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In this article:\n23 free listing sites to add your auto shop to\nWhat you should do next\nMost everyone has a car, and what do they do when their car suddenly has a problem? They Google the nearest auto shop and look at the reviews of the top-ranking listings on Google. Is your auto shop showing up?\nOne way to help your auto shop show up better on Google is to add your information to several online listing sites. This shows Google that other places are verifying your information so it will transfer that trust to potential customers. \nSeveral of these websites are also popular for reviews and other places that customers search when they are in need of an auto repair. \nAs you get started with this list, just keep this important note in mind: make sure your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP) is the same on each of these sites. Inconsistencies can cause confusion with the search engines and make them less likely to show your listing. \nLet’s get started!\n1. AutoMD \nAutoMD was created specifically for customers to find auto repair shops near them. It offers easy Q&A’s to help customers diagnose the car issues they are experiencing and then guides them to the right shop for them. \n2. Carwise\nCarwise is an awesome site with its own auto shop directory. Not only that, but it allows your customers to book appointments from this platform when they find your business. Get your auto shop listed and opt-in to their scheduling capabilities for maximum opportunities. \n3. BimmerShops\nBimmerShops is the perfect place to get your auto shop listed if you specialize in servicing BMWs. They want to help their users find trusted mechanics with the knowledge and experience necessary to work on their BMW. \n4. AutoBodyAlliance.com\nAt AutoBodyAlliance.com, users can find auto insurance carriers, repair shops, and report their claims. List your auto shop here to be placed in a specialized directory for auto repair shops. \n5. BiznisDirectory\nMost online directories sort out their business by category to help their users find the thing they are looking for as quickly as possible. BiznisDirectory is no different. They have a specific directory just for auto shops that you can submit your business to for free. \n6. VolvoMechanics \nVolvoMechanics is—you guessed it—all about getting the best service for Volvo owners. So if you specialize in fixing up Volvos, be sure to list your auto shop on volvomechanics.com. \n7. ExtremeWrench.com\nExtremeWrench.com is another directory devoted to auto repair specialists. Users can search by their vehicle type to find the best auto shop for their needs. Add your auto shop to this directory for free and get found by more customers. \n8. Google My Business is a no-brainer\nYou can’t show your business on Google maps without a Google My Business listing. With Google as the top search engine, you definitely want to make sure your auto shop is showing up here. Include all of your relevant information, add photos, and make sure your hours are correct. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\n9. Bing Places, believe it or not\nBing is still a widely used search engine, especially as the default for Microsoft Edge. So, you’ll want to make sure you have a listing here as well. If you already have a Google My Business listing, you can log into Bing Places with your Google account and import your Google listing. \n10. Yelp for auto shops? Yep!\nYelp is a huge source for customer reviews across several industries—including auto shops. Ninety percent of Yelp users that make a purchase based on their searches say they were influenced by positive reviews. Get your auto shop listed on Yelp and start getting positive reviews for more opportunities to get in front of customers. \nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your Yelp business listing\n11. \nSolo \nprofile\nWith a free Solo profile, even the smallest local one-man auto shop or detailer can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many super-small businesses to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at \nSolo.co\n.\n12. Don’t ignore Facebook\nFacebook does count as an online listing site that Google crawls, so make sure your auto shop’s information is consistent here, too. \nCreate a Facebook business page\n for your auto shop and be sure to add your logo, photos of your shop, and other relevant information to help reinforce your brand. \nIf you need help getting set up on Facebook, follow our simple tutorial: \nHow to claim your Facebook business page\n. \n13. TripAdvisor is a must\nWhen someone is on vacation and their car breaks down, they just might be conducting their searches on TripAdvisor. This popular listing site gets 390 million unique visitors each month, so don’t miss out on any opportunities.\nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n \n14. Foursquare\nFoursquare gets more than 55 million views each month. Users can check into your auto shop and leave tips to help other customers get the best experience at your business. \n15. MapQuest (yes, really!)\nAnother popular site for tourists and vacation goers. List your auto shop on MapQuest to capture this particular group of customers. MapQuest support is awesome and will help get your listing up within days. \nCheck out their guide to \nadd a basic business listing\n. \n16. YP.com\nThe traditional YellowPages created an online directory to stay relevant in this digital age. With more than 60 million users each month, it’s safe to say that there are plenty of opportunities here. \nClaim your free business profile\n on YP.com now. \n17. Better Business Bureau (BBB)\nThe Better Business Bureau is a common platform for people to use when they want more information on a particular business, whether they are considering working for it or shopping there. BBB grades its businesses and tells people whether or not they can trust your business. \nFollow \nthis guide\n to get listed on BBB. \n18. Angie’s List is hugely important\nAngie’s List (now Angi.com) is a popular site that is most frequently used to find home and auto services. You can offer deals from your listing here to entice more customers to choose your auto shop over your competitors. \n19. BrownBook: lots of detail\nBrownBook.net is a global business listing database that allows you to add a free listing with much more detail than most listing sites. Add your logo, tons of photos, videos, a history of your company, and so much more. \n20. Use your local chamber of commerce\nYour local chamber of commerce is dedicated to helping small local businesses get off the ground. They likely have an online directory or businesses in your community, so be sure to find out how you can get your auto shop listed. \n21. Manta\nManta is a pretty cool directory site because it has a tool that allows you to check your listings across the web to see where your information is inconsistent or missing. Use this to help you list your auto shop correctly and to get another free listing checked off your list. \n22. Get listed on CitySearch\nCitySearch is all about helping its users find the best places in their neighborhoods. They want to make their platform a fun place to find new businesses, so they’ve added features like voting and award badges to help entice customers. \nTo get listed on CitySearch, add your auto shop to the \nCityGrid database\n. \n23. Try MerchantCircle\nMerchantCircle helps small businesses network with other businesses and get found by local customers search for specific services. With free marketing tools and social media features, this is more than just another site to get listed on. \nWhat next?\nThis is only a small list of the places you can list your auto shop for free, but it’s a great start to helping you rank better on Google and increase your online visibility. \nGo deeper with this article: \nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n

23 free listing sites every auto shop should be on

In this article:\n24 free listings sites for hair and nail salons\nWhat to do next\nThere are a lot of things that go into digital marketing and helping your hair or nail salon show up better in the search engines. Adding your salon to several listings sites, commonly called “citations,” is a great step to take in your digital marketing strategy. \nThese free listings for your salon will help you show up better in local online searches as well as provide more opportunities for customers to find you and leave reviews. \nAs you get your salon listed in these directories, keep this important tip in mind: make sure your business name, address, and phone number (also known as NAP) are the exact same on every listing. Inconsistencies will cause confusion with the search engines because they won’t know which information to trust. \nDo yourself a favor and get it right from the start. Now, let’s dive in. \n1. Start with Google My Business\nGoogle My Business is the #1 listing where you want to add your salon. This is how you show up in the map pack on \nlocal Google searches\n like “hair salon near me.” Add your business information, your logo, website, tons of photos, and correct hours so customers can reach out to you. \nGet started with our guide: \nHow to claim your Google Business listing\n2. Groupon for mani-pedis and more\nGroupon is the place people go to find good deals, particularly for services that they want to do with a group. A manicure or pedicure is a great group activity, provided you have the staff to support it. You can list your salon on Groupon for free and only have to pay them when someone purchases one of your deals on their site. \n3. Three Best Rated\nThree Best Rated is all about small, local businesses. They prefer to stay away from big corporations because they want to help businesses like yours. They help 1.7 million users each month to find the best businesses closest to them. \nGet listed on Three Best Rated with their \nform\n. \n4. Who Do You \nWho Do You wants to provide its users with the best professional service providers around—including your salon. They provide reviews and social media referrals to help customers find the most trusted places. You can get started by selecting your free plan on \nwhodoyou.com\n. \n5. Best Salon Guide \nSponsored by Salon Guru and Salon IQ, Best Salon Guide is dedicated to providing its visitors with—you guessed it—the best salons around. \nRegister your salon\n with them to provide Google and potential customers with more trust in your business. \n6. Beauty Seeker\nBeauty Seeker is all about beauty and wellness. Hair and nails salons are definitely high on their list, but they also provide listings to all other business types in the beauty industry. Get listed here to provide more opportunity for “beauty seekers” to find you. \n7. WeddingVendors.com\nInterested in providing services for wedding parties? Then list your salon on \nweddingvendors.com\n. They want to provide brides and grooms-to-be with the perfect wedding by giving them information on all of the vendors they’ll need in one place. \n8. WedExperts.com\nWedExperts is another site devoted to helping couples plan their perfect day. If you want to have the opportunity to be a part of that, then list your salon with them. They sort out their directory by city and state to help customers easily find the best places nearest them. \n9. Yelp: more than just restaurants\nYelp is one of the most widely used review sites. Eleven percent of Yelp users are looking for beauty services, and while that might not seem like much, Yelp gets roughly 175 million visitors every month–meaning more than 19 million people are looking for related services. \nAnd customers trust Yelp reviews, so it’s a great conversion tool to help you get more appointments scheduled. \nCheck out our guide to \nclaim your Yelp business listing\n. \n10. Facebook is a must \nYou definitely want to have some kind of presence on Facebook for your salon. Not only does Facebook count as a major listing that Google crawls to verify your information, but your customers are frequently spending their time here. \nMore and more often, customers are reaching out to businesses via their Facebook pages for initial research, rather than calling. So be available for those opportunities. Also, post lots of pictures of your services for people that want proof that you know what you’re doing. \nFollow this \ntutorial\n to get your Facebook business page set up. \n11. TripAdvisor brings in tourists and out-of-towners\nWanna get found by tourists and out-of-towners? List your salon on TripAdvisor. When people are planning their vacations, they might just want to get their hair or nails done while they’re at it. Be available on the sites that they plan their vacations from!\nQuick guide: \nHow to claim your business listing on TripAdvisor\n12. \nSolo Profile\nWith a free Solo profile, even the smallest local salon, freelancer, or side-hustler can have a helpful, functional SEO-friendly online presence for free. Building and maintaining a traditional website is simply too much for many salon workers/owners to deal with. This is one reason a Solo profile can be such an amazing benefit. \nYour customizable Solo profile can list your business’s location, relevant contact information, links to your social pages, and any business details you want included. Sign up at\n \nSolo.co\n.\n13. Bing Places: default for Microsoft users\nAs another common search engine, it’s important that your salon is listed on Bing. Many people still use this search engine daily, especially if they use Microsoft Edge as their go-to browser. \nMake sure your salon is listed on Bing Places. The best part of this is if your Google Business listing is already set up and claimed, you can log into Bing Places with your Google account and import your listing.\n14. Mapquest is still kickin’\nMapquest is another listing site that is frequently used by travelers, and it’s a big one that sends awesome trust signals to Google. List your salon on Mapquest with their \nguide to add a basic business listing\n. \n15. YP.com\nYP.com, also known as YellowPages, brings in about 60 million visitors every month. While they were formerly a phone book, they have adapted to this digital world to provide its users with an expansive online directory. \nClaim your free business listing at \nYP.com\n. \n16. Foursquare\nFoursquare allows visitors to check into your salon and leave helpful tips for other people that come across your listing, like whether you have free wi-fi or not. Get listed on Foursquare to get in front of their 55 million monthly viewers and to get more feedback on your salon. \n17. CitySearch\nCitySearch is all about finding the best local services for its users. They make their platform and fun and interesting place by adding features like voting for your favorite businesses and awarding the best listings with badges to entice customers. \nAdd your salon to the \nCityGrid database\n to get listed on CitySearch. \n18. Better Business Bureau (BBB)\nMany people check out small businesses on Better Business Bureau to see if they have a good trust rating. It can be hard to trust things that we read on the internet, so BBB helps to provide some comfort as people search for new places to do business with. \nYou can use \nthis form\n to add your salon to the BBB directory. \n19. DexKnows\nDexKnows is what’s known as a listing aggregator. This means they pass your business information down to several smaller listing sites, providing you with even more free listings for your salon. \n20. Utilize your local chamber of commerce\nHave you talked to your local chamber of commerce yet? They are all about helping small businesses like you succeed. After all, it’s small businesses like yours that fuel the local economy. \nAsk to be listed on their local online directory and take advantage of the free marketing advice that they have to offer. \n21. Brownbook\nBrownbook.net is another listing site that is available to all types of businesses. The cool thing about them is that you can add so much more information to your listing than you can with most other online directories. Add videos, multiple photos, your salon’s history, news stories, and more. \n22. Instagram: a potential goldmine\nWhen you provide an aesthetic service like hair styling or nails, Instagram is a big must. As one of the most popular social media platforms among young adults, there is a lot of opportunity here. Many customers will likely check out your Instagram account to see how good you are at your trade. Show them!\n23. YouTube? Yes!\nYouTube provides another opportunity to show off your skills to potential customers. Not only that, but you can also provide valuable tips by creating tutorials and offering other words of advice through your videos. \n24. Manta\nManta is a general directory for all business types, but they also have a sweet feature that allows you to check the consistency in your listings across multiple sites. Remember that NAP tip we mentioned? They’ll check if your business name, address, and phone number are the same as your listing with them and let you know where it’s incorrect. \nPretty neat, right?\nWhat should you do next?\nOnce you have these first 24 business listings created and claimed for your salon, you have a really good start to your local SEO efforts. But there’s a lot more you can, and should, do to increase your online visibility and grow your business. \nCheck out \n15 free tips for better local search engine rankings\n for a deeper look into what you can do next. 

24 free listings sites your hair or nail salon should be on

In this article:\nThe 5 most effective traditional marketing methods for small businesses\nWhy you need to get your online presence right before you spend on advertising\nKnow your customer or you’re wasting your money\nBillboards and signage\nDirect mail\nNewspapers, magazines, and other print advertising\nLocal broadcast media\nOne of the cardinal rules of marketing is “diversify.” You don’t put all your advertising eggs into one basket, and never rely on one avenue to reach and retain customers. For certain types of local businesses, traditional advertising methods such as direct mail, print, billboards/signage, and broadcast media can bolster the results you get from pay-per-click, social media advertising, and other online marketing.\nIn this article we’ll go over several traditional marketing approaches that can make sense for small, local businesses. However, before you consider spending some of your marketing budget, we need to go over a few very important points first.\nDon’t spend on offline ads until your online presence is solid\nBefore you spend a dime on advertising, traditional or otherwise, it’s absolutely vital that you get your online house in order first. \nAs we explain in our \nsmall business marketing guide\n, if you spend on advertising before you have claimed your business listings and optimized your online reputation on the major review sites, you will effectively be paying to send potential customers to other businesses.\nWhy? Because, the first thing almost everyone does when given a recommendation or seeing marketing messaging for a business (even local ones) is to search their online reviews. \nIf you have great advertising but a miserable online presence with a bunch of negative reviews—or worse, if you haven’t even \nclaimed your online business listings\n—nobody is going to spend money with you, no matter how big your marketing budget is.\nDefine your specific marketing goal \n“Make more money” might sound like a good enough goal for your marketing efforts, but you really need to think deeper than that. What \nexactly\n do you hope to accomplish?\nIf your primary objective is to spread the word that your store even exists, then you might approach things differently than a business owner who is trying to stand out in a crowded local marketspace and win a specific type of customer with specific tastes and spending habits.\nIf you decide that your goal is to improve your brand recognition or general knowledge about your business, then some of the more broad-reaching traditional advertising methods outlined below may be most effective in reaching a broad range of potential local customers.\nHowever, if you wish to target a very specific customer base with very particular habits, then you may wish to begin with \nsocial media\n, \nInstagram ads\n, and/or \nFacebook advertising\n.\nKnow who your customer is\nIt should go without saying that the most important question in marketing is “who is my customer?”\nYou can’t market to your customers effectively if you don’t know who they are, what they respond to, how they consume media, where they spend, how they spend, and much more.\nThrowing money at an advertising campaign in order to \nfind out\n who your customers are is a special kind of stupid.\nSmarter business owners know that customer data is gold, and unless you have a very good idea of who your customers are (and which type of customers you want to target), spending money on advertising is akin to setting it on fire, and isn’t as fun.\nHow much should small businesses spend on marketing?\nThere is a lot you can do with traditional/online word-of-mouth and fantastic service, but eventually most businesses will want to devote some of their yearly budget to paid marketing efforts.\nExperts typically recommend that a small business spend about 8% of its gross revenue on marketing, which corresponds to guidance from the U.S. Small Business Administration.\nGo deeper: \nHow much should I spend on marketing?\n\nAnd while it usually makes the most sense to devote the majority of your budget to the \nmarketing method with the highest ROI\n (email marketing), and the digital platform that’s 900% more effective than Facebook (Instagram), there is certainly truth to the business adage: “diversify or die.”\nSo let’s talk about some of the traditional marketing/advertising methods that can still be valuable and effective for small businesses.\n1. Billboards and signage\nThe old “Eat At Joe’s” type billboards were reasonably effective in their day, but thanks to today’s high-tech digital/full motion multimedia billboard displays, you can do better.\nHowever, even static billboards and signage can be effective (and more budget-friendly) if you get the location, the message, and the market right. \nDepending on the size of your town, your competition, and your business, a well-crafted billboard can be very effective at attracting new customers to your brick-and-mortar location, or even to your website or online store.\nbillboard for local marketing\nAn eye-catching image and a sticky (and \nLEGIBLE\n) catch phrase on local buses, taxis, trains, or other marketable spots around your town can spread awareness and drum up interest.\nDid we mention your messaging must be easily and quickly readable and simple to comprehend? We’ve seen too many billboards and other “too clever” advertisements that, while they may have caught the eye or satisfied the artistic whims of the designer, were completely illegible and therefore worthless for all practical purposes.\nDon’t get distracted by a desire to create high art at the expense of effectiveness in the message. You’re not out to win a Clio… you’re trying to convince more customers to give you their money.\n2. Direct mail and local ad mailers\n“Junk mail” tends to have the same pallor about it as “junk email” these days, but the reason you still get so much of it is because it still works. \nvarious coupons for direct mail small business marketing\nSome studies show that physical mail “direct response” campaigns perform better than digital as far as brand recall, response speed, and percentage of respondents who purchase.\nToday’s direct mail marketers also benefit from digital-age demographic information, so you can often selectively target your ideal customer base, rather than blanket an entire town with indiscriminate mailbox stuffing.\n\nEmail marketing\n is hands-down the most powerful, effective, and efficient marketing tool for small businesses. But for small, local retailers with the ability to selectively target a specific group of people that are their ideal customers, direct mail can still be an effective way to increase your customer base, send coupons, and even drive repeat business—assuming you maintain an accurate customer directory, including contact information.\n3. Traditional print advertising is evolving\nNewspapers and magazines are certainly not as influential nor ubiquitous as they once were, thanks to digital media and the explosion of information technology. \nHowever there is some evidence that a growing number of people prefer to read actual books, newspapers, and magazines, though they are available in various digital formats—even among younger consumers.\nattractive redhead woman reading a newspaper for small business marketing\nIt seems many modern Americans miss the physical/tactile experience of interacting with good old paper pulp and ink.\nBesides, you can still advertise in the printed editions of local newspapers and magazines, and most companies will also include your ad in the digital/online version of their publications, so you can get a double-whammy for your advertising buck.\nIf your ideal customers are consumers of “traditional” print media, you may find it an effective avenue to reach them.  \n4. Brochures, flyers, and handouts\nThis is where coupons, discounts, and limited-time special offers really live. \nBefore you get started with this, make sure you adhere to any local ordinances regarding posting of bills, handing out flyers, or leaving them on cars or people’s property. \nman handing out flyers for small business marketing\nHowever, if you follow local laws and you specific marketing goal (remember that?) is to spread the word about your business or to incite people to visit with a coupon for a special deal, flyers can be an effective tool.\nAs we mentioned in our \n25 free advertising ideas\n article, you might be able to save money by swapping your goods and services with a print shop.\n5. Local TV and radio\nFor small, local businesses, broadcast media can be prohibitively expensive, depending on the market and the channel/s you wish to utilize. \nHowever, many towns offer what used to be called “cable access” channels where local businesses can buy promotional time for a relatively small expenditure. The problem there is the viewership is usually correspondingly small.\nIf your target customers (remember, you have to start there) listen to a lot of radio, you may be able to reach them effectively with a small radio spend, particularly if they are the type to listen to “alternative” or independent local radio stations.\nKeep your messaging straightforward, memorable, and clear, and you might see a good return on a modest broadcast media spend.\nAnd don’t forget that you can be leveraging your small business blog content with local media for free local PR benefits, which is another effective way to spread the word about your business\n6. Phone book advertising (just kidding)\nIs this really still a thing? Yeah… you don’t want to go there.\nThose of us who remember looking up take-out pizza shops in the yellow pages know that at one time the phone book was the acknowledged source of all truth for local businesses. \nToday, the traditional phone book has nearly gone the way of the dodo, like the coin-operated payphones that the white-and-yellow pages used to be chained to. \n(20 years ago there were over 2 million payphones in the U.S.; today only 100,000 remain, with a fifth of those being in New York City).\nbattered yellow pages phone book\nHowever, the need for local “business listings” is huge, and online business listings have taken the place of paper phone books. \nData shows that 9 out of 10 shoppers search online for local stores and restaurants, and the smartphone is the 21st-century version of the yellow pages.\nSo getting your business listed on all relevant online business listings is absolutely vital for small, local companies.\nWe’ve listed our step-by-step guides for claiming your pages on some of the major sites. If you’re not found here, you’re missing out on a lot of potential customers.\nGoogle My Business\nYelp\nFacebook\nTripAdvisor\nOpenTable\nFoursquare\nRefer to our \nfree business listings\n article for many more!

Why–and when–you should use traditional advertising for your small business

In this article:\nThe absolute least expensive way to accept credit cards\nWays to cut down credit card processing costs\nCheapest processing options for small business\nA big reason that many small business owners don’t accept credit card payments is because of the fees that are assessed as their customers make purchases. These fees can add up fast, but not having a credit card payment option can be a huge disadvantage to any business. \nToday’s customers expect even roadside carts and truly small businesses to accept credit cards, and the fees associated with that method of payment shouldn’t be enough to keep you from getting started. \nWe’ll talk about some of the cheapest options for credit card processing so you can find a good fit for your business. \nWays to cut down costs of credit card processing \nFirst, we have a few tips to help you reduce the cost of credit card processing. \nAvoid multi-year contracts\nWhether you opt for a third-party payment processor or not, try to avoid committing to any lengthy contracts. If possible, choose an option that either doesn’t require you to sign a contract, or sign for a year at a time. You may wish to switch services down the line as your business grows, and multi-year contracts often have heavy termination fees. \nHowever, be aware that you will most likely get the lowest rates if you opt for a traditional processor who offers “interchange plus” pricing. And if you want the absolute lowest-cost processing, you will likely need to sign a contract with a traditional processor. Plus, longer contracts can often result in lower overall costs because it’s beneficial for your processor to serve your business for as long as possible.\nWatch out for added fees for services you may not need\nBeyond heavy termination fees, there may be other fees included in your monthly invoices. As you are getting quotes from various service providers, ask for samples of itemized invoices so you can see the different charges that they assess. \nSome processors include potentially helpful add-on services by default (for an additional fee), and will automatically bill you for these services unless you specifically opt out before you sign a contract.\nThese services may be very useful for your business, so make sure you understand how these value-added services can benefit your business before you ask your processor to omit the services and any associated fees.\nAsk your processor or merchant level sales agent for discounts and other price breaks\nWhen it comes to credit card transaction fees, there are two main approaches: interchange plus and flat rate. Every credit card network (VISA, Mastercard, AMEX) charges an interchange fee that your service provider pays for each transaction. Because of this, most providers have some kind of markup on that cost so they get their cut. \nTraditional processors typically use “interchange plus” pricing, charging the current interchange rate plus their markup. Interchange rates are subject to change so you might not always be paying the same fees on transactions. \nHowever, the interchange rate is usually the smallest percentage of the fees you’ll likely be paying when you accept credit cards, so your final costs will likely not vary that much, even if you go with interchange plus pricing.\nIt’s in the processor’s markup and additional fees and services where you can negotiate a little wiggle room with your processor or merchant level sales agent. They obviously need to make a profit, but they also want to keep your business, and if you develop a trusting relationship with them you can often ask for preferred rates or get add-on services at lower costs, or even get “value added” services for free.\n\nA note on third-party payments facilitators or “aggregators” \nThird-party payment facilitators (i.e., Square/Block, Stripe, etc.) are potentially very straightforward to get small businesses set up and processing. Providers like the new third-party payments facilitators that use “flat rate” pricing charge a flat rate regardless of the fluctuation of the interchange fee. This can be somewhat helpful because you always know what you will be paying and won’t have to anticipate changes in costs as the interchange rate fluctuates. \nHowever, be aware that flat rate processing is nearly always more expensive than traditional interchange plus pricing, so make sure to weigh the costs against the needs of your business. Generally, a traditional processor can save you about 20% in processing fees compared to a third-party payments provider charging you a flat rate. \nRates and fees vary though, so be sure to check out all your options.\nWhat is the absolute cheapest credit card processing option?\nAs discussed above, if you want the absolute cheapest way to accept credit cards, you’ll probably want to sign up with a reliable credit card processor and negotiate a good “interchange plus” processing fee structure rather than using one of the new “aggregators” that uses flat-rate pricing.\nThird party payments facilitators currently charge between about 2.4% on the low end (if you meet certain requirements) to about 3% or more on the high end, plus an additional .$10-$.15 fee per transaction, to process credit cards. This may not sound like a lot, but for small businesses that sell a lot of low-dollar items, or those with very small profit margins like restaurants, these flat rate fees can make it actually unprofitable to accept credit cards in some cases. The ease of entry and convenience of use may make it worth it, though.\nIt does take more time to get set up to accept payments with a traditional processor. But your processor’s local merchant level sales (MLS) agent can be a very useful business advisor, particularly about new technology and offerings in the payments world. Not many small business owners have the time to keep abreast of all the latest technology and payments innovations, and your MLS agent is very interested in keeping you as a client.\nSo, you can typically get lower rates from a traditional processor, but you'll definitely want to shop around. 

What’s the cheapest way to accept credit cards?

In this article:\nPhishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated\nEducate yourself, family, and any employees about phishing attacks and other online fraud\nNever provide sensitive information to anyone without double checking\nNever download files or click on links from unknown/untrusted sources\nNever send payment without confirming the legitimacy of the request\nPhishing attacks and other online fraud are a growing problem for small businesses. As more people transact, recreate, socialize, and work online, there is more opportunity for bad actors to entice people into seemingly innocent actions that can have devastating financial consequences to your business.\nIn this article we’ll go over some of the common cyberattacks that you and your employees (if any) might expect to see, and what you can do to prevent the damage they can cause.\nWhat is phishing?\nA phishing (sometimes called “spear phishing”) attack is when a cybercriminal sends you a fake email, SMS/text, phone message, or other communication attempting to get you to divulge sensitive personal or business information, or to send payment to a fraudulent recipient. \nOften, these attacks will appear to be sent by a boss or coworker, requesting urgent action on a key project or payment on an “overdue bill,” and will ask you to click on a link or download a file that installs malware onto your system, which then the hackers can exploit for criminal purposes.\nThese phishing attacks are becoming quite sophisticated, and can even include fake job postings on popular employment sites to lure employees to download malware-laden job application programs, or “tech support fraud” where criminals masquerade as technical support or internet security personnel in an attempt to gain access.\nWhat can I do about phishing attacks and other online fraud?\nThe best defense against phishing and online fraud, in addition to software with good security features that automatically block fraudulent messages when possible, is education. Take the time to educate yourself and your employees about the types of fraudulent cyberattacks that they may see, and what to do when they get one. Read below to learn more, and set up a training schedule to keep your employees and family members informed.\nThe most common type of phishing attack will attempt to get you or an employee to download a file, click a link, or input passwords or other personal information. You should NEVER click on a file or an imbedded link from an unknown source, or one you aren’t expecting, before confirming the legitimacy of the file/link via another way. Call or email the sender directly and ask them whether they sent you a file recently. When in doubt, delete it. Don’t click on emails from unknown senders, and definitely don’t click on file downloads. It just takes one to install a virus that can let future fraudsters full access to your system.\nNever punish or shame an employee for asking too often whether a link or request is legitimate before taking sensitive action. Keep the lines of communication open and review your phishing protocols regularly so all employees keep on their toes. It just takes one mistake to open up the back door to sensitive company files, personal information, and more.\nEven the most famous and profitable businesses in the world have suffered the impacts of this type of cyberattack, so don’t think your small business is immune.\nSpoof websites can fool you or your employees into providing security credentials\nIt used to be that if a website had an “https” prefix, you could count on it being legitimate. But spoofers and scammers have become very creative and people are fooled every day into inputting their secure login information on a fraudulent website that looks nearly identical to their bank’s, their amazon or eBay account, or even their own website.\nSometimes you can detect the fraudulent website by looking closely at the URL. Often the suffix will be subtly different, or there may be a letter or two missing from the main company name in the address. Sometimes you can find typos or other clues on the main landing page that can let you know the site may not be legitimate.\nWhen in doubt, type the correct, known address into your browser and look for any messages from the company that can inform you about the procedure or payment you suspect may be fraudulent. No legitimate company will ever ask for your login or password via an email or text message, and even on a phone call they will usually not ask you to provide these details but will direct you to the correct site where you can input the information yourself.\n(Image)\n\nRansomware is on the rise, and can impact even very small businesses\nRansomware is what it sounds like: fraudsters entice you or employees into installing malware via a link, or providing login information, and then they hack into your system and hold sensitive files, financial information, company databases, intellectual property, or other valuable information for ransom until you pay them a lot of money, or else they corrupt, delete, or otherwise destroy the files and information. Some companies have determined that it’s actually cheaper to simply pay the fraudsters than to repair the damage they may cause. \nEmail or messaging scams can fool you or employees into sending payment\nAnother tricky method scammers are trying lately is impersonating a boss, partner, key employee, or other business owner in an email, text, or internal company message, and ask for a money transfer or other type of payment. These are often urgent, nebulous requests, and prey on the fear of some employees of asking too many questions to the boss or seeming not to know what’s happening. A boss with a history of brusqueness can exacerbate this problem.\nWe spoke to one accountant working for a group of entrepreneurial businesses who got an email from an important business owner asking for an immediate wire transfer of $120,000. The accountant went back and forth with him all day via email, judged that the request seemed legitimate, and was preparing to send the wire transfer. \nDue to the accountant’s personal system of checks and balances, he called the business owner to confirm a couple of things and request certain documentation, only to find that the business owner in question had no knowledge of the transfer in question. Upon careful examination, the email address the original request for transfer had come from was one letter different from the actual business owner’s email address. Luckily the fraud was detected and reported before the payment was sent.\nThis is just one example of how innovative criminals can fool good people into providing money or sensitive information. Be vigilant! Double check everything.\nImprove your business’s chances for success and growth by improving your online visibility\nAlong with training your family and employees about phishing and other online attacks, you also need to make sure your online \npresence\n is solid so that people can actually find you and start spending money with you.\nEven small, local shops, microbusinesses, freelancers, sole proprietors, and gig workers need a good online footprint today because almost everyone checks reviews and business details online before visiting, even if they get a personal recommendation from a friend or see your marketing materials.\nSome ways to help you show up in local searches are getting regular online reviews to your \nGoogle\n, \nYelp\n, and \nFacebook\n listings and also creating new \nonline business listing profiles\n across other web directories. 

How to help prevent small business phishing attacks and other online fraud

In this article:\nWhat is a chamber of commerce?\nWhat does it mean to join a chamber of commerce?\nHow can a chamber of commerce help your small business?\nAre there any downsides to joining a chamber of commerce as a business?\nHow to join your local chamber of commerce\nHow to make the most out of your membership in the chamber of commerce\nOther local marketing opportunities\nChambers of commerce are an amazing local resource that small businesses should be aware of in their community. From networking to marketing, your local chamber of commerce can provide your business some great benefits. \nThroughout this article we’ll guide you through the chamber of commerce system, how they can help your small business, and whether or not you should join your local chamber of commerce. \nWhat is a chamber of commerce? What do they do?\nA chamber of commerce is essentially a network of local businesses. It is an organized group of business owners and professionals who seek to help other businesses grow through networking, marketing resources, financial assistance, guidance, and more. \nChambers usually take on several community functions, including:\nTourist information center\nBusiness spokesperson\nEconomic planner and developer\nGovernment relations\nHuman resources adviser\nPublic relations adviser\nEconomic counselor\nThrough these functions, chambers work to serve local businesses and keep the local economy strong. \nChamber of commerce members\nThe members of the chamber of commerce are the individuals, businesses, and organizations that volunteer their time to help improve the socioeconomic climate their community. When joined together, this group of people have a much stronger voice than they would as individuals. \n\nAnyone who chooses to get involved in their local chamber of commerce can become a member. \nEach chamber of commerce is run by its members. They will elect a board of directors to help set policies and determine specific goals to work towards. The chief officer will preside over all meetings, while day-to-day operations are typically handled by a professional manager (this is often a paid position). \nChamber of commerce objectives\nMembers are often split into committees to help organize and more efficiently accomplish the chamber’s objectives. \nThe general objectives of every chamber of commerce are as follows:\nIncrease local job opportunities\nHelp local business grow and thrive\nEncourage expansion of the community in an efficient and organized manner\nContribute to the economic stability of the community\nPromote a free market economy through assisting of private businesses and organizations\nWhat does it mean to join a chamber of commerce?\nJoining a chamber of commerce can provide several benefits for your business and individually. The chamber is often a powerful influence in the community, and your joining it will give you a voice in important community development projects. \nThere are a couple different ways to get involved with your local chamber of commerce. You can go all in and join the board (if you’re elected) to have a wider influence in the community, or you can simply join your local chamber, representing your business, and take part in networking opportunities and board meetings without the additional responsibilities of being an officer on the board. \nchamber of commerce members voting\n\nWhat are the responsibilities of chamber members?\nLet’s break this down into your typical chamber members and board members. \nResponsibilities of the average chamber member usually involve the following:\nPaying specific dues (you can look at it as an investment in your local chamber)\nInvolving senior level employees in the work of the chamber\nParticipating and helping further the goals of the chamber of commerce\nYour specific chamber of commerce may delegate tasks to your business and employees and assign you to various committees as participants in the chamber. Be ready and available to assist with these where possible.\nChamber board members have a few additional responsibilities:\nRecruiting new members\nAttending board meetings\nVoting (on by-laws, budgets, new member requests, and other important board decisions)\nHiring and searching for a chamber president (this doesn’t occur frequently, but it is the board members’ duty to take this on)\nRewriting by-laws when necessary\nSelling tickets to chamber events\nGoverning and legislative initiatives\nLeading committees\nRibbon cuttings and public appearances\nRepresenting the chamber at all times\nBecoming a board member is no small task, so make sure you’re up for the responsibilities and can devote the time to your community before taking this on. \nHow can a chamber of commerce help your small business?\nJoining a chamber of commerce can provide many and varied benefits to your small business. Determine if these benefits will ultimately help your business grow, and think about all of the good that you’ll be able to do within your community. \nResources\nChambers of commerce seek to help businesses in their community grow and thrive. Therefore, they provide resources and opportunities to help with just that. From marketing tips and materials to advice about day-to-day operations, you can gain invaluable knowledge from just being a part of your local chamber. \nNetworking\nMost chambers hold networking events for their members to connect and learn from one another. At these events you can start some valuable relationships with other business owners in the community. \nDiscounts\nOften at chamber events, there are giveaways, fun discounts, and freebies that you can take part in. Also, networking with chamber members may provide you with some coupons or discounts to their businesses. \nMailing lists\nEvery chamber of commerce has a directory of their members that is available to chamber members and non-members alike. Being a member just gives you that extra edge when reaching out to other members on this list. \nMore exposure\nBeing a member of a chamber can give your business more exposure within your community. The chamber will provide a link to your website on theirs (hello, \nsmall business SEO\n!) and point people in your direction when someone knew in the community is looking for your services or products. \nCredibility\nParticipating in a chamber of commerce gives you and your business additional credibility with members of your community (and other members of the chamber). \nAre there any downsides to joining a chamber of commerce as a business?\nWe wouldn’t necessarily call these items the downsides of joining a chamber of commerce, but an investment in the benefits that you and your chamber can generate for your business and the community. \nMembership fees\nEach chamber of commerce has membership fees that every involved business must pay. This varies between chambers, but it can be significant. \nSometimes you can even join a group of chambers and pay just one membership fee for all of those groups rather than having several different fees to pay. \nAsk your local chamber about discounted or sponsored memberships or other promotions.\nROI isn’t immediate\nLike with most investments, you won’t likely see immediate ROI from your participation with your local chamber. It takes time. \nBut the more you participate in networking events and gain exposure in your community, the more opportunities your business will have to grow strong and gain revenue. \n\nTime investment\nJoining a chamber can result in a good amount of time invested, whether from you individually or your employees. \nFrom participating in local community events to help further to goals of the chamber and build the community to networking events to help grow your business, you can be volunteering a decent amount of your time. \nFor busy small business owners this can be difficult, but the benefits can make this sacrifice worth it.\nConflicts with competition\nYou aren’t going to be the only business in your industry that gets involved with a local chamber. You may have competitors that are members of the same chamber. \nStay civil and remember that you are all working towards a common goal, and can grow your businesses and community together.\nHow to join your local chamber of commerce\nIt isn’t difficult to join a local chamber of commerce, but there is a little bit of work involved to get to that point. \nResearch \nFirst, you need to do your research to determine what chambers are relevant and active in your area. Some communities have several different chambers of commerce that work towards different goals. \nThere are also often regional or state-wide chambers as well as city-level chambers. Determine which chamber (or chambers) you will want to join, and get involved!\nContact\nOnce you have decided on a chamber or two that you want to join, contact them to determine next steps. \nThe process for joining each chamber can vary a little, so you’ll want to reach out and make sure you get the right information. \nAsk for membership packets\nReview the info and become familiar with your chamber\nAsk lots of questions to learn more about the process and the chamber itself\nAsk if they have an established political stance so you don’t get yourself stuck in an organization that you don’t agree with\nAttend an event\nChamber events are great opportunities for you to talk to current members to see what they think about their membership, the benefits they receive, and the work they do for the community. \nSet up your membership\nOnce you’ve made your decision, it’s time to set up your membership. The following steps are typical for most chambers:\nMeet with the director to look over membership levels and payment options.\nFill out your application. Some chambers will accept your membership immediately while others may want some time to review your application. \nHold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce your membership in the chamber of commerce. \nsmall business chamber of commerce ribbon cutting\n\nHow to make the most out of your membership in the chamber of commerce\nOnce you’ve joined a chamber of commerce it’s up to you to make sure you get the most out of your experience and reap the benefits that it can offer. \nIf you follow each of these steps, you are sure to gain a valuable experience as well contribute well to your community. \nAttend chamber events regularly\nGet a calendar of events from your chamber and start planning the events that you and your employees will be able to attend. \nFrom seminars that teach more about running and managing a business to networking events with other businesses, you can gain expert knowledge and meaningful relationships to help your business succeed. \nHost your own event\nYou aren’t limited to attending events hosted by the chamber and other businesses. You can put on your own networking event or seminar and invite chamber and community members alike to attend. \nThis helps you provide more value to the community and gives you some great exposure.  \nVolunteer\nYour chamber will likely have several committees working on different projects at any given point. Volunteer your time to help a specific committee that is right up your alley. Meet new people and gain more exposure in the community as you volunteer. \nAttend ribbon cuttings\nShow your support to other local businesses by attending their ribbon cutting ceremonies. If you can’t make it, reach out and congratulate that organization on their membership and be a support to them in that regard. \nOther local marketing opportunities\nBeyond local chambers of commerce, there are several ways that you can market your business for a low cost (or even for free).\nCheck out this guide:  \n25 free local advertising ideas for small businesses\n

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