HRP – A Blog for The Work at Home Professional

Marketing, Lead Generation, and Tips and Tricks to Survive and Thrive in Your Home-Based Business

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My desk

The settings of the business world today have undergone major changes and employees are no longer tied down behind the desk or in an office building. In short, today’s executives are working in various settings according to the company’s activities (cars, homes, private planes, hotels, etc). The good news is that the office supplies retailers have caught on to the trends quite rapidly and hence, are able to provide a wide array of professional gadgets and devices especially designed for the employees who constantly need to be on the move. The road warriors (the generic name of the business persons who take their office everywhere) usually expect versatility, portability and administrative features from the mobile solutions.

The typical mobile device that road warriors cannot be seen without is their laptop. The principal four aspects that professionals on the run should look for in a laptop are computing power, sufficient storage space, various internet connection options and portability. It is necessary to point out that a good method of increasing storage capacity, without limiting the portability of all the mobile gadgets you need to carry with you is purchasing an external hard drive. Considering that you will be taking the laptop almost everywhere you go, it is necessary that you purchase a well-padded case to protect it from damage.

The mobile phone is the second road warrior must-have device because it permits you to access the contact details of business partners, colleagues and customers quickly and easily. Most professionals typically carry this device in their pockets. However, when you have other luggage to account for (laptop case, carry-on case, etc), there is always the risk of it slipping out of your pocket. A suggestion is to acquire a laptop bag that incorporates a pocket for cell phones. The other mobile devices that you might find useful while on the road include the PDA, universal electrical adapter kit, universal phone jack adapter kit, mouse, surge protection, phone line filters and the laptop lights.

In addition to the tech gadgets, some professionals also need a versatile file organization system. In order to determine an organization that works best for your case, it is recommended that you estimate the volume of materials that you need frequently. Based on their size and style, you can select the appropriate file boxes, project totes and portable file chests. When purchasing the file systems it is best to make sure the chests and boxes are of high quality and there is little chance the documents inside are damaged during trips.

Regardless of what other mobile devices and gadgets a professional on the run finds useful, the important thing to remember is to keep them organized in one place. Essentially, because you are allowed to take the laptop and the carry-on bag when travelling by train or plane, take advantage of that and place the mobile devices that do not fit in the laptop bag into the carry-on briefcase. This approach will guarantee that none of the devices that contain critical data or that you use constantly will get lost or damaged.

Gerard Lee is a professional blogger writing on the usage of different Office Supplies. He is trying to convey the importance of using Office Supplies for every professional and business owner.


Estimating the costs of online booklet printing services

There are several online booklet printing services that can help companies promote their business and advertise products or services in a positive light. These printing services allow customers to estimate the total costs of the printing by providing them sales quotes in accordance to the individual specifications of the job. Therefore, estimating the price of the online booklet printing services is a relatively easy task and companies that are interested in this form of marketing can anticipate the investment beforehand. Let’s take a quick look at the variables which typically influence the cost of booklet printing and their importance in order to make more sense.

Primarily, the customer will be allowed to choose the type of cover for the booklet and this refers to factors like stock and weight. In regards to the stock of the cover, the most common options include premium gloss or matte materials, recycled matte materials, felt weaving in various colors or linen. Furthermore, the weight alternatives vary between 80# and 100# text or cover. It is necessary to understand the circumstances when each of this options works for the type of booklet your are about to print and this aspect can be discussed in more detail with the representatives of the online booklet printing services.

At the same time, the clients can opt for fully colored printed external covers or for black and white (grayscale) prints. Needless to say, the color printing is more expensive than its black and white counterpart, but it is not always mandatory. For instance, a more sober or elegant booklet could actually benefit from using grayscale prints to emphasize the nature of the occasion. In addition, the customers have the possibility to decide whether the inside of the cover and the pages of the booklet will be printed in full color or in grayscale, with the same impact on the cost of the service. Leaving the prints aside, let’s take a look at how the dimensions influence the price.

Several formats of booklets are available, from the small 3.5 by 5 inches to the average 6 by 12 inches, the standard 8.5 by 11 inches or the largest, 9 by 12 inches. On request, other possibilities for the width to height ratio and they depend on the capabilities of the machines in the inventory of the printing service. The rule of thumb is that the booklets with the lowest dimensions are the least expensive, but the exception resides in the fact that small formats which are more difficult to print may have higher costs. However, since each printing company has its particular policy and various capabilities, it is better to inquire about this aspect from their representatives, especially if your layout is complex.

Other aspects that should be taken into account is whether you need the UV coating for the cover of the booklet, if it requires binding for the pages (the typical solution is the saddle stitch), whether wafer seals should be present and if so, on how many sides. Also, many printing companies allow customer to opt for pre-drilled holes for hanging purposes. All these aspects in addition to the shipment and potential urgency fees, subtracting quantity discounts or other promotions will decide the final cost of the online booklet printing services.

Jordan Siron is keen to help companies promote their business and advertise products through the online booklet printing service with the help of his blog.


Guerrilla marketing is the strategy of using unconventional means to promote your business or product. Its aim is to generate street level buzz and excitement. Guerrilla marketing turns heads because it is unique, engaging and unexpected. It is popular with smaller businesses and startups because it’s a method of advertising that is based on creativity, time and effort rather than a big fiscal budget. But because it can be controversial and very effective, many larger companies have spent big on guerrilla marketing campaigns. But with the way social networking and advancements in technology are overtaking the way businesses interact with the public, are guerrilla marketing campaigns still current, relevant and worthwhile?

Gorilla Marketing

Gorilla Marketing

The more interesting and clever a guerrilla marketing campaign is, the more effective it will be. If it is a large abstract piece of art in a public place, for example, the more intriguing it is the more people will stop to look at it. If it’s something small and portable, like an object or pamphlet, the more exciting it is the more people will pass it on to their friends. A guerrilla campaign is very self-propagating in that respect, just like a video going viral online. Guerrilla marketing reached its peak of popularity in the 1980’s, but when it’s done well it is still highly effective, even today.

Is it Right for Your Business?

If you’re a small company with a fresh attitude and small advertising budget, you could explore a guerrilla marketing campaign. You just need a very creative and motivated team to pull it off. Almost any company can benefit from guerrilla marketing, but it especially suited for businesses that are against-the-grain and alternative to the mainstream in some way. It should fit the overall personality of your company.

What are the Benefits?

Besides being very inexpensive, there are other benefits to using guerrilla marketing tactics. You have the ability to directly engage with people on a face-to-face level, so it can be much more personal than online. You can more effectively target your audience by focusing on specific geographic locations. There are endless possibilities to how you can run your guerrilla marketing campaign, and you’re not limited to the medium of text, video or 2D images like you are on the web. You can go as big and as out-there are you want. When done right, guerrilla marketing has the potential to cause much more of a stir based on its uniqueness than any online campaign.

Online Integration

You don’t have to completely abandon online marketing for guerrilla. Guerrilla marketing is easy to integrate with your virtual strategy as well. Pull elements of style or message from your guerrilla campaign and integrate them into your social networking profiles and online ads. Things like QR codes enable people to instantly connect to more information on the web. An original and intriguing web address posted in the right places will encourage people to log on and find meaning. And with the way people are connected at all times, you may find you don’t have to do much work for your guerrilla campaign to go viral on the web. Any passerby can quickly snap a picture and post it online, and people will be likely to do that for your guerrilla campaign if it is very visually striking. With a well-designed guerrilla marketing campaign, your company’s name and idea can become famous or infamous for its originality and character.

From the pen of Terry Ford a professional writer and researcher. Terry loves technology and marketing and utilizes tools such as Grammarly grammar checker to verify the quality of her content.


Successfully getting traffic and conversions from email marketing can be a headache if you don’t know what you’re doing. However, the biggest obstacle to email marketing is actually the spam element that automatically goes with it. With anti-spam software getting better and better, the possibility of your carefully crafted newsletter or promotional offer getting stuck in the spam folder is extremely high.

Spam is not Wonderful

Even Less Delicious in your Inbox

Moreover, with people rarely checking their spam folder, it becomes essential to ensure that your email marketing strategy does not merely result in a bunch of spam nobody will ever read. The following techniques will ensure that the probability of your emails being treated as spam is significantly lowered.

The unsubscribe link

Move your unsubscribe link to the top of your email. Many email marketers simply loathe the idea of actually moving the link at the top as they fear that it will lead to more people unsubscribing from their mailing lists. However, this is one of the biggest myths in email marketing. If an individual actually wants to unsubscribe from a mailing list, it won’t matter where the link is placed. Additionally, you should refrain from disguising the link by putting it behind an image or any other shady tactic.

Stick to a schedule

Sticking to the same schedule when sending out your emails is also a great tactic to ensure that your emails are treated as trustworthy. Pick a day and a time when you will launch your email marketing campaign and try to stick to it as much as possible. The consistency in your emails often plays a positive role in increasing the likelihood that your emails will go through.

Don’t underestimate the subject line

The subject of the email is one of the most important factors in an email marketing campaign’s success rate. It plays a huge role in whether the email will trigger the spam switch and is also the first thing your potential readers will see. Consequently, you should be extremely careful when thinking of a subject line. You should in general avoid spam-friendly keywords which are likely to instantly send your email. Most importantly, check your subject line multiple times as even a single spelling mistake can have disastrous effects. Don’t hesitate to have someone else proofread your subject line as well as your email content.

Do your homework

Different ISPs have different rules when it comes to email marketing. Obviously, you want to be on your ISP’s good side as much as possible. As such, always take the time to find out what are the best practices according to the ISP you are dealing with. This research will also make your familiar with the mailing policy of that ISP and thus help you identify the best way of designing your email.


Ashvin writes for the official Grande Anse website in Reunion which lists all the attractions in the islands such as the Domaine du Relais natural park.


If you come and visit my website (after reading this post) I’ll know where you are, the operating system, device, time of day, how you got there, where you browsed, time-per-page page, even if you clicked back or forward in your browser, the works!

Analytics For Me

You call it "Stalking", I call it "Analytics".

I’ll even know if you come back in the future (and you better!!!!). Have I got your attention? Awesome. If you’re working at home, odds on you have some form of online presence. The best thing about this online presence is that everything is measurable and, with the growth of tools like Google Analytics, it’s free!

If you haven’t got any form of analytics then shame on you, take a moment to reflect on your mistake, then scroll down for 3 simple analytics tips that can be the start of something beautiful. If you’ve already got it installed then hats off to you and if you’ve not tried them yet, run this analysis now!

NB: The following points are all directed in Google Analytics. They are still easily found in other Analytic Packages.

 

#1 The Devices and Browsers your Customers are using

Found in: Visitors -> Technology

What if I told you 50% of your visitors still used Internet Explorer 6? Oh and by the way the other 50% are on their iPhone. I hope your website is compatible with older browsers and has a mobile-friendly version!

This report is as easy as they come yet gives such a fascinating overview of your websites visitors.

Highlighting usability problems, for an example, a 100% bounce rate in Google Chrome, can really save time in finding website performance issues.

This can also extend to marketing issues, wonder why that last email under-performed? Filter by device and maybe you’ll find that iPhones couldn’t load it, but that’s what all your customers are using!

 

#2 Referral Tracking

Found in: Traffic Sources -> Incoming Sources -> Referrals

In simple terms, this report shows you the websites that your traffic comes from, and is particularly handy if you are part of affiliate schemes.

Enabling you to see variables like who sends the most referrals, drives the most revenue or the highest percentage of new visitors is a fantastic way to gain an understanding of your customer base and where your website is popular.

This information will in turn help target your energy and budget into where to build more of an online presence.

Even more interestingly, each referral your company gets is a website linking to you. And why do people most commonly link? To Praise or to Complain!

You have first-hand access to brand management, all thanks to analytics. Deal with any unhappy customers before their complaint goes viral, or draw attention to people giving a thumbs up to your company and use them as online testimonials.

 

#3 Track your Sites Search

Found in: Content -> Site Search -> Overview

Websites will commonly have a search bar, and Analytics tracks this beautifully for you!

Search terms really are beautiful. Enabling you to see all of the keywords your customers search for, you can see what they’re looking for and even drill down to searches that return no results.

Highlighting gaps on your website, the pages of particular interest or even a page customers are struggling to find through standard navigation provides a perfect overview of your site.

The knock on effects for keeping your product/service up to date is and keeping navigation simple and user-friendly are invaluable, and worth the signing on effort in itself!

I hope these tips have perked your interest into the fascinating world of data analysis for your website. Had any success stories or want to add your own points? Comment below.

 

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This article is by Michael Derges, data analyst and research for inkcartridges retailer Stinkyink.com. When not straining his eyes over spreadsheets and graphs, he can be found bike riding around local areas of interest.