Free Web tools for small businesses

Appointment reminders

The online microblogger everyone loves to hate, Twitter, can actually be useful. And I don't mean just for telling your friends what bar your in or how the latest Indiana Jones movie sucked. But it can help you remember stuff, like what happened after the bar. OK, so Twitter doesn't do this, but it offers the interface and rememaberthemilk.com will do the rest. After you sign up for your twitter account, sign up at rememberthemilk.com. You will have to enable sms services on rememberthemilk and start following them on twitter (Full instructions are on rememberthemilk.com.) Rememberthemilk.com is a wonderful site that will remember things for you, then sends you reminders by email and/or text message. You can also set reminders by going on the website, or by sending a txt message to them via twitter. Its simple, it works, and best of all, its free.

Sample reminder for txt message:

d rtm Pick up some milk at 4:43pm tomorrow

The d rtm stands for direct message to rtm - rememberthemilk. Rememberthemilk.com has what is allowed for creating reminders via text message.

Saving money by checking prices

You're at a client's location. They want to setup a wireless network and ask you for a price on a wireless router. Or maybe you're just at best buy wanting to know if you can pick up the new season of The Family Guy on DVD cheaper. Either way, you can send a text message to Amazon.com with the item and it will give you back the best price. It will even send you another text message giving you a chance to purchase this item. This can be a very usefull tool and is free. Just sign up at Amazon.com.


Marketing

Need some cheap, good quality business cards, flyers, post cards, or just about anything you can put your name on? Vistaprint.com is the place for you. They are always giving aways something free. Just pay for shipping and handling. I have ordered several things from Vistaprint and have been happy with them all.

Let's say you just ordered your business cards and they haven't arrived yet. You just met a potential client. Do you write your name down on some paper to give him? No way. Visit mydropcard.com and sign up for their free account. You'll enter all your information and activate your phone number. Whenever you meet a new client, send a text message to mydropcard with an email address and your information will automatically be emailed in the form of a vCard.