Believe it or not we are only one week into the new year and people have already started breaking their resolutions. Have you? Does your list look like this:

1. lose weight
2. exercise
3. drink more water
4. quit smoking
5. earlier to bed
6. drink less
7. pay off credit cards
8. phone mom more
9. etc.

I’m sure at least one of these sound familiar to you, right?

Imagine the overwhelming number of people who put “lose weight” on their personal resolution list to do this year, last year and even the year before. SMH (for those who don’t know this is short hand for “shaking my head”) because I too am one of those people.

Now imagine, the number of business owners who have put “grow my business” on that same type of list. Both business and personal resolutions fail because they are not focused, too broad and/or don’t have a plan.

Check out these 5 specific and measurable ways you can use free tools today to save money and grow your business. Repeat after me…In 2010 I resolve to:

1. Learn how to rake in more cash using an Opt-In email list – with a free eCourse

Email marketing is still an extremely effective way to get folks to take action. This free eCourse will teach you 21 simple things you can do to immediately increase your traffic, responses, sales and profits. Some of these tips teach you how to get more people to open your email; others teach you how to get more people to  read your email; and still other tips teach you how to get more people to take action.

2. Increase my revenue while I sleep – with Paypal

Let your customers pay for your products or services online, anytime, anywhere. According to Paypal small-to-medium-sized businesses that use their service get an average sales lift of 14%. There are no monthly fees, set-up fees or cancellation fees; however there are (small) per transaction fees. You can automatically add customers to your email marketing (with MailChimp see #5) list instantly and seamlessly whenever they buy from you.

3. Track my website visitors and Twitter followers  – with Clicky Analytics

Know who your visitors are, where they are visiting from and what pages they view on your website. See your Twitter growth stats in one location with your traffic data. Clicky Analytics makes it easy to improve your results online with real-time analytics. With this information you will write better content, strengthen your marketing initiatives, and turn visitors into customers.

4. Save money on conference calls – with FreeConference.com

Reduce or eliminate the expensive of hosting conference calls. When using toll-free numbers the conference organizer will (usually) pay a per minute rate for each participant in the conference. With Free Conference long distance rates are charged to each individual conference participant’s by their long distance carrier. Conference calls take place on regular telephone lines and no computer or Internet access is required.

5. Turbo-charge my email marketing campaigns – with Mailchimp

Even if you already have an email marketing tool, I’ll bet you don’t have functionality like MailChimp. Creating stunning email marketing campaigns and autoresponders is just the beginning. MailChimp lets you share your email campaign across social networks Twitter and Facebook. MailChimp can automatically tweet your campaign the moment it is sent. They will even track how many times your campaign was re-tweeted and let you know who’s doing the re-tweeting. With their cool Facebook feature you can post your newsletter to your news feeds with one-click.

By creating specific and measurable goals for your business this year doesn’t have to be like previous years. Implementing these free tools today will help you, repeat after me “I resolve to WIN in 2010″. Make this the year you succeed in accomplishing your business (and personal) resolutions.

P.S. Still “Don’t get Twitter”? Download my FREE report that reveals why Twitter is a priceless effective business tool for entrepreneurs, sales professionals, event planners, professional organizers and many other small business owners. Get answers to the top frequently asked questions (FAQ) on how to get greater results using Twitter for business. Learn how you can gain an advantage over those businesses who choose to ignore it. All without spending a ton of money advertising and marketing.


Copyright © 2010 Rising Star Ideas, LLC. All Rights Reserved

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emerging business tools resource Tonya R. Taylor helps small business owners save time and money with social media and other FREE or low cost online tools. If you liked today's issue, you'll love Tonya's workshops, seminars and training products that BOOST profits and productivity. Click here to learn more about what's in Tonya's toolbox.

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If you liked today's article check out these related articles:

1. Business Resolution: Use free tools to grow my business
2. 5 Business Resolutions You Can Easily Keep
3. 3 tools to turbo charge your social media marketing