The Australian Businesswomen’s Network today launched a Google AdWords information hub on its website.

This new multi-page feature provides resources and easy-to-follow details on how Google AdWords can help small businesses drive results.

Within this hub, small business owners can access all the AdWords basics including how to begin, what to expect and how to make the most from advertising dollars (which are often scarce in small business).

“By introducing this new information hub, we hope to provide small-business owners with new tools and skills to harness the power of an engine like Google and to drive the traffic that we know is available to them if they get their business in front of the right eyeballs,” explained Community Director, Suzi Dafnis

“It’s not news that more and more people are looking online to find what they want. We want to be sure our community members are armed with the tool and knowledge to use internet traffic to drive people to their businesses,” says Dafnis.

Google AdWords Information Hub

A few features of the Google AdWords for Small Business Information Hub are:

1. Free eGuides show businesswomen how to grow their business with adwords and provide tips for finding new customers online, measuring results, understanding how to pick great keywords for ads and how to write attention-grabbing ads
2. Ask a Google expert – Viewers can ask their questions online and Google AdWord’s expert Kate Conroy will reply with customised answers.
3. Case Studies – The hub features a number of real stories from small businesses who share their AdWords results and the results they’ve seen since they started using AdWords.
4. Free Webinar – The Australian Businesswomen’s Network is offering a free Google AdWords for Small Business webinar in November to give women access to even more resources and education.

Take a look at these resources:

• What is Search Advertising?
• Why Google AdWords Makes Sense for Small Business
• How to Grow Your Business with Google AdWords
• Free Tools and Resources

PLUS – visitors can request a free voucher to try AdWords out. The vouchers, valued at $75 are available to first-time Google AdWords users.

The Australian Businesswomen’s Network looks forward to working with its community members to improve their understanding of Google AdWords and to having them start to get the types of results these small business owners have enjoyed since they started using AdWords.

I’m sure you know the drill. Back and forth stream of emails and calls to find a time that suits two or more people.

Sometimes the time it takes the schedule the meeting takes longer than the meeting itself will take.

I came across this great free tool at South By South West. It’s called Tungle and had the CEO, Mark, tell you about it in his own words.

Watch the video.

Tungle helps you to:

• Schedule meetings easily and remotely using a web interface
• Pick your own url.
• Put the times you want to be available in the system.
• Share your schedule with others and let them choose from the available slots.

You get to sync the schedule with your calendar.

It’s free and saves time (and therefore money).

Tungle.me - Schedule meetings easily

Try it out here.

Hope you like it.

Apple took out a full page ad in today’s paper to promote a number of their iPhone apps that are good for business.  One application stood out to me, and it could save you a whopping amount in printing.

Possible Scenario at your next meeting:

PROSPECT: “Do you have a business card?”
YOU:  “Sure.”

Then…

• You produce a card (or something glamorous made from long-lasting plastic, platinum etc. with all your details – including your Twitter handle!)
• Your contact takes a photo of it with their iPhone (what else would you use, really?).
• Your details are now in their phone.

No paper, no waste.

The Business Card Reader allows you to take the photo of a business card on your iPhone (or Blackberry). It then ‘reads’ the data and enters the details into your address book.

So, no scanning, data entry, or piles of business cards stashed in drawers.
Now all you need is one business card and friends and colleagues with iPhones.

I’ll be getting the app.

Suzi

Business Card Reader | Apple iPhone Application

Last Friday to Sunday I attended an Internet Marketing seminar hosted by Ed Dale of 30 Day Challenge fame. You may know Ed from Internet Marketing this Week, an almost-weekly podcast that I highly recommend if you’re interested in what’s new in new media and technology.

Must-have cheese pic with the host.

The 200, or so, participants enjoyed both local and international speakers on the subjects of outsourcing, content development (including using video), search engine marketing, business best practise, using offline marketing to drive customers online and blogging. All good, practical, information.

The highlight for me was the ‘hot seats’ where brave participants nominated their website for review by an expert panel.

I was lucky enough to be chosen and as a result got great feedback that I’lll start to implement this week at the Australian Businesswomen’s Network website.

The Twitter tag of the weekend was #30dchome. I thought you may be interested in looking it up – as you’ll find that participants posted highlights from the program as well as some handy links.

The 30 Day Challenge

You may have heard me speak about The 30 Day Challenge before. It’s a free, annual program, that is designed to get you online and doing business. Last year over 30,000 people participated. I’m sure it’s coming again in 2010.

I’ll post something when dates are released but in the meantime you can keep in touch with news by:

• Subscribing to Internet Marketing this Week on itunes
• Following Ed Dale’s page on Facebook
• Following Ed Dale on Twitter

Additional Resources

Lynn Terry (left) of clicknewz.com

• Guest speaker Lynn Terry (Affiliate Marketing)
• Guest speaker Leslie Rodhe (SEO)
• The fabulous Market Samurai tool

Cheers,

Suzi

There are probably a dozen iphone apps that I use regularly. Some are standard and functional e.g. Google Maps (a humdinger when I get lost in the city or need to get directions while overseas), Voicememo (often used to record messages to remind myself to do things) and the weather application.

While I have some fun apps e.g. Shazam (song recognition) and  Check Please (for calculating tips when travelling in the US), most of the apps I use enhance or enable my social media activity.

The applications allow me to post to my blog (and respond to comments), tweet, check my web stats, record an audio blog, instant message my contacts, create a video and post it with one click, add photos to my social networks – to name just a few options.

Here are 9 of my favourite social media related apps. They are not in order. All are in the itunes Applications store but I have included below links to the developers websites. Most apps are free, but a couple have a small (and worthwhile) fee.

AudioBoo - Create and share audio easily

Audioboo

This is an iphone audioblogging application. You record a message (up to 5 mins) and host it on the Audioboo site with the click of an icon. You can then use the embed code in blog posts or in statuses on Twitter and Facebook. Here’s a post where I’ve used the AudioBoo app during our 30 Days of Social Media program.

Analytics

The free version is sufficient for me to be able to check the traffic on our blog and website easily.

Tweetie

While I also have TweetDeck and Twitterific, Tweetie is the one that I find easiest to use to track Twitter conversations and add tweets.

What’s App

This is very cool. What’s App is an iphone to iphone messenger without text/SMS costs.

Gorillacam - Great added functionality for your iphone camera

Gorillacam

Just started using this app. Adds great functionality to your iphone camera. Paparazzi (3shot) option, self-timer, time lapse as well as a ‘press anywhere’ option overcomes some of the frustrations of using an iphone camera. Team it with a Gorillapod (a mini tripod for your iphone) and you have a pretty cool camera.

Facebook

You’ve probably got this if you’re on Facebook. It’s improved and easy to use to update status and stay up with news. Could use a little more functionality.

Dragon Dictation

This app provides voice recognition on your iphone. You can record and translate sound and then send to mail or txt. Great for quick memos.  [I have to share this as it made for a good laugh. When I was first using it I was speaking slowly saying "This is Suzi". The translation was coming up as "This is Crazy"… so I guess it needs a little practise to get it working write (or a feined US accent may help)].

Animoto

Select from pics on your iphone, choose a soundtrack from Animoto’s library and click a button – and you have a professional customised video, for free. Fun for holidays and capturing special moments.

FaceMic for Facebook

This is a new one for me and was recommended by Facebook maven Mari Smith. It allows me to record a message and post it to a friend’s Facebook page. Great for birthday messages.

BONUS – CAUSE IT’S WORTH MENTIONING!

CrushIt

You may have heard of Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV fame.The story goes that he turned a $5 million dollar business into a $50 million and has created fame and fortune online through his video blog. His book – Crush It - has been created as an app that is a vook (a video book). At the start of each chapter you get to see and hear Gary and then you can read the book Kindle-style within the app. It’s a great way for any author to deliver their content and I can see applications for many educators and content creators.

As I said earlier, these are just a few of the tools that help me manage and create social media content and which allow me to keep up with the conversations that I choose to be a part of – while I’m ‘on the go’. (Of course that is today… apps are being created so quickly some of these may be replaced by newer/better ones… in which case I’ll be sure to post any new discoveries.)

Got a great iphone app to share? I’d love to hear about it.

Best wishes,

Suzi

Welcome to Day 13 0f 30 Days of Networking.

I’ve never been a big user of forums. No reason, really. I just haven’t found forums that I wanted to take part in on a regular basis. That’s now changed!

After running a series of business focus groups (her Views Member Advisory Groups) with Australian Businesswomen’s Network members what became apparent is that women in business (especially those working solo, from home) need a place to ask the (as they described) ‘really dumb questions’ about business.

Drum roll…

New: The Women in Business Forums

So, today we announce the launch of the Women in Business Forums, a new help desk for women in business looking for a place to ask questions (to get much-needed answers), provide answers (to share your expertise with other community members) and to network (by promoting yourself and your business while collaborating with other forum members).

I realise it may take a little while to get the buzz going on these forums, but I invite you to start today.

I have set up a 30 Days of Networking forum where you can share your biggest networking issue.

Forums are a great way to network. So, join the Women in Business Forums today.

TODAY’S TASK

Visit the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Women in Business Forums.

Create a user account. Note: Even if you have an existing ABN account note that you will need to create a new user account for the forums (a drag, I know, but the only way we could ensure that your account history in the ABN database is not compromised in any way).

A couple of forum tips:

• Once you create a user account click on User Control Panel to set up your profile.
• The Profile Link is the 5th link down the list of options. Fill out only the fields that you feel comfortable filling in and that you want to share with other forum visitors.
• If you have any questions check the FAQ section or email our office for help.
• Answers will be provided for all questions, where relevant, by that ABN and (more frequently) by other forum members who have expertise in the area about which you are asking.

Tweet to let us know how you went.

Best wishes,

Suzi

If you employ staff, it makes sense to understand your obligations. Last week, while in a coffee shop, I picked up a postcard promoting www.wo.gov.au - the site for the Australian Workplace Ombudsman. The site has free templates to help employers manage time and wages records and pay slips, as well as employee details. You can also download fact sheets about key workplace relations issues.

In the May edition of our Women in Business eNewsletter we asked members what the biggest frustrations were about website effectiveness.

In a short survey participants said:

• 25% – Traffic and getting enough targeted visitors
• 37.5% – Conversion
• 0% – Navigation/Structure
• 37.5% – Cost/time to make updates

(Participants could choose more than one option.)

You can read the responses here.

Do you have tools and resources you can suggest to make website management and effectiveness easier for small business? Then please add them here in our blog as comments.

Need something designed? 99designs connects clients needing design work such as logo designs, business cards or web sites to a thriving community of 21,899 talented designers. 

Take a look at their innovative business model that allows designers from all over to compete for jobs from anywhere in the world.

The home of this innovative international tool (that I was introduced to at a recent conference in Boston)?

Our very own Melbourne!

This is a fun tool that allows you to make clips to use on your site to promote your products. Animoto is a web application that produces MTV-style videos using the images. Stick them on your Facebook profile or on your website.