Dealing With a Graphic Designer - Smart tips to get the most for your money when working with a design firm for logos, letterhead, direct mail and other marketing pieces.
Selling by Mail Order - Part of SBA's Marketing Series includes information on selecting, pricing, testing and writing effective advertisements for your products or services.
Building Your Brand - This publication examines what branding is, why it is important, and the necessary steps to brand your product. (University of Missouri Extension guidesheet)
Branding is the Key to Differentiation - Tips for setting your business apart from your competitors including finding a niche, business name, color, logo, slogan, customer experience and promotion (from America's Best Business Practices blog).
Changing a Business Name - Business.gov's discussion on legal and other ramifications of changing your business name.
Green Marketing - Section of Business.gov with information from certifying your products, to advertising and eco-labeling and market research.
China Today - Comprehensive information base on today's China.
Chinapages - Lists trade categories to help find companies or products of interest which are labeled "MADE IN CHINA."
Center for International Business Education and Research - Part of the University of Kansas web site. The CIBER assists small- and medium-sized companies with exploration of trade opportunities and developing international business skills. Particular emphasis is placed on the emerging role of electronic communication resources (the Internet) in developing international business opportunities for firms located in the heartland of the United States.
Commercial News USA - United States Department of Commerce showcase for American-made products and services. Designed to help American companies promote products and services to buyers in other 145 countries.
Embassy.org - Foreign Embassies & Consulates located in Washington, D.C. and throughout the U.S.
Export.gov - U.S. Government export portal providing access to a global listing of trade events, international market research and practical tools to help with every step of the export process.
GlobalEdge - Part of the Michigan State University - Center for International Business Education and Research (MSU-CIBER) web site. Index of international business resources on the Internet.
Globalspeak.com - Video webcasts on export topics, including "How-to-do-Business."
Passport Service and Information - Part of the U.S. Department of State web site. Passport services and information on how to apply for a passport.
SBA: Office of International Trade - Part of the U.S. Small Business Administration's web site. Offers export finance and other loan and lenders programs.
Stat-USA Internet - Business, trade and economic information. National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) Subscription Required.
The Virtual International Trade Center - Part of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce World Trade Center web site. Provides resources needed to grow a business in the global marketplace.
The White House - Homepage. Information from the President and Congress.
The World Factbook - Part of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) web site. Guide to country profiles.
Trade Information Center - Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration web site. International trade information from 40+ government agencies.
U.S. Council for International Business - ATA Carnets-merchandise passports that simplify customs procedures for the temporary importation of commercial samples (CS), professional equipment (PE) and goods for exhibitions and fairs (EF).
U.S. Customs Service - Home page. Top news and press releases. Information on duty rates, harmonized tariff schedule (HTS), rulings and regulations, small importer, publications and forms.
U.S. Small Business Administration - SBA's main page includes top news and press releases. Click on "Search All SBA" to find SBA's "Breaking Into The Trade Game: A Small Business Guide."
U.S. Treasury - Homepage. Top news and press releases.
USA Trade Online - U.S. export and import information on more than 18,000 commodities. Subscription Required.
World Bank Group - Multilateral lending agency. Reduces poverty and promotes economic growth in developing countries.
World Trade Center Associations - Post and review trade opportunities, access valuable international trade databases and communicate with newly-found business prospects through a worldwide network of locations.
Market plans and strategy
Foundations of Marketing - Five steps to help businesses get their hands around various aspects of marketing.
Marketing - A guide explaining the purpose of a marketing plan and goes through the process of developing a marketing plan by breaking it down into components such as research, pricing, advertising and others. Includes sample marketing plan outline.
Marketing for Small Business: An Overview - Part of SBA's Marketing Series providing an overview and explanations of marketing concepts; contains an extensive bibliography of sources covering the subject of marketing.
Public Relations - Section of Entrepreneur.com's Web site with a robust collection of articles on small business public relations ideas and approaches (from Entrepreneur).
Research
A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Market Research - Doing market research can be a daunting endeavor if you think you have to answer all the questions and get all the information you want. If you tackle it one small piece at a time and devote some resources to increasing your knowledge, you be pleasantly surprised at home much you learn about your product, customer and industry.
Business Research & Information Development Group (BRIDG) - The programmatic research arm of University of Missouri Extension, providing both applied and secondary research on Missouri's small business and entrepreneurial community.
Claritas - Business providing products to help with marketing research data, demographics and segmentation.
Industry Information Resources - free guide to industry-specific resources and data for more than 400 industries. Individual pages for each industry list info available from trade associations, industry publications, and research firms which address subjects such as industry overview, issues, trends, and outlook, industry financial information and financial ratios, compensation and salary surveys, and business valuation resources.
Market Research Workbook - Guide to finding the information/data a firm needs in developing a marketing plan or program.
Researching Your Market - A successful business knows its market. Marketing research is simply learning about people.
Yes, You Too Can Conduct Market Research - Answers to basic questions about your product or service can provide a solid foundation for the future of your business. You can find the answers you need by doing your own research.
Demographics
AdAge.com: Demographics - Focuses on consumer trends and behavior - and how to locate prime prospects in terms of demographics, lifestyles, media preferences and purchasing behavior.
BizStats.com - Effective and understandable online analysis of industry and small business statistics.
Business Indicators Analysis Tools - Business Indicators was developed by BRIDG and the University of Missouri's Office of Social and Economic Analysis (OSEDA) in response to requests for "easy to find and use data for marketing and business plans." We have pulled together various data sources to meet this demand by entrepreneurs and individuals helping entrepreneurs. Data will be updated as it is made available to us.
Cedar National Address Server - Given a valid U.S. postal address, this web site rewrites the address in the proper Post Office format along with the ZIP+4 code. It will also print the address and barcode on an envelope and provide a street map of the address.
Circular Area Profiles - Missouri Census Data Center tool that provides demographic information in any given radius area around a specified point.
Easy Analytic Software, Inc. (EASI) - Obtain free population ring studies and demographic analysis based on the actual address of your site. Includes "The Right Site" service.
Geospatial and Statistical Data Center - County Business Patterns - Provides county, state and national level business data from 1977 to the most recent year available. Statistics include number of establishments, payroll (annual and 1st quarter), number of employees and number of establishments by size class for 2 digit SIC industry groupings.
Melissa Data - Products and services to put together mailing lists and other data. Site includes several free lookups (addresses, ZIP codes in a radius, labor statistics, demographics, etc.)
Missouri Census Data Center (MCDC) - Part of the Missouri Secretary of State's web site. Missouri population estimates and projections, Internet applications to design customized census reports, geographic correspondence engine (to find out what zip codes fall within a county, what census tracts fall within a town, etc.). Explore the MCDC Data Archive with UEXPLORE
OSEDA - Missouri County Fact Sheets - Census data specific to each Missouri county prepared by the University of Missouri Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA).
Population Estimates - The Missouri Census Data Center's official page for the latest population estimates. Includes population estimates for Missouri towns and counties (race, age, gender, and Hispanic detail is sometimes available at the county level), a link to the U.S. Census Bureau's population page (which includes estimates for all 50 states and a schedule of when upcoming estimates are scheduled for release), and maps, press releases, and contact information for Missouri's state demographer.
Radio Advertising Bureau - Describes radio audiences, listener profiles, media comparisons and radio facts.
Regional Economic Accounts - Part of the Bureau of Economic Analysis' site. Database provides local area economic data for states, counties and metropolitan areas (REIS).
U.S. Census Bureau - Provides information about the people and economy of the United States.
Industry/company information
10K Wizard: SEC Edgar Filings - Provides access to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings by company, ticker, form-type, word and date.
AllBusiness - Provides small businesses with a single point of access for resources ranging from start-up kits and HR advice to financing services and free business directory listings.
BizWeb Business Guide - A business guide to more than 45,000 companies listed in 208 categories.
CEO Express - Links to resources on the web for daily news and information from leading publications, business research, office tools and travel services.
Corporate Information - Includes items such as publicly-traded company research reports, business sector profiles and SEC filings.
Dun and Bradstreet - Provides business information for credit, marketing, purchasing and receivables management decisions.
Global Reports - More than a half-million annual reports containing information stretching more than 30 years into financial history for companies from every major index constituency from throughout the world. (Registration and fee required)
Hoover's Online - Provides information on companies and industries, money management, career development, business news and business travel.
Industry Profile Links - Profiles 28 small business entities and provides Web links to associations, industry data and other realted information.
Industry Research Desk - Provides tools for researching specific companies, industries and manufacturing processes.
Industry Specific Business Guides - Industry specific business profiles where small businesses account for much of the activity. These profiles provide information on legal structure, taxes, hiring employees and resources.
IndustryLink - Directory of links to industry web sites. Focuses on industry-to-industry marketing where companies sell their products and services to other companies.
InfoUSA - Resources for sales leads, mailing lists and directory assistance service to find people/businesses.
LogisticsWorld - Provides a list of websites related to the logistic and transportation industries.
Manta - Offers company profiles, industry reports, business intelligence, global market research reports, and statistical market research overviews. (Registration and fee required)
Martindale's: The Reference Desk - Contains an extensive index to on-line references, including links to on-line calculators and thousands of teaching files, multimedia tutorials and data bases.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Association - Find NAICS Codes, SIC Codes and detailed industry definitions. Codes identify potential customers by business activities and help define target markets. Site also offers for sale a number of commercial products to identify target markets.
Radio Advertising Bureau - Describes radio audiences, listener profiles, media comparisons and radio facts.
Sales and Marketing Executives International - Marketing association of professional sales and marketing managers. Contains library with over 200,000 searchable articles on sales and marketing.
SEC Filings & Forms (EDGAR) - Part of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission web site. Provides access to registration statements, periodic reports and other forms filed by public companies through the Electronic Data Gathering, Anaylsis and Retrieval system (EDGAR).
YellowPages.com - Online yellow pages directory for finding businesses and products quickly.
Agricultural Marketing Service - Part of the USDA site with market news area including price reports, such as daily commodity reports and report summaries
Closing the Sale - Watch your sales grow by using these tips for getting clients to say "yes."
Competing with Mass Merchandisers - With the recent expansion of mass merchandisers into almost every locale, how can the small business survive? This study's results can help you understand how to compete - from merchandise and marketing to service and customer relations.
Connecting With Customers - Factors that tend to influence customer behavior and relationships; tips for how to adopt customer-focused practices.
Gear Up Early for Holiday Sales - Seventeen helpful tips for retail and service businesses for success with the busy holiday season.
Marketing - This will guide you through the process of developing a marketing plan by breaking it down into its many components such as research, pricing, advertising and others.
Media Relations 101 - Getting your business into the local media can be an effective way to increase awareness of you and your products or services. This primer will help show you ways to get to know the media in your area and to build positive relationships.
Sales & Marketing Management - Contains information for executives involved in the management of a company's sales and marketing efforts. Annual features include "Best Sales Forces" and "The Survey of Buying Power," a reference guide to consumer purchasing trends.
Selling by Mail Order - Part of SBA's Marketing Series providing basic information on running a mail order business. Includes information on selecting, pricing, testing and writing effective advertisements for your products.
Selling Strategies for Local Food Producers - For many farmers, marketing and selling their products are the most challenging parts of the farm enterprise, especially when selling directly to consumers. This University of Missouri Extension publication is a comprehensive guide to the marketing aspects of selling food products including a selling checklist, building customer relationships, nonverbal communications, meeting needs, creating printed or online materials and being a good salesperson.
Stanislaus La Trattoria Idea Exchange - Library of successful marketing contributions from independent restaurateurs including image building, operations, boosting sales, customer loyalty and sales and working with employees.
Electronic commerce (see also Web marketing)
CommerceNet - Provides research on emerging e-commerce business and technology trends and developments.
Managing the Digital Enterprise - Part of the North Carolina State University E-Commerce Learning Center web site. Free online course to understanding e-commerce. You will use the power of the Internet to learn about the subject firsthand.
Put Your Company on the Web - Initial questions that businesses should ask when considering a Web site. Basic guidelines for setting up a company Web site plus a review of domain names, hiring a web developer, customer service, promotion, legal issues and a glossary of terms are included.
Web Marketing Today - Main page of Wilson Internet Services. List of links to online articles about effective web marketing and to various web resources for doing business on the Internet.
Writing for the Web - Writing for the web requires timely information in a lively style.
Trade shows
Tips for Trade Shows - Tips on how to maximize your businesses tradeshow experience, reach potential customers and secure a return on your investment.
Trade-Show-Advisor - Educational resource with articles to help exhibitors maximize visibility, sales leads and revenue at trade shows. Topics include successful tradeshow planning, marketing, exhibit booth displays, giveaways, banners, trade show staffing, promotions, graphics, media packaging etc.
Trade Show News Network - Search for trade show events by industry. Offers trade show information, resources, solutions and a forum for exhibitors, producers, designers, marketers and attendees.
FedBizOpps.gov - Federal Business Opportunities web site. Useful resources for conducting E-Business (EB) and E-Commerce (EC) within the Federal contracting community.
GovCon - Information resource for the government contracting industry. Features government bid opportunities, teaming partners, products, services, educational resources, career services, industry news and more.
GSA's How to Sell to the Government - Part of the U.S. General Services Administration web site. Provides assistance for placing businesses on GSA's bidders mailing list, obtaining information on contracting opportunities and for receiving helpful information if you are new to federal procurement.
Marketing Resources: Here's Help! - Learn how MO PTAC is a resource available to Missouri firms wanting to win federal, state or local government contracts.
Recovery Act Opportunities: How to Win Federal Contracts - SBA's free online training course offering steps to engage businesses in the federal contracting arena including how to sell to the government and where to find contract and Recovery Act opportunities.
SBIR/STTR Gateway - Zyn Systems' SBIR gateway provides news and information to help find SBIR and STTR opportunities from the federal and state agencies, universities and other businesses. Includes the ability to search all federal agency SBIR solicitations.
Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: Rules of the Road - Many of the same rules that apply to other forms of advertising apply to electronic marketing. The FTC offers this guide to provide an overview of some of the rules and guidelines in place to protect businesses and consumers.
Business.Com - Industry-specific information, news and resources.
CommerceNet - Provides research on emerging e-commerce business and technology trends and developments.
E-Commerce: Small Businesses Venture Online - SBA Report - 1999 report examines the available data on small businesses' use of electronic commerce. E-commerce applications include e-tailing in virtual store fronts and electronic data interchange.
The Industry Standard - Provides hard research numbers on the Internet economy, information about people and businesses driving the Internet and the latest industry updates.
InfoAdvantage BusinessCity.com - Focuses on helping businesses create and sustain a competitive advantage through the use of Internet technologies.
Managing the Digital Enterprise - Part of the North Carolina State University E-Commerce Learning Center web site. Free online course to understanding e-commerce. You will use the power of the Internet to learn about the subject firsthand.
Put Your Company on the Web - Initial questions that businesses should ask when considering a Web site. Basic guidelines for setting up a company Web site plus a review of domain names, hiring a web developer, customer service, promotion, legal issues and a glossary of terms are included.
Web Marketing Today - Guide to Internet marketing, including building a site, search engine optimization, promotion, advertising, usability, e-mail marketing, etc.
Facebook Pages Get More Business Friendly - Overhaul of the Facebook interface extends functionality of Facebook as a marketing tool for business. From the Duct Tape Marketing blog.
How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business - Copyblogger's article on how bestselling authors and business professionals use Twitter to grow their businesses with ideas to achieve Twitter for business success.
Marketing with New Technology - Blog: "Strategies to Use the Lastest Technology in Marketing Your Business to Achieve Growth."
62 Ways to Use Twitter for Business - How to use Twitter to market your business, grow your network and gain free publicity — all in 140 characters or less
30+ Apps for Doing Business on Facebook - Mashable's links to applications to help with promotion, communication, networking, collaboration and running your business online using Facebook.
Top 10 Social Networks for Entrepreneurs - Links to social resources to help you connect with other entrepreneurs and get your business ideas off the ground by providing guidance, tools and resources they needed to setup a business and gain exposure.