Social media websites and apps enable users to create and share content, promote their business and service offerings, and to participate in social networking. Social media marketing is the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites. To effectively grow your business, you need to draw traffic to your website.

Facebook is the most popular website and app of all time. Facebook reported that as of the third quarter of 2016 it had 1.79 billion monthly active users. While Facebook has a large business presence, it has a larger consumer presence making it the number 1 website for use in Business to Consumer (B2C) marketing.

LinkedIn is the most popular business website and app. LinkedIn reported that as of the third quarter of 2016 it had 467 million active users. The Content Marketing Institute reported in 2016 that LinkedIn as the number 1 website for use in Business to Business (B2B) marketing.

Twitter, the very popular micro-blogging service, reported that as of the third quarter of 2016 it had 379 million monthly active users.

YouTube, Pinterest & Instagram are social media platforms used to host and promote video and images. This form of social media marketing is increasing. The Content Marketing Institute reported in 2016 that YouTube is the number 2 website for use in B2C marketing and the number 3 website for use in B2B marketing.

Are you not sure of the effectiveness of social media marketing? Look back at the 2016 US presidential election season. The candidates posted their content in social media more than ever before. That content was then picked up and reported by other organizations and people. Begin to use social media marketing to grow your business.

Having a business email address (e.g. my-name@my-website-domain.com) is much more professional than using a free service for your business email (e.g. my-company@yahoo.com). Google, GoDaddy and other web hosting and internet service providers offer business branded email for about $5 per mailbox. The primary requirement is that you have already registered the website domain that you want to use for your email address. Google and GoDaddy also include up to 30 alias email addresses. With an alias you can create additional email addresses (e.g. support@my-website-domain.com, billing@my-website-domain.com, etc.), and all messages sent to the alias email address will go into your email box. If you want those email message to go into their own email boxes, that will cost an additional $5 each. Google also includes a 15 GB Google Drive, plus their suite of business apps with the one account.

Antivirus software is a must-have for any PC. Without this, you risk losing your data and picture files, personal information, even money from your bank. As per PC World magazine, there are several free products that are well rated. For a Windows PC, consider Avast Free Antivirus, AVG AntiVirusand Panda Free Antivirus. For a Mac, consider these as recommended by c|net Avast Free Mac Security for Mac and Avira Free Antivirus for Mac.

With FreeConferenceCall.com you get unlimited free domestic phone conferencing for up to 1,000 participants. Accounts also include free recording of calls and free video conferencing with up to 1,000 participants. The company makes money by selling other premium business features.

The Small Business Administration offers business education and advice without an agenda. On the US Small Business Administration’s website (www.sba.gov) you can find information about writing business plans, tips for starting a business, information about how to finance your business, and more. It’s a wonderful resource for beginning and veteran business owners.

Your local Small Business Development Center, which is sponsored by the SBA, helps small business professionals and entrepreneurs start their businesses through free business education, consulting, and mentoring services. Visit the SBDC website (http://ift.tt/1kKHH8H) to find your local center.

For over 50 years, the non-profit business association SCORE has provided education and mentorship opportunities to help small businesses start up and achieve their growth goals. The SCORE website (www.score.org) provides free online training as well as scheduling of confidential in person mentoring services throughout the country from volunteer entrepreneurs with years of business ownership experience.

Technology does not need to be costly to be effective. They key to using technology, or any tool, to grow your business is to define the challenge you wish to tackle. Then, you can search for and identify the tool, even a free or low cost one, to help you overcome that challenge.

Collaboration
Sending large files via email can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. Some email system block the transmission of large files. Share files via email means there are multiple copies and version of the same file being used. File collaboration products allow you to manage content and collaborate online with your team, customers, and partners.

Dropbox allows users to upload files and send links to recipients worldwide. Free Dropbox accounts include up to 2 GB of space. Pricing for larger amounts varies. For example, 1 TB of space costs $8.25 per month for a single user or $12.50 per month for 5 users.

Google Drive, like Dropbox, allows users to upload and share documents with designated recipients. However, Google Docs does require a Google account for use. As an issue, that is minimized when all in an organization uses Google products. Users are given 15 GB of free space for all the services where they use Google (email, Docs, etc.). Pricing is available for larger space allotments.

Similar to Dropbox and Google drive, Microsoft OneDrive is free for up to 5GB, and costs $1.99/month for 50GB.

Workplace Productivity
Google Docs is a free web-based application in which documents, spreadsheets and presentations can be created, edited and stored online. Files can be shared and accessed from any computer with an internet connection and web browser.

Another option is Open-source software, which provides small business owners with alternatives to using mainstream commercial applications in the day-to-day management of their businesses, typically without a significant financial investment. One of the most popular open-source tools available for workplace productivity is OpenOffice, an office software suite which you download and install, and contains word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and more.

Remote Desktop Applications
Technology solidifies the connection between small business owners and mobility. Video conferencing, web conferencing, webinars and screen sharing keep you connected to your PC, and better connect you with your customers. Zoom.us offers these services where a basic plan is free. In a Basic plan you get unlimited 1-to-1 meetings, and 40-minute group meetings with up to 50 participants. Plans that do not limit group meeting times and allow you to record your connections start at $14.99/month.

Online Advertising
Google My Business allows you to create a free business profile and offers added visibility on the world’s most-used search engine. Use Google My Business to post your hours, your location with a map, pricing information, and share pictures. All of which will show up for your audience in their Google’search results. Having a robust Google My Business profile can also help your website’s overall SEO ranking.

Email Marketing & Newsletters
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email as a means of communicating messages to your audience. It can be a powerful tool for growing your business. MailChimp allows you to send up to 12,000 emails per month (limited to 2,000 emails per day) to as many as 2,000 email subscribers absolutely free. Larger email volume and list packages start at just $10 per month.

Websites
WordPress is the most popular blog & website management tool, and when signing up via WordPress.com it is free to use. When you build your website on WordPress.com, you will use the software as installed on the WordPress.com server. As an alternative, you can sign up for WordPress through a web hosting service where you will likely pay a moderate monthly hosting fee to create and manage your website for your business. When installed on a web hosting service, you have the added ability to download and install add-ons from a community of WordPress developers..

Google Blogger is a moderately robust blogging tool that can be configured for use as a attractive business website. Google Blogger is completely free of hosting charges and runs on the Google Blogger hosted server. While it has limited built-in templates and it lacks some robust features, there is a user community that will provide very robust website templates and features not available “out-of-the-box” for a small cost.

Landline Alternatives
Small business owners do not need to be tied to an office or computer in order to do their work and stay in the loop. One of the ways that business owners can take their business with them is by using an alternative to a traditional landline as their telephone service. Cell phones, VoIP, ​and virtual phone lines are a few of the options available. One VoIP service provider is Ooma. Once you buy the Ooma device (about $100), all calls in the US are free – you will only pay the local taxes of a few dollars/month. Long distance plans and advance features are available at a reasonable cost.

Being a small business owner or in an organization having a limited budget can feel overwhelming and isolating at times, especially in the beginning. Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to be productive. There are many free and low-cost tools that can help you grow your business and be successful.

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It’s not unusual to shy away from disagreeing with your client. However, disagreements in working with a client can be very healthy and helpful. Most people find that they appreciate having alternative points of view as they strive to make a decision.

Disagreement is not about being right verses wrong. Disagreement can be very helpful as long as you present your point in a positive and agreeable way.

Is The Client Wrong?
Before getting into a discussion with your client to tell them that they’re wrong, ask yourself, “Is the client wrong to begin with?” Just because you don’t agree with the direction they requested of you doesn’t necessarily mean it is not correct for the project. Consider that while you have a better approach, it’s not the case that you are right and they are wrong.

Stay Calm
This is the most important thing you can do to keep a conversation on track. It can be a challenge to stay calm and rational when you feel angry or passionate about something, especially if the person you’re talking with feels equally angry or passionate. Try to make sure the conversation stays focused on facts and not on anything personal. You may need to manage the conversation and make an effort to stay calm. In turn, you staying calm will likely have a calming effect on the other person.

Give Options Not Objections
If you can’t think up a better idea than what your client offered, then what is the purpose is the disagreement? You might not like the presented idea. However if you can’t come up with something to replace it with, then you must go with what they requested.

Provide suggestions that your client sees as actions, not just objections. Instead of pointing out that their suggestion is wrong, promise you will provide alternative solutions. Demonstrate how your suggestions are a better approach to addressing the project, and how they will still work to address the client’s goals.

Back Up Your Suggestions with Evidence
If your client is not persuaded by your arguments, produce evidence that backs up your recommendations. This evidence can come in many forms such as articles and blog posts from respected experts, testimonials from other clients for whom you have worked on a similar project, or provide well-known cases where the same thing you are suggesting was tried and had positive results. To make a strong case against your opposition, it’s important that you do and present your research.

When They Still Want to Proceed With Their Plan
In the end, they are your client: It’s their business and decision to make. The best you can do is offer your professional advice and clearly lay out concerns before agreeing to do the work. Then, move forward to do the best for your client with the plan that is now set in place.

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David Schuchman

Every 3D print starts as a digital 3D design file on a computer. It’s like a blueprint for a physical object. The design file for a 3D printer is like a text or word processor file would be used to print a document on a sheet of paper. This design file is sliced into thin layers which is then sent to the 3D printer. The printing process varies by technology, starting from desktop printers that melt a plastic material and lay it down onto a print platform to large industrial machines that use a laser to selectively melt metal powder at high temperatures. The printing can take hours to complete depending on the size. The printed objects are often post-processed to reach the desired finish.

3D Printer 
A 3D printer is unlike your standard laser-jet or ink-jet (2D) printer. On a 3D printer the object is printed in three dimensions – length, width and height, where a 2D printer can only print length and width on a surface object such as paper. A 3D model is built up layer by layer. The whole process is called 3D printing.

Car manufacturers use 3D printing for prototyping, testing and creating car parts. Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg uses 3D printing to manufacture the turbocharger for their model One:1.

Prosthetic manufacturers create custom prosthetic devices and manufacture them at very affordable prices. When these devices are produced through conventional manufacturing methods, they can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The dental and orthodontics fields use this technology to create braces and retainers that are tailored specifically for the needs of their patients.

Aircraft manufacturer GE Aviation has developed a method to 3D print fuel nozzles for jet engines.

Architects easily create scale models to demonstrate their intended design. Before the introduction of 3D printing into the field, creating scale models was an extremely laborious and time-consuming process.

What Lies Ahead for You
As applications of the technology expand and prices drop, more goods will be manufactured at or close to their point of purchase or consumption. This might even mean household-level production of some things. In that case, you’ll pay for the raw materials and design files for any object that you will need print.

Every 3D print starts as a digital 3D design file on a computer. It’s like a blueprint for a physical object. The design file for a 3D printer is like a text or word processor file would be used to print a document on a sheet of paper. This design file is sliced into thin layers which is then sent to the 3D printer. The printing process varies by technology, starting from desktop printers that melt a plastic material and lay it down onto a print platform to large industrial machines that use a laser to selectively melt metal powder at high temperatures. The printing can take hours to complete depending on the size. The printed objects are often post-processed to reach the desired finish.

3D Printer 
A 3D printer is unlike your standard laser-jet or ink-jet (2D) printer. On a 3D printer the object is printed in three dimensions – length, width and height, where a 2D printer can only print length and width on a surface object such as paper. A 3D model is built up layer by layer. The whole process is called 3D printing.

Car manufacturers use 3D printing for prototyping, testing and creating car parts. Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg uses 3D printing to manufacture the turbocharger for their model One:1.

Prosthetic manufacturers create custom prosthetic devices and manufacture them at very affordable prices. When these devices are produced through conventional manufacturing methods, they can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

The dental and orthodontics fields use this technology to create braces and retainers that are tailored specifically for the needs of their patients.

Aircraft manufacturer GE Aviation has developed a method to 3D print fuel nozzles for jet engines.

Architects easily create scale models to demonstrate their intended design. Before the introduction of 3D printing into the field, creating scale models was an extremely laborious and time-consuming process.

What Lies Ahead for You
As applications of the technology expand and prices drop, more goods will be manufactured at or close to their point of purchase or consumption. This might even mean household-level production of some things. In that case, you’ll pay for the raw materials and design files for any object that you will need print.