| Copyright (c) 2007 Donna Gunter | | | | application. |
| With all the information online about tools and | | | | 11. Hosting: offers the ability to buy a hosting plan in |
| techniques available to help someone effective | | | | which you can host and manage a large number of |
| manage and run an online business, how do you ever | | | | websites through one account rather than buying |
| decide which ones are truly useful to have in your | | | | multiple hosting plans for each website for your |
| business management toolkit? Here's my listing of the | | | | business. And, their customer service can't be beat. |
| 20 indispensable tools that I cannot live without: | | | | 12. Idea Management: With you can easily store and |
| 1. Article Marketing: automates the article submission | | | | quickly access typed and handwritten memos, |
| process by allowing you to submit up to eight articles | | | | webpage excerpts, emails, phone messages, |
| each month and then distributes the articles to | | | | addresses, passwords, brainstorms, sketches, |
| hundreds of web sites, article directories and ezine | | | | documents and more! A free version or a 30-day trial |
| publishers. Without a doubt, this has been my most | | | | of the paid version is available for download. |
| effective online marketing tool that has produced | | | | 13. Merchant Account: offers an all-in-one ecommerce |
| tremendous results for my business. | | | | solution that helps you take payment online. The |
| 2. Audio Recording/Podcasting: makes audio streaming | | | | coolest feature that they offer in this service is the |
| fast and simple, whether you want to add an audio | | | | ability to do batch uploads of charges, so if you have |
| greeting, audio testimonials, podcast or videos to | | | | a number of clients on retainer that you invoice |
| your website or send out an audio postcard or | | | | every month, you can simply create a spreadsheet |
| record a teleclass. | | | | and batch upload the data rather than entering each |
| 3. Backup: offers an unlimited amount of data storage | | | | client's information individually. |
| for $50 per year. Carbonite is very intuitive and went | | | | 14. Publicity Tracker: Google Alerts let you type in an |
| directly to my email files and Roboform files to back | | | | unlimited number of search terms, like your name, |
| them up without me having to manual select the | | | | your company name, your industry, the name of |
| backup files. I frequently use this service to find the | | | | your competitors, etc. Google will then deliver an |
| original version of a file that I've accidentally | | | | email alert for any mention of your search term |
| overwritten, as well. | | | | online. This is a wonderful way to track your own PR |
| 4. Blogging: is both simple to use and powerful. You | | | | as well as industry trends. |
| can set up as many blogs as you desire with a Pro | | | | 15. Password Management: is the top-rated password |
| account, and you can customize your blog in an | | | | manager and web form filler that completely |
| infinite number of ways. Once it's set up, the online | | | | automates password entering and form filling. You'll |
| interface makes it a snap to make new posts to | | | | never have to remember a password again! I |
| your blog. | | | | maintain both my passwords and user info and that |
| 5. Bookmark Manager: SPURL.net makes managing a | | | | of my clients in this program. |
| moderate to massive amount of bookmarks very | | | | 16. Shopping Cart: is easy to use and setup, and |
| easy. You create any number of categories in which | | | | offers the ability to create affiliate programs, follow |
| to file your favorites, and adding a favorite website | | | | up with prospective and current customers with |
| is as easy as clicking a button. | | | | autoresponders, create coupons for limited-time |
| 6. Color Matching: Pixie is a tool that I use daily to | | | | offers, as well as enable buyers to immediately |
| help me match a color exactly for a document that | | | | download electronic purchases (ebooks, audio files). |
| I'm creating or a color I'm trying to replicate on a | | | | There is a free 30-day trial, but don't sign up until you |
| website. Run it, simply point to a color and it will tell | | | | have the time to test drive it--30 days goes by fast! |
| you the hex, RGB, HTML, CMYK and HSV values of | | | | Get your free ebook here, How to Pick a Shopping |
| that color. | | | | Cart System That Makes You Money. |
| 7. Content Management: is a website maintenance | | | | 17. Spyware: will protect your computer from |
| service that makes your current website editable so | | | | spyware, adware, Trojans and other malware |
| you can change the content yourself. They handle | | | | threats. |
| everything to get your site set up and provide you | | | | 18. Teleconference Line: lets you meet with |
| with a phone training to walk you through your first | | | | colleagues, associates or even family members |
| edits. There is no software to install because it just | | | | through a teleconference bridge line that can bring up |
| uses your web browser. At no charge, you can have | | | | to 250 people together at one place over a |
| them review your website to ensure that your site is | | | | teleconference phone line. You can use the line to |
| compatible with their service. | | | | conduct classes and training and record your calls, as |
| 8. Email List Management/Autoresponders: is a great | | | | well as manage your participants from an online |
| service for creating, mailing and reporting back on the | | | | interface. |
| success of your newsletter as well as to subscribe | | | | 19. Time Tracker: has helped me keep track of my |
| your readers to a sequential autoresponder, either | | | | consulting projects for years. You simply create |
| associated with your newsletter or with another | | | | projects and clock into and out of them, with the |
| product. I love to be able to see how many readers | | | | ability to write memos about how you've used your |
| opened my newsletter, who opened the newsletter, | | | | time. |
| and what links they clicked on from the newsletters. | | | | 20. To Do List Management: works online and offline, |
| 9. Fax: lets you send a receive faxes through the | | | | integrates with Outlook and other software you |
| Internet/email and makes your need for a fax | | | | already use, and syncs with your PDA. What I love |
| machine obsolete. The faxes arrive in PDF format, so | | | | most about this software is that I can create |
| you can easily share you faxes with others as | | | | in-depth, hierarchical to-do lists (tasks and sub-tasks |
| needed. They also offer voice mail on your fax line, | | | | of a bigger project) very easily, and add additional |
| and the voicemail message arrives as an audio file in | | | | tasks on the fly as they occur to me. I can see at |
| your email inbox. | | | | any point what are my more important tasks and |
| 10. Graphics Program: lets you show someone exactly | | | | what is coming due soon. |
| what you see on your screen. Select and capture | | | | Try out these tools with the trials offers provided |
| your screen image. and send it to SnagIt's editor to | | | | and see how your business becomes easier to |
| add professional effects, edit the image (resize, | | | | manage! |
| adjust color), and or drop it into your favorite | | | | |