• Wordpress
This is a very popular blog service that has been around for a long time. It has a very large and active user community, so when looking to build online followers it is a good way to go. It's also an excellent platform to build websites that allow for easy updates in content without technical knowledge and SEO friendly structure.
• Merchant Circle
A free directory that has very good search engine rankings. Registering allows you to set up a pretty comprehensive business listing, advertise and network with other businesses in your area, and best of all it will come up on the first page of google in your business category, taking visitors to you.
• Mail Chimp
The best email marketing system for start-ups because it’s free for lists of under 500 names, very easy to set up and with many bells and wistles to.. It has great tracking tools and it integrates with social media sites other productivity software you may already be using. Their prices are based on a menu style structure so you pay for the services separately, so if you wanted to go beyond the basic level it will add up. The basic service allows you to email to 500 addresses, upload 5 images and set 4 auto responders. You can only set up one data capture box so if you want to create a special promotion and keep it completely separate you would need to create a separate account.
• The Library
Registering at your local library will give you online access, for free, to lists of businesses, classified by various criteria, such as number of employees, industry, revenue, etc.
• Google Places
With just your email account you can submit your company profile to Google Places, which will help you come up on local searches.
• Google Keyword Tool
This is a free tool that allows you to research your keywords based on the number of searches people do using them, this can give you valuable insights as far as getting higher rankings in the search engines, by knowing what are the keywords people are typing in the browsers, when it comes to looking for the service or product you provide.
• Aweber
This is my preferred email marketing service. It has been around for a long time and offers the best value in the market. In addition to having a ton of preset templates, allowing you to segment your contacts, track openings and click through, it also allows you to set up separate data capture boxes for separate promotions, each with it’s own set of an unlimited number of auto-responders, all the bells and whistles are included in the price, which is based on the size of the list.
• Vertical Response
This is a great service to do small postcard mailings, you can do as few as 1, for about $1. They offer 2 sizes: 4” x 6” and 5.5” x 8.5”. Once you create an account, you upload your contacts from your address book, upload your card design, and that’s that. The mailing side of the card can only be printed in black without any custom design.
• Send Out Cards
This service offers postcard, various types of greeting cards and some gifts that can be fully personalized. It works as a multilevel marketing company but you can choose to be just use the service without being a distributor. It is a great, cost effective promotional tool. It allows setting up a campaign with a series of postcards to be sent at set intervals. It also allows to send a gift, such as a Starbucks gift card or a box of brownies, among other things, as a thank you gift.