Steve's Biz Blog » Free Ideas http://StevesBizBlog.com Home Business Tips and Ideas Tue, 25 Oct 2011 06:58:56 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Quick Video Production Tool http://StevesBizBlog.com/quick-video-production-tool http://StevesBizBlog.com/quick-video-production-tool#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:59:46 +0000 Steve http://StevesBizBlog.com/?p=232 This morning I’ve been experimenting with a video production tool that allows me to create simple videos very quickly. Below is the first video I created, something for The Humane Society of Lake County, Florida.

To test this service, visit the Animoto web site.

Not a bad video for 15 minutes work with a new tool.  I’m sure anyone could produce quick videos in less than ten minutes with a little practice.

All I did was upload several images, use the text tool to generate text slides, and then allow the program to generate the video. I was impressed with its ease of use and the quality of the final product.

]]> http://StevesBizBlog.com/quick-video-production-tool/feed 0 Top 10 Blog Posts at Elance http://StevesBizBlog.com/top-10-blog-posts-at-elance http://StevesBizBlog.com/top-10-blog-posts-at-elance#comments Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:32:42 +0000 Steve http://StevesBizBlog.com/?p=213 Home business types may find some value in Elances Top 10 Blog Posts from 2010.

In particular, I found 5 SEO Tips… to be a great article, not only for SEO beginners, but also for veterans who might be thinking about refocusing their SEO efforts.

Twitter for Businesses… examines a number of external Twitter tools to make managing this platform simpler and less time-consuming.  In addition, readers might want to check Elance’s article entitled Twitter 101 for some key methods to integrate Twitter with their marketing in 2011.

Finally, How to Ditch Distractions and Stay Focused when Working Online speaks to a challenge that most online business people face on a daily basis.

]]> http://StevesBizBlog.com/top-10-blog-posts-at-elance/feed 0 Are You Branding Your YouTube Videos? http://StevesBizBlog.com/are-you-branding-your-youtube-videos http://StevesBizBlog.com/are-you-branding-your-youtube-videos#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:47:50 +0000 Steve http://StevesBizBlog.com/?p=182 A simple example of YouTube branding… This video utilizes the YouTube Annotation Tool. Notice also the clickable link to another video in the upper right corner toward the end of the video. This was also placed using the YouTube Annotation tool.

To find the Annotation Tool, follow this procedure:

  1. Pull down the menu underneath your user name in the upper right corner of the screen
  2. Highlight “My Videos” which will provide a list of all the videos you have uploaded
  3. Choose a video by clicking on its title
  4. In the light gray menu bar just below the YouTube logo, select the “Annotations” button

For a better effect, a full-page front or end plate can be displayed with full artistic effect. Simply create the graphic in your favorite graphic program, then use Sony Movie Studio, or a similar tool, to insert the graphic into the video. Will devote a future blog post to describing this procedure.

]]> http://StevesBizBlog.com/are-you-branding-your-youtube-videos/feed 0 Have You Thought About Pricing Lately? http://StevesBizBlog.com/have-you-thought-about-pricing-lately http://StevesBizBlog.com/have-you-thought-about-pricing-lately#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:15:36 +0000 Steve http://StevesBizBlog.com/?p=168 Most of us have some control over the price of our products or services.  Even those people who don’t, for example direct marketers who are required to charge a certain price, usually have the option of which products they present.

Todd Sattersten, author of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, has a newly published FREE e-book with some very interesting ideas about pricing.  If you are interested in arriving at the optimal price for your products or services, Fixed to Flexible is a good read.  At 37 pages, it’s also a very quick read…  Feel free to download, print, and distribute to others (for free, of course!)

Fixed to Flexible – The Ebook

]]> http://StevesBizBlog.com/have-you-thought-about-pricing-lately/feed 0 How To Ditch Distractions And Stay Focused Online http://StevesBizBlog.com/elance-blog-how-to-ditch-distractions-and-stay-focused-when-working-online http://StevesBizBlog.com/elance-blog-how-to-ditch-distractions-and-stay-focused-when-working-online#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:09:20 +0000 Steve http://StevesBizBlog.com/elance-blog-how-to-ditch-distractions-and-stay-focused-when-working-online I found this article from the Elance blog quite useful, with several ideas to keep my nose to the grindstone…  For example, they recommend “batching” tasks for speed and efficiency, and also setting aside time when you work without accepting distractions (email, IM, phone, etc.).

Elance Blog: How To Ditch Distractions And Stay Focused When Working Online

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]]> http://StevesBizBlog.com/elance-blog-how-to-ditch-distractions-and-stay-focused-when-working-online/feed 0 Marketing At Its Best http://StevesBizBlog.com/marketing-at-its-best http://StevesBizBlog.com/marketing-at-its-best#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:43:42 +0000 Steve http://www.StevesBizBlog.com/?p=81 Marketing takes all forms, from a business card, to a web site, to the manner an employee treats your clients.  When an employee treats your clients right, that is free marketing.   A smile, a nice personality, a helpful attitude – you don’t pay extra for these.   If you’re a solo entrepreneur, you choose to utilize your interpersonal skills as marketing tools, or not.

Was reading the blog at http://www.allthebestofthenet.com/ and saw this great example of employee marketing by a Southwest Airlines flight attendant.  Are YOU using all your talents to market to your clients?

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