It’s hard to escape social media these days, especially when you have a business to promote. No matter where you go or who you talk to, you’re reminded how important it is. That couple a little ways down from you while you’re lounging on the beach? Yep, they’re online and they’re potential customers. Are you using all the tools at your disposal to reach them?

One of those relatively new tools is Facebook Live. You’ve heard of Facebook, of course, and you already know how important it can be to your social media efforts. You probably also know that just posting isn’t enough.

Featured Resource this week - Missinglettr

Publishing new blog posts but not getting the attention and traffic you need?

Missinglettr creates strategic, automatic social media campaigns that drive traffic for an entire year. Leaving you to focus on writing your next blog post.

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API is another one of those TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) that we have grown to hate and it does not stand for Apple Pie International. It actually stands for Application Program Interface and one pretty good definition is:

Application program interface (API) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. An API specifies how software components should interact.

Ok, so now you’ve got it right? No? The definition made it so much more clear, NOT.

The three-day extravaganza known as Memorial Day Weekend marks the official beginning of summer. If you have the time off, there are endless possibilities for enjoying it, and many of them cost far less than you think.

Fun on a budget? Yes, it’s possible. If you’re still wondering what to do, here are some ideas to help you to kick off the summer season:

Featured Resource this week - PureChat

The Best-Selling Live Chat Software for Small Business

Live chat and visitor tracking software has never been easier.

Close More Saleswith simple live chat software

• Provide instant answers on your website and see visitor history.
• See who’s on your website in real-time and start a conversation.
• See chat metrics over time and track customer satisfaction.
• Record every conversation and share them with your team.

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The terms brand and identity are often used interchangeably which causes confusion when businesses are trying to create relationships with their customers.

Your brand is what people see - colors, logos, tagline, etc. Your identity is who you are, at the heart of your business.

“Earn more than $100 dollars an hour working from home!”

Chances are you’ve seen at least one of these ads in your time, and you may have wondered what exactly it entailed. Working from home is the dream of many a cubicle dweller, not to mention more than a few of their bosses. Who wouldn’t want to say goodbye to rush hour traffic, snowy roads and crowded parking lots? But does the reality really live up to the hype?

I listened to the webinar on making your Joomla site speedy. I knew most of what was presented, but did learn a couple of interesting things. I'll outline them here in case you, like me, have holes in your optimization knowledge.

One of our colleagues, a member of the Mastermind group we belong to, lives a very busy life, arguably busier than most. He’s a successful serial entrepreneur, most recently a Digital Marketing director for another agency, father of five, and reinventing himself after some health challenges. So when he recommended this productivity app, I listened.

It’s free, easy to use, and perfect for me. It’s called Pocket and it allows me to archive anything online that I want to read, watch, or listen to… later.

There are all sorts of offices. Some are neat and so organized they look like they should be on the cover of a magazine. Others look like the summer home of the Absent-Minded Professor. When it comes down to getting things done though, it doesn’t really matter how pretty or messy your office is. The keys are being able to quickly figure out what you need to get done today and being able to find what you need to make it happen.

Featured Resource this week - Swyft Mobile

Swyft Technology provides small and mid-market organizations with a robust suite of inexpensive, cloud-based software solutions. Swyft clients benefit from increased sales and revenues that come from the automated efficiencies and increased user productivity provided by the Swyft CRM solution.

Be sure to tell Swyft we sent you!

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

There’s a coffee lovers secret haven near us in the middle of a local suburban town. This shop is in the middle of an area where Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donut and Keurig abound. How they not only survive but thrive is all about personality. The personality of the location, the shop, the product, and the owners.

This little shop is a coffee roaster business set in a historic mill building next to a pictuesque pond and stream, across the street from a local farmer’s fields and farmstand. It’s charming inside and out. But their competition is fierce.

“Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” ~ KushandWizdom

As children, we may have heard another saying about stick and stones and words never hurting us. As we grow older, we quickly learn it isn’t true. We know the power of words, and since they hold such power, we need to choose ours carefully.

For a business leader, this sentiment is even more important. In business speak, we learn to use words concisely because… well, time is money.

Featured Resource this week - ScheduleOnce

Make more connections with an integrated scheduling platform

ScheduleOnce is a field-proven solution for powering online scheduling with your customers and prospects.

Solutions for every phase of the customer lifecycle

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

What tasks do you do repeatedly, day after day after day? What tasks fall through the cracks in your lead or sales or followup or work process?

These are the things to automate. You’ll save your sanity by leveraging your time and energy. Automating the routine tasks you do, or forget to do, adds consistency and efficiency to your business.