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Cash is King. Get Your Share.

Get the research report with an overview of elements of the Small Business Stimulus Package and Tax benefits for small businesses.

Economic Stimulus Highlights:

Funds for indistries that modernize infrastructure and accelerate shift to clean energy.
• Tax credit for individuals via IRS Publication 15-T on wage withholding. IRS download. There are COBRA subsidies for employees involuntarility terminated from 9/1/08-12/31/09.
• Accelerated equipment depreciation is available to small businesses under the Section 179 deduction for equipment.
• Be informed to make the most of provisions that can help you.
  Get the report.

More details about the stimulus package and how it may apply to your business appear in the report. SCORE, MyVenturepad.com and SAS participated in the research report.

Christine Banning, SCORE
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Graphic created with Wordle.net by Jonathan Feinberg

My theme today is local online marketing, with the emphasis on local. I’m covering local directories, local review sites, local ads, local social media strategies (i.e., how to use Twitter to promote locally), local blogs, and local search engine optimization.

Think of these links as a crash course in local target marketing on the internet. If the list overwhelms you, read only the contents of the first link in each section for key points.

But first, look at the table in this post, which document the shift from print to the web:

Relying On Print Yellow Pages? Most Local Customers Turn To The Web! - One takeaway: “Local business needs to ensure they’re measuring the web’s impact in their real-life activities. When people call by phone or visit a store — the top two actions after an online local search — is someone in the store asking about this? Asking about whether particular online sites were used may help local businesses better understand the potentially “invisible” drivers of traffic that they’re not aware of.”  Credit:Search Engine Land, Greg Sterling.

Local Directories

Check your business listing for free at GetListed.org. See how your firm is listed right now on Google, Yahoo, Best of the Web and LiveSearch. If it isn’t, I suggest you use the links to those directories to add a listing now.

Google Autofills Photos & Videos in Local Business Profiles - As of April 2009, “Google is auto-filling local business profiles with photos and videos pulled in from other web sites.” He concludes, “If you don’t optimize your profiles, Google’s gonna do it for you.”  Credit: Small Business Search Marketing. Matt McGee.

The Definitive List of Local Search Directories You Need To List With. – Links to 38 local search engines, directories, providers and 5 data suppliers. Discussion of the importance of online local listings. Instructions on how to write for search engine directories. Credit:eMarketing Matador.

Online Directories And Review Sites: Intro, Video and Links – My earlier blog post on the topic, with many how-to links and examples. Credit:Web 2.0 for Small Business, Peg Corwin.

Twibs A website that “gives Twitter users a place to find businesses on Twitter.”

more…