I am starting a new business and wonder what other businesses reccomend, from a software perspective, to create engaging interaction with clients.

Hello,

Congratulations on starting your business! I wish you well!

I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'from a software perspective' to create engaging interaction with clients but I'll take a stab...

Email software is what I use to engage clients who contact me for work.

If you are asking about online or third party programs, I'll say that social media would be a way to engage clients. This would be through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, which are often referred to as 'the big three'.

If you want to clarify your question, I'll be glad to elaborate for you. Also, if you could please complete your profile on this forum, it is always helpful to know who you are and what your name may be.

It also helps to know what your business will be so that the responses can be geared toward the type of business you are referring to.

Janine

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Write that Winning RFP The Job of Ur VA Dreams http://bit.ly/ZJfatV

I would recommend Constant Contact to send monthly newsletters and colorful emails to stay in touch with clients. They have many different templates and the site is fairly inexpensive.

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Cindy Schroeder
Bright Bookkeeping

Originally Posted by BrightBooks

I would recommend Constant Contact to send monthly newsletters and colorful emails to stay in touch with clients. They have many different templates and the site is fairly inexpensive.

This is the second recommendation I've seen for this particular company. I just may have to check them out.
Thanks!!

I have tried several of the email campaign programs, and I personally like MailChimp. It starts out FREE and you can always upgrade, plus if you like to put images in your emails, MailChimp will let you put in as many as you want. I believe some of these other providers only give you a small amount of FREE images you can use. Hope this helps!!

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Tina Thelen
Virtual Office Assistant

THanks! It is all very helpful information. I don't have a lot of information currently on my profile as I am completing my business plan. I am an accredited business communicator. My target market will probably be tech company's and consultants. I am still looking for the right name. That is a tough one.

Originally Posted by whitela0

THanks! It is all very helpful information. I don't have a lot of information currently on my profile as I am completing my business plan. I am an accredited business communicator. My target market will probably be tech company's and consultants. I am still looking for the right name. That is a tough one.

I have to agree, Mail Chimp is free and so easy to use. For a business starting out, free is the best. When your company grows and your email list is too large for Mail Chimp, then you "graduate" to Constant Contact or AWeber.

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Patti Seipp, Virtual Administrator
http://pattiseipp.com

I don't recommend Constant Contact although I know it is a very popular email company. I think the strength of CC is if you're a brick and mortar business. They have some nice functions for events

However, if you are an online, internet-y business, CC does not have enough functions. CC limits the number of autoresponder emails you can send severely. It's hard to do online business if you can't automate well.

I recommend either aweber or mailchimp.

Other software:

Office or its equivalent
Accounting (Quickbooks, Freshbooks or an equivalent)
Consider a CRM or Project management software if you like those things
Anything specific to the services you offer (transcription, etc)
Computer back-up software (like Mozy)
Dropbox (free) is great for sharing files with clients


Then you get into all the bells and whistles that you will naturally find as you do business.

I have video editing, HTML editors ,FTP, keyword research, and image editing software because I do that.

I have Camtasia for creating screen shot videos.

I have snazzy tools like Bamboo for doing webinars where I write on my screen

I also have a special program for speeding up videos when I watch them. I was spending so much time watching training videos that this is one of my favorite purchases!

But don't worry about any of the extras until you need them. Just start with the basics.

Julia

I've been using Constant Contact and wasn't aware of MailChimp.com. I like FREE!

Thanks!

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Terri P. Williams, Creating Time for YOU ...the Business Owner!
www.terripwilliams.com

Thanks to everyone. I have come across a great site with many more references. For anyone looking for information, this had plenty of links: http://www.homeofficewarrior.com/