Cost Effecitve Ways to Advertise Your Company

Getting the word out about your business does not have to cost as much as you might think.  There are many affordable ways you can advertise your business with a small budget.

Fliers

Many restaurants, cafes, and diners have billboards and other places where local businesses can leave banners.   Design a flier with your logo, contact informatin and current deals and leave them anywhere where it’s allowed.

Business Cards

Same as fliers, but on a smaller scale!   Their size makes them more convenient to distribute.    Give out business cards liberally to people you think might be a possible customer, or willing to pass your card onto others.

Vehicle Signs

An inexpensive magnetic sign is a great way to put your daily commute to work for you.

Shirts

With websites like CafePress.com, Zazzle.com and others, it’s easy – and affordable – to createdesign your own shirts to wear wherever you go…especially events where potential customers might lurk!   Added bonus:  If your t shirt is cool enough other folks might want to get it as well.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

If you do business online, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising like Google AdWords ( http://adwords.google.com/ ) can be a cost effective way to acquire targeted clientstraffic to your web site.   You can create a few ads and only pay the cost of advertising when someone clicks.

Advertise With Others

This one is a bit more ambitious, but if done right could actually earn you money.   Organize a coupon book and contact other companies who might want to advertise in it.   You can charge them a fee for listing their business in the coupon in the book.  Simply research how much producing and distributing the book will cost and make sure the rates you charge businesses covers your cost…or more.

To learn more ways to promote and grow your business at 7MainStreet.com.

Expand Your Reach Beyond Your Region

If you’re a small business serving a specific region, you may think expanding outside your deliverable area to be difficult. Reaching out to customers beyond a certain distance is not cost effective, because it is unlikely that they will travel to you. Such advertising does not produce a good ROI. Going to where potential new customers live by building up another physical location brings with it a large financial investment and burden…not to mention risk.

The internet offers several ways for you to cost-effectively reach out for new sales opportunities for very little cost. There a couple of models out there for doing this, and while many of them are suited primarily to selling products, some of them can be used for selling services. Here are a couple of ways to get started:

Online Business Directories
There are many sites out there where you can establish a presence on the web by listing your business. While most of these places do not let you actually sell your products online, it is definitely a good way to get your name on the net where it can be found by countless numbers of people looking for what you sell. The exception to the rule is 7Mainstreet where you can not only list your business information, but can actually sell your products and services as well.

Drop Shipping
There are many people out there looking for products to sell online. Maybe you have these products! If so, then you could offer to drop ship products for other people. They set up their own online storefront “stocked” with your products. When they make a sale, they collect the money then go to you to fulfill their orders. You charge them a small percentage fee for the service. You could even charge them a monthly membership fee, although this would be less enticing a deal to any people looking to start up a new online store on a budget.

Both of these options could be used to sell services as well. Naturally, it would work for all services…you can’t sell an oil change to online to a client four states away! But you can offer expert advice. Are you a legal professional? Perhaps you can offer something like an “online consultation.” Get creative with the services you provided and may find countless ways to market your business over the internet!

For more business tips and advice visit the 7MainStreet.com.

How Online Reviews Benefit Your Local Business

One of the many advantages of having an online business is getting positive business reviews. Business reviews promote social sharing, let your customers k now that you are trustworthy, and build valuable back links for your site. There are thousands of review sites on the web, so finding one that is right for your business is imperative to receiving a good business review. A good review site should give you some level of control over your own business’ profile and information.

Positive Reviews from Clients

One the most important aspects of online local business reviews, is the positive testimonials from the words of clients. A commonly known phrase in the realm of online marketing is “the best form of marketing is word of mouth,” and this couldn’t be more true with web reviews.When a customer looks for your business on the Internet and the first thing they see are good star ratings and positive comments from customers, they are more likely to visit your site and deal with your business.

Social Sharing

Local business reviews are also a great way for customers to share your business name. For example, when a customer leaves a positive review on a site, they can copy the link to a twitter or Facebook post and voilà – all of their friends have now been introduced to your company. With social sharing, online local business reviews can reach out to customers beyond their area and other potential customers that they were previously unable to market to.

External Backlinks

Anytime a business review website posts a review to your business, a hyperlink is created to your site that becomes a very powerful search tool. If that business review page starts to rank well in the Google search listings, and a link to your website is on it, you have increased your business’ search rankings by proxy. Customers can now find links to your site through 3rd party websites, which only increases your potential customer acquisition.

Local business reviews offer a host of opportunities for your company. By submitting to review websites, or creating spots where your business can be reviewed, you will increase your customer base and loyalty.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/how-online-reviews-benefit-your-local-business-4587737.html#ixzz1KHRfQ2G2
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7 Great Places to Eat in Midland, Texas

If you reside in Midland, Tx or are just on your way through and you’re looking for a good place to eat, you are luck. Midland is home to dozens of awesome restaurants. Some of the highest rated restaurants in Midland have a reputation that reaches all of Texas, others are only known to the locals. If you hit the right restaurants in Midland, Tx you can indulge your tastebuds in some of Texas’ highest rated food. Here are 7 of the best places to dine in Midland, Tx.

Rosa’s Cafe & Tortilla Factory

Rosa’s offers a relaxed dining experience. Their prices are very affordably priced. A fantastic restaurant to meet with friends. Here you can dine in a relaxed environment on some great homemade Mexican food while you sip on a cold beer.

KD’s Bar-B-Q

KD’s offesr some of the best bbq in the state of Texas. Drop by the next time you’re in and you won’t be disappointed!

King & I

Here you’ll find some of the best Thai food in the Midland, Tx! The prices are incredibly affordable. The food at King & I is sure to please die hard Thai food fans and those new to the experience.

Tampico Spanish Inn

Prices here are amazingly low considering the great quality of the food. If you are looking for the best Spanish food in Midland, this is it.

The Bar American Grill

Burgers, chicken fried stead, fries…All American comfort food is what you’ll find at this laid back diner. It’s hard to go wrong with diner basics, and at The Bar you get all the one’s you love and made with fantastic care and detail to flavor.

Michael’s Charcoal Grill

Michael’s has a vast selection of bar-b-q and grilled foods. The prices are terrific!

Jorge’s Mexican Cafe

Great Mexican food is what you’ll find at here. Beloved by locals, Jorge’s has some of the best Mexican food in town with a great atmosphere and prices as well.

So the next time your passing through Midland, Texas – or if you live in Midland and just want to re-discover some great places to eat – check out any of the Midland restaurants on this list!

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/7-great-places-to-eat-in-midland-texas-4601939.html#ixzz1KHQPCb00
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Automotive Services in Abilene, Texas

Finding a good auto mechanic can sometimes be like finding a pot of gold behind the rainbow. A good auto tech is hard to find, and unless you have a valid reference or a family member who loves to work on cars, you might be out of luck for finding a good mechanic. And for the Abilene, Texas residents or those who are passing through, the next major city is around for miles so you have to take what you can get. That being said, here are 7 auto mechanics in Abilene, Texas that come highly rated on various sites around the internet. You can click on the hyperlinks to visit their personal sites and see which auto shop best fits your needs.

1. Fred’s Truck Repair
Have a truck? Need it repaired? Fred’s Truck Repair specializes in all things trucks and they’re conveniently located on IH 20.

2. Avis Lubrication Center
Online reviews of Avis Lubrication say enough positive things about this place that you won’t want to go anywhere else. For a simple oil change or a general checkup, Avis has 3 locations around Abilene so you can always find one nearby.

3. A-1 Starter & Alternator
If you know anything about auto technology, you probably know that ever part of the automobile has its own specific way of how it works, and requires a professional in that field to really master the trade of repairing and building it. Starters and Alternators can be a real pain to fix; fortunately companies like A-1 Starter and Alternator specialize in this exact science.

4. Midas Auto Service Experts
Midas is a nationally known company, but the shop in Abilene is specifically known for its excellence in auto service. Located on North 1st Street near N Mockingbird lane, Midas has the auto cure for what ails ya.
5. Abilene Auto Glass
The name says it all, and so do their reviews. Abilene Auto Glass does window tinting and replacement for almost any model of vehicle out there.

6. Ray’s Transmission & Automotive
Ray’s is an ASE certified repair shop that does no credit check financing. That’s a tough deal to beat when you’re in a tight spot.

7. Payless Body Shop
Payless Body Shop fixes dents, dings and paint jobs for those on a budget, and they’ve got some of the best online views on the internet for Abilene paint and body.

7 Ways 7MainStreet.com Can Help Your Business

Here at 7MainStreet.com we think it’s important that every business have a presence on the internet.

We wanted to make it easy for any business to quickly establish a presence on the Internet, and offer businesses tools they can use to make the most of their 7MainStreet.com accounts. Here are 7 benefits to businesses we offer that can help your business grow online:

Businesses can actually sell their products directly from their 7MainStreet.com profiles

Your 7MainStreet.com profile lets you easily upload and sell your products. Not only can people buy your products directly from your profile, but your products are searchable in the 7MainStreet.com marketplace…which means they have nationwide exposure!

Network and build relationships with other businesses and individuals

The 7MainStreet.com platform allows you to contact and network with other businesses and individuals, establishing both B2B and B2C leads for your business.

Track what customers are saying about your business

Your customers can rate and comment on your business, turning your 7MainStreet.com profile into a word-of-mouth marketing machine. Having an open dialogue between you and your customers is essential to maintaining a positive brand image and your 7MainStreet.com profile allows you to easily do that. Additionally, ratings and comments are loved by search engines. The more feedback you get from your customers, the better your profile will rank…that doesn’t happen in yellow books.

Establish an online presence for your brand in MINUTES

We’ve already stressed the importance of establishing – or enhancing – your company’s online presence. This might sound like a technologically daunting task to you, but with 7MainStreet.com it’s incredibly easy and only takes a couple of minutes.

Your 7MainStreet.com profile is more than a profile…it’s a website

Your business profile on 7MainStreet.com is not just a single page with a few paragraphs of information. You can build out several pages making your profile it’s very own website within 7MainStreet.com.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value to your main site

If you already have a website for your company then – in addition to all of the other benefits mentioned – you also get SEO value out of your 7MainStreet.com profile. One of the most important components to SEO is having quality back links to your site. By linking to your main site from your 7MainStreet.com profile, you are driving relevant SEO value to your site, which can improve your search engine rankings.

Setting up a 7MainStreet.com account is (drumroll) ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Yes, you read that right. Setting up your business profile on 7MainStreet.com is absolutely FREE! There is no cost, no risk, just great way to make new contacts and grow your business online.

Sign up for FREE today to start growing your business online with 7MainStreet.com, or contact us to learn more.

Austin, Texas – Win $50 Gift Card to Alamo Drafthouse!

7MainStreet.com is sponsoring a contest on their Facebook page for residents of Austin, Texas. If you aren’t in Austin, Texas, don’t worry, they will likely be launching a contest in your area soon.

The prize for the current contest is a $50 gift card to the famed Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, where you can watch a movie on the big screen while you dine and enjoy a drink. For more details, and to enter, simply click the banner below:

Federal Shutdown Might Affect Small and Big Business

With the hours clicking away until the deadline for the country’s budget decision, some are concerned about the possible outcome if the two sides are not able to come to an agreement and decide to shut down. What a government shutdown means, is that most of the fed’s offices won’t come to work until an agreement is made about the budget, which could run for quite a long amount of time. As a business owner, here is how a government shutdown could affect you.

4.4 Billion Employees may not Come to Work

For the few billion government employees that will not come to work, this means they more than likely will not be willing to spend their paychecks. If you run some kind of business that is in anyway dependent on government employees for sales, your profit margins could be crippled if a shutdown goes into effect.

Tax Refund Checks not Sent Out

If you’re like the millions of other Americans who depend on their tax refunds as income, you may be hit hard. This government service will be delayed if a shutdown occurs. If you use a refund check for employee incentives, payments on office needs, or any other business expenditure, you may want to find a work-around fast.

Federal Grants Delayed

For the companies that use federal grant money, you may get hit harder than most. Federal grants will more than likely be delayed to all businesses, including national parks and local tourist industries. This might mean that many of these businesses will be shut down for a while.

If you expect your business to be impacted by these recent developments in a possible government shutdown, you might want to look into ways to get your company more visibility.  Doing this can offset the amount of business you might lose in the event of a government shutdown.  One way to do this is to get web exposure.  Even if your business doesn’t have a website there is at least one way you can easily get your business a presence on the internet, and this is with a local business listings website.

There are many sites online that allow you to set up business profiles where you can list your business name, address, hours of operation, and more.   Many of these also allow you to list your current deals, coupons and promotions.  At 7MainStreet.com you can even sell products directly from your company’s profile listing!Despite possible hard times coming in the near future, you can use this time as a way to explore new options for your company that you may not have previously been aware of.  In business, every obstacle should be viewed as a possibility to learn something new and grow your abilities as a business owner!

7 Places in Abilene, Texas That You Can Shop Online

In case you didn’t know, online shopping is slowly and surely taking over the retail shopping market. Anything from books to music to auto parts is available for purchase online, and many independent business owners are quickly wising up to the fact that they can dramatically increase their sales by offering products and services for sale online. Think about it – with an online portal for selling your goods and services, you can have a storefront that is open 24-7 without having to staff and manage a location. When your store is closed on nights or weekends, your customers can continue to shop regardless. Even smaller cities around the U.S, like Abilene, Texas, are catching on to online e-commerce, and taking advantage of its many benefits. Here’s a list of 7 businesses located in Abilene, Texas that also sell their products online.

1. Hot Topic

Located at 4310 Buffalo Gap road, you’ll find a Hot Topic in most major malls around the U.S. What’s the secret to their popularity? Even when the malls are closed on the evenings, customers can still shop at Hot Topic online.

2. Big Country Flowers

Flowers can be used for any occasion, and even though a retail store can be very effective, it’s easiest to buy flowers online. Big Country Flowers in Abilene also has an online store so can buy flowers and have them delivered in the convenience of your bedroom.

3. Carpet Warehouse

With 2 locations in Abilene, Carpet Warehouse still has an online store. Proof that no matter how good retail is doing, you can always use online.

4. Churchofchristbooks.Com

With major retailers like Barnes and Noble closing down stores all over the country. Churchofchristian.com is capitalizing on this by putting a niche bookstore online that is locally based in Texas.

5. Ladeeda Boutique

Boutique stores are especially effective at online sales, because they offer products that no major retailer does. Ladeeda Boutique has a great retail store and online presence, which allows them to sell worldwide.

6. The Fire Escape

Showrooms are a necessity for home furnishings such as fireplaces, but many customers might see the showroom first and buy later. The Fire Escape is helping making these customers’ methods easier by offering sales online.

7. Abilene Auto Glass

Nowadays when a customer needs a service in a pinch they don’t look through the yellow pages, the search online. Abilene Auto Glass pops up on page 1 for Google and enables their customers to make their entire glass repairing arrangement online.

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