Free Services, Products for Business Owners

For those of you that have offices where your customers sit and wait for services like doctors, lawyers, CPAs etc.  You really need some interesting content to keep your customers entertained.   At this site you can get up to 300 FREE subscriptions for trade professionals.  

http://www.tradepub.com/

Business card templates are generally used to save money and are especially helpful when you are just starting out.  No need to spend money on cards to get started with your marketing program.  The site below will give you a variety of designs for FREE all you need to do is print them out. 

http://www.templates4cards.com/templates.php

In these difficult economic times, its hard to look at the banking industry as an option for your money.  I know this next recommendation may be a little hard to swallow but a member wrote in and suggested it.  Since it was saved recently by a bailout Wamu may leave a bad taste in your mouth but they really have a good service for small business ie FREE checking .  Since all deposits are gauranteed up to $250,000 by the federal government maybe you can give them a try.

www.wamu.com 

Getting free publicity is the best way to generate a word of mouth campaign and the press release is the best tool to accomplish this task.  For many of us, writing a press release is not a labor of love.  This site will help you by giving you a FREE template and some assistance in writing it.  

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/Instant-Press-Release.htm

This category was hard to classify.  We found it helpful to be able to look at websites that are no longer available or previous versions of current website to research changes that have been made to it.  This is helpful if you are deciding to buy a previously owned domain or need to check on a competitor that has been in business for awhile.

http://www.archive.org/index.php

Today we have some advice that will help you use our largest FREE resource in America, the Public Library.  Ever wonder how you can use it to get leads for your business?  Well select the subject area that your target market would read.  This requires a little bit of research on your part but well worth it.  Once you have it follow the advice below.

If you borrow books from your local library, use your business card as a book mark.  When you return the book to the library, leave your card inside one of the pages for the next reader to discover.  I have gotten some leads this way, you might too.  Don't leave it sticking out the top of the book because it may be removed before it is reshelved.

Your tax dollars at work!

For its 10 year anniversary Google is giving away $10 million to the best ideas that will change the world.

http://www.project10tothe100.com/index.html

Google has implemented a feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter, and you will be given the person's name and address.

If you then hit Map, you will get a map to the person's house. Everyone should be aware of this! It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.  This is more of a informational tool and a warning at the same time.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives.

You can have your phone number removed or blocked by filling out the removal form.

www.google.com

This is the third update to keeping track and evaluating your competition.  The site we are recommending today gives you the ability to check on the number of web visitors they have and compare them against your own site.  Its an indication on how they are getting the word out on their products vs yours.  The second site is another tracking product with some comparable statistices.  Simple, easy to use and its FREE.

www.compete.com
www.alexa.com

This might be obvious to some seasoned business owners but for you newbies, there will be a time when you need to check out a potential business partner or a charitable organization.  You will start with your typical Google search and find a lot of information but the Better Business Bureau will have specific information on some businesses that can help you complete your due diligence.  Note:  Not all businesses are registered with the bureau so if you dont find them dont worry about it they may not be aware of it.

http://us.bbb.org/