Marketers, Advertisers and Publishers to learn how social media tools, tactics and smart strategy can offer a competitive advantage in a down economy (PRWeb Nov 21, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/11/prweb1649984.htm

 

With the huge holiday shopping period ahead of us, saving has become a particularly hot topic; and with looming economic crisis and undefined gas prices, shipping is the first thing you probably want to save on. So let’s look at some useful (and what’s more free!) online tools that can help you manage and save on shipping your holiday presents.

1. How to find retailers offering free shipping coupons

 FreeShipping.org lists all retailers offering free shipping coupons. You can browse coupons by category or by the retailer’s name and also spot soon-to-expire or newest codes. The site reports to have more than 850 retailers in various categories with some prominent retailers like Target and Toys R us.

2.  How to find cheap items to qualify for free shipping on Amazon

Certain items at Amazon.com qualify for free shipping, but sometimes purchase fall short of the minimum $25 needed to receive the free shipping. Just enter the amount you need to get free shipping on Filleritem, to see a list of products that will get you the free shipping.. The site also offers a FireFox extension or Greasemonkey script that "will add a link to filleritem from Amazon.com when you are short of the free shipping limit".

3. How to do online shopping with free shipping

Pricegrabber has a separate section for products with free shipping option. You can browse the site by category or just use the keyword-based search to find items that can be shipped for free. What’s more you can compare these product prices and thus save twice: by paying nothing for shipping and choosing a cheaper option. You can also browse through the product reviews and ratings, set the price alerts and add products to your list to manage your holiday purchases.

4. How to estimate shipping charges for delivery

 Shippingsidekick.com is a great web-based tool helping you avoid any shipping surprises. Fill in the online form: input "from" and "to" zip code, package size, declared value, etc and the site will estimate your shipping charges and compare them across various carriers. What’s more, the site offers some great informational resources, like shipping tips and advice, info on international shipping, etc.  Currently only works within the US.

5. How to compare different courier charges

ShipGooder.com is another shipping cost calculator that will help you choose the best shipping option. With it you can compare prices of express shipping, ground shipping by various services and based on the route you specify. What’s more, you can see the route on map, export all shipping options to Excel or bookmark the page for further reference.  Currently only works within the US.

6. How to let people bid for the the cheapest rates to ship for you

uShip is "an online shipping marketplace that connects customers with Transportation Service Providers to make shipping more affordable and efficient". Essentially, that’s a free (can be paid for urgent and featured listings) online auction where you create an account, post your shipment details, and let service providers bid for the privilege to ship your item. The listing takes no more than 10 minutes to post (if you are also creating an account); you can also choose bid-alerting methods (email message, phone call, text messages).

What are your thoughts on shipping?  Let us know in the comments!

This is a guest post by Ann Smarty, an Internet Marketer and SEO consultant.  Want to guest post or write for Friedbeef’s Tech?  Drop me a line :)

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Simon Salt is CEO of marketing communications company the IncSlingers. He writes for www.simonsalt.com and Dad-O-Matic

You use Twitter, email, IM and even your phone to stay in touch with your world. Maybe your office uses services like Yammer for internal communication. But once you are done tweeting, emailing and instant messaging, you have to do actual work.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could at least use those tools to help you get some of that work done? Xpenser, developed by Trastr Inc, allows for a number of different tools to be utilized to keep track of expenses. Here is how to use Twitter with Xpenser to track them:

Get Started!

Getting started is simple. Go to Xpenser, create a free account, and add your Twitter account (no password required). Then add Xpenser to your list of following, which will let you send direct messages to that account, e.g. D Xpn Taxi $15.00 #clienttrip. This automatically updates the expenses for the category clienttrip. The same can be achieved through the use of IM, email or SMS.

Track Multiple Clients and Expenses

If you are on a multi-leg, multi-client trip, you might want to ensure that the right client is billed the right expense. To do this you go to the “Reports” tab, enter the name for the new report – ClientABC, ClientXYZ, VegasConference, whatever you decide to name them. You can decide to make one of the reports the “default” report, which means that all new expenses that are untagged will go into this report.

Keep Track of Mileage

Xpenser has a conversion feature which enables you to keep track of your mileage. It can be accessed from the “Keywords” tab, where you can set a pre-determined rate of conversion. Imagine a realtor driving from appointment to appointment throughout the day. Now, instead of having to write their mileage down for each appointment and then get back to the office and calculate their mileage expense, they can simply use their smart phone and Direct Message Xpenser on Twitter with the number of miles for each appointment as they arrive: D Xpn 23 miles Jones house.

As long as the message includes either the word mileage or miles, Xpenser will convert the number of miles into a cost based on the preset conversion rate. It then enters it into the account that you specified, and if you don’t specify an account it will go into the default account.

Everywhere Else

If you’re not interested in using Twitter to create expense reports, Xpenser also supports instant messaging, email, text/sms, and voice. There is also an export to Freshbooks feature, and through partnerships with Jott and Dial2Do, voice recording is available in the US, Canada, and 17 other countries, allowing users to simply “call in” their expenses. In addition, the web interface allows you to edit previous entries or make new ones, export to excel, Quicken, MS Money, and Freshbooks.

So, would you manage your expense reports on Twitter?

Simon Salt is CEO of marketing communications company the IncSlingers. He writes daily at www.simonsalt.com and weekly at Chris Brogan’s parenting blog Dad-O-Matic, and is also an avid Twitter user. He is focused on dragging traditional marketers into Web 2.0 before the arrival of Web 3.0. He loves to help out and volunteers his time and knowledge whenever asked. He is Director of Technology for the Austin Chapter of the AMA and is currently working on a Twitter guide for all users.

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Envoyé : 20 novembre 2008
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