Keeping in Touch Technology, Send Out Cards for Personal or Business Use

Title: Techno Granny, Online Help to Keep in Touch for Business, Family, Friends

Time: 11/28/2011 10:00 AM EST Episode Notes: Send Out Card Senior Manager, Fran Treloar will give tips for saving time and money and keeping in touch, creating memories for family and also building customer loyalty and relationships. Want grandma to see the baby walk, Fran of SendOutCards will tell you how to do that in your greeting card with QR codes. Listen to archive of this show at:   Fran Treloar on Keeping in Touch with SendOutCards for Business and Personal

Send Out Cards was founded in 2004, it is an online greeting card and gift company with over 50 million cards sent, making SendOutCards the largest first-class mailing company in the U.S. SOC helps people send personalized, printed greeting cards and gifts as a way to make a difference in the lives of others.

Fran Trelar has been an independent distributor with a little over 2 years she loves helping people keep in touch both personally and for business.  She has a team of people who work with her.  Her main goal is to help small business owners build a long trusting- relationship with their customers or clients.

Fran can teach how SendoutCards can be a piece of their marketing along with social media.  

Through SendOutCards she teaches customers how to take a YouTube video and generate a QR code that can be inserted into a card that relays a specific message.  SendOutCards has post cards, 2 panel, 3 panel cards (which some business use as a brochure)and oversize cards.

BUT Send Out Cards is not a mass mailing company….SendOutCards makes sure that your cards are very personalized.

Points for individuals:

• ·         Save time and $$$.
• ·         On line (don’t have to go to the store, or post office)  From a post card to a big 8-1/2 x 11 card)
• ·         Cost between $1.00  - $2.00 (including postage) (as opposed to 3-5 at Hallmark)
• ·         Never forget a birthday or anniversary
• ·         Reminder system for everyone in the families birthdays/anniversaries
• ·         Can create the cards a head of time & post-date  - have people doing their  holiday cards in Nov & post-dating for Dec.
• ·         Can personalize With multiple pictures, designs, borders,
• ·         Can include a QR code which is a video of someone, how cool would it be for a grandma to get a card & see her grandchild taking their first step
• ·         Can have own handwriting & signatures
• ·         Selection of thousands of cards—no standing in card store opening thirty or more cards and then wondering which one you liked the best, shop in your pajamas and at any time of day
• ·         Have an address book that you can update and never lose because it’s saved on the SOC system.
• ·         We now have Picture Books, Calendars, canvas prints & posters

Points for businesses

Keep in touch with your customers/clients – start building relationships, maintain loyalty.

Only ½ of emails are opened, 99% of our cards ARE opened.

Brand Your Business with Cards. Integrate your current promotional theme with your card mailings. Include graphics, headlines and copy that reflects your business, and stay on the minds of all your best customers!

Add a professional touch by adding your logo or business card

Build Customer Relationships with Advance Card Campaigns. Manage your ever-growing list of contacts in our database, categorize by "campaign name" groupings and mail out at regularly timed intervals that you determine in advance.  For exm.  Seasonal cards, birthday.  It’s like having your own administrative assistant to remind you of your client’s special days to remember.

Build up your team or your employees  Use Send Out Cards to send out congratulations and “atta girl” messages for jobs well done.

Send gifts or gift cards as rewards to employees or customers

Send out Post Card Announcements for Sales

You can do the same when

·         you add new services

·         hire a new employee

·         open up a new location

·         Send a post card press release

Fran Treloar

412-897-3922

SendOutCards

greetingsfromfran@gmail.com

www.greetingsfromfran.com

Wild West Online Productions

fran@wildwestonlineproductions.com

www.wildwestonlineproductions.com

TechnoGrannyShow, WordPress, Not Just for Blogging

Web Strategy Coach, Brian David O'Keefe

Techno Granny, Word Press Is  Not Just for Blogging!

Time: 11/14/2011 10:00 AM EST Episode Notes: Did you know there are two systems of Word Press? WordPress.com and WordPress.org............... One is an open source blogging software and the other, well listen in to find out as: Brian David O'Keefe, the Web Strategy Coach Explains the Difference and all the features and benefits of both

Bio

Do you have a web strategy?Every business needs one. Like a budget or a business plan, you need to be intentional about your online presence. If you’re not, you may be squandering some great opportunities.

Brian David O’Keefe helps people make business sense of the Web. Brian coaches businesses and thought leaders on using the dynamic and do-it-yourself nature of the WordPress platform to extend their reach online.

Brian has always loved to clean up and organize things. It’s sometimes a curse for him, but it’s great for you!After working as a software engineer for 22 years, Brian left the corporate world in 2010 to focus on helping small businesses make greater use of the Web. He has a BS degree in Computer Science from Penn State, and has worked for IBM, Legent (acquired by Computer Associates), Transarc (acquired by IBM), and Spinnaker Networks (acquired by NetApp). He’s also done a lot of technical writing, taking complex technology concepts and making them understandable to people unfamiliar with those technologies.

Here’s what some others have said about Brian’s work:

“Brian has revamped my website, making it more current and easier to use. He was delightful to work with: flexible, knowledgeable, and patient. I like his combination of setting up my website and social media as well as showing me how to maintain it and make changes. I find it invaluable that he continues to offer tips and information and remains a great resource.” – Laura C.

“I have a new customer that chose my hair salon because she thought our website was nicer and cleaner than those of the other hair salons in our area. Brian understood what I wanted my website to do for my business, and his suggestions were right on. And Facebook is now one of the primary ways that we communicate with our customers.”– Michael C.

“Brian was amazing as he walked with me through the website creation process, helping me understand what we were doing as he helped give me direction and focus, making the final product incredible.” - Brian T.

Talking Points – WordPress

·         What is WordPress?

o   WordPress is free software that was developed primarily as a blogging platform, and is a fantastic platform for web sites in general, not just for blogs. It was released in 2003, and has become the most popular content management system (CMS) in use on the Internet. The beauty of it is that (1) it’s free, (2) it allows you to administer your web site (and publish new material) directly on the Web without the need for other web development software, and (3) it allows non-techies to create and maintain their own web sites with relative ease. Also, just as the iPhone has spawned a whole industry of app development, WordPress has spawned an entirely new category of software/web businesses that develop WordPress “themes” and “plugins.”

·         What are “themes” and “plugins?”

o   A “theme” is akin to a template and is the look and feel and layout of a web site. A “plugin” is a code module that performs a particular function for a web site. WordPress stores the data of a web site in a database that is separate from the theme and the plugins of the web site. This data includes the text and graphics of web pages and blog posts. Because of this, you can take a web site that has pages of information and years of blog posts, and change the theme with the click of a button. The entire look changes, but the data is the same. Likewise, you can download and install plugins to add specific functionality to your web site, like say, to add an event management system or to create your own social network. There are thousands of free themes and plugins, and there are many “premium” themes and plugins that you have to pay for, but which usually come with ongoing support from the developers.

·         What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

o   WordPress.com is a site that allows people to set up free WordPress web sites that are hosted by WordPress (for free) and that have wordpress.com domains (e.g., brianokeefe.wordpress.com). WordPress.org is the place to download the software to then install to a hosting area that you already have (usually paid) and that has a domain that you buy (paid). WordPress.com allows you to set up a site with no cost, but is very limited in the “themes” that you can use (how customizable it is). Using the WordPress code from WordPress.org requires you to do more things on your own, but also allows for total customization.

·         How long would it take a newbie to get a web site up and running?

o   On WordPress.com, it only takes a few minutes to register and get started publishing information if you’re happy with the default theme. And within another few minutes you can do more customizations. Using WordPressGoDaddy or BlueHost, and then your customization options are much greater.

·         Why would a business even want to maintain its own web site?

o   As with business functions like accounting, bookkeeping, or marketing, every business needs to decide what it’s worth to them to do something themselves versus hiring or contracting with a professional. Making small changes to a web site, like changing an interest rate or an employee bio are simple with a platform like WordPress, and someone doesn’t need to be an IT professional to do it, so it may be worth doing that yourself. Designing or redesigning a web site is probably not something that most people should worry about. For example, a solopreneur should focus on the core of their business, not on learning how to make a neon sign for their business. The same holds true for many aspects of a web site. It may be better to pay someone for a few days of their time than for you to take two weeks away from your business to learn how to do something that you may never have to do again.

TechnoGrannyShow, Build Social Media Brand Strategy with Forbes Magazine Designated Top Tweeter, Melinda Emerson

Build Social Brand Strategy  with a Forbes Magazine Designated Top Tweeter

Episode Notes: Forbes Magazine named Melinda Emerson one of the Top 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. Melinda has been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, NBC Nightly News and in The Washington Post, New York Times, Fortune, Essence and Black Enterprise. She is also the author of the bestselling book Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. She writes a monthly column for www.secondact.com,  Melinda is the keynote speaker this Friday, November 3  in Pittsburgh, Pa at: Think Ginormous, Fifth Annual NAWBO Day. Melinda has lectured on small business at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and Rosemont College and for clients including: IKEA, Verizon, GlaxoSmithKline, National Association of Women Business Owners, PA Governor's Conference for Women, International Association of Business Communicators, the Small Business Administration, and the Center for Women's Business Research. Her areas of expertise include small business start-up, recession-proof marketing and social media strategy If you have not registered yet, listen in for a special Techno Granny Link to get a discounted ticket to hear Melinda Live at 5th Annual NAWBO Day, Think Ginormous.

Listen to Archive of this show at:  http://bit.ly/technogranny-smallbizlady

Melinda’s Story

Melinda Emerson, known as “SmallBizLady,” is one of America’s leading small business experts. She is a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, social media strategist and small business coach.

Melinda has lectured on small business at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and Rosemont College and for clients including: IKEA, Verizon, GlaxoSmithKline, National Association of Women Business Owners, PA Governor’s Conference for Women,  International Association of  Business Communicators, the Small Business Administration, and the Center for Women’s Business Research. Her areas of expertise include small business start-up, recession-proof marketing and social media strategy.

Melinda Emerson began her professional career in television as a producer. Within five years, inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s HARPO Productions, Inc., she left television to pursue her entrepreneurial dream to create an award-winning production company. Melinda is a dedicated wife, mother and woman business owner who believes that faith is one of the most important ingredients in a successful business.

Melinda hosts #Smallbizchat a weekly talk show on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business.

Melinda Emerson has developed a small business TV news segment and published several articles and special reports including 44 Things To Do Before You Go Into Business. She has also recorded an audio CD, 10 Things You Must Never Forget in Business. Emerson’s first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works (Adams Media March 2010) is on sale now.   For more book details click here.

Melinda has been featured on NBC Nightly News and in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report and Black Enterprise. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech.

Melinda Emerson has also won numerous awards including Top 50 Women in Business in Pennsylvania, Top 30 Leaders of the future by Ebony Magazine, and the National Association of Women Business Owners’ Woman of Distinction Award.

Melinda Emerson, known as "SmallBizLady," is one of America's

 leading small business experts. She is a seasoned entrepreneur,

 professional speaker, social media strategist and small business

 coach and the Start-Up columnist for Small Business Trends.

Melinda has lectured on small business at The Wharton School of 

Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and

 Rosemont College and for clients including: IKEA, Verizon,

 GlaxoSmithKline, National Association of Women Business Owners,

 PA Governor's Conference for Women, U.S. Department of Labor,

 International Association of Business Communicators, the Small

 Business Administration, and the Center for Women's Business

 Research. Her areas of expertise include small business start-

up, recession-proof marketing and social media strategy.

Melinda Emerson began her professional career in television as a producer. Within five years, inspired by Oprah Winfrey's HARPO Studios, Inc., she left television to pursue her entrepreneurial dream to create an award-winning production company. As the founder and CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda has created productions for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Comcast and Radio-One. Melinda hosts #Smallbizchat a weekly talk show on Twitter. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. 

Melinda also blogs at Succeed As Your Own Boss. Emerson's first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works is being released in March 2010 by Adams Media. She has also recorded an audio CD, 10 Things You Must Never Forget in Business.