Social media for business is not a new idea by any means, but many business owners still struggle to manage and maintain various social networking accounts. There are many factors to consider when dealing with social media, from deciding which networks to pursue to knowing how and when to update them, plus the challenge of constantly generating valid content. This post will discuss each of these issues and more, providing some helpful hints for businesses looking to create and maintain a successful presence in online communities.

Tweet? Link? Like?

Deciding which social media communities to join can seem like a daunting choice to make. Just remember that you want to join enough networks that you will get your voice heard, but not so many that you cannot keep up with regular updates for your followers. For some businesses this will mean picking just one social network; others will be able to balance multiple accounts with ease.

Determining which community to join should be decided based on your target audience. If possible, find out which medium your current clients prefer as this will likely be a good indication of where to reach future customers as well. Possibilities include setting up a poll on your website or newsletter, or simply talking to a few of your best clients to get an idea of which social networks they use.

Management Position Available

No matter which social media network(s) you decide on, success will be determined by how well your account(s) are managed. Decide early on who will be responsible for keeping up with your new community, and how frequently it will be monitored. This will involve not only posting new content, but keeping up with your followers and responding to their comments and questions. Many companies have very boring and static social media pages and cannot understand why; what they fail to realize is that by becoming a part of a social network they are in fact joining a community. To be a desirable part of any community you have to put effort into adding value to other members’ experience, which includes interacting with your followers as well as other related businesses.

You should determine how often new content will be posted (we’ll talk more about generating new content in the next section). Again there is a balance between posting too often and annoying your followers, and posting too infrequently and losing their interest. The frequency with which you should post will be determined by your industry and the amount of active involvement from your target audience. Keep an eye out for signs of over-stimulation from too many posts, and lack of interest caused by too few posts. Be sure to schedule time for responding to input to your own posts as well as keeping up with the relevant activity of your followers and fellow businesses.

Giving The People What They Want

Another factor in the success of your social media presence is the type of content that you share with your readers. Whether using 140 characters or writing full blog posts, it is important to keep your content relevant, unique and interesting. If you consult current clients about which social network they prefer (see above), consider asking a few questions about the type of content they would like to see as well. Once you start producing content you can use tracking to see which types of articles, links, posts, etc. are the most popular and tweak your methods from there.

One method for coming up with content is to consider your business and compile a list of several services or products that you offer. From there, break each item down into a few topics that you can then present to your audience. For example if your restaurant serves dessert, consider the following ideas: highlight a few popular menu items; discuss the benefits of using local ingredients; offer wine paring suggestions; or even share a few of your recipes. Additionally, share what interests you with your followers. If you read a great article that applies to your industry, pass it on! Not all of your content needs to be generated by you- just be sure to give credit where credit is due.

With these tips in mind, go forth and socialize! Remember that if you are interested and having a good time with social media, chances are your followers will too. Relax and get to know your customers, since that is the real advantage that social networking provides for businesses, after all.

The List: March 16th Edition

From clients…

Plastic Surgery Associates will be at the Lynchburg Women’s Show at the Holiday Inn Downtown Lynchburg tomorrow, March 17th.

Amber Grove has had a last minute postponement of the wedding scheduled for June 23, 2012. If any of you know of someone looking for a beautiful spot to get married, that is one of the prime weekends of the year at this lovely venue.

The Vintage Junkie will be at The Spring Bizarre Bazaar in Richmond, March 30- April 1. Great show with tons of wonderful vendors, click here for more info.

From the internets…

This is such a fabulous article by This American Life’s Ira Glass about the awesomeness that is RadioLab. A must read.

I was reminded this week of how much I love Paperless Post for online invitations. Old-fashioned formality with the convenience of the internet!

Check out our new Facebook Cover Photo. Need help with your own custom banner? Give us a call.

Random favorites…

I’m just letting the world know now, I want this to be my 30th birthday party.

Are you a knitter? I recently discovered Pickles and I can’t get enough of their great patterns and gorgeous designs.

I’m wearing this pretty dress in not one but two weddings this summer. It’s a crowd-pleaser!

Have a suggestion for The List? Let me know via email: ESpontarelli@GetCreativeWebDesign.com

As a website owner you know that having a website won’t do you any good if you don’t have somewhere to host it. Web Hosting is the physical space on a server that your site occupies, as well as access to the World Wide Web. For some companies, including some GetCreative clients, a web hosting account is accessed so rarely after the initial setup that keeping track of a where the site is hosted, not to mention a username and password to access it, can be tricky. Today’s find will help with the first part of this dilemma: finding out what company is hosting your website.

 WhoIsHostingThis.com allows for quick and easy web hosting discovery. All you do is enter the domain of the site in question, and WHT uses the IP address to distinguish the Hosting provider. They also display the IP and Name Servers for the domain in question, which can be helpful when setting up a new site on an existing server or transferring domain names. Once you have the name of your hosting company, it is just a matter of contacting them to regain access to your account. From there your webmaster will be able access and make any changes to your website that you may require.

Today, January 18th, is a day of internet strike against censorship. Next week Congress is voting on one bill that will pass internet censorship in the U.S. There are two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate, that would largely affect Americans’ access to information online. These bills would put companies like GetCreative in legal trouble if we linked to a site anywhere online that had any links to copyright infringement (source).

The protection of copyright is very important to us and we take efforts to ensure that any information supplied by our clients is attained legally. The way Congress wants to enforce these rules, however, goes beyond copyright protection and infringes on the core rights of us as U.S. citizens. To read more about SOPA and PIPA, visit the sources below. To contact Congress, click here.

Fight For The Future

SOPAStike.com

American Censorship Page

Censorship Infographic

SOPA on OpenCongress

PIPA on OpenCongress

The Oatmeal on SOPA (NSFW)

If there is one thing designers love it is a good font used properly. When you pick a font to use, do you consider the readability? The lines? The shape and personality of the text? Choosing the correct font is a process, one that varies for every designer, and should not be taken for granted! Today’s roundup is a group of wintry fonts for fun. If you are ordering your Holiday Cards or creating a party invitation, consider one of these fonts to get your message across. Links to download are provided below, but remember to read and follow copyright instructions. Enjoy!

This first font is called Kingthings Christmas. As noted in the text, it reminds me of the classic holiday movie White Christmas. Something about those snow-peaked hills just says Bing Crosby to me. This is a display font that would be appropriate as a header or title, but would not work well for smaller body text.

Next we have Christmas Card, a font that looks straight out of A Christmas Carol. It has a definite Dickensian feel and would be appropriate for a semi-formal invitation or holiday greeting. The old fashioned style makes it a charming but easy to read font.

Krystal is a fun, playful font, perfect for informal use. Again this would be best suited for the headline or title of a design. I like the depth implied by the snowflakes falling in front of the text. Cute and simple!

This next font, called Chilled, is similar in width and weight to Krystal above. There are numerous fonts using snow-capped letters, but I found this one to be the most authentic without being overly intricate in design.

Finally, the last font I picked for this wintry mix of fonts is Mountains of Christmas. It is casual and whimsical; a thin serif font that could be used for body text or a header. It reminds be of a Tim Burton animation with its delicacy and style.

There you have it! A great group of fonts for your next winter project. Do you have others to add to the collection? Feel free to share!

While maybe not the most exciting part of any job, data backup is a vital aspect of many professions. Done right, backing up your data can be a painless and hands-off process that provides you with peace of mind. There are many options and services available, and the best method of backup varies based on the type and size of data you need to store.

The data backup service that I use for my work and photography files is Amazon Web Services. As stated on their website, “Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) allows you to store and retrieve any amount of data at any time, from anywhere on the web.” This integrated flexibility allows me to focus on running my business, instead of spending time and energy keeping track of online storage size and usage. The fees for Amazon S3 are based on the space and bandwidth that you use each month; there are discounts for larger amounts of storage to keep the costs from getting out of hand.

There are other data storage solutions, such as Carbonite Online Backup, that operate on a flat-fee. This is helpful for budgeting the costs of your online storage, and the service is offered not by the amount of data but instead by the number of computers being backed up. They offer Home and Business solutions as well as a free trial.

Of course there are other options available as well, such as purchasing a web hosting account and using FTP to upload your data. A USB drive or DVDs may be large enough for your needs, or perhaps you need an external hard drive. I urge caution with physical storage devices kept in your home or office, though, as a fire or flood would wipe out both your primary and backup data.

Once you have the storage space, its time to actually copy your data to the backup location regularly. If you are going to backup your files manually you may want to set aside a certain time every week (I recommend a reoccurring alarm or calendar reminder for this method). A more hands-off approach are programs like Cobain Backup, which is a free program that will backup your data automatically. The program allows you to backup data to a specified location with ease, both manually or at scheduled intervals.

This article by Small Biz Trends offers more tips for limiting company downtime and recognizing which of your data is crucial to your everyday work. By having a plan for the immediate retrieval of your most important data, you will minimize the damage caused by a computer crash and save yourself a lot of stress. Whether you choose one form of backup or a few that fit your needs, it is most important that you have a plan in place for dealing with a computer or server crash.

Have questions about setting up your data backup? Let me know via email at ESpontarelli@GetCreativeWebDesign.com.

Fine Print: Opinions shared in this article are based on my own experience and not solicited from any companies mentioned above.

I’m a little later than last year in getting these fall photos to you, but it is safe to say we are definitely in the throes of autumn here in Virginia. The above photo was taken at gorgeous Morris Orchard, where we have gotten our pumpkins the past two years. Speaking of pumpkins, below is a lovely collection (look at those great stems!) to dress up your desktop.

The last photo for Fall Desktop Backgrounds is this vibrant display of fall leaves at the Lynchburg Old City Cemetery. As you can see it is beautiful this time of year, definitely worth a trip!

To make one of these seasonal photos your desktop background, just select your preferred link below. You can then download the zip file with three different background sizes; choose the one that is closest to your screen resolution and you’re all set! Happy Fall!

Countryside Vista

Pumpkin Patch

Cemetery Leaves

*To view or download Fall photos from last year, click here.

In the past we’ve discussed maintaining your business while on vacation, but what about taking your work on the road? I spent last week away from my physical office, but without taking time off. With some advanced planning and the right tools, working away from home can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.

The opportunity for travel recently presented itself in the form of a business conference that my husband was attending in Toronto, Canada. We had spent a day in Toronto a few years ago, during a visit to Niagara Falls, but were otherwise unfamiliar with the city. Coincidentally, I had been debating over the purchase of a laptop and this chance for weekday travel pushed me over the edge. I purchased an HP ProBook 4530s from Newegg, along with an 8G Kingston Flash Drive. Both items were a good value; I read many reviews and visited my local Best Buy store to see a couple laptop models in action before deciding on the HP ProBook. Without turning this post into a laptop review, I will say that I have been really pleased with the computer and its performance in the month and a half that I’ve had it.

My laptop is, not surprisingly, the most crucial piece of equipment for allowing me to work away from home. My smart phone isn’t that smart; beyond checking emails and a little web surfing my Blackberry has limited functionality for running a business. What did surprise me is the number of other items I found necessary to take with me for away-from-the-office productivity. I did a few test runs at nearby coffee shops and came up with the following list of essentials.

Travel Checklist
- Laptop with charger
- Mouse, keyboard, headphones (optional)
- Flash drive with current client files
- Phone with charger
- Client billing sheet
- Blank and unpaid invoices
- Stamps, mailing labels, envelopes
- Current client notes and paper folder
- Portfolio or notebook with pens
- Camera with accessories
- Business cards
- Travel documents (Passport, itinerary, etc.)

The above consists of a few categories of business tools: equipment, office supplies, client documents, and miscellany. The equipment is pretty straight forward- remembering chargers, batteries, memory cards and accessories is the important detail that will keep your equipment running smoothly and let you work with ease. Office supplies include the obvious writing tools, as well as the necessary paperwork for billing and/or answering clients’ billing questions. Although I didn’t need them in Toronto, having mailing items available could potentially save the hassle and extra dollars spent at an unfamiliar Post Office. Client documents include both electronic and paper documents. ‘Current’ clients refers to any projects that I am actively working on or clients that are likely to contact me while away. If going away for a longer period I would have taken all client records with me, but for just a week it was unnecessary. I should also note that I had remote access to my desktop computer, which was such a great convenience. Finally, I was sure to bring business cards (as always), and any ID or documents needed for traveling.

As important as the tools you take with you are the conditions that will meet you when you arrive; be sure to research your accommodations and the location you are traveling to as much as possible to avoid any unwanted surprises. A proper desk, plenty of electrical outlets (that fit your cords!), internet access, phone reception, etc. are each crucial for a proper work environment. Be aware of any additional costs that you will encounter (roaming charges, money exchange rates and fees, bank or credit card fees) if traveling outside of the country.

Since I use a number of high-end design programs in my work, this had the potential to be a tricky (or pricey) situation when away from my desk. I handled this obstacle by downloading Open Source text editor, photo, and graphics software that would work in place of my Adobe products in a pinch (Notepad++, GIMP, and Inkscape, specifically). The real convenience, as I mentioned above, was being able to access my office computer with Remote Desktop Connection. There was a slight lag in the connection, but being able to utilize all of my software, not to mention the better internet access and increased RAM, was such a help while I was away.

I leave you with those tips and the wish for safe and happy travels! If you are lucky enough to have a job with some flexibility, do take advantage of opportunities to see the world and experience other cultures while you get your work done. Questions or have a travel tip of your own? Let me know in the comments.

The List: Sept. 30th Edition

From clients…

-With football season in full swing, these adorable tailgate accessories from Shear Image are hard to resist

-Looking for a job in Richmond? The Halligan Bar is holding a job fair for positions at their new location this weekend

-The People’s Blues of Richmond are playing tonight in Savannah, GA, and Saturday at the HOGTOBER BBQ Festival in Richmond

-Global Explorers is undergoing a website makeover, preview available here

On the internets…

-Wall Climbing Kitty is hilarious, but that can’t be good for the wall

-This soup from Smitten Kitchen is genius: French Onion meets Tomato Soup, be still my heart

-While a little outdated now, this episode of This American Life offers an eye-opening look at the downfall of the economy

-The results are in: view the stats unveiled by this year’s Freelance Industry Report at Freelance Switch

-The new Kindle is out and it looks lovely. I am in love with my Kindle Keyboard

Random favorites…

-I have been exploring the coffee shops of Toronto; Timothy’s Apple Chai Latte is my new seasonal beverage of choice

-Remote Desktop Connection has been a lifesaver and a blessing while working from out of town

-Having someone make my bed is worth the hassle of planning my morning around the cleaning lady’s ever-changing schedule

-I got creative outside the office last week, making these wedding-themed corn hole boards (and bags) for a friend

Have a suggestion for The List? Let me know via email: ESpontarelli@GetCreativeWebDesign.com

Today I’ll talk a bit about time management, specifically The Pomodoro Technique. For those not familiar, this simple technique uses timed 25 minute intervals of work followed by rest periods to enhance productivity and prevent burnout. Named for a timer in the shape of a tomato (pomodoro, in Italian), this method was first introduced by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s (Wikipedia).

There are five basic steps to this technique, outlined below:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished
2. Set the timer (Pomodoro) to 25 minutes
3. Work on the task until the timer rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4. Take a short break (~5 minutes)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break (15-20 minutes)

Breaking your workday into manageable sections can make tasks seem less daunting and can prevent you from being overwhelmed by a large amount of work to be done. Depending on your work load and your ability to concentrate on any given day, sometimes The Pomodoro Technique is useful while other days it is unnecessary. Some days, just the mental promise of a break makes focusing for a short amount of time seem like an easier feat to accomplish.

I encourage you to tweak this method to better fit your own schedule. For example, I often use this technique when I find myself struggling to focus on the task at hand. By setting a fixed amount of time to buckle down and work, I am also promising myself a break within the foreseeable future. Often, by the time the 25 minutes are up I find myself deep within a task and no longer in need of a break. In this case I will finish the task at hand, then take a few minutes to rest before beginning another project. Other times, if I have a greater workload, I will set a timer for longer than 25 minutes (45 minutes, in many cases) so that I can get a solid amount of work done without interruption.

What about you, do you use any time management tricks to make Mondays easier or to help Fridays go by faster? Next time you’re struggling to focus on the task at hand, try The Pomodoro Technique. For more tips and information, visit the website or download the book.

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