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Free Faxing for Your Business

In a continued effort to replace some everyday business tasks with something you can now do for free, I’d like to take a look at faxing.

If you’re a small business and you are already setup and completely functional with a fax machine and a separate line, then this is probably not for you.  Likewise, if you are need of sending or receiving many faxes a day, the information in this article is also not for you.

However, if you’re like me and you run across the need to send or receive a fax a couple of times per week or per month, then there is a free option out there to suit your needs.

Sending Faxes

Faxzero (www.faxzero.com) is a great, free option for sending faxes.  I’ve used it for 2-3 years now and it’s always been reliable for me.  The nice thing about Faxzero is that you don’t even have to sign up to use their services.  Here’s the basics of what they offer:

• Send a fax to any fax machine in the United States (including Puerto Rico) or Canada for free
• Cover page for your fax contains advertising when it reaches your destination - that’s how it’s free
• Send a PDF, Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX or .RTF) file, or Excel spreadsheet (.XLS or .XLSX)

And if you don’t have a document to send, you can instead just enter text in the textbox supplied on the website and that information will be faxed.  It’s all done online - nothing to download and install ever.  There is a three-page limit, but you can purchase a premium service that allows for longer faxes.

Receiving Faxes

Faxzero won’t allow you to receive faxes, but Depositdox (www.depositdox) will.  When you sign up with Depositdox, you are assigned a fax number.  That is your number to supply to individuals and businesses who need to fax documents to you.  Those faxes then come to you in the form of a pdf file that are delivered to you via email.

The nice thing about Depositdox is that there is no limit on the number of free faxes you can receive.  You are assigned a toll-free number to give out as your fax number.  The one catch is that if you don’t use your Depositdox free fax number every 7 days or less, you lose it and have to sign up again - and give out a new fax number.  But, remember, it’s free!  And by using these two services together it’s like having a completely free fax service.

ASUS to Launch Two iPad Competitors

So the iPad is out and touting 300,000 units in sales on the first day - including pre-sales.  We’ve seen glowing reports, we’ve seen skeptical reviews, and we’ve seen problems - specifically with WiFi connectability - come to light from early adopters.

Now, we’re seeing competition.  PC, notebook, and netbook manufacturer ASUS has just confirmed that they will be releasing two iPad competitors sometime in 2010.  These competitors will be Eee Pad tablets - one will use either the Google Chrome or Android OS and the other will use a Windows-based OS.

ASUS contends that in the tablet market there will always be an Apple camp.  But ASUS intends to address the Google and Microsoft camps with their new releases.  And they have confirmed that at least for the Android/Chrome-based version the focus will be on multimedia.  ASUS has stated that content will play an important role - the Google tablet will have a lot of media available.

ASUS has previously suggested that they see their future tablet offerings as falling in line with ebook readers, but they are now envisioning different forms while not fully disclosing the true focus or exact timeframe of the devices.  Previous rumors had suggested that a touch series tablet would make its debut at Computex 2010 in June.

Have Netbooks Jumped the Shark?

Borrowing the term that originated from the “Happy Days” episode where Fonzie jumped a shark on water skis while wearing - you guessed it - his leather jacket, I’m wondering if netbooks haven’t gone the way of “Happy Days” in that infamous episode and also jumped the shark.

The term refers to that point in a show - or whatever you might be using it on - where it’s rapid decline begins.  You can look back and point to that particular instance in time and say “that’s it …. that’s when it jumped the shark.  It’s downhill from here.”  That’s exactly what happened to “Happy Days” and that appears to be what is happening to netbooks.

Two clues for me personally where this:

• My 18 yr old son has lamented about the limitations of his netbook over the past month for doing anything but surfing the web and email after trying to create logo choices of my wife’s photography business.
• During my latest stroll through Costco last week I noticed that they no longer were carrying any netbooks after previously carrying 4 different models.

Now, Bloomberg’s Business Week online is indicating that iPad’s release has caused a significant lag in netbook sales.  Netbook sales were expected to increase 33.6% in 2010 Q1 against 2009 Q1 numbers.  The problem with that figure is that 2009 Q1 growth over 2008 Q1 was 872%.  That’s a significant slowdown and a strong indication that the world is possibly moving on from the netbook to the iPad or at least they are definitely hedging future purchases as they await the first reports from users of the iPad.  Strong reviews of the iPad as it becomes widely distributed may be a death knell for netbooks across the board.

Don’t get me wrong - I still think they have their niche.  But I used to believe they were a decent field computer for business travelers.  They may still be, but I’m starting to see their limitations more clearly.

The Commodore is Back

Remember the Commodore 64?  You knew about it, a friend had one, or maybe you were one of the 17 million owners of the Commodore 64 yourself.

One of the most popular computers of all time, the Commodore 64 was sold by Commodore International from 1982 to 1994.  It boasted an 8-bit processor and a $599 price tag, which was eventually reduced to $199.

Commodore International filed for bankruptcy in 1994 and the rest is history.  Or is it?  A new company, Commodore USA, has licensed the Commodore name from Commodore Gaming and is trying to invoke the glory of the original Commodore 64 with a new model that is somewhat recognizable from the outside, but has very different insides.  With the tag line, “You loved us then, you’ll love us again” it’s obvious they’re drawing on nostalgia to rebuild a following in today’s difficult PC marketplace.

Some specs on the new Commodore include:

• All-in-one keyboard design
• Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Quad Core CPUs
• Will run Windows 7 Aero, XP, Vista, Linux, Ubuntu, or Mac OS X operating systems
• 3D graphics capabilities
• 4GB RAM
• Up to 500GB hard drive
• DVD/RW drive
• Synaptic touchpad
• 4 USB ports
• 1 Gigabyte Ethernet port
• DVI (digital visual interface) for monitor connection
• 17.5″ wide x 2″ high

The Commodore USA site will operate as an online store at www.CommodoreUSA.net that is targeted to be operationally by June 1^st.  No pricing information is available yet.

Time will tell if this is a legitimate home or business desktop computer or if it’s just a collectible piece that will be popular with those trying to relive their childhood like the buyers of the re-released Mattel hand held games a few years back (that would be me).

Mobile Coupons for Mobile Handsets

Mega-retailer Target has taken the lead in innovation when it comes to new ways to get coupons in the hands of their loyal customers.  Target has become the first major retailer to offer mobile coupons that go straight to the shopper’s mobile handset.

Shoppers interested in getting the mobile coupons must “opt in” and register on Target’s Web site. They can also text the word “COUPONS” to 827438.  Once registered, consumers get text messages on their phones directing them to a web page featuring multiple coupons.  You must have a phone with a mobile browser along with a data plan for accessing the internet in order to properly view the coupons.

Once consumers are registered they will get text messages on their phones with links to a Web page that features various coupons. The program works with any phone that has a mobile browser and data plan for Internet use, the company said.

The coupons come complete with a bar-code visible on your mobile device’s screen and you simply show it to the person at checkout to apply the discounts to your purchases.

Other large retailers are making news with plans to follow in Target’s footsteps.  J.C. Penny is already testing similar coupons in several Houston stores.  And there are already many coupon sites and coupon applications for mobile devices like the iPhone.  Google, Coupons.com, Coupon Sherpa, Yowza, and Cellfire are a few examples.

New Blue Label Line of Laptops Exclusive to Best Buy

Toshiba, Sony, and Dell listened to what Best Buy consumers were asking for in a new line of laptops and worked with Best Buy to make those requests a reality in a new line of laptops available only at Best Buy.

Originally announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January of this year, these Blue Label notebooks are designed with the Best Buy consumer in mind.  These notebooks are the third in the line of “You Spoke, We Listened” products designed for what Best Buy consumers were asking for.

What’s new in these exclusive-to-Best-Buy model notebooks?  Here’s a few things they offer:

• Wireless display technology with push-button streaming
• New Intel i5 process with turbo boost technology
• 4 GB of RAM
• 500 GB hard drive
• 2-year extended manufacturer’s warranty as opposed to the usual 1-year warranty
• 30 days of Best Buy Geek Squad tech support
• 12 months of anti-virus protection

These notebooks start at $899 and all include Netgear’s Push2TV adapter for streaming video to your HDMI-enabled TV.

Toshiba’s model comes in with the highest price at $999.  It has LED backlit keyboard, a metallic blue case, a 14-inch LED backlit display, a touchpad with multi-touch control, and a slot-loading DVD drive which sound a lot like some Macbook features.

Dell’s model boasts a 15.6-inch display while Sony’s is the smallest offering at 13 inches.  Originally planned to feature just one product laptop model, these three Blue Label line offerings began selling at all Best Buy stores in January 2010 and are exclusively available to Best Buy consumers.

5 Ways to Encourage Customers to Review your Business

These days it’s important for your business to receive positive online reviews. Potential new customers look for online reviews to determine which businesses they want to work with. They use sites like Yelp and even posts on social networking sites to make decisions about the businesses that they want to support. The more positive reviews you have online, the more potential customers you’ll be able to reach.

Here is a look at five ways that you can encourage your customers to review your business online:

1.      Ask them. Many people are writing reviews these days just because they enjoy doing so. If you ask your customers to write a review for you, there’s a good chance that they will. You don’t have to ask directly (although you can). You can post a sign at your place of business or have a line on your customer’s receipts reminding them that they can review you if they like your work.

2.      Bribe them. There’s nothing wrong with providing your customers with a little bit of added incentive for offering you a review online. Let them know that they can receive some type of discount or percentage off of their next visit if they bring in proof that they have posted a review of your business online. (For example, they can email you the link to their review and then receive a coupon from you via email.)

3.      Link to a review site in your email signature. Make it easy for customers to review you right at the time that they are thinking about you. When you send out an email, include a line in your signature that says, “if you would like to review our business on Yelp, click here”. Link to the exact page where they can review your business. You can also include links on your business blog and website.

4.      Exchange reciprocal reviews on social networking sites. The people that you are already connected to on social networking sites are great resources for reviews on those sites. You can offer to review them if they’ll review you. LinkedIn is a particularly good site for this as its set up to make reviewing one another easy. However, this can be done on Facebook and other social networking sites as well.

5.      Blog about your positive reviews. Whenever a customer does review your business online, blog about it or mention it in your newsletter. This will encourage other people to do the same so that you will mention them, too.

Look Like a Big Player with Free Conference Calling

Even though your bottom line might not be what it was a few years ago, that doesn’t mean you have to forego all of those things that made your small business look big.  Yes, cutting back is a way of life these days in this unpredictable economy as businesses everywhere are struggling to keep their doors open.

However, it’s extremely important now - more than ever - to keep those existing customers close to you and away from your competitors.  Now you can reach out to them and hold professional conference calls and it won’t cost you a dime.

FreeConferenceCall.com (www.freeconferencecall.com) is a simple and quick way to setup free conference calls with your customers and clients. It’s easy to signup - just go to their site and signup by entering your name and email address and you’ll be quickly assigned a conference call number and access code that is yours to keep.  No need to get a new line for each call - the number you get can be used any time of the day or night for as many calls as you need.  The only restriction is that your call cannot go over six hours in length.  Well, that and you can’t have more than 96 people on your call, but unless your Bill Gates holding a  press conference on a new release, you’re probably safe on that one.

I’ve personally used FreeConferenceCall.com on client calls for multi-million dollar projects and it has never let me down.  You even receive call reports via email after the fact indicating length of call and other stats.  These can sometimes come in handy if you ever have the need to document calls and call lengths for project-related purposes.

Google to Get Even Bigger with Broadband Offering

Thought you already couldn’t get enough of Google.  It’s everywhere.  Gmail, YouTube, the best search engine ever.  I’ve read that Google’s home page gets 1.5 billion visits per day.  Incredible.  So Google is everywhere …. all at once.  And it’s already providing much of what you use on a daily basis.  With the new Google Buzz that promises to get even bigger.

Now Google has announced their intentions to enter the broadband service provider market.  Their proposed fiber-optic offering will bring users 1-gigabyte-per-second speed.  That’s 100 to 200 times faster than what we’re all currently used to … just stop for a moment and imagine that. Imagine a high definition movie downloaded in five minutes.  Imagine.

It’s not going to happen tomorrow or even next week.  In fact, I’ve not yet seen a good timetable, but if anyone can do it - it’s Google.  They’re working with local governments and members of the public to get a feel for the interest level of such a service.  I guarantee it will be high - the buzz on the net about it over the past couple of weeks certainly indicates that.

Google’s plan is to find a good test market of approximately 50,000 people to roll it out to.  Then, eventually up to 500,000 and beyond.  And this will be offered to businesses as well … not just residences.

At this stage of the process, Google wants to gauge everyone’s interest.  If you want to nominate your area or city as a test market, go to Google Fiber for Communities website before 3/26/2010.  Click the big, blue “get involved” button, then select the proper form, based on whether you’re a local government official or a community resident. Google’s form asks you a few questions including why you think your area should receive Google broadband and some questions about what is currently offered in your city.

5 Online Marketing Tips to Grow Your Business

There are many things that you can do to grow your business this year. You can engage in both online and offline activities that will increase your bottom line, grow your customer base or promote your brand. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to do every single thing that you could do to grow your business. You also don’t have the money to invest in every single marketing option available to you. Instead, you need to narrow down the field and choose the activities that are going to be most cost-efficient and time-efficient for effectively growing your business.

If you can only do five things online this year to market your business then these are the five things that you should do:

1.      Get your business name on Wikipedia. Ideally, you will write a Wikipedia page about your business that is informative, engaging and of high enough non-promotional quality that it will pass Wikipedia’s high standards and actually gain entry on to the site. If that’s asking for too much, you can still use Wikipedia to promote your business online. Find high-quality Wikipedia pages that relate to the work that you do and start adding content and including yourself in the references section. Make sure that you take the time to learn about Wikipedia’s writing rules so that this is an effective use of your time.

2.      Make sure that you’re using multimedia. Lets face it; a static web page is not going to be worthwhile for you anymore. You need to have videos. You need to have images. You need to be putting these images and videos on other websites that reference and link back to your own website. It’s important that you’re not being boring online these days. There are just too many other things for people to go look at if you are.

3.      Get familiar with Webmaster Tools. You would be surprised how easy it is to take your good website and to turn it into a great website. Check out the Webmaster Tools on Bing or Webmaster Central on Google. You’ll find a lot of helpful tools and information that can give a big boost to your business once you implement them on your website.

4.      Find ways to stay in better touch with your existing customers. These are the people who already like you. They’ll come back to you again if you stay in touch. They’ll also spread the word about you. Figure out what new online approach works for you - email marketing, social networking interaction, blog commenting - and incorporate this into your regular online activities to successfully market your business.

5.      Make friends with people who can write about your business online. Get to know bloggers and journalists who are relevant to your business. Write them emails saying what great work they’re doing and letting them know about what you do. The more credible sources you have writing about you online, the more your business is going to grow.