Evernote – You’re Gonna Want to Jot This Down

Momentum Monday

Today’s Business Development Tip is another tool that can help you be more efficient in tracking those all-important, but pesky, notes and reminders.

There was a time when Post-its were considered a game changer. The ability to jot down important information and stick them in a place to serve as reminders for a while seemed kind of revolutionary. But with all the things you have to do in a given day, the notes can often pile up and become a mess of things that go unattended.

Add in the fact that when your day may actually have a break in it where you could take action on them, odds are you won’t have your notes with you, and they are suddenly not so helpful.

This is why you should explore Evernote.

Evernote is basically a way for you to keep all of your notes and reminders in one location, even if your location physically changes. Whether you’re accessing it on your desktop, a remote PC or Mac, a tablet, or even your smart phone, the program syncs your information with your devices keeping it all in one centralized location.

So now you know what it is, but what could you use it for?

Evernote is perfect for all of the things you need to do that don’t necessarily fit on your calendar. By inserting notes, creating lists, recording audio, and even taking pictures, all the information you need can literally be at your fingertips.

By simply downloading the free application you open up a multitude of possibilities for your organizational needs. By creating “notebooks” and “notes” within the program, you allow yourself consistent access to all the bits and pieces of information you may want. One way to use it may be to have designated notebooks for each of your clients, and creating related notes for each. You can attach files to your notes and with it’s enhanced features, even add video recordings, or take a picture of something that inspires you. What’s even better is you can even share your notebooks with colleagues, or peers.

While there are other information management tools out there, Evernote allows you access to your information when you need its and with whoever you need to. Thanks to Evernote, you can say goodbye to ruffling through stacks of papers searching for information and having to wait until you get back to the office to get something done, and say hello to instant organization and convenience.

DropBox – The Best App You Aren’t Using Yet

Momentum Monday

Transferring files.  It’s always been a problem.  Email attachments can only be so big, and after that, you have a million choices and none of them seem very good.  FTP?  Nah, you need your own special program for that.  What about one of the many transfer sites?  You can definitely use those, but if you collaborate with others often it can be tedious to work on everything on a file by file basis.

Enter Dropbox.  It’s the only service I’ve found that allows you to truly share a multitude of folders and files with different people in an intuitive manner.  Here’s how it works.

  1. Head over to the website and register (it’s free).
  2. Download and install the software (it’s safe).
  3. Start sharing with your colleagues (it’s easy).

The major difference between Dropbox and the other sharing services out there is that Dropbox uses a folder on your actual computer.  Let’s use a scenario to break it down.

You need to get some drawings to someone in your organization.  They are too big to email and you don’t have a file server in the office.  Look for the dropbox icon in the lower right of your screen.  Click it and choose “Open Dropbox Website”.  Make a new folder and “share” it with your colleagues.  This will email them and allow them to get dropbox as well.

You will also notice that a “Drawings” folder was created on your computer.  Now all you need to do is copy the drawings into it.  Whoever has the folder shared with them will be able to see them (once the syncing is complete).  And the more people you invite, the more space you get for files.  And the service also allows you to send out direct links to files if you need to.  It does it all.

Give it a try.  Once you have it, you will wonder how you ever did without it!

Search Engines Remain Top Source for Local Business Information

Momentum Monday

With all the ways available to people to learn about local businesses, search engines on the internet are still the most popular.

According to a January, 2011 national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism and Internet & American Life Project, produced in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Where People Get Information About Restaurants and Other Local Businesses, “The internet is the source that people most rely on for material about the local business scene and search engines are particularly valued. Newspapers and word of mouth also rank high as sources.”

The survey interviewed 1,087 respondents by phone in either English or Spanish. Among the 60% of respondents who get information about local businesses, they are likely to be tech-users with a college education who earn upwards of $75,000 a year, use the internet, and own a cell phone. They also tend to be “news junkies,” as the survey identifies them, who use their cell phones to search news and information about local businesses. The sources they use to get information about local businesses include (page 11):

Internet: 47% say some kind of online source is the one they most rely upon.
Newspaper: 30% say they most rely on newspaper material either in printed form or the website of their local newspaper for local business informationWord of mouth: 22% say they rely on other people most of all for news and information about local businesses
Local TV: 8% say they rely on TV for news about local businesses – either broadcasts or the stations’ websites
Local radio: 5% of adults say they rely on local radio

 

So what does this mean for local business owners? Building an online presence – including your website, social media sites, and other topical specialty sites – that ranks well in search engines for the key terms relevant to what you offer is critical to your on-going marketing for new business development and growth potential. The objective is to create compelling, internet searchable content so you are visible online to your targeted buyers whether they use their computer, mobile phone, or tablet to search for local businesses.