My Toolkit (aka “The Pieces”)

Stop reading this page now if you want to avoid possible overload. Just let me worry about this stuff!

There are countless tools available to help you build your platform and run your business online.

What is absolutely amazing is how much you can do for a teeny-tiny fraction of the cost of even just a few years ago — if at all. The trick is knowing what tools are best for you. That’s what I do.

Here are just some of the tools we can use to build your platform and grow your business. The best solution for you might include one or many of these tools.

Website Content Management / Blogging

Web sites can be developed in many ways. Without listing all those ways, I’ve decided to focus on one environment for my web sites. I’d be happy to speak with you to discuss why.

  • WordPress
  • WordPress Plugins (free & premium)
  • WordPress Themes

If you currently have a site and it is not in WordPress, that’s OK, too. I’ve worked on all kinds of environments over the years.

Specialty Sites / Pages

There are many tools available that can enhance (parts of) your site. 

  • Landing Pages
    • Premise
    • Hybrid Connect
    • LeadPages
  • Membership Sites
    • Premise
    • WishList Member
  • eCommerce
    • Digital sales WordPress plugins
    • WordPress commerce themes
    • Shopify
    • Magento

Web Hosting

There is a wide range of web hosting packages available. Price can range from just a few dollars to, well, lots of dollars. It’s really a matter of sizing properly and weighing the pros and cons of each host. It helps to work with a host with great customer service and that can scale up as your needs increase. Hosts include:

  • A Small Orange
  • Hostgator
  • Bluehost
  • WPEngine
  • Synthesis

Domain Management

If you don’t already own your domain, I can help. I’ve used a number, and I like:

  • Hover.com

Email Services

If you already use an email service, I can help you utilize it better. Here are two favorites:

  • MailChimp
  • AWeber

Social Media

We’ll focus on which of the primary social media networks will work best for you, including one or more of the following:

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest

Social Media Management

Managing posts to social media can be a daunting task for some. On top of personal service, there are tools we can employ:

  • Buffer
  • Hootsuite

Video / Media Distribution

Video is a great way of connecting with your audience. YouTube video marketing is a great place to start, and there are great tools to turn posted videos into lead generating machines. Of course, you have a number of options:

  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Wistia
  • LeadPlayer
  • Easy Video Suite
  • SlideShare
  • Libsyn (podcast distribution)

Online Collaboration & Webcasts

Whether you’re meeting with one person online, a team of people, or presenting a live webinar to one thousand, there are excellent tools for connecting “face to face.”

  • Skype
  • Google Hangouts
  • GoToMeeting
  • Spreecast

Local Business

If you run a local business and need foot traffic (or just want to pull from the local area), then there are tools that we’ll use for you.

  • Google Places
  • Google Maps
  • Bing Places
  • Yelp
  • Foursquare

eBook Production

If eBooks are in your future, either for content marketing or sale for eReaders like Kindle and Nook, we’ve got the tools.

  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Scrivener

Graphics & Document Production

Either for your site or your materials.

  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • PicMonkey
  • Mourgefile
  • iStockphoto
  • Big Stock Photo
  • Custom photography

Analytics & SEO & Surveys

This is the marketing behind the marketing!

  • Google Analytics
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • Bing Webmaster Tools
  • SurveyMonkey

Back Office, Project Management & CRM

In addition to tools already mentioned, there are even more available that you can use to run your business and communicate with your team. With my help, you could create a business management system for far less than you might expect.

  • Google Apps
  • Zoho Office
  • Trello
  • Asana
  • Basecamp
  • Highrise

Billing

If and when you’re ready, it’s time to collect some money directly. Great tools available include:

  • Paypal
  • Square
  • Intuit
  • Freshbooks online billing

Telephone & Messaging

For little money, you can have a dedicated phone number or even an interactive phone and text messaging system. Amazing!

  • Google Voice
  • Twilio