If you run a small business, this has been a tough year. Supposedly the government is here to help you out with credit, loans and someday more cost-effective health care. Don't hold your breath.
Even though the government may not be there to help, big business is. There are a number of sites popping up across the Web to inform, connect and give visibility to small businesses.
Following are 9 of them.
9 Communities Targeted at Small Business
Sage's SageSpark
This is a well designed site with great content, free tools, easy navigation and a terrific look. The Sage Group has done an amazing job of aggregating the customer experience for the broad array of disparate software and service platforms they offer.
American Express Open Forum
Most people know about Amex's Open Forum. The site has been successful drawing a strong audience. A great deal of content is syndicated from top marketing and business bloggers. They've also done a good job of incorporating valuable video content.
The Visa Business Network (on Facebook)
Because it is an app on Facebook, The Visa Business Network has a very different feel from Amex's community. It's more personal and designed to be more interactive. They highlight specific small businesses each month. The downside is that the conversation doesn't appear in your feed so you have to remember to go back to the app.
Dell's Social Media for Small Business (on Facebook)
Dell set this up as a Facebook fan page. They get very good interaction from readers and provide valuable beginner's tools for social media.
Intuit's Small Business United
Intuit's site is similar to the SageSpark site but it has been around longer. Intuit also promotes their products more on the community. There's lots of good information. They run contests and encourage users to share information.
The U.S. Government's Business.Gov Community
As you might expect, this site is packed with useful information for all of the paperwork and processes around starting a company: registration, license, permits, and taxes. The social side is set up as forums where readers can post questions.
Bank of America's Small Business Online Community
This community is fairly basic. Some original content is created in the form of articles. And there are forums for customers to ask questions or offer answers.
The Wall Street Journal's Journal Community
This community isn't targeted specifically to small business but it is a great site to join groups, talk about the news and give you or your business visibility as well as additional knowledge.
BusinessWeek's Business Exchange
Much like the WSJ Community, BusinessWeek's Business Exchange isn't targeted directly to small business but is a useful platform if you have the time.
You will find valuable information on all of these sites. But to get visibility for you or your business you will need to dedicate time every day to creating and responding to content. So pick one or two that make sense for you.
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