New Post, Yes I have Been Negligent Here

Relying On Print Yellow Pages? Most Local Customers Turn To The Web!

This post by Greg Sterling tells the entire story.

Small Business Marketing & HP

I was reading Mashable this morning and noticed a sponsored add by HP pushing small business marketing. Clicked over and landed on Small Business Trends, an SMB marketing blog operated by Anita Campbell.

The site is a success judging by the amount of readers (137k) and all the comments or suggestions posted on the tips page by celebrated personalities in the online marketing realm.

The tips page sponsorship by HP is smart, marketing on a marketers site. They expose readers to HP computers, office supplies, copies etc.

I'm not a fan of full site or even dedicated special event page sponsorship. I understand the idea from HP's point of view however when a site is 'owned' by a particular brand objectivity is automatically questioned.

If this site was fully sponsored by someone like Idearc's Superpages I would not be able to point my clients to advantages offered by competitors.

Once I take a dedicated sponsorship I become a blogger for them, not an objective agent for my clients.

On the other hand life would be simpler.

N.Y.Times New Page For Small Business

NYTimes.com today unveiled a new page in the their business section for small business. The NYTimes.com new Small Business section is a very nice portal full of general and specific topics helpful to new and seasoned small business operators.

NYTimes.com press release offers;

"The new Small Business section includes weekly columns and features from Times journalists and trusted third party sources, including AllBusiness.com, Inc. Magazine and SmallBusiness.org, as well as a comprehensive Resource Center guide for readers seeking information on specific topics like management, innovation or legal issues.

"This new section will help small business owners make better decisions, work smarter and keep up with the latest information related to their field and business community," said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager, NYTimes.com. "Advertisers have long been asking for ways to reach the small business community and now we've given them a powerful new platform that aggregates all of the great reporting we do in this area as well as carefully selected partner content."

Yahoo! Simple Website Solutions

Yahoo! Small Business hits a clean triple through the gap with the introduction of a simple and inexpensive webhosting and site building feature.
It's a definite improvement on the free website offering that is nothing more than an information page.

This product plays into the hands of smaller businesses unwilling or unable to employ full service website design firms. Over a decade into the world of website building it is still a minefield for small businesses looking for an trustworthy site designer that does not charge an arm and a leg. I have heard enough horror stories lately to represent that overpriced designers are still laying in wait for the uninitiated.

I intend to introduce this solution to my clients looking for easy and inexpensive website options. SuperPages has a similar offering with monthly charges in the $15.00 range. I have not studied the program but the templates look clean and the price is right.

I also noticed this interesting item on the new Yahoo! site building page, a submission option to Yahoo! and Google. Yahoo! has no direct submission option. Their site submission is normally $299.00 and that does not guarantee inclusion.

Small Is The Now; Small Is The Future

According to Matt McGee posting on Search Engine Land;

"Small is the Now: Based on its most recent figures (2005), the U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that 99.9% of the country's businesses are small businesses. The U.S. Census Bureau says small businesses employ slightly more than 50% of the workforce.

Small is the Future: The recent Intuit Future of Small Business Report cites a 2005 Gallup/CNN/USA Today survey, in which nearly 80% of 18-29 year-olds questioned said they'd rather start their own business than work for a big company. The report specifically mentions technology as a driving force behind the growth of small business among young adults:..."

Matt reveals Search Engine Land will be starting a new column dedicated to small business search marketing, great!