First Things First Web Update: Sites to See | Web Update: Sites to See |
| Written by Reed Richardson | |
Some helpful online tools for your business.
Local Search The free, local search sites listed below are all about empowering the consumer, letting them do more than just quickly find nearby businesses. Now, customers can add reviews, post photos, and make recommendations about businesses as well. (Take note, some sites like Yelp and MerchantCircle let anyone add a business, so your company may already be listed, unbeknownst to you.) And although you can’t control what users might post about your business, keep in mind that because of this, comments on these sites carry more weight and provide an opportunity for your company to build a stronger brand and better word-ofmouth buzz: Money To keep track of both your business and personal finances, you need good, unbiased advice on everything from credit card and bank account rates to college savings plans and retirement calculators. The free, online sites listed below are solid starting points for researching all of these topics and more. And don’t forget to share them with your employees: finra.org/InvestorInformation/ToolsCalculators/index.htm Business Operations Running a small or mid-sized business often means one person fills the role that, in a large corporation, a small department would handle. Whether it’s back-office IT functions, purchasing, HR policies and paperwork, or long range strategy and planning, the free sites below can make the day-to-day running of your company a little bit easier: |
