E-mail has grown into the primary channel of communication for many businesses. As a result, keeping up with e-mail can seem like full-time job. Although we strive for it, many business users will never have a completely uncluttered inbox, instead they will devise a system that helps them manage the chaos.

In this video, Jon Harmer provides a few simple e-mail management tips that can help any business user retake control of their inbox.

Everything aspect of your business conveys a message – phone calls are no different. But many small businesses pay little attention to how inbound calls are handled. Small businesses can leverage an automated call routing solution to consistently handle calls and free employee’s time from answering and routing calls within a small business. And, with customizable text-to-speech service, small businesses can create a message that fits their unique business.

In this video, Jon Harmer details how an automated call routing solution can help small businesses manage calls and direct them to the appropriate employees – even if they are out of the office.

While small businesses have become increasingly wary of spam and its negative effects on productivity, spam is inevitable. Consequently, small businesses should focus on teaching employees how to properly address the spam that enters their inbox. Determining whether an e-mail is unwanted correspondence from a legitimate business or just spam is the first step in accomplishing this.

In this video, Jon Harmer details tips for handling spam.

While we all complain about spam, many businesses fail to employ simple measures that can reduce the amount of spam we receive. Managing spam employees receive each day can kill productivity. By following a few simple steps, you can reduce the amount of spam you and your employees receive.

In this video, Jon Harmer offers some basic tenets to reduce the amount of spam that floods your inbox.

Yammer

Yammer is an enterprise microblogging service – think of it as Twitter for internal business communication. The service allows businesses to create their own internal communication channel and limit use to those who have a valid company e-mail address.

Yammer allows users to post questions, share news, ideas and documents, and post status updates to the entire group. This service allows short messages to be sent and for users to filter the messages they receive so they aren’t bombarded with information that is not relevant to them. Much like a wiki, Yammer allows distributed companies to communicate in a private community, only in shorter bursts.

Ning

Ning lets users create social networks around topics about which they are passionate. Do you love cheese? If so, you can create a cheese lovers community. Do you fear bunnies? Then you can connect with others who share your phobia. With Ning, you create the network that matches your life.

Why should an entrepreneur care about all these different social media initiatives? If your company produces gourmet cheese, that cheese lovers group is a new business goldmine. Are you a psychiatrist just out of med school looking to build a client base? The bunny-phobic network is a breeding ground for potential patients. Whether setting up a targeted social network or joining one already in existence, Ning can connect your business with others that share your unique passions. Read the rest of this entry »

LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become the platform for business-focused social networking. By setting up a LinkedIn profile, users are able to post their work history and professional profiles for others to see. This tool presents opportunities for generating new business, reconnecting with old colleagues, and finding a job.

While many business users may have a LinkedIn profile, they may overlook the other small business communication tools LinkedIn provides. For example, LinkedIn Groups are a simple way to create an online forum where customers, prospects and industry insiders can exchange ideas. Similar to an e-mail newsletter, the Group allows invited LinkedIn users to interact with one another and for a company to communicate key messages. With some simple work on the front-end to get the group moving, an entrepreneur can then take a back-seat to let the patients run the asylum – while still maintaining his or her position as the group leader.

Wiki

A wiki (rhymes with tricky) is a website that allows users to edit the content that is posted on the page; the trick to wikis is ensuring the edits are accurate. Wikipedia, for example, is an editable online encyclopedia in which users can edit the content. The reason the information remains accurate is Wikipedia has designated individuals to monitor updates. Read the rest of this entry »

The social media landscape has significantly changed the face of small business communication, but it does not mean previous technologies have been rendered useless. “Old” technologies, such as e-mail newsletters, instant messaging and message boards are still active and can still increase productivity (and sales!).

 Many entrepreneurs already have a strong understanding of these technologies and have probably used them in the past. Consider dusting off that old e-mail newsletter you belong to, or do a quick search of what message boards are out there. You may be reminded of and surprised at how useful these seemingly out-of-date services can be.

Learn more about the different social media types on our next blog titled “Some You’ve Probably Heard of, But May Not Know the Full Power of…”

Simply setting up a Twitter handle and Facebook page does not plug you into the social media ether. Managing these accounts and consistently updating them is vital, so much so that many large companies are hiring full-time employees to man their social media initiatives. For entrepreneurs with limited time, there are many applications that can help you manage content for both services in one place, like Digsby (which has instant messaging integration as well), Brizzly or TweetDeck.

For entrepreneurs new to Twitter or other social media initiatives, the best approach is to do a few searches on words that are relevant to your business and try to find a handful of experts in your field to follow. Then, spend your first few days just “listening” to the conversation from these experts, resisting the urge to start singing the praises of your product or broadcasting your message. Once you get a feel for the kinds of things people talk about and how they do it on Twitter, start with the 2, 2, 2 rule. Post 2 original things, re-tweet two posts you find interesting or useful, and reply to two people about something they tweeted. This is a good way to be a valuable participant and to increase your “followers” number as people find the things you have to say to be useful. Read the rest of this entry »

From smoke signals and carrier pigeons to smartphones and their ubiquitous apps, the way people interact across distances has drastically evolved. With each passing year, innovation appoints a new form of communication as revolutionary while decrying another form as passé.

During the past six months, you’ve probably learned what a “tweet” is and what it means to “friend” someone. Though both are interesting new forms of interaction, their applications to small business communication are less clear.

Twitter and Facebook are, at their most basic levels, additional channels aiding in small business communication. Like print or broadcast advertising, these social media initiatives allow a company to directly communicate with consumers. Though unlike advertising, these services allow for two-way communication where your audience – which includes customers, prospects, advocates, government entities and the general public – can respond. It is this engagement where many companies fall flat.

Social media has changed the way companies do business, to learn more about how to jump on the social media band wagon, come back for this series on how to help your small business initiatives.

Many small businesses order goods online – whether pens, toner or new PCs – the convenience of ordering a product and having it delivered to the office is appealing to busy entrepreneurs. But these everyday orders can also expose a small business owner to spam. Whether they want to or not, placing an online order could opt small business owners into a variety of third-party distribution lists.

In this video, Jon Harmer provides tips small businesses should follow before completing their next online purchase.

Cbeyond’s security suite of products allows you to protect your small business when conducting e-commerce.