Online Resources for Your Small Business
United States Government Agencies
The federal government offers a variety of sites to support small business owners. From research and information to programs and services, these sites are a good resource and they are free.
- Small Business Administration (SBA) offers programs and services to help you start and grow your business.
- Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) - comprehensive nationwide network offering services and training to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Visit the site to find the local center near you
- Census Bureau offers free demographic, social and economic data at the county, state and national level.
- Department of Labor offers free statistics and trends on employment along with other employment related info
Online Business News and Website
Staying on top trends and business news is always a challenge for small business owners. These sites offer relevant information and articles to keep you up to date. Subscriptions are free.
Online Business Directories
Whether you sell to consumers (B2C) or businesses (B2B), online business directories are a great tool to build traffic and generate leads. Basic listings (company name, address, telephone number and website) are free with ability to upgrade. TIP: Take the time to fill out the profiles completely.
To get started, see how you rate and claim your listings, go to GetListed.org
Here are some of my favorite directories
Google Places for Business -- a must for all business
Bing - for B2C and B2B
Yahoo - for B2C and B2B
Localeze - for B2C and B2B
Manta - for B2B
Express Update - for B2C and B2B
Hotfrog - for B2B
Yelp - for B2C
Foursquare - for retail businesses (links to social media)
National City Search - local directories for all businesses
Google Docs - Free web-based office application suite that allows you to create, use and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations and forms from anywhere. All you need is a free Google Account.
Do It Yourself Websites
A website is a must have for any business. But if you are just getting started and need one quick, these sites may be a good place to start. They provide simple, easy to use templates to get you up and running.
Email Marketing Solutions
For simple, easy to use and affordable ways to create professional email marketing campaigns, check out these providers.
Prefer Text or Voice Messaging? Check out Call-Em-All.com
Online Article Directories & Content Sites
If you write great articles and want to expand your distribution and build web traffic, these sites provide a free method to do so. And, if you are looking for content for your newsletters, these sites also allow for republishing articles - with the stipulation that you include the author and contact information with your article.
Press Release Distribution
If your marketing includes press releases, these free sites are a way to increase distribution and build web traffic.
