Small Business Content From Slate

• Intellectually Bankrupt
• Dollars and Incense
• Sticky Prices are Only Human
• UPS vs. FedEx

The U.S. Small Business Administration celebrates small business week with a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. Topics for discussion include small business accomplishments as well as disaster recovery, procurement and entrepreneurial success. More than 100 small business owners will be honored at four major award events, culminating with the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year. Our blogger Brad Paton will be there in person at Small Business Week to blog LIVE from the events. Check back for follow-up coverage throughout the week.

Have a small business question? Need advice on marketing? This is your chance to get it straight from the source. E-mail us at smallbizanswers@constantcontact.com

Download the
Small Business Minute
Audio Podcast Cliff Sloan, publisher of Slate, interviews Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact, the leading email marketing service with more than 100,000 small businesses customers. Listen to Gail’s take on small businesses' key advantages for success in a competitive market. Right click the ipod image or this link and select " Save Target As "
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Your email marketing success begins with growing your contact list. If you have a website, add a sign-up box. If you have a store, put an email list sign-up book at the front desk. Go to networking events? Have your sign-up book ready to add people interested in your business. Learn more ideas.

Want an easy way to grow your small business? Look no further than your current customers. Research shows that it costs 6-7 times more to get a new customer than keep the ones you have. Build relationships with your best customers and watch your sales soar. Learn more.

Discover the impact that email marketing can have on your business. Jennifer Gordon, owner of Sojourn Bags in Chicago, increased her web sales by 50% when she started an email marketing program. "It was a cost-effective way to communicate with our most important customers." Get more ideas on how to grow your business.