Save on Bandwidth when sending large attachments by eMail.
Big files take longer to send out from your email server, and take up more disk space. Many countries have regulations about how long email has to archived, so the consumed disk space will be around for a while, which is quite an opportunity cost.
It's getting more common to send large powerpoint files, graphics, brochures, videos.
There are 2 approaches to reducing attachment file size:
1. Compress files
2. Send a link instead of the files themselves
For Approach 1:
Office 2007 has a save to pdf feature ( a free download from Microsoft's website). One of the options when stating file name to save to is on compression. If you take the high compression setting, images you've embedded into your document would not look as nice, but your overall file size can be dramatically decreased. Test this out on a document by document basis, though, as it's possible for some PDF versions to end up larger in file size than the original Winword or Powerpoint file. Note also that if you're zipping up files to send out, the zip file can be larger than the originals if your originals are mostly images or videos or some already highly compressed format.
For Approach 2:
There are an increasing number of services that let you store files on the internet - some are paid services, some free. Skydrive from Microsoft is free, and a good way to share out large files. HP's upline (not yet available in APJ) is a fee based service that let's you share out specific files in your online archive. Photos from a decent megapixel camera can easily range from 1-2M each. Best to upload these to Flickr or Picasa, and share out the relevant photos with your audience.
Communicating with your customers - use the web.
Whether for tech support or provide providing product information, there's little excuse to start a simple site and grow it from there. Many businesses are building their starting-out sites on wordpress, and linking to storage space they've rented to host files and manuals available for download. Link in maps to your "contact us" page - this is easily done for free from live or google maps. Link in photos of products or places - again easily done for free with photo sharing sites. This is stuff teenagers with no formal programming knowledge are doing with their sites. There's no excuse for any self respecting business to not do the same.
Just thought of another. Make use of free services like Instant Messaging (MSN, Google Talk) & Voice Calling (skype) to save on phone bills. Run meetings over the web with screen sharing, or simply email/file-xfer the worksheets, presentations, documents over before the chat
ReplyDeletePodcasts. Videos. Make these and post them on the site. Be sure to include info on how customers can find you - phone number, website address, email etc. Have a clear call to action.
ReplyDeleteUse video! Create a video for your business, put it on YouTube. It's easy to embed a link to this video in your company blog or website. You just need to paste in a line of code that YouTube gives you into your page and that's it!
ReplyDeleteThere are web services for sending eMail blasts, and doing online surveys. You might even do simple surveys for free - a good test and to help you learn more about what surveys can do for you before you put down $ on a package. Keeping contact with your customers during this time, active and inactive, is even more important than during the good times when they are ready with their wallets
ReplyDeleteIf you're sending an article, whitepaper or presentation to customers by email, or having them download this from the web, the PDF format is excellent because it helps ensure your document is presented with the look you want it to be in - right fonts, placement, margins etc. Also, customers don't have to have the right version of your application to view the files, and the right fonts in their system. And they can't edit the contents before forwarding the document to someone else. There are freeware utilities to build PDFs via a print command. I'll document some of these later. Office 2007 also provides a save-as-PDF add-on for Winword and PowerPoint.
ReplyDeleteSending big heavy packages of manuals, conference paper handouts overseas? Check the shipping rates especially for huge stacks of paper which weighs quite a bit, and especially if the shipment is a rush job.
ReplyDeleteInstead, send the digital files by eMail or FTP or or internet based storage. And get people on the other side to print at their end - or better still, just project it out for the audience or have them view it on their laptops and LCD screens - to save on printing charges
Nice post in Wetpaint WIKI on HP Small Business.
ReplyDeleteOn the reasons to have a company blog.
Which can be free of charge, if you use wordpress or blogger.
This in itself could be the topic of an entire talk.
http://expressioncentersmb.wetpaint.com/thread/1111195/You+must+start+and+grow+a+blog+in+2008%21/post/16240876/RE%3A+You+must+start+and+grow+a+blog+in+2008%21?mail=1204&t=anon