Internet Marketing Blog » How To’s & DIY http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog Free tips, advice, ideas and how to's for Small Businesses Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:54:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Gmail Signature Positioning Fix http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/gmail-signature-positioning-fix/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/gmail-signature-positioning-fix/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:53:09 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2795 As you may have read, I switched over to Gmail a few months ago.  And while I’ve come to prefer Gmail over Outlook as my email software,  there was one thing that was really annoying me.  The signature that I had created for my outgoing emails kept getting placed allllll the way at the bottom of the email string when replying or forwarding a message.  So I did some searching online and found a solution to that pesky problem.  Here’s how I fixed it…

1. Log into your Gmail account.

2. Click on “Settings” in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

3. Then, click on “Labs” which is on the right side of the bar on the middle of the screen.

4. Once you select that tab, scroll down to where it says “Signature tweaks” and click on enable.

5. Go to the bottom and click the “Save changes” button.

That’s all there was to it, my email signature started showing up right after my typed message in all my outgoing emails.

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/gmail-signature-positioning-fix/feed/ 0 Facebook User Names http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/facebook-user-names/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/facebook-user-names/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:00:53 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2806 If you’d like to have your own easy to remember and brand Facebook username/URL (example:  www.facebook.com/mybusiness) for your Facebook business page, here’s a quick video tutorial from “We Teach Facebook” on how to do it.

You must be the admin of your business page and you must have at least 25 fans before you are eligible for your own branded URL on Facebook.

Creating a Unique Facebook URL” – We Teach Facebook

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/07/facebook-user-names/feed/ 0 Switching to Gmail http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/switching-to-gmail/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/switching-to-gmail/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:44:06 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2684 Outlook is the only program I’ve ever used for Email.  That is until a few weeks ago.  I decided to switch to Gmail because I like the idea of having my Email, Contacts and Calendar available online – for ease of syncing with my mobile device and as a precautionary backup measure – in the event one of my computers should crash.

I had helped a client awhile back set up their Gmail to work with their existing domain-based email address and learned then that you don’t have to change or use a different email address when you set up a Gmail account.  You can configure Gmail to accept and send out Email through your existing email account/address.

When a friend’s computer crashed recently, taking with it her contacts, email and folders, I suggested she start using Gmail.  That way if she experienced computer issues in the future, she’d still have her email account/history in tact, accessible from any computer.  The other benefit would be that she could retrieve her Email while traveling from any computer.

After recommending Gmail to my friend, I started wondering why with all of Gmail’s virtues, I hadn’t made the switch myself.  So I went about the process of exporting my contacts from Outlook, importing them into Gmail as well as my calendar and adding my existing email accounts to all seamlessly integrate into my Gmail account.  It’s been a few weeks now and with the exception of getting used to the linking of Email conversations on one line, I’ve come to really like it!  I’ve even started using iGoogle – where I can see at a glance – my calendar, recent email messages, local weather and news and my Google Reader subscriptions (feeds and blogs I like to read on a regular basis).

If you are interested in giving Gmail a try, here’s a few reasons to check it out.

Here are some of the Benefits of Using Gmail

It’s Free! – No desktop software to buy, update or upgrade.

Web-Based – Gmail is web-based, so you can access your email and contacts anywhere you have an internet connection and a web browser.

Gigs of Space – Gmail offers users abundant storage space; over 7 GB.

Gmail Chat -  Chat real time with other Gmail subscribers.

Less Spam – Gmail filters spam so you don’t have to.

To learn more about the benefits of using Gmail, visit Barb Girson’s article here.  She also covers the benefits of using Google Calendar to save you time and help you organize multiple schedules.

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/switching-to-gmail/feed/ 2 Log Me In http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/log-me-in/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/log-me-in/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:57:00 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2729 The other day my Dad called and asked for some help downloading and viewing a pdf file on his computer. We tried walking through it over the phone, but it soon became clear that there was some kind of program issue that was preventing him from accessing the  file.   While my Dad can figure out and troubleshoot just about anything, he’s only just recently started to use a computer so it became a challenge to try to “walk him through” a fix over the phone.  I needed to “see” exactly what was happening to be able to figure  out the problem.

I’d heard about the service called “Log Me In” and thought this was the perfect opportunity to check it out.  So I went to their website (www.logmein.com), created a trial account and within minutes I had access to my Dad’s computer from my own desktop.  I could see his desktop on my screen and saw what the issue was right away.  I was also able to take over mouse control for his computer and could then download and install the upgrade needed for the Adobe program that was giving him grief.  He was then able to view the document he was having a problem with and I got to be the “hero”!  Usually it’s him troubleshooting something for me.

So if you ever need computer help or want to help someone else out, remember the remote access tool called “Log Me In”.    Log Me In also offers paid subscriptions for remote access to your Mac or PC.  You can access your computer via any web browser.  That sounds quite useful, especially when traveling…

One more neat tool to check out in my spare time. Ha!

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/04/log-me-in/feed/ 0 Great Ways to Use Twitter for Small Business http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:24:30 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1438 Here are some links to some great ways to use Twitter for your small business.

Here’s an article about how to use Twitter’s Advanced Search  to find new leads for your business….

How One Small Business Doubled His Clientele Using Twitter

When J.R. Cohen, Operations Manager for CoffeeGroundz (@coffeegroundz) Cafe in Houston, Texas first heard about Twitter from one of his customers, he was puzzled but intrigued. Today, he credits Twitter with almost doubling his clientele and with opening his eyes to a whole new way to build Community.  Read the article here…

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/great-ways-to-use-twitter-for-small-business/feed/ 0 Google Local Coupons http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/google-local-coupons/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/google-local-coupons/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:35:13 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2426 Yet another (Free) way to attract customers online.  Small businesses can use Google Local listings to promote special offers, discounts and giveaways, offering Google searchers incentive to choose your business above your competition.  By adding coupons to your listing in Google Maps, Google’s users can print your coupons and bring them to your business.  Coupons will appear alongside your business listing on Google Maps.  The more savings you offer, the more customers you’ll gain.

It’s free and it only takes a few minutes. Just enter a few lines of text for your coupon, set an expiration date, and tell Google which of your locations accept the coupon.  Users will start seeing your coupons within a few hours.

To take advantage of this feature, login to your Google Local Business Center and look for “View Report”, to the right of your Local listing.   You might want to check out the report while you are in there, as there should be some pretty neat stats on how often your local listing is getting shown/clicked on.  From this page look for the blue tab above labeled “Coupons”.   Choose “Add Coupon Now” and follow the instructions.  Here’s the information you’ll need to set up a coupon for your local listing.

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/google-local-coupons/feed/ 0 My Favorite Directories http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/my-favorite-directories/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/my-favorite-directories/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:02:28 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1583 Having quality inbound links pointing to your website is essential for search engine success.  Need some ideas for where to look for quality inbound links to your website?  Here are some of my favorite directories…

Kauai Vacation Resorts Directory
Need to promote your Kauai vacation rental property? This directory will help drive traffic and inquiries to your website.

Hawaii Health Guide Directory
Get your site listed in this comprehensive Hawaii guide.

Hawaii Visitors Bureau – GoHawaii.com Visitor-related businesses should seriously consider a membership with the Hawaii Visitors Bureau which includes a link from the GoHawaii website. The GoHawaii website receives over 350,000 visitors each month.

Kauai Chamber of Commerce
Promoting, developing and improving commerce, quality growth and economic stability in the County of Kaua’i. The Kauai Chamber also offers banner advertising on its website.

www.Skaffe.com

www.WowDirectory.com

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/02/my-favorite-directories/feed/ 0 Creating a Social Media Contest http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/creating-a-social-media-contest/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/creating-a-social-media-contest/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:40:10 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=2433 Here’s a great article on how to effectively promote your brand through Social Media channels.

5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest

by Clay McDaniel

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/creating-a-social-media-contest/feed/ 0 Send Large Files with YouSendIt.com http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/send-large-files-with-yousendit-com/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/send-large-files-with-yousendit-com/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:53:52 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1559 Ever need to send a really large file to someone but it’s too big to send or receive via email?  Try YouSendIt.com.  It’s free and works like a charm!

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]]> http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/send-large-files-with-yousendit-com/feed/ 0 Software Tutorials & Online Training http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/software-tutorials-online-training-library/ http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/2010/01/software-tutorials-online-training-library/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:01:17 +0000 Michelle Harrington http://emaginewebmarketing.com/blog/?p=1581 If learning a new piece of software or improving on an existing skill set is on your New Year’s resolution list, then I highly recommend that you check out Lynda.com’s online training library.  Learn the latest tools and techniques with access to 730 online courses and get unbiased, clear, and comprehensive training in 3D, audio, video, photography, graphic design, web and interactive design, business, and development from expert instructors, 24/7.  Monthly subscriptions start at a reasonable $25/month.

I’ve used Lynda.com over the years to improve my skills in Dreamweaver and Fireworks  and I’ve used it with my elementary technology students and my home-schooled daughter, with great success too.  Check it out…

Lynda.com

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