January 18th - 2007

Create a large presence for your small business

Seventy-seven per cent of homebuyers begin their search for a home on the Internet according to the latest NAR Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers.

Seventy-seven per cent of homebuyers begin their search for a home on the Internet according to the latest NAR Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers. The number of REALTORS® embracing technology to help move their businesses forward is also on the rise as they realize how important a Web site is and how most customers expect it these days.
 
Unfortunately, many small business owners lack the technical expertise, the budget, and the time to create a professional Web site. But a brand new service from Microsoft called Office Live allows you to create a professional online presence without the expense of buying a server, setting up a complicated infrastructure, and hiring technical staff to maintain it. Microsoft Office Live is a hosted service so all you need is a computer and an Internet connection.
 
Build a professional Web site
According to Microsoft, Office Live is an easy and affordable solution to help small businesses build a professional Web site and use the Internet for storing, organizing, and managing their company information. The service offers small business owners or managers a company domain name, hosted Web site, e-mail, a password protected private Web site for sharing information with key contacts, and over 20 Internet-based applications that can help automate common business tasks such as management of customers, projects and documents. These hosted applications will work independently, but they will also integrate with popular Microsoft products like Office Outlook, Excel and Word. By providing access to password-protected online workspaces, Office Live also allows a small business to take their business mobile, anytime, anywhere.
 
Still in its “beta” testing stage, Microsoft Office Live is currently only available in the US and selected markets including England, France, Germany and Japan. Although not yet available in Canada the company says it plans to grow the service into additional markets in the future. For now, US customers can try out the Office Basic version of the service for free or sign up for either the Office Essentials or Premium versions for $19.95 or $39.95 a month respectively.
 
Although the basic service is free, Microsoft banners do appear above the e-mail centre and address book modules. However, only a small “Powered by Microsoft Office Live,” logo appears at the bottom of your free Web site’s home page and no other logos pop up on other pages you create. Microsoft does make money if you sign up for its accounting service for example or if you place search engine ads with MSN Search. As well, Microsoft hopes that if the free service is useful enough, many small businesses will eventually upgrade to the paid services.
 
The free account also includes Accounting Express, a basic, very simple accounting program and another free service called AdManager. With AdManager, even novices can get into search-engine advertising so that your ads pop up when people use Google or Yahoo to search for something.
 
The beauty of AdManager is it lets you specify a budget, $100 a month for example, and walks you through deciding which search terms or keywords will bring up your ad. AdManager’s analysis tools show you how many clicks each of your keywords attracted and from which search sites so you can evaluate which were more effective. During beta testing, you can place ads only on Microsoft’s own search sites, MSN Search and Live.com. However, Microsoft says that it is working with Google, Yahoo and other search sites, and will add to the options soon.
 
One other important feature of the Office Live service is that you actually own the domain name you choose, and can transfer it to any other Web-hosting company whenever you like. But probably the most important component of Microsoft Office Live is that it offers a variety of free customer support options including free e-mail based support plus access to online FAQs, message boards, and community so small businesses have the information they need to get started quickly and easily. Plus, Office Live Essentials and Office Live Premium customers also get 24-hour toll-free phone support.
 
To learn more about Office Live visit www.microsoft.com/officelive. Microsoft also suggests checking back with their site often to find out when the service might be available in your area.

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Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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