Just because you have a small local business doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using the Internet to connect with your customers.

Sure, the Internet is everywhere, and your customers all live within 7 miles of your store, but so what? Communicating with them online is still the most efficient, least expensive way to stay in touch.

Traditionally, small businesses sent out postcards or flyers announcing sales and specials. The bulk rate for post cards is now over 20 cents, so if you have only 500 customers the postages alone will run you $100. Add to that the cost of printing, and you’ll soon find out that bulk mailings are not cost effective.

You can accomplish the same thing for a lot less by connecting with your customers online. An email service like Aweber starts at less than $20 per month, and you can send unlimited messages to your customers. You don’t have to worry about printing costs, and you’re not forced to fit your message onto one side of a four by six postcard.

Another great way to keep in touch with your customers is through a blog. A blog is a kind of website which you update weekly or daily – or as often as you choose – with news about your business, in store specials, manufacturer special offers, even pictures of the store mascot’s new kittens, if you like.

Unlike catalog or brochure type sites, blogs are interactive. Readers are encouraged to leave comments and ask questions, so you’re always in touch. They can be updated in just minutes, so there’s no huge time commitment, and most people find them to be a lot of fun to set up and maintain. You could make one employee the blogger for the business, or give each employee a login and allow them all to contribute.

The truth is, for less than the cost of that single mailing of postcards to 500 customers, you can set up your own website on your own domain, and give your customers a virtual storefront where they can catch up on the latest news about your business without having to leave the house or even walk to the mail box.

Websites and blogs are great if your customers already know about your site, but how can you get them to a new site? You’ll probably hear all kinds of confusing terms like SEO and pay per click and keyword optimized, but to bring local visitors to your site, all you really need to do is interact with them. Participate in local forums, comment on other local blogs, meet people on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. These activities will naturally bring customers to your site, without the technical worries of SEO and pay per click.

The Internet is not limited to giant corporations with giant checkbooks. With more than 82% of consumers turning to the web to find local businesses, it’s clear that even the smallest “mom and pop” business needs some online presence, whether it’s a blog, a Twitter account, or a yellow pages listing. Your customers are looking for you. Who are they finding instead?

At InAreaCode.com, we handle all the details involved in your Small Business Internet Advertising Strategy so you can get on with the business of running your business. Using these methods and more, we connect customers and small businesses where it matters, in Your Area Code.

Once upon a time, if you owned a small business, yellow page advertising was the first thing you thought of when you thought marketing. It may have even been the only thing you thought of. If Suzy Shopper was looking for a new dress or a new washing machine to wash it in, the first place she turned was the yellow pages, so it made sense to put your ad where she was looking.

But that’s not where Suzy Shopper is looking any more. Now, more than 82% of consumers look to the Internet when they’re researching a purchase, and more than half of them open a browser first. The yellow pages have become the book of last resort for many consumers.

The truth is, many consumers don’t even have a phone book. With more and more households abandoning land line phones in favor of cell phones, phone books are becoming an endangered species. Does that mean you should stop advertising in the yellow pages?

The short answer is no.

Yellow pages advertising still has its place, particularly when a consumer is looking for a business close to home. The yellow pages are virtually the only advertising medium restricted to a particular geographic location.

But savvy business owners are taking a hard look at their budgets and deciding where they can shave a few dollars. Yellow page advertising, with rates that can reach hundreds of dollars every month, needs to earn its high cost.

Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting the best return on your investment:

1. The headline must grab the reader’s attention with a well placed benefit. Without that, you’re sunk. In a page that’s packed with ads all vying for attention, you have less than a second to get the reader to read your ad. If your headline doesn’t pull her in fast, you’ve lost a sale.

2. Are you wasting money on color? Study after study has shown that black and white ads are no less effective than the full color ads. If you’re looking to cut a few bucks out of your marketing budget, cutting the color is a good start.

3. What makes your business better than the competition? Are you the only authorized Pella window dealer in town? Do you have 30 years of experience in your industry? Do you sell only 100% beeswax candles? Then tell the reader. They need to know why they should buy from you instead of the guy on the next page.

4. Don’t stop at what makes you unique. Your reader also needs to know why it matters to her. How does your 30 years experience or 100% beeswax candles benefit her? Answer that, and you’ll have a new customer.

5. Give potential clients a reason to call. By offering a free whitepaper or special report, or even a free consultation, customers have a no risk reason to pick up the phone or stop by. Just make sure your offer is for something you’ll still be able to provide in a year or two.

Getting the most out of your yellow pages advertising is easy when you combine your display ad with an interactive website. The In Area Code family of sites helps you stretch your small business marketing budget by giving you the best of both for one low price.

After the mushroom bed is made up it should, within a few days, warm to a temperature of 110

The mushroom is a highly prized article of food which can be as easily grown as other vegetable products – and with as much profit. Below it is shown, in particular, that this peculiar plant is singularly well adapted to the conditions that surround many classes of persons, and by whom the mushroom might become a standard crop for home use or the city market.

Market Gardeners – It’s directly in their line of business; it’s a winter crop, requiring their care when outdoor operations are at standstill. They have the manure needed for their other crops; they may well use it for a mushroom crop as well. After having borne a crop of mushrooms the manure is thoroughly rotted and in good condition for early spring crops. It makes the best manure.

Florists – In midwinter the cut flower season is at its height and the florist endeavors to make the most money from his greenhouses that he can; every inch of space exposed to the light is occupied by growing plants, and under the benches alongside of the pathways tubers and bulbs are stored, also ivies, and the like. To make the plants more fully exposed to the sunlight, they are grown on benches raised above the ground to bring them near to the glass; and the greenhouse seems to be full to overflowing. This is the best kind of a mushroom house. The space under the benches is admirably adapted for mushroom beds, and the warmth and moisture are congenial conditions for the cultivation of mushrooms.

Private Gardeners – It’s a part of their routine duty, and success in mushroom growing is as satisfactory to themselves as it is gratifying to their employers. Fresh mushrooms are a product of the garden that is always acceptable. One of the principal pleasures in having a large garden and keeping a gardener consists in being able to give to others a part of the choicest garden products. In most pretentious gardens there is a regular mushroom house, and the growing of mushrooms is an easy matter; in others there is no such convenience, and the gardener has to trust to his own ingenuity where and how he is to grow the mushrooms. But so long as he has an abundance of fresh manure he can usually find a place in which to make the beds.

Village People and Suburban Residents – Those who keep horses should, at least, grow mushrooms for their own family use. They are so easily raised, and they take up so little space that they are perfect for those who have only a village or suburban lot. They are not a crop for which we have to make a great preparation and need a large quantity of manure. No matter how small the bed may be, it will bear mushrooms.

Farmers – No one can grow mushrooms better than the farmer. He has already the cellar-room, the fresh manure and the loam, and all he needs is some spawn with which to plant. Nothing is lost. The manure, after being used in mushroom beds, is not exhausted of its fertility, but is well rotted and in a better condition to apply to the land than it was before being prepared for the mushroom crop. The farmer will not feel the little labor that it takes. The commonest farm hand can do the work.

Each of these classes of persons has the potential to cultivate a substantial crop. Even in the smallest of places you can begin your mushroom crop, and grow it as you see the success.

Jackson Forrest is a mushroom growing enthusiast and runs the popular http://www.MushroomGrowingSecrets.com website where he offers the best-selling ebook How to Grow Mushrooms for Fun and Profit. Get your copy today!

When preparing your mushroom beds, get the best quality of fresh horse manure you can, and sufficient quantity for the amount of beds you wish to make. Next get it into suitable conditions for making up the beds. This can be done out of doors or under cover of a shed. Out of doors the manure is under the drying influence of sun and wind, and it is also liable to become over-wetted by rain, but under cover we have full control of its condition. All the manure for beds between July and the end of October is prepared out of doors on a dry piece of ground, but what is used after the first of November, all through the winter, is handled in a shed open to the south.

When enough manure has accumulated for a bed, prepare it in the following way: Turn it over, shaking it up loosely and mixing it all well together. Throw aside the dry, strawy part, also any white “burnt” manure that may be in it, and all extraneous matter. Do not throw out any of the wet straw. We should aim to retain all the straw that has been well wetted in the stable. If the manure is too dry do not hesitate to sprinkle it freely with water. Then throw it into a compact oblong pile about three or four feet high, and tread it down a little. Leave it undisturbed until fermentation has started briskly, which in early fall may be in two or three days, or in winter in six to ten days, then turn it over again, shaking it up thoroughly and loosely and keeping what was outside before inside now, and what was inside before toward the outside now; if there are any dry parts moisten them as you go. Trim up the heap into the same shape as you had before, and again tread it down firmly. This compacting of the pile at every turning reduces the number of required turnings. We should endeavor to get along with as few turnings as possible, so as not to waste ammonia. At the same time, never allow any part of the manure to burn, even if we have to turn the heap every day.

These turnings should be continued until the manure has lost its tendency to heat violently, and its hot, rank smell is gone, – usually in about three weeks. If the manure, or any part of it, is too dry at any turning, the dry part should be sprinkled with water and kept in the middle of the heap. The greatest vigilance should be observed to guard against over moistening the manure; far better fail on the side of dryness than on that of wetness.

If the manure is too wet to begin with it should, be spread out thinly and loosely and exposed to sun and wind to dry. If the manure cannot be dried enough, add dry loam, dry sand, dry half-rotted leaves, dry peat moss, dry chaff, or dry finely cut hay or straw, and mix together.

The proper condition of the manure, as regards to dryness or moistness, can readily be known by handling it. Take a handful of the manure and squeeze it tight; it should be unctuous enough to hold together in a lump, and so dry that you cannot squeeze a drop of water out of it.

Different growers have different ideas of preparing manure for mushroom beds, but the aim of all is to get it into the best possible condition with the least labor and expense.

Jackson Forrest is a mushroom growing enthusiast and runs the popular http://www.MushroomGrowingSecrets.com website where he offers the best-selling ebook How to Grow Mushrooms for Fun and Profit. Get your copy today!

The best temperature at which to keep the mushroom house or cellar is 55

What is mushroom spawn? Is it a seed or a root? Do you plant it or sow it, or how do you prepare it? These are some of the questions I hear. To the general public there seems to be some great mystery surrounding this spawn question; in fact, it appears to be the chief enigma connected with mushroom-growing. Now, the truth is, there is no mystery at all about the matter. What practical mushroom growers call spawn, botanists’ term mycelium.

The spawn is the true mushroom plant and permeates the ground, manure, or other material in which it may be growing; and what we know as mushrooms is the fruit of the mushroom plant. The spawn is represented by a delicate white mold-like network of whitish threads which traverse the soil or manure. Under favorable circumstances it grows and spreads rapidly, and in due time produces fruit, or mushrooms as we call them. The mushrooms bear myriads of spores which are analogous to seeds, and these spores become diffused in the atmosphere and fall upon the ground. It is reasonable to suppose that they are the origin of the spawn which produces the natural mushrooms in the fields, also the spawn we find in manure heaps.

But we never have been able to produce spawn artificially from spores, or in other words, mushrooms have never been grown by man, so far as I can find any authentic record, from “seed.” How, then, do we get the spawn? By propagation – by division. We take the mushroom plant or spawn, as we call it, and break it up into pieces, and plant these pieces separately in a prepared bed of manure or other material, under conditions favorable for their growth, and we find that these pieces of spawn develop into vigorous plants that bear fruit (mushrooms) in about two months from planting time. When the spawn has borne its full crop of fruit it dies.

Well, then, if we cannot produce spawn from spores, and the spawn in the beds that have borne mushrooms has died out, how are we to get the spawn for our future crops? This is a question that may suggest itself to the inexperienced. By securing it when it is in its most rigorous condition, which is before it begins to show signs of forming mushrooms, and drying it, and keeping it dry till required for use. But in order to secure the spawn we need to take and keep with it the manure to which it adheres or in which it is spreading. In this way it can be kept in good condition for several years and without its vitality being perceptibly impaired. Keeping it dry merely suspends its growth; as soon as it is again submitted to favorable conditions of moisture and heat its pristine activity returns.

Mushroom spawn can be obtained at any seed store. Our seedsmen always keep it in stock, both the brick (English), and the flake (French) spawn. It is retailed in quantities of one pound or more, and as the article is perfectly dry it can be easily sent by mail in small quantities.

Jackson Forrest is a mushroom growing enthusiast and runs the popular http://www.MushroomGrowingSecrets.com website where he offers the popular amazon.com book Growing Mushrooms at Home for Profit. Get your copy today!

After you’ve created all your “self-marketing documents” and verbal presentations, you’re ready to take your job search “to the street” and begin networking. The goal is to contact people who can help you reach the hiring managers inside your target companies. Networking can be done on the phone, in person, via e-mail or even “snail mail.”

No matter what, don’t ever let-up on your networking efforts. Ninety-five percent of people land great jobs through their networks. It’s not worth risking those odds to NOT be continually networking! Remember: If you’re in career transition, networking IS your job. It should be the primary focus of everything you do. The quantity and quality of your networking time is directly related to the personal, professional, and financial satisfaction you’ll have in your next job.”

Who should be on your contact list? Who should you be reaching out to? The answer is: everyone you know. Everyone? Yes, everyone! Every single person alive who knows your name should be on your contact list! (The only exception is people who clearly don’t like you)! It doesn’t matter what these contacts do for a living, or where they live, or how much power or money they have. The key is not to pre-judge people or make assumptions about who can and cannot help you. After guiding thousands of clients through the networking process, I have learned that most new jobs are secured through people who were least expected to be of help!

Let’s “de-mystify” the networking process, so it won’t seem overwhelming or confusing to you any longer. What follows is a highly-structured and purposeful approach that consistently produces excellent results! Using your Contact List to focus on the specific people to contact, here are the basic steps you’ll need to follow:

1. Build Rapport. State, “I was referred by (give name of mutual friend/colleague), or “I was referred by our mutual colleague/friend (give name), who suggested that” …. (Find some area of common interest to discuss). I’m contacting you about a career matter, but let me assure you that I am not calling to ask you for a job – nor do I expect you to even know of any job openings. Let me start by telling you a bit about myself and my professional background….

2. State “where you’ve been” by using a Positioning Statement. This is a succinct, pre-prepared verbal statement that explains “who you are” professionally. Example: “I am a senior Financial and Operations Professional and graduate of Western General’s Financial Management Program. I have more than 15 years of experience in the Manufacturing and Services industries. My strengths include analysis, problem-solving, communication and innovation. I have specific expertise in Financial Analysis and Reporting, Cash and Risk Management, and Productivity Analysis. I am seeking a leadership position with a focus on Financial Reporting.”

3. Share “what happened” with an Exit Statement. This is a concise explanation of why you’re no longer at your previous position, or why you’re interested in leaving your current employer. Example: “As a result of a merger between two business units, over 1,500 positions have been affected, including mine. I now have the opportunity to explore other career options in Financial Services that will leverage my proven strengths in analysis, problem-solving, communication and innovation.” The Exit Statement must be expressed in positive terms, so there will be no suspicion that you “did something wrong” to lose your job.

4. Ask for help. “Would you be willing to help me?”

5. “Decompress” – take the pressure off – reassure your contact again that you are not asking for a job. Reiterate, “As I said, I am not asking you for a job, nor do I expect you to know of any appropriate positions. However, I am interested any advice or guidance that you could offer, in addition to any networking contacts you could provide. (Give name of mutual friend/colleague) told me that you’d be a great person to talk to for this purpose. Would you be willing to review some of my credentials, and give me candid feedback? I could send the materials right over.”

6. Ask again for help, i.e., expanding contact network, guidance, advice, feedback. Leverage the notion of “six degrees of separation” – ask for contacts from your contacts! And always “come from generosity.” This means you should be on the lookout for opportunities to offer something of value in return.

7. Share your main documents, and set a time to get back to them. State, “I’ll e-mail (or fax) a one-page Professional Biography and list of Target Companies to you. Then I’d like to follow-up and have another conversation – when would be better for you, Wednesday afternoon or Friday morning? I know your input will be of great value, and I appreciate your willingness to help. Follow-up after your networking meeting and keep the conversation going with two-way value exchange. Note: if the contact is a “center of influence,” try to have your follow-up discussion face-to-face instead of on the phone, unless the contact is outside your geographic region.

It is a very smart career move to always be networking no matter what is going on for you professionally. If you do not need help at this time, build up your networking power by helping others. In general, people will want to help you. It makes them feel good about themselves. It boosts their self-esteem to be considered “a connector” of people with opportunities and information, and it makes them feel important.” Networking is a great investment in your future, and over the long term, it always pays good dividends!”

Unsure of your career path? Find a Profession and training that is right for you. HowToBecome.info

Companies are taking a closer look at who they hire today. From heightened security concerns to an increase in negligent hiring lawsuits, companies understand that bad hiring decisions can cause them big problems.

That’s why over 90% of employers now run background checks on potential hires.

During a background check, a hiring company takes a good look at your personal and professional history. They verify your education and past employment, check to see if there is criminal activity in your past, and talk to your references. Some companies may even look at your driving record, credit history or previous drug testing results.

To run a thorough background check, a company needs some very specific information from you. For example, they need contact information for your former employers and the names of your previous supervisors.

This type of detailed information is typically not found on a resume, even one that is professionally prepared. So companies have candidates fill out a job application that is specifically designed to get the information that’s required to run a complete background check.

How you fill out a company’s job application is directly tied to whether or not you get the job. In fact, over 80% of companies say that discrepancies on a job application can take a candidate out of consideration.

When you fill out a job application, you want to make sure that your information is complete and easy to verify. However, there are lots of situations that can cause problems for an applicant. Here are a few:

What kind of contact information do you provide for a former employer that has gone out of business?

If you worked for a company through a temporary agency, who do you list as the employer?

If you were fired from your previous job, should you leave it off the application?

How you answer these and other questions can make the difference between a swift and successful background check and one that grinds to a halt because information can’t be verified. Human resources will usually caution against hiring someone whose information is hard to read, has gaps or inconsistencies, or is lacking important details.

A successful job search requires a professional-looking resume, strong interviewing skills, and a can-do attitude. These tools will get you in the door and help you make the final cut.

But if you don’t pass the background check, you won’t get the job.

The bottom line is that in order to be safe, you need to know what they are going to find. Some online companies basically cut out all the work of obtaining the well hidden information and organize it into a report that you can easily download. So basically instead of having to go to the city hall, the police station, the state capital and other places that hold this information, you can get it all in one neat little background check.

Take the time to prepare the detailed information that will go on your job application. It’s one of the best things you can do in your job search.

How much education is required? What the job is like? How much you can earn? Where to get the training? HowToBecome.info

The answer is you can do quite a lot to market your business on the internet.

The reality is you will need to spend more time on the net but not necessarily more money. The reason for this is that so much is available on the internet in terms of resources and huge numbers of potential customers already on there. The issue for you is how to tap into that pool of prospects and gaining understand and skills to use the resources already there.

Nevertheless, you’re rich enough to have $50 to hand so let’s see what you can get done.

Build and Promote a Web Site

For $50 and around an hour, you can build yourself a landing page to promote your business, provide an overview of products and services and make sure your contact information is available for those prospects who want to speak to you.

You do not need to invest thousands in web designers or marketing specialists nor do you need specialist skills yourself. If you are new to e-commerce, search for free web design services and hosting and test the water first. If your project returns results, you can consider increasing your allocation of time and money resources and then call in the professionals. At most, you will need to spend $50 to pay for hosting or a website template to use.

Social Media and Networking Sites

Signing up and producing a profile with FaceBook, MySpace, Ning, Bebo. Orkut and the many other online networking sites is easy and best of all, free!

In return for signing up and generating a profile for your business or particular product or service line, you will be able to generate traffic to your own website off the networking site. In addition, you get a lot of users referring items of interest around the online networks which is what many marketing professionals look to achieve – getting their social media promotional activity to go “viral”.

We still haven’t spent the $50 yet, but if you feel like doing so, head over to LinkedIn, the business networking community and subscribe. You don’t have to pay to register and develop a profile but the paying subscribers get better exposure and access to more promotional tools.

Buy a Great Sounding Domain Name

Head over to GoDaddy or any of the domain name companies and you will see offers such as, “Get Your Domain Name for Free” or in any event, less than a few dollars. The reality is that most of the great sounding domain names have already been bought and if they are not actively being used by someone else, they will be gathering virtual dust as someone is holding the domain name for resale or because they no longer need it but haven’t thought of selling it.

For a great sounding domain name or to buy one from someone else who is no longer using it, be prepared to spend a little more time and a little more money to get a name which will really attract visitors to the site.

Establish a Blog

Setting up a blog is relatively simple and straight forward and you can do it for free as well – just head over to WordPress or Blogger and follow the step by step instructions. Blogging is very popular and while it does not eclipse search engines for popularity amongst users, blogs have become the focus of a great deal of activity and discussion over the net.

If you want to spend some money, look at buying a domain name for use with your free blog with Wordpress who for $10 will let you use your own domain name without the wordpress.com extension and make yourself look more professional.

Dell Atlas, writes for Big Oak SEO, an honest SEO Company in Richmond, VA. Specializing in search engine optimization, Big Oak SEO, has years of experience running successful search engine marketing campaigns – BigOakInc.com