Category Archives: Business Development

A list of my favorite digital tools these days

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I often say that tools don’t make you productive, YOU make you productive. Take a small example, has there been an author of the stature of people like Tolstoy and Dickens in the times of desktop and cloud-based wordprocessors? Just imagine, they could manage 1000s of handwritten papers using pens and quills they repeatedly had to dip into the ink pot.

Recently I came across this piece of text that beautifully summarizes the absence of a parity between quality of tools and productivity:

Back in the 60s and 70s the computers were as strong as today’s smart phones. They sent manned missions to the moon with the same processing power, and we are hitting pigs with birds.

No, really I’m not bashing tools and technology, I’m just saying that using multiple tools doesn’t make you productive. You become productive when you really want to be productive and it’s only then these tools are useful to you.

With that bit out of my way now I will talk about some digital tools that are helping me organize my information in a better way and become more productive in the process. You might already be aware of these tools but I am sharing them here just to talk about how I am using them.

Evernote

EvernoteI have been using Evernote off and on for the past four years I think but it’s only now for the past 6-8 months I have been really using it. By really using I mean if all of a sudden they start charging me a reasonable fee (something that I can afford) I will gladly pay.

As you know you can save your notes and all sort of information in Evernote. You can create different notebooks and within those notebooks you can create different notes. So I have created different notebooks for

  • Keeping client-related information: All the information my clients send me I keep them in these notes. This includes company information, all the vital details that I must keep in mind while preparing their content and associated bits of information like e-mail ids, reference URLs and all the research information I gather while working on their project.
  • Collecting blogging ideas: Whenever I come across a blogging idea I add it to a note I have specifically created for this task.
  • Preserving clips from the web: There is lots of information that you cannot capture in text files – it is a mix of images and text. I can simply clip the information from the webpages and save it as a note in Evernote.
  • Maintaining a diary: This is something that I have been planning to start for a very long time. Back in college days I used to have a diary but somewhere I lost touch with the habit. I have again picked it up. I have created a diary notebook. Now all I have to do is create a new note, give it a heading (I don’t have too) and start entering my day’s briefings. Since all the notes are automatically sorted by date I don’t have to worry about the sequence.
  • Domestic “things to remember”: For instance, just in the morning my father phoned and said that they haven’t received their electricity bill for the past two months. I asked his consumer ID, went to the power company’s website and took the printout of the latest bill. So that I don’t have to ask for the consumer ID again I have saved it to a notebook I have specifically created for such trivia.
  • Writing my next book: Along with notebooks you can also create stacks in Evernote. So I have created a “Book Writing” stack and within that stack I have created notebooks like “Chapters”, “Characters” and “Random Notes”.

Aside from an ability to arrange and preserve information in such a manner that it can be quickly retrieved, I can access all my information across my devices such as my computer, my laptop and my Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Dropbox

DropboxEver since I started using Dropbox I’m saving all my client files in that folder. If you don’t know what it is, it is a cloud-based drive hosting service with a desktop interface. So once you have signed up, you can download an application that creates a separate folder for the cloud-based drive and whenever you save something in it it is automatically synchronised. Aside from the fact that your important files are safe from hard disk crashes, you can access your files from anywhere provided you have an Internet connection. When you sign up, you get 2 GB of free space but you can get more free space by getting your friends and colleagues to sign up via your referral URL.

Pocket

Pocket

It was formerly known as “Read It Later” and frankly I never used the service then. I don’t know what was lacking but when they recently launched it as “Pocket” I started using it. In fact I know why I didn’t use it back then – I didn’t have a tablet.

My main utility for the tool is that all the articles and blog posts that I want to read but cannot read at that time because I’m working, I can just click the “Pocket It” bookmark on my browser and they are automatically saved under my account. Then at night, when I’m in my bed, I can log on to my account through my Galaxy Tab and access all the blog posts and articles I have saved in there. And the best thing is, the sidebars, the header and the footer are stripped away and you get to read just the content.

Google Docs

Google DocsAll my content writing work these days happens on Google Docs. Even for clients who prefer to receive their work in MS Word files I prepare the documents first in Google Docs and then download them as Word files.

Most people who use Google Docs prefer the service for its collaboration features – multiple authors can work on a single document while maintaining multiple versions. I started using it simply because it keeps saving the work simultaneously as you type. You don’t ever have to worry about saving your file. I have been using Google Docs for the past two years now and I have never lost a single document since then.

Of course there is an added advantage that I’m now no longer tied down to a single computer. Wherever I am, I just need to log on and start writing. I have also gotten used to writing with bare minimum features. Again, I can also access my documents using my tablet.

FreshBooks

FreshBooksIt is a service I have just started using a couple of months ago when I switched over to an hourly rate. I have known about the service for many years but never used it. Now it has become an integral part of my work. I not only track my clients’ work I also track my own time while working on my own website and other marketing activities. If you don’t know what is FreshBooks it’s an online time tracking and invoicing service.

Astrid Tasks

Astrid TasksIt is a task management tool. I first started using it on my Android phone and later on also started using it via the Google Chrome browser. It is the best task management tool I have come across so far. Before that I was using Remember the Milk but it is not as good as Astrid. It has everything you need to manage and track your work-related as well as personal tasks. Of course it has a great interface too.

Although there are many tools and services that I use almost every day, they are not a part of my “real” work. The tools listed above actually help me be more productive and manage my work well.

Are there some digital tools that are your favorite? Please share them in the comments section but just keep in mind they need to be some things that really help you be more professionally efficient.

Why my hourly rate has been a hit among my clients

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Content Writing Hourly Rate

When, around a couple of months ago, I switched to an hourly rate model, although I was sure that it was the right decision, I wasn’t exactly sure how my clients in India would react.

In western countries an hourly rate is the norm so I haven’t had any problem with 90% of my work (less than 10% of my work comes from India). In fact they used to find my previous way of charging – per document and on top of that different rates for different documents like the homepage, other primary pages of the website, articles, blog posts, press releases, etc. – quite confusing and, in many cases, unacceptable.

With the new charging model, per document, and even per project, I am making a lot less than what I used to make, but I have more work, my conversion rate has perhaps doubled, and above everything, I know that for every minute I spend working on a document, I am being paid for that time. It’s a nice feeling.

My conversion rate has almost doubled and I can think of 2 reasons why:

  1. I have started charging an hourly rate so there is no ambiguity — whether I’m working on the homepage, other pages, writing blog posts or even making design changes to an existing website, I’m charging my hourly rate and my clients know that.
  2. Since at the time I made the switch I had no idea on what basis I should charge an advance, I stopped taking an advance

Prior to charging an hourly rate I could never think of not asking for an advance but I really don’t know what happened and suddenly I felt, there was no need.

In this way, there is no financial uncertainty for the client. He or she knows that I’m not going to disappear after taking an advance. It is in my interest to turn in the work in good quality and on time and I’m perfectly fine with that.

And what about if one of these clients don’t pay after I have submitted the work?

Well, I will take it as a part of doing my job. I am getting enough work, so even if a couple of clients don’t pay (such a case, surprisingly, thankfully, happens just once or twice a year) it hardly matters.

I’m enjoying my work more and I’m less insecure. The quality of my work has improved considerably and so has my confidence as a writer.

Another consequence of me switching to an hourly rate is that I have altogether stopped working with content writers. I am doing all the work.

Of course, later on, I will again be outsourcing some of my work but this time I will make sure that the final version that leaves my computer will be mine and not that content writer’s.

And my Indian clients?

Some are fine with the way I charge, and some are not. It has been a mixed reaction. On the other hand, clients of Indian origin who are living abroad have reacted favorably.

Why a blog is important for your small business

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Business blogging

Do you publish a small business blog? As a small business if you don’t have a blog you are losing out on many aspects of online marketing, SEO and social engagement.

Having a small business blog has many advantages. Small businesses normally don’t have big marketing budgets and they have to depend on individual effort in order to survive and thrive. Blogging kills multiple birds (I don’t endorse killing of birds for entertainment and leisure purposes, in fact I loathe such acts) with a single stone. Once you have set up a small business blog and accumulated some high-quality blog posts

  • Your website begins to rank higher on various search engines
  • Search engines index and rank greater number of pages and blog posts from your website
  • Your overall keyword density improves
  • You have useful content to share on your social media and social networking profiles
  • Your followers and friends get more opportunities to promote your links as you publish fresh content regularly
  • You establish yourself as an authority due to the expertise you constantly share through your small business blog
  • Search engines and social media websites begin to regard you as an authority and hence attach more importance to your content
  • You engage your visitors in meaningful conversations and hence improve your recognition and identity and consequently, strengthen your brand

Having a small business blog is easy

You can either set up a business blog under your existing domain name (something like http://yourwebsite.com/blog) or you can have a separate domain name for your blog and put your main website link there. Although there are many free blog hosting services that you can use; I recommend using WordPress for your small business blog because it gives you full control over your blog in terms of layout and content. Besides, you can freely download it and install it on your server. This is more important especially now when online services are randomly shut down by even reputed companies like Google..

Provided you already have a website and you want to host a small business blog under your existing domain name, it doesn’t cost you much. You can either do it on your own, or you can hire somebody who is comfortable installing WordPress blogs. The benefit of hiring someone experienced is that within a couple of hours you are ready to go.

Maintaining a small business blog demands some time and investment

Of course as a business tool a small business blog cannot be 100% free. Either you yourself will have to create content or you’ll need to hire a content writer for that. Initially, in the fit of enthusiasm you can create a few well-written blog posts but eventually you will need to look out for an experienced content writer who can take over your blog and make sure it always has fresh, relevant and useful content.

Rather than quantity focus on quality

For your small business blog it is very important you don’t get swayed by the keyword hoopla and focus on the broad quality of your content. Getting 100s of keyword-centric blog posts may get you lots of traffic, but if that traffic doesn’t convert into business, you are simply wasting your money and effort. Instead, invest on high-quality content that not only ranks higher on search engines and performs better on social media and social networking websites, but also improves your conversion rate.

Besides, these days you can be penalized by search engines like Google for over-using your keywords. So use your keywords whenever they are necessary and don’t needlessly stuff them. Even your content writer must know that. Sometimes people indulge in keyword stuffing unknowingly and if your content writer is doing that, you will need to remind him or her not to do it.

Does having a small business blog actually help you?

It depends on what you’re looking for. If you think your small business blog will immediately increase your business, it may not happen. It is a publishing platform. It helps you build a communication tool that can help you in whichever way you want. There is traffic, and then there is targeted traffic. Targeted traffic to your small business blog will always have a greater conversion rate compared to non-targeted traffic.

The success of your small business blog also hinges upon your clarity of purpose. Do you want to build an audience that will eventually turn into your customers, or do you want to straightaway sell your products and services via your blog posts? To be frank, whether it makes sense or not, on the Internet people are turned off if you are directly trying to sell them. Of course everybody understands that eventually you need to make a living, and nobody resents that. But if you are providing quality content, just provide quality content through your small business blog. Don’t try to trick people into buying your product or service just because they have come to your blog to read your blog posts.

Yes, your small business blog can increase your business. Use it to increase the level of credibility. Use it to develop a strong readership base. Encourage people to subscribe to your e-mail updates and try to engage them as much as possible. Remember that it is the level of engagement and recognition that will eventually encourages them to do business with you, and this you can be easily achieve by publishing a regular small business blog.

Why I charge the way I do for my content writing services

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Content writing services come at different rates. Not that my rates are higher compared to experienced and professional content writers, but sometimes some clients do ask why they should pay me my rates when they can get similar content at much less? This is a valid question to be frank because even I would pay less were I in their position and so initially it would be difficult for me to justify my rates for my content writing services.

But then there is a reason I get paid what I charge and most of my clients see the value in them and hence pay for my content writing services. This is not one of those “why hire me” blog posts, I’m just going to help you come up with some questions when you’re thinking of partnering with a person who is ready to work for a lot less than what I charge. Here are the questions:

Does your content writer have a website?

No, this is not a rhetorical question, it actually makes a big difference. I’m not asking this because I have a website to promote my content writing services. Of course you may find good writers on one of those freelancers websites or the rapidly coming up “virtual assistants” websites, but when they promote their services from such places, they don’t have a stake. Take for instance my website, I started it in 2004, and ever since then it must have gone through at least 20 changes in terms of design and 100s of ongoing changes in terms of content.

It means I take my business and my online presence pretty seriously and invest lots of time trying to maintain a credible presence. Again, how does it matter how much credibility I enjoy if you can easily get cheaper content from a person who has no visible and verifiable credibility?

If you’re okay with a person who can vanish any day while you are in the midst of a hectic strategy transformation then by all means, go with that person. If you are fine with a person who has no stake and who can afford to be erratic with his or her services, then of course, you should opt for that person.

But if you’re really serious about promoting your business through effective content writing then you must collaborate with a person you can totally rely upon. A person who has a well-established business website. A person who provides services like a business, and not like someone who doesn’t even want to invest in a measly website in order to promote his or her services. When you run your own business from your own website, it shows you have confidence and you know that you can deliver.

Does your content writer have a presence on the Internet?

Again, it might not matter to you but to many businesses it does. For reliable services you need reliable people. People who have created some presence. When it comes to having a presence on the Internet

  • I publish multiple blogs and especially my content writing blog
  • I have a vibrant presence on Twitter and Facebook (it might matter, and it might not matter, differs from person to person)
  • Search for “amrit hallan” on Google.com or any other major search engine and you will find zillions of pages referring to my work and content that I have written for various websites

Why does it matter to have a presence when all you have to do is write content? If you have a serious content writing requirement, then you need a serious and reliable content writer. You need a content writer that can be traced and tracked all the time and not just at a particular place but at multiple places. When you have an online presence that is reflected through various websites it means you are exposing yourself to scrutiny.

So why do you think most of the low-charging content writers don’t have a decent online presence to boast of?

Simply because, it takes effort. It’s not a joke to submit 100s of articles to various websites and blogs without getting paid. It is not easy to publish quality blog posts just to maintain a presence. You need focus, you need to work hard, you need to value your work, and you need to see the value of your effort. The low-charging content writers cannot simply afford to put in so much time and effort. They don’t develop their skills because most of the time they are making up for the low amount they are charging. You are constantly getting low-quality content and you don’t even realize it, because somehow they convince you that all that matters is good search engine rankings. They either don’t know or they don’t convey to you that more than the search engine traffic what you need is a higher conversion rate and this can only be achieved by high-quality content.

So how come they are able to charge so less?

By drudgery, literally. They work really hard, in fact so hard that it is very difficult for them to produce quality content. Since they are charging so little, they have to make up some way, especially when the cost of living is not exactly as low as it used to be a few years ago. They don’t have time to improve themselves and they don’t have time to be innovative and creative. If you have enough time and patience just go through 4-5 of their articles and you will notice a stark similarity with just a few words changed here and there. They have mastered 20 odd expressions and they keep repeating them throughout the copy.

Why you’re not overpaying when working with me?

You get quality content, of course. Since I have already charged you whatever I feel comfortable with, I have the luxury to spend ample amount of time on your work and let my creativity flow. I’m not measly about how many words I should use and how much time I have got. I bring with myself years of experience. I don’t have to worry about how to complete your work quickly so that I can move on to the next document (although this doesn’t mean I needlessly spend time on individual documents). Besides, since I am a business person myself, I prepare your content – whether I do it myself or through various writers – keeping your business needs in mind. My extensive experience affords me with sufficient insight into how your audience is going to react to the content I’m providing you.

I don’t give you content just to please you and get money from you, I give you content that can take your business forward. Sometimes you won’t agree with me; I will try my best to explain to you why my approach is good for your business.

The Importance of Web Page Titles

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Of late I’ve noticed many of my clients are not particularly aware of the importance of web page titles. Many have just “Home”, “Services”, etc. as their web page titles. They either don’t know what they are, or even if they know, they don’t know their significance.

What is a web page title?

Modern browsers like Google Chrome and the latest versions of Mozilla FireFox don’t show the web page title text in the window title bar so may be that’s why many people don’t know of their existence. Luckily I found the web page title visible in Internet Explorer; here is what I mean:

Web page title in Internet Explorer

If you look at the source code of your web page, your title appears within <title></title> within the <head></head> area.

Why is your web page title important?

It is your web page title that makes your web page or blog post unique. When people automatically link to your web page it’s your title that becomes your representative text. Here’s why you need a well-defined, convincing web page title:

  • Search engines use your web page title. The search engines not only use your web page title to rank it (it should contain your primary keyword) they also show it as the hyperlink text when your web page shows up on their search result pages. It has been proven there is a greater probability of people clicking the link and coming to your web page if the link contains the keyword or key phrase they have just used.

    Web page title on search engine results page

  • Bookmarking tools use your web page title. When people bookmark your web page it is saved using your title. The next time people want to come back to your web page after looking it up in their saved bookmarks they’ll be able to identify it only by the title. Similarly bookmarking and link sharing websites like Delicious and StumbleUpon use your web page title to organize information.
  • Social media tools use your web page title. Have you ever tried to post a link using a social media plug-in? It is the title of the web page that accompanies the link/URL. If there is no accompanying title there is no way of finding out what the link represents and hence people will not share it on their social media profiles.
  • TrackBack services use your web page title. Services that automatically index the web and look for relevant pages look for your web page title to create indexes.
  • It’s easier for people to connect to your web page if it has a well-defined title. Everybody realizes the importance of quality incoming links and you will be basically discouraging people from linking to your important pages by not including a title. If a title is missing it forces people to come up with their own titles and this acts as a deterrence. Provide them a title so that they can quickly lead to your web page.
  • Your compelling web page title encourages social media sharing. It is your web page title that makes people share your link with their friends and followers. No matter how interesting information your web page contains, unless your web page title doesn’t carry the most important aspect of your web page it is not going to be shared.

So you can see, despite being just a single line of text, or important your web page title is.

But it is not that all the clients don’t understand the overwhelming importance of web page titles. There are many clients who are actually eager to pay extra for creating SEO-friendly and compelling web-page titles.