Over 85% of people contact businesses they find in local searches. That's why 100% of businesses need to be online! Your local business has many options, to remain current online such as a website, business facebook page, social networks, videos, blogs, online ads, etc.  Even for businesses with a limited marketing budget, there are ways to promote your business online. Here are 10 free ways to promote your business online:

1. Google Local: Create an account... Enter your company name, address, phone number and website. Verify the information with a postacard or telephone call. In a few weeks you get a map listing for your company name or industry and town.
   
2. Google Coupons: Coupons are a great way to bring new customers into your business or remind old customers that you’re still around. Google has a free coupon tool that puts your coupon on relevant local searches.
   
3. Yahoo Local: Yahoo local is a directory organized by category and geographic location. You can get a basic listing in Yahoo Local for free. People searching for your business or industry can find your listing.
   
4. YellowPages.com: Yellow Pages have a strong brand name and recognition, and are still used by many people today. They offer a few levels of listings the most basic is free.
   
5. Press Releases: Doing something newsworthy? You can always submit a press release to PRWeb or PRLeap.com. Be sure to check out their tips like 25 Action Words for Writing a Newsworthy Headline and Why Localizing a Press Release to a ZIP Code and City Matters.
   
6. Free Blog Promotion Tools: Does your company have a website or are you thinking of adding one? Websites like Technorati.com and mybloglog.com can help you gain exposure, visitors, readers, and subscribers to your blog.
   
7. Free Directory Advertising: It doesn’t get any easier than trying free advertising. Go to BOTW.org and sign up for a free 60 day advertising listing.
8. LinkedIn: Join LinkedIn and get connected with people you know and make connections with people you don’t through introductions. Look at the new Questions and Answers section and try and be genuinely helpful. Follow the axiom of ‘Givers Gain’ and you may generate a few leads for yourself from your goodwill.
   
9. Email Signatures: Be sure to add your URL to all of your outgoing email. Try adding your mission statement, network links, or a catchy phrase to help people understand what you do. Change it a several times a year so people notice it again.
   
10. Syndicate Your Content and Ideas: Take advantage of article distribution Services like EZineArticles, ISnare, and IdeaMarketers to spread your message and approach. Use them to bring leads to your site by offering things like free ebooks or PDF’s that they can download after entering their contact information.

What's the most effective kind of marketing today? You can bet it's not the Yellow Pages. How about billboards? Newspaper ads? Television? Radio? The answer No, nope, nada, and nil.

The most effective marketing for a small business today is e-mail marketing. And there are several reasons why e-mail marketing takes the prize.

1. First, e-mail is inexpensive. Twenty years ago, effective marketers swore by direct mail. Now, the best direct mail marketers are using e-mail. It's less expensive than snail mail and more effective. You can send out an e-mail blast to 10,000 recipients for about the same price that you can send one out to 1,000 recipients.
2. You have permission. Unlike snail mail, you need some kind of permission to send out e-mail communications to people. Once you get permission, they expect to receive e-mail from you.
3. Higher response rates. Some e-mail marketers report a 50% response rate, or more. That's not to say that they sell to 50% of the people who receive their e-mails. What it means is they can sell to 50% of the people who respond to a link within their e-mails. If you send out 1,000 e-mails, get a 10% click-through rate, and sell to 50 people, would you do it?
4. Everyone has an e-mail address. Almost. More than 90% of the people today have e-mail. In 10 years, that number will be almost 100%.

E-mail marketing is the most cost-effective marketing on the planet. Find out why you should have an e-mail newsletter.