10 Internet Marketing Applications I Couldn’t Do Without
When it comes to online marketing there is an almost limitless supply of software that promises to make your life quicker and easier. Having tried a huge number of applications over the years there are actually very few which I really use onb a regular basis and over an extended period of time.
So I thought it might prove useful if I actually listed some of the applications and add-ons which I *do* use in the hope that they might actually make your life easier too.
In no particular order then, here are my top pieces of software which I would really struggle to be without:
I use both a desktop and a netbook for running my online business. While the desktop offers far more power, my trusty Acer Aspire netbook can be really handy when on the road. Combined with wireless broadband I can run my business from virtually anywhere now.
Unfortunately trying to use two computers at the same time can be very frustrating indeed as you create a file on one computer and then want to access it on another.
Dropbox gets rid of that problem. Dropbox creates a “wormhole” between two or more computers and any file put into this area can then be accessed from all the other computers on the network.
In other words, if I create an article on my netbook and then want to use my desktop to upload it, rather than having to email the article to myself, or mess around with saving it onto a flash drive I can simply open it straight up from my other computer.
If you use two or more computers this application is a must have. And they even offer a free trial version.
A classic add-on for Firefox that many people are now familiar with for good reason. This add-on helps you to assess search engine competition so is perfect for keyword research when building minisites etc.
Amazon S3 Firefox Organizer (S3Fox)
If you are selling ebooks, or hosting videos on your sites, then using Amazon S3 can be a lot quicker and a lot cheaper than using standard website hosting for distribution.
Unfortunately Amazon S3 isn’t too simple to use either so there can be a pretty steep learning curve. Fortunately I found this add-on which helps you to quickly upload files and then retrieve them.
If you need good quality, reliable file hosting then this add-on will make your life a lot easier.
Do you upload photos to Flickr or Facebook from time to time? Are you looking for a way to uipload a load of videos to YouTube? As you’re no doubt aware, uploading large files to the Web 2.0 sites can be a slow and boring process.
Log into YouTube, select the file you want to upload, then wait half an hour for it to upload. If you have half a dozen or more to upload you could be there all day.
However with the Fire Uploader add-on for Firefox you can select as many files as you like and upload them automatically in the background while you get on with other things. if you’ve ever used FTP you’ll find this a doddle to get started with and a real time-saver.
Saves all your usernames and passwords into one neat area so that you can access them easily and they will never get lost.
Simply the best screen capture software I have tried. This application isn’t just good for taking screen shots (though it is very good at this and produces very good quality snaps) but the editing area is the best I have seen. Add text, arrows and just about anything imaginable. Quite simply this simple application is the best way to get professional-looking screen shots.
It goes without saying that you’d have to be mad to run an online business without some serious anti-virus software on the go. Having tested most of the big brands over the nears it is Norton that I have found does the best job without slowing down my computer.
This desktop application is what I use to access Twitter most of the time. There *are* a number of different applications that do similar things but I find Twhirl does all I need while the ever-popular TweetDeck is just overkill for me.
Simple text editor useful for coding, article creation and so on. I use this on an almost daily basis. A free version called Notetab Lite is available and is well worth a look. Allows one to carry out hard carriage returns automatically which is useful when formatting emails. Also includes a word counter useful for article creation.
I appreciate the importance of backing up my files but I’m terrible at doing it. So now I have automated the task. Carbonite comes ot life whenever my computer is idle and immediately backs up new or modified files for me without me having to lift a finger. A potential life-saver.
Filed under Internet Marketing, Productivity, Resources by on Apr 13th, 2010. 
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