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Don’t Buy a Mac

I’m trying to do a new website for a MAC user. She’s not super computer literate so everything she tries to share with me takes her twice as long. Her Pages and Numbers files don’t convert to Word or Excel cleanly. What she thinks is a graphic file, isn’t.

There are 4 times more Windows users than MAC users. So chances are REALLY good that MAC users are going to need to share files with a Windows person.

Why make your computer life harder? Unless you are working in a graphics related industry and the only people you share files with are other MAC users, stay away from MACs.

Sure you get free support from the Apple store. How much time do you have for standing in line during regular business hours? But don’t try googling a question for a quick answer because chances are slim you’ll find the answer. Have a Windows question? There are hundreds of answers in blog sites, YouTube videos and forums.

Want some training on the software? There are hundreds of YouTube videos and articles about Windows. Not so much on the iOS.

So unless your goal is to be a full time computer whiz who can rock all those graphics programs, don’t buy a MAC.

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Writing Your Elevator Speech

The American Family Business Accelerator program had an excellent presentation on writing your elevator speech. Even if you have an elevator speech I suggest working through this tool to see if it spotlights any fine-tuning you need to do.

In a nutshell:
     F  –  Find their pain point
     A  – Answer their problem
     R  – Reasons why you’re different
     M – Make them want more

In theory, it’s easy to tell someone what you do. You’re asked that question all the time. But in reality, it’s hard! And it is so important!  You want to wordsmith your answer so that it can be stated in 30 seconds. The words have to be clear and concise to give a total stranger the picture of what you do. It’s that pivotal “first impression.”

Beyond answering “What do you do?” your elevator speech plays a major part in your entire marketing plan. It is the first step, the foundation of the whole plan.

  • When you create a company brochure, you would start with the elevator speech and expand to share examples and details to support the speech.
  • When you are writing content for your web site, each page should support and expand upon that basic elevator speech.
  • If you participate in any review sites such as Angie’s List, Yelp or Kudzu, your elevator speech would be the content you fill in for their format.
  • The elevator speech would be the starting point for your Summary section on your LinkedIn profile.

Take the time to write a good elevator speech. Use this excellent tool. Call Your Computer Lady for help if you need it. We’ll brainstorm with you and help edit the speech until it’s just what you need!

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10 tips for an awesome and SEO-friendly blog post

“Writing blog posts requires skill. To keep readers interested, you should think about the structure of your content and keep it enjoyable. If people like and understand your post, they’re much more likely to share it with others, which will increase your rankings. So, if you want to improve your writing skills and rankings, start with these tips on writing an SEO-friendly blog post!

It might sound like writing for SEO and writing to attract and engage your audience are two conflicting goals. But that’s not true. To write an SEO-friendly post, you should feature the words you want to be found in a prominent place. However, over-using keywords severely damages the readability of your text. A high keyphrase density can even signal to Google that you might be stuffing keywords in your text, which can negatively affect your rankings.”

Click here to continiue reading.

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Got Your Back!

Over the past 28 years, Your Computer Lady has developed a system for working with clients that we call the “Got Your Back” process. Our goal has always been long term clients who come back to YCL over and over with a variety of projects. We want to reduce your frustration and headaches by stepping in to do projects so you are able to focus on what you do best – your real business. How do we do this?

  • One point of contact – Though YCL has a network of experts for graphic design, web site programming, database creation, etc. you only deal with one person. This allows us to learn your business. We can pick up faster on a project. We learn details, special industry terms and personal preferences.
  • Wide range of services – Our network gives us the means to have an amazing range of services to offer you. If we don’t do a particular job, we know who does!
  • Online support – Within 15 seconds, we can set up an online meeting to look right at your computer. We can teach you how to use a software feature. We can fix a problem for you.
  • Back ups – Your Computer Lady keeps extensive back up files. If you can’t find that brochure file from two years ago so it can be updated, we can!
  • Large or small projects – We don’t care if it’s a big project with lots of hours or a small question that can be handled with an online training session.
 
We estimate that the “Got Your Back” process can save you on average 20% over doing a project yourself.  Not sure?  Give Pamela a call today and discuss the project you need finished.

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Why Use Portable Document Format (PDF)?

Often you want to save your files so they cannot be modified, but you want to be able to share and print them. Examples include resumes, legal documents, newsletters, and files intended to be read and printed. PDF formats can help. By using an add-in, which is an extra function you download, you can convert a file, from your Microsoft Office programs, into a PDF format

Portable Document Format (PDF) preserves document formatting and enables file sharing. When the PDF format file is viewed online or printed, it retains the format that you intended. Data in the file cannot be easily changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that will be reproduced by using commercial printing methods.

There are a lot of PDF Writers that you can purchase or download for free from the Internet. Please research and choose the one you feel will work best for your company’s needs.

My fav?  PDF995.com

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