Here are some bookmarking sites, in case you want to go bookmarking crazy with your small business marketing:

• Digg.com
• Propeller.com
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit.com
• Del.icio.us
• Newsvine.com
• Fark.com
• Blinklist.com
• Clipmarks.com
• Shoutwire.com

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

I recently went on a tour at Zappos and it was a blast.  The whole experience was literally out of this world – a completely different company culture and work environment to any I have experienced thus far!   My perception of the whole experience was this:  the environment would not be for everyone.  I could name many people, including some of my dearest friends and my step dad in that category, but the freedom of expression and the ability to let the employees establish the culture was great.  The idea that each business can build a comfortable environment for the ideal worker of that business was refreshing.

My point is that when you can identify you ideal client and your ideal worker profile (in the type of worker that would be comfortable in your business environment and type means what a person likes, not who they are, what they believe or where they come from), your business will build a strong business, both internally and externally.

You can get a free culture book by Zappos here.  Zappos Insights also offers help with building the right culture and here is a link to get started.

When your insides are right, your outsides can grow and expand too!

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  She helps small businesses market themselves online by setting up social media and optimized blogs for small business owners and solopreneurs.  She then trains small business owners to use their blogs and social media to drive traffic and increase interest in their business. 

To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

I found this great information on the Internet about marketing your business with article marketing.  Here is the information I took from the article:

Article Marketing Secrets: 1. Article marketing is a long-term online marketing strategy.

If you want a significant ROI from article marketing as a traffic creation strategy, then you must write and submit articles on a monthly basis. Every article published on the Web is an agent selling for you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Therefore you want to increase the number of agents selling and promoting your books, products and services online.

The more publicity and exposure you have online, the more money you will make.

2. Choose ONLY the best websites, ezines and article directories that accept article submissions

Why waste your time submitting articles to websites with:

• Little website traffic
• Little credibility
• No reader interest in what you have to offer

By carefully selecting ONLY the best websites, ezines and article directories we helped:

• Internet Marketing Extraordinaire Yanik Silver reach over 300,000 targeted prospects in just 1 week
• Lesley Mattos, Founder of Adesso Albums, triple her website traffic
• Dr. Karen Sherman and Dr. Vicki Rackner gain worldwide exposure and build a publishing platform for their books.
• Promote Dr. Mark Hyman’s book to the top of the New York Times Best-Sellers List

3. Do NOT use article submission software

Here’s what we discovered:

• The software was not automatic in any way, shape or form. You still have to go to each site, register for each site and confirm your registration.  Then after confirming your registration, you have to go back to the website and put in your username and password.
• Each site has different requirements. There’s no way software can automatically take care of each site’s different requirements.
• The article submission software kept freezing my computer. So, I had to take extra time to shut down and reboot my computer. It took me longer to submit articles using the software than when I submit articles myself without the article submission software.
• Most importantly, article submission software doesn’t allow you to submit articles to the top websites like About.com. You could only submit articles to article directories, which will only get you links. But, you will NOT get more publicity, more prospects and more profits this way!

I hope this was helpful in marketing your business online. 

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Unique, Interesting and Great Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

Google Places is the map listing you see when you are looking for something local on Google. Local listing on Google are so effective for marketing your business! If I was a local hair dresser or a local painter or a local restaurant, I would make sure my Google Places listing was as informational as possible, after all it is a free service to market your business further on the internet.

Here is what Google has to say about Google Places:

Here are a few tips to further engage with your customers. The case study of Dr. Jeffrey Prager’s dental practice sheds light on how other businesses and professional services can use Google Places to connect with customers.

Post to your Place page
Connect with your customers through Place page posts. These 160-character posts allow you to share a short update or special with users. Check out some examples and Sign in now to write a quick post >>

Make sure your listing has everything it needs
You can update your business hours, add photos, and much more at Google Places.

You can make most edits just by signing into your Google Places account, such as:
Photos and videos
Business hours
Description
Address and service areas
(and more)
Use the Report a Problem link in other cases, such as:
Duplicate listings
Inaccurate information, including personal contact information or information about another business, appears on your Place page

See more examples of updates and Sign in now to edit your page >>

Also, you can now publicly respond to reviews written by Google Maps users on your Place page. Learn more before trying it out >>

Case Study
Through Google Places, Dr. Jeffrey Prager’s Bellinghamsmiles.com Dental Care has a continual influx of new customers, reduced marketing costs, and a high ROI.

As his practice continues to evolve, he updates his Place page to reflect any new services he offers. He might add a new video or update his business description. The listing also helps him market his business niche – laser procedures to help patients avoid painful gum surgery.

You can update your Places account at any time by signing in at http://google.com/places with your email address and password.

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Unique, Interesting and Great Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.

Here is a weekend marketing gift for you.  Something to check out and think about for your business – twAitter.  There are many services available to you to help automate your twitter posts and a variety of other social media automating services.  I like twAitter.  It is easy and free.  Check it out and have a great weekend.

Alison Elliott is a Marketing Expert and founder of Corner Your Market Global Marketing.  To get these tips along with tips on SEO for Small Business, Social Media Marketing for Small Business, Unique, Interesting and Great Marketing Ideas for Small Business ,  Help Creating Online Marketing Plans for Small Businesses, and Businesses and Software to help Market your Small Business online , you can sign up to our small business marketing e-guide here.