In today’s economy, almost every business is looking for areas where they can cut costs. What many don’t realize is by using technology and tools that are so readily available, you can cut some very common and significant costs. Here are a few common expenses that can be cut by using some basic technology that you probably already know about.

Business LAN Line

A business LAN line can run you upwards of $50, depending on all the added features you have associated with. If you have a small office environment and your business doesn’t perform any type of outbound telemarketing services, then you may be able to go without a LAN line. This is especially true if you have cell phones. Why pay the costs of both a cell phone and a LAN line? An alternative would be to sign up for an online 800 phone service such as RingCentral. Online 800-number services can cost under $20 per month and give you some pretty neat options. For example, RingCentral allows you to setup an 800 number with multiple extensions. You can then setup each extension to forward to another phone number (ie. your cell phones). Each extension can even have its own custom greeting and voicemail message. This makes it easy to provide multiple people in your office with their own extension they can give out to clients.

Printing and Mailing Invoices

This is one of my huge pet peeves. I can’t tell you how often I still get invoices through snail mail from companies I do business with. Why not just produce a PDF version of the invoice and email it? Or just email me a Word.doc copy of the invoice. Even that would be better than a printed copy coming through the mail. I recently received an invoice from a company that had a $1.50 balance due. Come on! Do the math. 42 cents for a stamp, plus the cost to print and buy the envelope, plus time involved in preparing and mailing it… the company just lost half of that $1.50. It would have been much easier to just email me the invoice.

Files

Are you still filing your documents and storing them in file cabinets? Eeek! A better way would be to scan your documents and save them to PDF. Then store those PDF’s in an organized folder structure on your computer. Or better yet, build a database to store your information in. Just make sure to have a backup system in place.

Image credit: Caitlinator

Whether writing a title for your classified flyer ad or a post on your blog, it is very important to do it right. An effective title can oftentimes be the difference between a successful effort and a flop. Here’s a few tips to consider:

For Online Classified Flyers

Online flyer ads are great for promoting products or services online, but are most effective with a targeted title. Since these are syndicated to web directories and indexed by search engines, it’s important to keep search terms in mind. Think about what you are offering, then think about what your buyers and clients might actually type into Google. An effective title will synchronize these two concepts so the searcher finds just what they’re looking for – your ad. Many people, to their own detriment, try to title their flyers with catchy phrases, much like they would title an article, essay, or blog post. This creativity is lost on an online flyer, since buyers and clients rarely conduct a search using that phrase.

For Blog Posts

A blog post is a whole different ball game. Think about your Blogsite from the visitor’s perspective. Try to title your posts in such a way that would appeal to a visitor, as well as search engines. Search engine optimization definitely has its place, but remember,  foregoing the usability of your site and the functionality of your posts for a little SEO juice is not going to encourage visitors to return or refer others. If you are clever enough to title your posts in such a way that they will be search engine friendly and visitor friendly, then you’ve found the jackpot. Remember also that you can always use tags and titles for an SEO boost, without compromising the user experience one bit.

Whether a blog post title or a flyer title, it is often the reason that someone decides to read further or move along. It is worth the time invested to put some thought into who your audience is and what they’re looking for. Now go and title wisely!

Image credit: Paul Worthington