Great for teams, small businesses and service providers.

FEATURES:

Collect money faster than you can say, “pay me now!” By using FreshBooks and PayPal (or one of 11 other payment gateways) you’ll speed up collection and stop manual payment entry.

FreshBooks automatically sends late payment reminder emails to improve your cash flow and save your time.

Clients can comment on their invoice.

Pull time & expenses into your invoice.

Recurring invoicing and payments.

Mobile app available for iPhone & Android!

Website:  http://freshbooks.com

Twitter: @Freshbooks

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FreshBooks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoho Invoicing:  Create, send and manage invoices online. Accept online payments, create custom templates, manage contacts, automate recurring invoices and much more. With Zoho Invoice you can transact globally and invoice in multiple currencies and languages.

FEATURES:

Manage Invoices Online: Create, track and export your invoices online. Automate recurring invoices and design your own invoice using our invoice template and brand it with your business logo.

Track Expenses: Get an accurate picture of your financial position by recording expenses. Invoice the reimbursable expenses such as travel to your clients and get them reimbursed.

Project Time Tracking: Manage time sheet entries online. Log staff hours, add tasks for a project and start tracking time using our timer. View time sheet breakdown by project, by task or by staff.

Accept Payments Online: Receive online payments from your clients using popular gateways like Paypal. Track customer over-payments and advances by creating credit notes.

Dashboards And Reports: Gain critical insights into how your business is doing. See what sells most, who are your top paying customers and the average time your customers take to pay.

Invite, Share And Collaborate: Invite users and share your workload as Zoho Invoice supports multiple users with different permissions. It helps your business to be more productive and efficient.

Mobile app available for iPhone & Android!

Website: http://zoho.com/invoice

Twitter: @Zoho

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zoho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think?  Any tips or advice you have about either is greatly appreciated.  What program are you using for your business?  Share your thoughts below, or find me via facebook and twitter.

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/bekdavisdesign

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/bekdavisdesign

Like this? Then share this!

Nearly every time I see a request on the AssistU Registry of prospective clients looking for virtual assistants, they list “need help with social media”. It is taking up too much of their time and energy. Or maybe they don’t even have accounts set up.

If they have accounts set up, they lie dormant. Whatever… they need help. This request is not a “by the way” or “if possible” part of the list either, it is usually at the top.

Planning Your Strategy

Social media marketing has become a staple of our marketing strategy. So I found myself wondering why so many business owners and entrepreneurs find it so overwhelming. The answer is simple. No strategy. You need a plan. There are 3 major steps to a social media strategy:

1. Write it.
2. Implement it.
3. Manage it.

Within each of those you have a series of steps or processes. It might sound tedious. But it isn’t. If you have it already under control, you likely do it without thinking of it in those terms.

For the purposes of this post, I am going to give you a suggested outline just for No. 1, writing a social media strategy. I have used it more than once with different clients, different businesses.

The inner layers of the outline will vary depending on your own specific requirements. However, I have found by starting here, I can usually build almost any client’s plan.

Your Social Media Strategy

I. Goals

• What are do you want to accomplish? The answer to this question will determine which social media sites will work best for you, as well as what you share and how often.
• You should have at least 3, but no more than 6.

II. Determine Your Target Audience

• This is easy. You probably already know this from your marketing plan, if you have one.
• Join appropriate social media sites/services where your target audience is likely to be found. Be specific, to start.

III. Develop a Participation Plan

• Plan how/when you will participate for each site or type of service; example micro blogs, such as Twitter and networking sites such as LinkedIn.
• Develop a blog content strategy
• This is key — your blog is the flagship of your social media strategy. Your entire strategy will rely upon it.

This is a general outline to get you started thinking about how to manage your social media. Within each step there are some details. Like anything else, it takes some time to set it up. But once in place, you can move effortlessly to the next step, implementation.

Implementing Your Plan

The implementation phase will be just a matter following the plan. After a couple times, you will find yourself doing it automatically, taking less time each you go through it.

As your business grows and changes, so will the plan. That means you will have to manage it, periodically tweaking and making adjustments.

Social media has become a large part of how we connect with our customers and clients. It’s why so many businesses owners seek help. Whether you do it yourself or use in-house or virtual support, it can’t be neglected. Not anymore.

I provide services in a wide range of areas from routine administrative support to system development and strategy design, including blog setup and management, social media networking, and product launches.

You can find all the details on my web site at http://www.ytvp.com or on my blot at http://blog.ytvp.com.

Blogging and social media management are at the top of my list of services. Being successful today means having an active online presence. Building a blog and keeping it current is extremely time consuming. So I do it for my clients. I am a “ghost blogger”. I write blog posts, set up new blogs, and maintain existing ones, as well as other social networking sites. In addition, I recruit and manage virtual teams for clients. Some need and have many virtual experts, and it can become overwhelming to try to manage them plus their business. If you need some marketing materials, I have added graphic design to my skill set due to my recent part time position as a public relations assistant at a local university.  Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6375120

Like this? Then share this!

I am constantly being asked by newbie freelance designers how much they should charge their clients.  The answer to that question is quite complex & many factors play into it.  Below is a great video that will help you determine what to charge – based upon your personal situation.

What Should I Charge from Shane Pearlman on Vimeo.

Like this? Then share this!

In online marketing a landing page, sometimes known as a “lead capture page”, is a single web page that appears in response to clicking on an advertisement.  In this case, we are discussing a Mobile App Landing Page for an iPhone app.  Below are 5 necessary elements of a successful mobile app landing page to increase your conversion rate.

EDGY + SEXY DESIGN

In today’s techie world, you have to be COOL!  Today’s consumers do not want to see a webpage that looks like your grandmother’s living room.  Think outside the box and make it ROCK!

DISPLAY YOUR IMAGE

This is a MUST!  Showing the device (iPhone, iPad, Android phone etc.) immediately reinforces that you’re looking at a page about (in this case) something for your iPhone.

BULLET POINTS

Break down the most important features of your app into a few simple bullet points.  This allows your visitors to quickly get a feel for the app within the fist few seconds on your landing page.

SCREENSHOTS

Take each of your best features and provide a thorough description and a screenshot to demonstrate it visually.  Consumers purchase what they can see!

VIDEO

This will allow the visitor to see exactly what the app does, and the benefits it can bring to their life.  According to KISSmetrics, viewers are anywhere from 64-85% more likely to buy after watching a product video.

Above Landing Page info:
Website: http://stagepageapp.com
Description: An app to enhance the concert experience and inform others of great music by creating a mobile method of collecting and sharing your concert memories. 

Get a FREE QUOTE on a Landing Page NOW!  Click Here

Like this? Then share this!

There are plenty of websites out there that could use some help when it comes to the look of the entire site. Now why do I say that? Have you ever come across a website where the logo looks out of place? Or maybe the background color did not match the images that were being displayed? The list goes on. Anyway, here are a few tips for business site owners to consider about their own website look.

Looks Matter All The Time

Not most of the time but all the time. So if your site is all about selling products, you want to make sure that it looks good. By that I mean it looks presentable and any online visitor that lands on your site won’t leave after a few seconds glance at it. So if you are planning to sell products or services, make sure that your site looks good, professional and presentable. If not, then it’s basically wasting space and time since people will not bother to stay long enough to check out your products.

What To Watch Out For?

Your company logo will speak volume about what you do and the products you sell. So make sure that you get a professional logo design created. Don’t settle for cheap stuff. While it’s tempting to just pay 5 or 10 bucks to some rookie designer out there to come up with a simple logo design for you, chances are you are going to pay for what you are going to get. And besides, will you be able to find them again a few years down the road in case you need to get some amendments done? Now I haven’t come to the point where there are people who ended up being swindled by these people. So if you need a logo created, go for a reputable company.

Needs To Match Together

Please make sure that your website background, borders, images and logo all look good together. If you are hopeless with any design work, getting a professional logo design company to handle everything for you would be so much easier. If you can’t afford them, at least go for the logo work. You will need to use your company logo for all your products when you brand your stuff. Take some time to consider this.

Summary

Business owners need to pay more attention to the look of their website if they aim to retain online visitors who land on their site. People are more into looks so work on the look of your site.

Like this? Then share this!

The WP Mobile Detector WordPress plugin automatically detects if the visitor is using a standard mobile phone or a smart phone and loads a compatible WordPress mobile theme for each.

It is one of the first to differentiate between a standard mobile phone and a smart phone. With advanced mobile statistics, image resizing, automatically formatted content, and detection of 5,000+ mobile phones, the WP Mobile Detector gives your mobile visitors the experience they desire.

The WP Mobile Detector plugin also includes an installer that will configure everything automatically. All you have to do is install and activate the plugin.

WordPress Mobile Pack

The WordPress Mobile Pack is a complete toolkit to help mobilize your WordPress site and blog.

It includes a mobile switcher to select themes based on the type of user that is visiting the site, a selection of mobile themes, extra widgets, device adaptation and a mobile administration panel to allow users to edit the site or write new posts when out and about.
Features include:

• A mobile switcher which automatically suggests desktop or mobile presentation, but lets users switch to the other if required (and remembers their choice).
• A standard mobile theme, crafted by ribot, a top UK mobile design team.
• A set of advanced themes for Nokia and WebKit devices, designed by Forum Nokia. These also look beautiful on Android, iPhone and Palm devices.
• Custom color variations demonstrating how the themes can be easily tinted with CSS.
• Standards adherence, ensuring that mark-up is valid XHTML-MP 1 and the site scores 5 on mobiReady.
• Device adaptation, including the rescaling of images, intelligent splitting of articles and posts into multiple pages, the simplifaction styles, and the removal of non-supported media.
• A mobile admin panel, that allows the blog managers to access the admin interface via a mobile device, with simplified access to the most common features such as editing a post or approving comments.
• A mobile ad widget to easily enable mobile ads with AdMob or Google’s Mobile Adsense.
• Mobile analytics, allowing you to track your mobile traffic with PercentMobile, and view simple local traffic tallies.
• A barcode widget which adds a barcode to your desktop site so that devices with a suitable reader can quickly bookmark your mobile site, or deep link within it.
• Automatic listing on mpexo, making it easier for users to discover that you have a mobile-friendly site. (NB: you can enable the mpexo listing in the ‘Settings’ dashboard menu.)

MobilePress

A WordPress plugin that will render your WordPress blog on mobile handsets, with the ability to use customized themes. Built into MobilePress is the ability to track your mobile sites analytics and serve ads with Aduity.com.

Integration with Aduity.com enables you to serve ads from some of the biggest mobile ad networks such as Admob, Quattro Wireless, Buzzcity and InMobi. You can also serve you own managed ads. You will also be able to track your visitors every move with Aduity analytics.

The plugin allows WordPress theme developers to create custom mobile themes for MobilePress enabled blogs. Theme designers can create specific iPhone themes or generic mobile themes for other mobile devices.

MobilePress is SEO enabled and detects Google, Yahoo and MSN mobile search bots. These mobile search engine bots will see the mobile version of your blog and get your mobile site indexed in the mobile search results.

Verve Mobile

The Verve Mobile plugin automatically detects the user’s device and loads a compatible WordPress mobile theme.

Key Features:

• Automatic detection of mobile devices
• Easily monetizes your mobile site with seamless integration into The Verve Network
• Advanced mobile statistics including unique visitors, visits, and more!
• Automatically formats content and resizes images
• Includes two pre-installed mobile themes

Like this? Then share this!

I am in the process of a rebranding and a huge remodel of my website.  You can find most of my latest work on my Facebook Business page & Pinterest (bekdavis73).

I need someone who is ready to jump in and run a full speed to help my growing business!

Do NOT email me or call me!  To be considered, you must use the below form!

LAST DAY to submit your information:  3/11/12

Thank You to all that have applied.  We are currently sorting through all of the applications!

Like this? Then share this!

Here are 5 things to NEVER do on Twitter”

1. “T.W.I.” or Tweeting While Intoxicated. If you’ve had a few, you can do a lot more stupid things than calling your ex – you are likely to tweet less than brilliant ramblings filled with typos or worse, you may even be tempted to tweet your ex with secret confessions – for all the world to see.

2. Automate your Social Media. The key ingredient of social media is the social part – you can’t have a computer bot pretend to be you, YOU have to be you. This includes auto responders – it’s obvious to poeple who get them. Got a new follower? Unless you’re Lady Gaga, you DO have the time to send a quick “@_,Thanks” and demonstrate your good manners. The same applies to Repeat-Tweet, if you have a gem of a tweet that you want to put out there more than once, do it – a little differently each time. You’re making a point, not beating a drum.

3. Sell and Yell. If all you do is tell people how great your stuff is and why they should buy it, you’ll see your Twitter followers disappear like people abandoning a sinking ship. Twitter is for communicating, it’s for commenting, sometimes it’s just for carrying on – but it’s not for “selling and yelling” if it’s all about you, all the time, it’s a safe bet people will ignore you pretty quick. Give value: tweet stuff that matter’s to the people you’re connected with, if once in a while you have a special offer then make it – but make sure you’ve earned the right, earned the trust. Always remember; this isn’t broadcast, it’s social.

4. Re-Tweeting without Acknowledgement. If someone you follow on Twitter posts something particularly interesting or clever and you want to pass it on, or re-tweet it, then by all means do so, but acknowledge the source either by leaving the RT up front where Twitter puts it automatically or by adding “via @myFriend” at the end. If you pretend you thought it up, it’s like stealing – bad behavior! Acknowledging in the RT is the internet equivalent of applause, it’s flattering to the originator and helps build your community by showing that you care and share.

5. Dropping the “F Bombs”. Would you talk to your mother like that? If not, then spare Twitter foul language – nobody reads an expletive laden tweet and thinks “gee, they are so smart, I want to be like them!” (or do business with them) A possible exception is if you are a famous Rap Star or something, then you can get away with it – but you should be ashamed of yourself!

There are plenty of great things to do on Twitter, meet people, find information, learn stuff, share your expertise, build your Expert visibility, grow your connections (and your business) steer clear of these few potential pitfalls and let the Tweeting fun continue!

Mike Wolpert / Founder, Social Jumpstart

Watch the latest episodes of Social Jumpstart TV on your local Public TV station or on our YouTube Channel

Social Media Training for Your Business. Solid how-to in bite size pieces. You know where you want your business to grow, we know how to make it happen, Socially!
Sign up for a free video training series here: http://www.socialjumpstart.com/.  Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_WolperMike_Wolpert

Like this? Then share this!

Transform images with core Adobe® Photoshop® features in an app designed for tablets.

The new Adobe® Photoshop® Touch app lets you quickly combine images, apply professional effects, share the results with friends and family through social networking sites like Facebook, and more — all from the convenience of your iPad or Android tablet.

Requirements: Compatible with iPad 2 Wi-Fi and iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G.Requires iOS 5.0 or later.

1. Now available for iPad 2.
2. Work with core Photoshop tools designed for tablets.
3. Use your tablet camera to fill area on a layer.
4. Select part of image to extract by scribbling.
5. Perform Google searches and share images on Facebook right in the app.
6. Sync files to Adobe Creative Cloud and open in Photoshop.

Work with images on your tablet, and then take them further on your PC or Mac in Photoshop. Sync your projects with Adobe Creative Cloud and open layered files from Adobe Photoshop Touch in Photoshop.

Price: $9.99
Purchase ~~> via the App store

Have you purchased this product? If so, share your feedback below — PLEASE!!!

Like this? Then share this!

This is a very common question among those wanting to start their own blog.

Should I use a free WordPress Blog? Or should I host my own WordPress Blog?

To be clear, a free WordPress blog can be obtained by simply signing up for one at WordPress.com. The username you use to join becomes your blog name. As an example I have a username “xxx”. This translates to my free WordPress blog site “xxx.WordPress.com”

A self-hosted WordPress blog is your own blog on your own domain with your own hosting or paid hosting account upon which you install the WordPress software. WordPress becomes the software to manage your site and your blog. You can download the software for free from WordPress.org. However, many hosting companies today have a push button installation available via Fantastico Deluxe or Simple Scripts.

So on to the question at hand: which is better for you, the free WordPress blog or the self hosted WordPress installation?

FREE WordPress BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES

PLUS setup is free

PLUS easy to install and set up (software install is already done for you by WordPress)

PLUS no worry system maintenance (setup, upgrades, backups, security are all done by WordPress)

PLUS reliable servers (hosted on WordPress.com servers)

PLUS possible extra traffic being a part of the WordPress.com community

MINUS non-WordPress provided themes are allowed

MINUS cannot change/update any php code (useful for additional features you may want to include)

MINUS cannot upload any plugins. The WordPress plugin community is huge by the way

MINUS no ad placements allowed. In fact, WordPress will place their own ads on your blog

MINUS Blog will still be under the WordPress brand

MINUS no true ownership of content. Site is still a WordPress site

SELF HOSTED WordPress BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES

PLUS can upload custom made and third party WordPress themes. There are thousands of third party themes you can choose from or you can make a custom one.

PLUS can edit php code if you so desire. There are many php code examples and plugins available.

PLUS can add plugins! The WordPress and PHP development community is huge and you can get a plugin for just about anything including security, backups, marketing, and traffic generation

PLUS as you can edit the code and themes, you can add your own ad placements and ad monetization. This is a huge reason people blog in the first place is to earn money through ad placements

PLUS your own brand/domain name

PLUS ftp access to your site

MINUS you need to install WordPress on your own. This has become much easier, though, as many hosting accounts now offer push button installation of WordPress.

MINUS costs involved to setup. You have to pay domain registrar fees which is about $15 a year. Hosting fees can be $4 to $10 a month.

MINUS you need to do your own site maintenance including spam control, security, and backups for example. There are plugins to help you but it is a process you still need to do on your own

MINUS make sure and find reliable servers. You don’t want slowness or crashes to bother your site. Most hosting companies these days to stay competitive offer some pretty good server reliability

In summary, if you want just the most basic blogging features of the traditional blogging sense, a free blog is for you. If you plan to monetize it even with AdSense, then you will want a self-hosted paid blog. Moreover, if you want to add your own custom look and feel, you will want a self-hosted paid blog. You also have access to many free WordPress themes as well. And finally the world of plugins is the big kicker. Think about apps for the iPhone. There is a quote that whatever you want,.there is an app for that.. Plugins are much the same from security to SEO to driving traffic to membership sites to just about anything.

That is why in most situations, I recommend a self-hosted paid blog, though again there are still many situations where the free WordPress blog will be helpful as well! So now it’s just up to you to go through the points and figure out which is best for you! Have fun!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emil_Yau

Get a FREE Quote on a WordPress Blog NOW!  CLICK HERE

~~>  Need Website Hosting? Click Here

Like this? Then share this!