I was really wondering why I was there as part of the ILM panel (feeling a bit out of my league). I had so much more to say about what we needed as SMB’s right now, and what I thought would work for me and many other SMB’s that I am networked with. Some of the businesses that I am networked with are on the verge of collapse due to the current economy (some have been in business as long as 30 years).

The fact is as SMB’s we just do not have big advertising budgets to gamble with (most SMB’s never do).
We are getting hit from so many angles on what is supposed to work best for us to market our business online, that it is hard to make a confident decision on where those dollars should be spent (and even harder to part with them).
For me, I am signed up on a few networking sites where I can pay for basic memberships (total of about $150.00mo), and work the day and night away promoting my business through newsletters, blogs, and helping other members succeed.

I only mentioned MerchantCircle during the panel discussion because it is a perfect example of a network site where all the tools are there for a SMB on a small budget to market their business in their down time (IE: blogs, ads, coupons, newsletters, pics, keywords, business listing, and a few more).
As they are doing this, they are also becoming more savvy on how to use these tools to work best for them (I am a perfect example).
MerchantCircle invites any SMB to sign up and receive these services for free.
As you add content and learn the tools available on MC you can upgrade to a paying membership that gives you more features, and expands your visibility in more cities.
I started with a free membership, then $29.00mo, $49.00mo, and now $99.00 a month.
Another beautiful thing about MC, I can go out into my community (and the surrounding communities) and actively invite potential customers to come to our website and see the products and services we have to offer (where else can you do that?).
That is where the hope comes in.. Rather than sit and wait for a marketing company or a fancy ad to do bring in customers, I can actively do something on my own.
So it doesn’t look like I am plugging MC just a note: The customer service at MerchantCircle could use a little work. Because they have so many non-paying members, they feel that if the merchant cannot learn to use their site on their own, (actually I don’t know what they are thinking). My point is, MC is one of the best free sites I have found that is easy to setup, navigate, and has all of the online help that you need (so if you are even a little computer savvy you can figure it out).
The problem is if you need to speak to a person for any reason, your attempts will be futile (sorry MC). They need to realize that every free customer is a potential paying customer. The competition is getting thick, create loyalty and customer confidence now and it will pay off later.

Thanks for putting in the extra plug, and our website link on your blog. If you are ever on the Pacific coast and in our neighborhood please visit, we will point you to all of the best places in Santa Cruz.
Rick Cook – Treasure Islands Of Santa Cruz.