Is 50 browser tabs open at once too many? I’m sure it’s a little excessive, but that’s just how I do things. Unfortunately, my latest little research project – trying to find places to promote my blog – resulted in about 48 browser windows filled with utterly useless money grubbing crap. I did find a couple little gems, which I will share with you, in a sec. I need to rant first about the shameless affiliate marketing all over the internet. I have no problem with people making money this way – I do it too – but don’t get me all interested and then three links later I find out that you want a hundred bucks. I get it, things cost money, people deserve to be paid, but just be HONEST about it, from the beginning for chrissake! Let me take this moment to promise that I will fully disclose any links that I promote, for which I am paid. And I will never promote USELESS crap, just to get paid. I mean honestly, anyone can set up a website and call it a ‘web directory’ and charge to ‘review’ sites to add them. What a joke. ARGH!
Ok, I feel a little better now… onto the FREE ways to promote your business. I am a bit of a Google fanatic… I’ve got Chrome, Adwords, Adsense, Blogger, Analytics, Reader… I use Google Earth and Google Maps and more things that I can even remember or name. Now, I’ve added something new: Google Places. Just head to Google Places (at http://www.google.com/places) and log in using your Google account info. If you don’t have a Google account yet, make sure you get around to it, whenever you make it out from under that rock 
Once you are logged in, just fill in all your business info and you will have a free listing on Google Maps. Some features are:
Once you are logged in, just fill in all your business info and you will have a free listing on Google Maps. Some features are:- Display your location if you have a storefront
- Add up to 10 images
- Add messages to your customers
- Add coupons
- Tons or room to add your own fields, we added our Etsy shop, and shipping policies
- Get info about your customers and what they are searching for
- Customers can leave reviews
- IT’S FREE!!!
You can see how our listing looks here. I’m not entirely sure how much I like it pointing right to my house, with a street view image and all, but we’ll see. Oh, and no one paid me for this post, or for the links to Google – but Google, if you are listening… I’ll take a couple bucks, if you’re offering!
Are you listed on Google Places yet? Do you think that it will be beneficial to small businesses that operate solely online, like mine?
Ps.Excite a schadenfreude and watch it slobber
I’ll explain that in my next post….
I’ll explain that in my next post….
This is totally awesome t!!
Cheerz for the heads up! I had never heard of ‘places’. Gotta love Google
Yeah – I USED to love Google… since I posted that, some other things have happened! You can read about my recent experience being banned from Google Adwords in my new post here:
http://www.ladybonesonline.com/blog/dont-put-all-your-eggs-in-one-google/entrepreneur/