After an extensive review of online Email marketing providers, we are happy to now recommend Intellicontact to all of our clients. Compared to the industry behemoth, Constant Contact, Intellicontact has excellent email templates and an interface that is much easier to use.

You can get started today with a trial account, and accounts begin at just $9.95 per month for 500 subscribers. As always, be sure to put an email signup box prominently on your website, which Intellicontact can provide.

In an earlier post, I recommended getting a virtual phone number for your business, instead of using a cell or home number. I've just found out a much better way of doing this, and it's through the phone company.

The phone company calls this a "TeleBranch" number, and it's usually used to forward branch office calls to a main corporate switchboard. But you can use it to forward your business calls to a cell phone, an answering service, or even your home phone.

In doing so, you keep the flexibility of routing your calls where you choose when your business increases. I've learned the hard way by giving out my cell number. With a TeleBranch number, have it go straight to your mobile phone when you're just starting out. When you open an office, you can convert the phone number to a real phone line.

Also, the number qualifies you for a white and yellow pages listing, which gets picked up by the other non-AT&T phone books. This is all well worth the price of about $15/month + usage fees (range from $.03-$.06 per minute in Kansas City).

Yet another installment of "You need a web site. Now!". The trend is clear: people are searching for your small business using Google, Yahoo, and MSN. They're using the Yellow Pages less and less. Add this to the fact that there are more Yellow Page books than ever vying for your money, and the Yellow Pages becomes much less attractive. I know of businesses spending thousands per month with virtually no result.

From Comscore Interactive:

Reston, VA, September 28, 2006 – comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today released the results of an analysis revealing the size and growth of the U.S. local search market.  Local search is defined as searches conducted by consumers on the local or directory (Yellow Pages) sections of leading search sites, and other searches identified as having local intent.

According to the study, 63 percent of U.S. Internet users (or approximately 109 million people) performed a local search online in July, a 43-percent increase versus July of 2005.  Google Sites (30 percent) and Yahoo! Sites (29 percent) garnered the largest share of local searches in July.  Microsoft Sites captured 12 percent of local searches, followed by the Time Warner Network with 7 percent.  

We can get you a killer business web site for $99. Monthly pricing ranges from $50 - $79 based on contract term. Easy to update, easy to use. You no longer have an excuse for not having a web site.

According to Hitwise, Google reached 60% market share in July:

Another good bit of info from Steve Rubel:

A new report from eMarketer reveals that the Fortune 500s are outpacing some of the fastest growin companies in the world when it comes to the adoption of blogs. Only 1.5 percent of the 200 companies on Forbes' "Best Small Company" list have a blog. Meanwhile, Wired and Socialtext say 5.8 percent of the Fortune 500 are blogging.

From Steve Rubel:

...76 percent of corporations that blog have seen a direct spike in Web traffic and related media coverage. Additionally, some 42 percent said at least one post on their blog has affected the company or brand, in most cases in a positive way...

I just took advantage of a free offer of a new razor for my wife. After signing up online, here's the response I get:

So, you've taken time out and submitted their form. You filled in the details. You click submit, then WHAM!

"Thank You for your interest in Schick® Intuition® razors. You will receive your sample within 8 weeks."

Sorry buddy, by the time you get this package you'll have long forgotten you signed up. We'll send it to you when we get around to it, bozo! After all, we have paying customers, so we won't waste TOO much of our valuable time on you.

That's what it feels like.

Wouldn't it be remarkable if it said:

"Thank You for your interest in Schick® Intuition® razors. Your shipment will be in the mail today! If you'd like to know where the package is, you can track it at this link."

They don't even have to go so far as giving a link. Just tell us it's on its way NOW!

In this hilarious video, a Hotels.com ad plays just before a very negative news report about the company: