As you can see from the leaderboard, the first round of the Officejet Pro Challenge is too close to call in this final fourth week of feedback from our five small businesses. Who do you think has delivered the most useful insight into how the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless can help small businesses get professional quality color printing with significant cost and energy savings?

If you haven't voted, be sure to head on over and check out this week's collection of blog posts. We asked the five companies to test-drive the HP Creative Studio for Business and use the free customizable templates to make some simple marketing materials for their own business. From business cards and flyers to trifold brochures,  I think you may be pleasantly surprised by what these business owners were able to create within a short amount of time using the HP Creative Studio --  and by their feedback on the quality of the printouts.

So make your opinion count and vote for your favorite posts. The winning small business will receive a prize package that includes keeping the printer, 1 year's worth of Original HP ink and paper, and a professional design package from Logoworks by HP.

Wish you could take the HP OfficejetPro Challenge? The call for entries for Round 2: The Laser Edition is now open. Go here to learn more and enter.

If you own a small business, I think you'll be interested to hear how you can save up to 50% off color printing cost per page and save up to 50% energy, too. You're just not gonna hear about it from me.

In the HP Officejet Pro Challenge, 5 small business owners have agreed to set aside their old printers to test drive the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One and blog about their experiences.

HP thought it would useful for small businesses to hear firsthand what other small businesses think about printing everyday documents and marketing materials using the new HP Officejet Pro 8500 in comparison with their old printer. So useful, in fact, that we're asking entrepreneurs and small business owners to vote for the feedback they like most.

The small business who receives the most votes for the best posts will get to keep the Officejet Pro 8500 printer, plus they'll receive 1 year's worth of Original HP ink and paper and a custom design package from Logoworks by HP.

According to the votes for Week 1, the small business who provided the most useful feedback about opening the box and setting up their Officejet Pro 8500: Rheinart Marketing.

Up this week: See what the businesses think about printing costs and supplies -- and vote for the best post!

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and writes for the Small Business Marketing Guide. You can also find her on Twitter.

As a small business owner, odds are good you keep a keen eye on expenses. You think technology has its place: It should work for you and improve your bottom line. If this sounds like you, then read on...

HP is inviting all U.S. small businesses with 20 or fewer employees to check out the HP Officejet Pro Challenge. We want five small business owners to swap out their current non-HP printer and test drive the award-winning HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One for 4 weeks. We want you to learn firsthand how you can get professional quality color printing while saving up to 50% cost per page and up to 50% less energy than comparably priced laser printers.

Simply share your experience online with other small business owners via HP's Small Business Community. Members of the community will review and rate your feedback. The participant who receives the most votes for "useful" feedback will be the grand prize winner.

The grand prize winner will keep the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One and will also receive a year's worth of free HP ink cartridges and paper plus a design package from Logoworks by HP.

Interested? Then hurry: You need to enter by Friday, July 10, 2009 to be considered for the challenge. See the details here.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and writes for the Small Business Marketing Guide. You can also find her on Twitter.

Tweet this!

Here's one marketing secret I want
to share: You don't need a dime in your marketing budget to successfully launch
and build your brand. You simply need the right resources, a bit of time, and
the commitment to learn, improve, and share.

Free DIY Marketing Resources

The adoption and acceptance of
social media is very good news for small business owners. The quality of
marketing expertise that's available via blogs, communities and online
conversations is staggering and could cost you thousands of dollars were you to
actually pay for it out of pocket (I did when I had a business).  But why would you, if you can get the same
expertise for free (or at incredibly affordable rates)?

Your brand's "story" (the mission statement, logo, brochure, web site) is
often the reason customers decide to spend money with you.  Start building the brand story for your
business by checking out these free resources:

1. Small Business Marketing Guide:
   
   
   Top small business marketing experts such as Guy Kawasaki,
   Anita
   Campbell of Small Business Trends, and Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch  share their expertise,
   strategy
   and tips
   to help you develop and evolve the compelling story of your business . (As
   of this writing, the Small
   Business Marketing Guide also offers free marketing webinars, too.
   
   
2. 
   HP
   Creative Studio:
   
   

   

   This 2009
   Webby-Award winning site offers dozens of free, professionally designed templates that you can download,
   customize, and print for your business within minutes, including:

• 
  Business
  cards and Business Identity Kits
• 
  Stationery
  and Envelopes
• 
  Brochures
  and Business
  Forms
• 
  Website
  and Blog Templates

 The HP
Creative Studio is also a great asset to find tools, access to discounts,
and other DIY and affordable design services (such as Logoworks
and Stock
Layouts)  that professional marketing
agencies use every day.

3. Twitter:
   
   Get expert advice, get
   opinions and share your expertise with world (or just your neighborhood) -
   in real time.  Any marketing expert worth
   their salt is on Twitter, and you get their sage advice for free. Better
   still, many experts will follow you back and respond to your questions.
   Even better still, when you're ready to test drive your new marketing
   materials, the Twitter universe is a great place to ask for feedback and
   opinions. (Author and marketer Tara
   Hunt asked her Twitter followers to rate the jacket design of her new
   book "The Whuffie Factor", and she got hundreds of opinions plus free
   designs in response.)
   
   Use the following resources to get started and put
   Twitter to work for you (I've also included links to the resources'
   Twitter account):

• 
  How to Use Twitter to
  Grow Your Business (via @Copyblogger)
• 
  50
  Ideas on using Twitter for Business (by @ChrisBrogan)
• 
  We Follow (@wefollow): This is a user-powered
  Twitter directory that makes it extremely easy to find people by topic, company
  or interest. (You'll find me in WeFollow's
  HP category.)

Take the first few steps to launch
your brand - there's a world online ready and willing to help. Including me.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki
and writes for the Small Business
Marketing Guide. You can also find her on Twitter.

The expertise,
strategy
and tips
shared in the Small Business Marketing Guide (brought to you by HP) will help you develop the compelling and unique story
of your business -- whether that brand story is a logo, a brochure, your company
letterhead,  a website, or all of these
and more.  I want to help you start
sharing that story -- without breaking the bank. And it starts with three easy
steps.

1. Visit the HP
   Creative Studio and select a free template.
2. Download the
   template and customize it with your information.
3. Print it,
   share it, and start building your business.

It's really that easy. But I'm
betting you'll be more likely to give it a try -- and succeed -- if I show you
how.

Follow these steps to get
customized, professionally designed letterhead and envelopes for your business in 15
minutes or less.

Step 1: Visit the HP
Creative Studio and select a free template.

I selected the "Stationery
and Envelopes" category.

 Then I selected the FREE "Circles" Letterhead
Template. (You can choose from more than 25 FREE
professionally designed letterhead templates by using the arrows to scroll
through the thumbnail menu.)

 Then I downloaded the matching
"Circles" envelope
template.

Step 2: Customize and Save your new Marketing Materials 

Tip: In Microsoft Word, I first do a "Save As" to rename the files and save
them to my notebook. (I find it's better to have a locally stored copy to edit,
tweak, and have available for future use and printing.)

Get started by selecting the text
and replacing it with your company name. I'll show you what it looks like
before and after I change the text.

Here's what it looks like after inserting my own text:

 Be sure to customize the contact and address information in the footer of the page, too:

 Then do the same for matching envelope by editing the placeholder text to insert your company name and address. The before and after...

Step 3: Print it, share it, and start growing your
business. (And get a 20% off coupon!)

You now have professionally
designed, customized letterhead you can print yourself. But I'd be remiss if I
didn't share one more piece of advice: If you want professional quality color
marketing materials that you can print yourself (at up to 50% less cost per
page and energy costs than laser), I highly recommend the HP
Officejet Pro 8500 and Original HP
Officejet Ink and Supplies.

Through May 5, 2009, you can save
20% ($80) on the new HP
Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One. Get the
coupon and terms here and see
the All-in-One (print, scan, copy, fax).

Related articles from the Small Business Marketing Guide,
brought to you by HP:

From John Jantsch:  Incredible,
Credible Marketing Materials

From Anita Campbell:  What
Google Can Teach Us about Printed Marketing Materials

From Guy Kawasaki: The Art of Branding

From Dane Carlson: Make
your marketing market you

Got a question or comment? I invite you to send it my way.

Angela LoSasso manages HP's Small Business Wiki and  HP's Creative Wiki. You'll also find her on Twitter.