1. Easy to Use - Mindomo is a free app available on Google Play and has a good amount of support for devices. Once you start the application, you are able to begin mapping your thoughts by entering the primary subject. Each branch can be easily constructed and used by selecting the available tools on the top of your android screen. You can also do this by double clicking your screen. All of the commands within Mindomo are self-explanatory and very easy to understand for all levels of skill.

2. Feature Rich - Mindomo provides a great deal of usable features that many may find very useful. As you create subtopics of each branch, you have the ability to undo and redo changes, add notes to each, include links to websites, images, icons, and add a priority for each task needed in order to accomplish the main objective. Holding your finger down on a topic or subtopic opens a panel for directed editing such as cut, copy and paste of that particular idea. Mapped ideas are automatically stored and can be recalled at any time using the “Home” icon on the top left.

3. Customization - A great deal of customization is available for Mindomo. You are able to adjust the shape of each topic and subtopic from sharp square shapes to more oblong traditional bubbles. Line width, type, and color can be altered in order to provide the best look possible for your personal tastes. Colored themes and layouts give that extra personal touch that is best suited to provide the impact you’d like to see on your device. Some of these layouts could help you envision your ideas as each one has a specific feel to it that can focus your attention. It’s all about comfort when it’s time to start brainstorming. All of these customizations impact your exports when it comes time for you to share your brainstorming ideas.

4. Networking - One of Mindomo’s better additions is the ability to share the mind map with others within your organization. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. For the free version, you are able to export the map as a .pdf or a .jpg and send them via email to yourself or team members. The subscription based accounts for Mindomo allows for greater interactivity between your team members with tools such as iPad and Android Synch and up to eight exportable formats. Premium members are also able to send the actual mind map to their computer systems to be opened with either the web-based app or the installable computer-based app for offline content.

Mind mapping is the process of taking a single thought and providing additional thoughts that relate to it. From each thought, another set of topics pertaining to them begins to create a web of interlinking ideas that can be used to develop strategies for a number of tasks. This has helped developers in graphic design, web design, business planning, marketing, and even keyword development. Mindomo is simply a user friendly tool that can help you plan your next task by putting these ideas in a graphical representation that will ultimately play a role in developing your strategy.

Author Bio:

Nancy provides feedback on all elements of the site “www.enannysource.com” helping us to really make sure that we are making it as easy as possible for caregivers to sign up and find work. In addition, she spends quite a bit of her time on freelance writing tasks.

Mind Mapping: Mindomo for Android is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

Next time you set out to create marketing or networking materials for your small business, ask yourself these questions among many others. Then, make sure you’re making something memorable. We could talk all about the merits of networking for a small business, but that’s another topic entirely. When you get to a mixer, do you have business cards ready to hand out? What do they say about your company and you, in particular? When a customer asks about a service or product can you give them a brochure? Is it informative, current and appealing?

Marketing materials can get very expensive, very quickly. The last thing you need is to disrupt your small business cash flow with a pricey visit to the printers. Imagine you can have your materials fast, cheap and good. That’s ideal right? In the real world, you can usually only pick two of those parameters at once. For most small businesses, “good” and “inexpensive” are the most achievable. With a little planning, elbow grease and creativity you can create memorable pieces for your small business.

Die Cuts

Die cuts are a great way to add pizzazz to any paper project. Unfortunately they are often expensive, especially when they are custom for your project. What you can add, however, if you’re willing to do a little work on your own time is the same effect with a paper punch. Most paper punches limit you to the edges of the paper. Some, like the one in the video, below, let you punch anywhere on paper of any size. If you’re only working on business cards, you should be able to utilize any style of punch, but if you want to carry this feature over to other items like note cards or brochures, you might want to look into a more versatile tool.

Unconventional Sized Media

Remember when square greeting cards debuted? They were a hot commodity for awhile, despite the additional postage needed to ship in a square envelope. Why? Because consumers liked the variety after decades of the same boring rectangle cards. If you’re printing materials in-house, you’re probably limited to outputting content onto letter or legal sized paper. If, however, you’re willing to cut the finished product down, you can add designer flair to a budget project. You will need a cutting mat, supply of sharp x-acto blades, metal ruler or straight edge and an abundance of patience. When you design or set up printing, try to keep the final number of cuts to a minimum. You’ll be glad you did.

Handwritten Notes

A handwritten message carries more weight than the printed or electronic note. It says that you care enough to take the time to do something special. Adding a note into a mailing or just sending one to say thank you won’t cost you much but it could reap massive rewards in the long run.

Guest post by Evelyn Garcia

Evelyn is a printmaker and graphic design artist who enjoys sharing what’s new and innovative in street and fine art.

Add Personal Touches to Your Small Business Networking is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

“Productive Morning is the total morning success system that transforms lives by helping people just like you achieve their goals at a rate unmatched by anyone else.

Our belief is that the Morning is the Foundation for the entire day and that by following a systematic approach to the way that you go about your morning is the key to a successful, productive and goal achieving day.”

You can listen to the podcast or download the transcript [Productive Morning Interviews Stephen Smith]

 Get more information about the Work.Smarter! Series here.

Podcast – An interview with Tim Anthony of Productive Morning is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

9 Business Books That Will Change Your Life | LinkedIn

2) Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends & Friends Into Customers by Seth Godin

No author has influenced me more as a marketer, business person and writer than Seth Godin. I could have easily included 9 books just by Godin – Purple Cow, Tribes, Linchpin, Poke the Box & his latest, Icarus Deception are all amongst my favorites. But Permission Marketing described social media marketing before it existed. Seth understood push-vs-pull marketing long before others, and this book, published in 1999, is still a must read for anyone in marketing today.

I have not read all of the books listed in this post, but I have read this one and it is remarkable.

Must-Read Business Books is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

Paul Christiansen: To Outsmart ObamaCare, Go Protean – WSJ.com

How big can a company get with just 50 employees? We’re about to find out.

Thousands of small businesses across the U.S. are desperately looking for a way to escape their own fiscal cliff. That’s because ObamaCare is forcing them to cover their employees’ health care or pay a fine—either of which will cut into profits and stymie future investment and growth.

We’ve already seen many of America’s biggest companies respond to the new law by laying off employees, putting them on part-time, or raising prices. But those are short-term solutions. Ultimately, these corporations will have to innovate and restructure to thrive in the era of ObamaCare. If small businesses follow their lead, they may even gain an advantage over their big competitors.

Innovation in the Workplace is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

Seeing form with the whole body and mind,
Hearing sound with the whole body and mind,
One understands it intimately.

~Eihei Dogen

Friday Morning Zen is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

PPC (Pay Per Click)

PPC marketing provides instant results because it generates visitors quickly and also lets you measure your budget and ROI appropriately. Becoming well-versed in Google AdWords helps your company take full advantage of the potential benefits of PPC marketing.

Have you already established your brand? PPC is terrific for companies looking for another avenue to continue to build their business. If your first method is already working, PPC can open up your company to additional leads, at a cost. You will see these leads quickly — in some cases instantly, as soon as the campaign is activated. The customers who click on PPC ads know what they want; they don’t want the trouble of a time-consuming Web search. PPC ads transport these customers directly to a page where they can purchase what they need. This avenue helps your company build brand awareness, collect impressions, and open doors to obtaining valuable new leads.

Email Marketing

Don’t underestimate the power of email. From viral email campaigns to weekly eBlasts, many emails are opened consistently due to factors such as subject line, quality, and deployment time. Customers come to look forward to worthwhile content that makes its way to their inbox. Do your research, give the audience what they want, and see profits rise.

Content Marketing

Without content marketing, a website can easily get lost in the shuffle. Many would say that you don’t need a social media strategy or an SEO strategy as much as you need a content strategy.

Although content marketing includes quality-written Web content and social media maintenance, it also includes blogs, eBooks, webinars, white papers, and a variety of other outlets. The key is to engage with your core customers on a level that they relate to, a level that promotes action from their end.

Digital Marketing Strategies is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

Art always reflects the artist. If you are agitated, your art will be agitated. If your art is grounded in the still point, the self will be out of the way and your art will reflect its subject directly.

~John Daido Loori

Friday Morning Zen is a post from: In Context MultiMedia

Why should small businesses be blogging?
Small business people have plenty to do. If you ask them to do one more thing, that thing better be extremely valuable. Blogging is extremely valuable to small businesses.

• Good blog content answers customer questions before they ever turn into phone calls. That saves the business time. 
• Good blog content attracts new potential customers who are searching for solutions to their problems. 
• Good blog content builds trust before customers ever meet a person from the business. 
• Good blog content helps train new staff members, getting them up to speed on “inside” information that customers will want to know. 

Why and How Your Small Biz Should Be Blogging is a post from: In Context MultiMedia