Resources

I’m not the kind of girl who is brand-name-only.

Certain brands, however, are worth being loyal to.

The following links are to the tools and services I use to help me run my consulting business. Yes, some are affiliate links* but I’ve included these resources on this page because I truly believe all these companies offer the best service around and in each case I’ve explained why.

Or you could just trust me on this one.

Thesis: Premium WordPress Theme

I use Thesis on all the WordPress sites I’ve built so far, both for myself and for my clients. I recommend it to everyone who even hints of wanting to run a WordPress blog. I love how adaptable it is, how easy it is to customize. I’ve tried some other themes, but come back to Thesis every time. Once you buy Thesis, feel free to contact me for some helpful tips, tricks and hand-holding…as well as a pat on the back. It’s that good. I can honestly say that Thesis has made me the blogging consultant I am today.

BlueHost: Website Hosting & Support

I just happened to luck into using BlueHost, when I first transferred my Blogger blog to WordPress and I haven’t been let down yet. Every time something serious goes wrong (and that has happened a few more times than I care to let on), the BlueHost support team has gotten things back up and running quickly and smoothly. I recommend BlueHost to all my clients and no one has been disappointed yet. Click here to learn more about BlueHost- you won’t be disappointed either.

Moo: Business Cards, MiniCards and Cool Printable Stuff

I can’t help it- I like pretty things. And the business cards I buy from Moo are about the prettiest around. No, they’re not the cheapest (without being the most expensive either), but they’re nice and of very good quality. I like being able to customize each card in the pack if I want (I often only order 50 at a time) and I like that I can use each side. My current batch of cards has insightful sayings about design and communication on one side and my contact details on the other side. Not to mention that they come in a great box- I love the packaging, both online (their website and blog) and off.

HootSuite: Social Media Dashboard

I useHootSuite to manage my social media accounts, both personal and professional, from Twitter, to LinkedIn to Facebook. I really appreciate the fact that it’s an online (cloud) application, which allows me to use the same account at work and at home without having to install it twice. Another cool HootSuite feature is that different team members can be integrated into the same account, allowing a group of bloggers, for example, to tweet under the one blog brand.

Mail Chimp: Email Marketing Platform

I first heard about MailChimp when I started using its partner company SurveyMonkey. I now use it for my newsletter management. I love the affordable rates (I use the pay as you go plan), the easy to use interface and their cheeky branding. Oh yeah- MailChimp also integrates with Gravity Forms for easy to track newsletter sign-ups. If you do email marketing, you should take a look at MailChimp.

Pear Analytics: A Free SEO & Website Grader

How many times have you searched for something on Google? And of those search results, how many times have you only clicked on a link on the first or second page? Have you ever even gone past the third page of search results? Pear Analytics’ free SEO grader will give you an instant snapshot of your website’s search engine optimisation and general health. I run all my websites through their grader on regular basis; not only does the score tell me how I’m doing, the free report tells me what to work on and gives lots of resources to help me out.

DoAttend: An Online Events Manager

I’ve used DoAttend’s online ticketing manager to handle online events registration for a few different events I’ve managed. I like how easy it is to use and how professional it makes even the simplest events seem. Fees are minimal, or even free, if your event is free.

*Affiliate links (which means that if you click on a link and then choose to buy the service, I earn a small commission without it costing you anything extra): Thesis, BlueHost, MailChimp, Moo & HootSuite.

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Presentation Slidesets

Here are links to slidesets from my most recent presentations.

Branding Yourself & Your Global CV
In this 45 minute presentation in English, I shared the 8 rules for developing and controlling your personal brand online.

From Face-to-Face to Facebook
In this presentation, I talked about how social networking, and common social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, can be useful for entrepreneurs, businesses and associations looking to improve their web presence.

Twitter: From the Basics to Creating a Strategy
This slide set was created as a resource for businesses just beginning to use Twitter. In it I explain the basics of using Twitter as part of an online marketing and communication strategy.

Personal Branding: Manage Your Image Through New Media
I showed ways to influence a personal brand online, by creating and controlling your online presence. This presentation was especially geared towards job seekers and people looking for career development.