Have you ever seen one of those scary websites or blogs that was so full of poor grammar and bad spelling – so full of red flags like “your invited” and “there prices don’t compare”, that not only will you NOT do business with these people – you want to warn everybody else to stay away too?

As an eMedia consultant & publisher, I see it all the time.

It drives me crazy.

It is a dead give-away that the Business Owner either tried doing the website or Blog on her own, or paid the wrong person to do it for her – and she didn’t even have it proofread in the end.

If I could scrawl some BIG words on a giant wall somewhere that every small business owner in the world would read – it would be these:

Just because you believe you can design your own website or write your own Blog articles – doesn’t mean you can.

I mean you can – but your site may not look as professional as it should.

And it certainly may not accomplish what you are trying to accomplish (which I would assume is to assure people that you are professional, and your products and/or services are top-notch).

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge proponent of all manner of positive thinking.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained (after all) so of course you should try your hand at anything that you believe you can successfully achieve.

If you are a decent copywriter or if you have some sort of background in design – you most certainly should try your hand at a website or Blog on your own.

But thinking that you are good at writing and web design when you are not good at these things – is a very dangerous delusion to have when your goal is to successfully market yourself in this new Social Media/Web 2.0 World.

Look.

I know times are hard for everybody – and particularly so for small business owners.

And it is certainly not news that web designers can be expensive.

For many of you, a do-it-yourself approach is close to the last marketing option you have.

So I get it.

You believe that by writing and designing your site or Blog yourself, you are doing the best you can do.

But is this true?

A free or cheap template at the “AnybodyCanBuildADollarWebsiteToday” store will still need to be planned, written, proofread, and tested – if you expect your website to have any chance at success.

One thing I do is give website evaluations to people who are concerned about how their Websites and Blogs are coming across in the real world.

Somebody needs to be able to give you the “raw truth” about your site. Somebody needs to point things out about your site that can be much better.

So even with a modest budget  – you can still get some helpful pointers from someone who looks at all kinds of websites everyday.

Final words?

Just because you believe you can design your own website or write your own Blog articles – doesn’t mean you can.

But, hey wait a minute.  I said that already.

(It’s my job to know these things).

We’ve all heard the phrase “time is money”. Yet how much time and money do we waste by not (finally) getting organized?

If you are still carrying around a paper-based “day-planner” or dog-eared pocket calendar full of illegible “to-do” lists, I have a suggestion for you: Google Calendar.

Google Calendar is a free online/mobile organizer application to help you keep up with your daily tasks, meetings, appointments, and payments.

You can create multiple calendars with Google Calendar, and you can choose to share any (or none) of them with family, friends, associates – or whoever you want to share with.

In a way, Google Calendar is like having your own personal assistant – continuously alerting you to the things you need to take care of.

How Does Google Calendar Work?

Since it is a web-based application, Google Calendar will run on virtually any operating system, as long as you have a Web browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Chrome, or Safari.

And it is very easy to use!

Just log-in and add your event to your calendar- with details such as time, place, duration, etc. That’s it.

Your events will be stored online, and now you can view your Calendar from any location that has internet access. (Now at least you’ll never lose your calendar!)

But what good is a calendar or to-do list if you don’t have access to it all the time?

No problem.

Just sync Google Calendar up with your cell phone and your email address – and you’ll receive email notifications, or text message notifications.

Want a text or email from Google Calendar one day prior to a dentist appointment, or 7 days before your mortgage is due?

Google Calendar will handle it for you! Your reminder will appear in your email in-box, or on your cell phone (or both!).

To get started with Google Calendar – simply visit Google Calendar and set-up your free account.

But hurry – before you forget to do it!

For those of you who don’t know it, Craigslist is an online network which features free online classified advertisements.

You can create your own free Craigslist advertisement and have it online in a matter of seconds. Simply create your ad, and then insert it into the ad form at Craigslist.

Is posting a free ad on CRAIGSLIST really easy?

Well, yes but…

You’ll have to create a CRAIGSLIST account first.

There have been recent changes to setting up a Craigslist account – with new security features in place for some categories.

But still, the process is very easy!

Here are 10 Easy Steps To Creating a Craigslist Account

1. First, go to craigslist.org. You’ll see columns of specific cities, states, and countries.

Just click on the specific location in which you want to post an advertisement.

2. Once you are on your location page, click “post to classifieds”.

3. You will be asked what type of posting you are making. In most cases, you’ll want to select “service offered”.

4. Under the “services” section, simply click the category which best fits your Business or Service.

You’ll be taken to a page that says: “you need to have a Craigslist account…”

5. Click the “Craigslist account” link. Then click “sign up for an account” (at the bottom of the page).

6. On the next page, enter the Email Address you want associated with your Craigslist account.

(It’s important to note that this email address is for Craigslist Administrators only. You will be given a completely anonymous email address to be used for your ads)!

Then enter the verification words you see in the Box. Click “create account”.

If this is done correctly, you’ll get a thank you – but you’re not finished yet!

7. Check your email for the link from CRAIGSLIST to activate your CRAIGSLIST account.

8. Click the link, enter your password, and submit it.

9. Read the CL Terms Of Use page and make sure you understand it.

You don’t want your ads to be flagged (deleted), and you certainly don’t want your account to be suspended.

If you are sure you want to continue with CRAIGSLIST, click “I accept”.

10. You are ready to post your first free CRAIGSLIST ad!

Click “go” and go for it!

Oh yes, it’s FREE.

Many of them are asking:

It is possible to remain competitive while spending less on marketing?

Answer: Yes!

What Kind Of Magic Is This?

Update Your Website and Change Your Hosting Plan

In a land of nearly non-existent human attention spans, it has become more important than ever to refresh your Website and make sure that it is concise, informative and relevant.

Since a website is one of the most cost-effective ways to disseminate core information about your business – keeping your site tidy and up-to-date is essential for your success.

Web Hosting (the storing of your site on “servers” that keep your site live) can be notoriously overpriced. I would suggest that you look carefully at your plan and see if you can save some money there.

If you think you are being overcharged for web hosting, contact us and we’ll take a look.

Start A Blog

If you want your Business to have it’s own voice on the Internet, then setting up a Blog is the fastest, easiest way to get started.

Even with no marketing budget at all, you can set up a free hosted Blog at Wordpress.com.

So, you are only making excuses for yourself if you are saying “I can’t afford to be on the Internet”.

You can’t afford FREE??

Evaluate Your Message

Surely every small business owner knows how important it is to stand out with memorable marketing messages.

But as things become even more competitive, you’ll need to step up quickly – and have something NEW to say today; preferably something relevant to the current economic climate.

Just remain focused on your customers, and adjust your advertising to address their current interests and needs.

Look at your core marketing message: what are you really saying to your clients and customers?

Get Some Social Media Buzz

Twitter, Facebook, Stumble, Digg…

There are seemingly endless varieties of social media networks that help get you some media buzz FAST.

If it is true that over half of the global internet population visits social networks, then why would you NOT use one of these free social media tools?

Network Like Crazy

Rather than complain about “how slow business is”, why not use any extra time to network with other small business owners in your area.

Reaching out and being helpful in these difficult times can generate a lot of positive feedback for your business.

Get it right the first time.

Build long-term relationships with your customers, and this will increase your sales while reducing your customer acquisition costs.

And what could be better than that!

And boring.

And stupid.

I haven’t decided if they were more boring than stupid, or more stupid than boring.

But here is our vote for the “Best of the Worst”.

(Actually, this one was quite good).

And…congratulations to the New Orleans Saints!

(Email subscribers, click the title above to visit our Blog and see the embedded Video).