KTC Consulting Inc.

VoIP: A money saving solution for your company’s technology backbone When small business managers think about their IT infrastructure, they think about their employee’s mobile devices, cabling, Wi-Fi, laptops, a printer, and Internet connectivity. These are the basics of their IT infrastructure. However, there is one other aspect of a modern corporate IT infrastructure and that is an internal phone system that can connect “voice” over the internet, rather than traditional copper wires. Once upon a time, every office had an internal phone system that connected to the world via wire/cable/fiber. That wire/cable/fiber then connected a person in your office to a person somewhere else via the local phone company and a long distance carrier. And they did it for a per minute fee. And a very high per minute fee if you called internationally. A VoIP phone system eliminates the phone company’s per minute connection, sidestepping them and running the voice call over the Internet. Talk to your man...

SAFETY PUP SAYS…. Update One thing smaller firms and individuals are often reluctant to do is download updates to their operating systems and individual apps and programs. Why? Well, because it takes time and you have to reboot the device. Other reasons are a fear that the newest update will have a bug and cause problems. The perception is that it is better to wait a few weeks. Finally, there is a fear that anytime you update a program or OS, something always starts acting weird. All of these may have a certain legitimacy. Even procrastination has its defenders. But why should you download updates ASAP? Because they are not only about new features and a new gadget - they include patches to security issues that have been identified. One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from hacking malware and other nefarious online viruses is to always update your software. Do it the day the update comes out, because it may be released specifically due to the discovery of a brand new malware or ...

With Ransomware, The ONLY Cure Is Prevention It just keeps showing up in the news. Ransomware seems to just not come to an end. If you haven't heard, ransomware is a particularly nasty virus that freezes access to your data and then demands a ransom, usually in bitcoin. The worst thing about it is that once you are hit, there is almost nothing you can do. There are only 2 options: don't pay the ransom and lose your data, or pay it. There is no "downloadable" fix. You are stuck. With ransomware, the ONLY cure is prevention. In the case of ransomware you need to be constantly updating your data and securing it in isolation from your network. Even then, if your backup system overrides your older data each time it backs up, you can actually save the virus if it has infected your system at the time of the backup. To make sure you are as protected as you can be, we strongly recommend you contact a technical security expert to consult on the best way to protect against ranso...

So, you made it back home from the show. You're exhausted and work has backed up in your absence. Here is where the entire investment in the show can go down the drain. Follow-up is critical. Every one of those prospects need to have follow-up. Lots of it. One contact isn't going to be enough. First, send out a short email drip that includes a 'thanks for visiting us at the trade show.' The second should be a 'call to action' email. Send an invitation to meet via phone or in person, and add something for them to download. The download can be a whitepaper, or even just your brochure, but it is always good to attach something. Now comes the really hard work. Contacting prospects. No one is going to just mail you revenues. You need to actively market to your trade show visitors. If some seem uninterested, put their names in a tickler file to try back in 6 months. Just be sure not to just let them drop; the situation may change in the future. In summary, look at a t...

We're back. In the last post, we talked about building momentum toward a trade show exhibition. Today, let's look at your efforts during the show itself. You already should have sent out a reminder the morning of the show in posts on all your social media accounts, an article on your website blog, and a general email that you're exhibiting. Now it is time to work the booth. First, recognize that your goal is to use this show to develop as large a list of prospects as possible. That means you not only want visitors at the booth, you need their contact information. The proven way to get attendees contact information is to offer them something for free, or run a contest for something worthwhile. Most booths will offer some give way, coffee mug, etc. at the booth if visitors sign a contact info sheet. People can't resist free stuff, no matter how much they don't need another mug or could afford to buy them on their own by the caseload. Therefore, have give a ways. You c...

Going to a tradeshow for the first time? Don't make the mistake of viewing this as a 1-2 day discreet marketing event. Instead, view your exhibit at a tradeshow as the central feature of a much longer and holistic marketing plan that builds to the event, and then culminates in the successful post­show follow up that signs on new customers. In the next few posts, we are going to break down the tradeshow marketing plan into three bite size pieces. Today, the pre-show build up. The goal of your pre­show marketing is to attract visitors to your booth at the show. You want them to know about all about you before they take that first walk around the exhibit hall. Take advantage of all the marketing opportunities that the show planner offers. This may include access to an attendees list. If so, use this to send out a few introductory emails prior to the show including your booth number. Send one the day of the show reminding the reader where you are. Sponsorships are also an oppor...

Smaller firms often struggle just to keep up with maintaining a website. Worrying about a scaled­ down version for mobile users seems like just too much trouble. Today's blog is all about why this matters to you and why should you bother with a mobile version. A bit of background: Mobile sites are versions of your website that can be easily read and used on a small mobile screen. What is readable on a laptop of desktop monitor can be too tiny to use on a small screen. Also, the buttons and fields on your forms become impossible to use. Why does this matter? Three reasons Showing up in search rankings. If you want to be found in a search and appear high in the ranking, you need to have a "mobile optimized" site. Google has now included the failure to have a mobile optimized site as a specific reason to lower a website in its search rankings. If you don't have a mobile optimized site, you slip lower in the ranking. Slip lower in the rankings and fewer people ever fi...