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Waltham, Massachusetts - (Cheap Web Hosting Directory) - September 28, 2005 - A recent survey of Chicago-area small and medium-sized businesses revealed that nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of business owners cited great customers, local events, or the area’s business-friendly environment as the top reason why the Chicago region is a favorable place to own and run a business.

Thirty-two percent of small businesses surveyed viewed the strength of the local economy or community support as other top qualities of doing business in the area. The survey of more than 150 Chicago-area small businesses was conducted by Constant Contact, a leading email marketing service for small businesses, associations and nonprofits.

The survey also asked Chicago-area small businesses about their marketing practices, revealing that email marketing (59 percent), direct mail (22 percent), and online advertising (11 percent) are the most valuable marketing methods for growing their businesses. Radio and print advertising were tied for the fourth position, both at 3 percent, with yellow pages advertising coming in at 2 percent. Additionally, 85 percent of small businesses surveyed said that email marketing is an extremely or very important tool for growing their businesses.

When asked about the cultural and entertainment benefits of living in Chicago, regional small businesses view local restaurants (28 percent), community programs (18 percent) and sports teams (17 percent) as their favorite aspects of living in the area. Small businesses also favored the Chicago area music scene (14 percent), theater (12 percent) and educational opportunities (11 percent).

Chicago-area small businesses were also asked their preferences if they could have any local celebrity, civic or business leader endorse their businesses. Top celebrity choices included Oprah Winfrey (52 percent), celebrity chef, Charlie Trotter (19 percent) and former Chicago Bears coach, Mike Ditka (11 percent). For civic or business leader endorsements, Chicago-area small businesses expressed their top preferences for Barack Obama, U.S. Senator for Illinois (59 percent), William Wrigley, Jr., CEO of the William Wrigley Jr. Company (14 percent) and William H. Daley, Chicago-area business and civic leader and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce (10 percent).

Included in the survey, small businesses were asked:

“Why is Chicago the best place to own and run a business?”

The results were as follows:

Great customers                                                   22%———————————————————————-Local events                                                      21%———————————————————————-Business-friendly environment                                     19%———————————————————————-Local economy                                                     16%———————————————————————-Community support                                                 16%———————————————————————-Transportation options                                             5%———————————————————————-

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