We're here to give you the most help, and a chance to be helpful, too.

chief branding officer of nakedpizza, a small new orleans-based pizza franchise, discusses why twitter is the best social media outlet for the business.

using direct mail to increase email marketing results

an interview with the owner of cloud mover spa

this 5 page action guide provides proven techniques to successfully increase customer loyalty

it is easier to keep your customers than trying to get new ones. so, stop losing customers! this 7-page guide will help you learn ...and most importantly how to win them back.

mired in a slowdown and wondering how to get more customers back in your store?

the free google local business center action guide will help you get your business listed on google's free local business listings that appear when a user types in a category with a geographical location, ie., "pizza san francisco." in addition, you'll learn how to customize your account by adding details about your business and visual media like pictures and video.

grabbinggreen.com's free linkedin action guide will show any small businessperson how to create a profile on the popular professional networking site, find trusted service-providers, search for top talent, and promote their company, all using linkedin's easy-to-use interface.

things to consider before creating a myspace page for your business

microblogging is a way to keep in touch in real time with customers who want to keep in touch with you. more than that, though, microblogging provides a unique way to learnmore about what your customers are doing. is microblogging for your store?

so, how do you, the small retailer, make sure your customers continue shopping at your store during tough economic times? here are 12 ideas to consider:

how "small" can beat the big boys

mri study identifies five buying style segments: * buyers of the best * swayable shopaholics * habitualized havers * conscientious consumers * penny-pinchers

i’m really focusing on referrals…i make a point to mail a postcard to former clients and ask for referrals, and send a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to every client who gives me a referral.patrick o. rapid city, sd- real estate

"word of mouth spread offline is more positive and more likely to be interpreted as credible than wom spread online, according to a recent research study from womma member company the keller fay group. fifty-nine percent of those surveyed indicted they found wom transmitted face-to-face and on the phone was "highly" credible, versus 49% for online wom. the study also found that 66% of face-to-face wom communication was "mostly positive" versus 57% of the impressions on blogs and chat rooms. offline wom was also found to be 7% more likely to lead to purchase intent, according to the research." marsha t., advertising agency, baton rouge. la.

i’m really focusing on referrals…i make a point to mail a postcard to former clients and ask for referrals, and send a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to every client who gives me a referral. patrick o. rapid city, sd- real estate

“we use newsletters to get information from our customers. have a poll or a survey. it can be short, and even fun: where are you going on vacation? what tv show are you enjoying this summer? then post results in a future newsletter. people love taking polls.of course, always best to use a poll topic that is of interest to your audience.our customers are into new bands, especially hip-hop. we like to poll about "who's hot" in order to let them chime in about their favorites, and it also let's us get a sense of trends.”anson l , natchez, miss clothing store

“we started offering each of our customers a chance to win $250 in pet supplies if they referred another pet owner. we call it “refer a pet pal”. we have had over 100 entries/most of which are new users since we started the promotion on september 1st.evan l, topeka, ks pet store