This Week in Small Business: How to market in a small community, the power of stories, Shark Tank lessons and more

news you can use

Small may be beautiful, but it’s also challenging, especially when marketing a small business in a small community. But this week’s collection of curated content has some answers for that dilemma. You’ll also find the questions you should be asking as the leader of your small business, great ecommerce tips, and a generous helping of much more

Marketing and sales

Steve Sheinkopf turned around the company his grandfather founded with nearly a zero ad budget. He followed five rules to create a stand-out marketing campaign for his small business.

Ian Cleary recaps a talk by Matt Lerner of 500 Startups, revealing the top tools used by his team of marketing growth hackers.

There are challenges marketing a small business in a small community. This Mad Mimi article takes on those challenges.

A great landing page can be the difference between success and failure. Use the creative advice here to boost your copywriting skills.

Make your holiday season outrageously successful by using the power of Pinterest in your marketing.

Two articles on the power of “story” proved to be popular this week. One on Entrepreneur and one on my site.

If you’re still talking about 30-second TV commercials and think that there’s much marketing outside of digital marketing, you haven’t noticed the disruption and need to reframe your thinking. And if you need help evaluating your digital marketing campaign, you’ll find it here.

Leadership, management and productivity

Some small business loans require daily automated clearing house (ACH) payments. Here’s why some owners like the system, while others hate it.

If you want to be a leader in your small business, not merely a boss, here are five questions you need to be asking.

Apps aren’t just for social media marketing. You can even find great apps to help your HR efforts.

Do you want to add eCommerce to your online presence? If you leverage Instagram, check out Springbot.

Entrepreneurship, startups and innovation

Women, do you want to find the best places across the fruited plain to put down your roots as an entrepreneur? This NerdWallet article and infographic will give you the answer.

You may never get featured on “Shark Tank.” But you can still learn the lessons Rich Winley learned when he pitched his biz. (Why did Mark Cuban drop out less than two minutes into the pitch?)

Politics, government and the economy

Do you have an attorney in your area that likes to sue over issues involving the Americans with Disabilities Act? Here’s a cautionary tale from the Twin Cities.

Philip Salter explains why and how high growth small businesses are key to real economic growth. He writes from Great Britain, but the lessons apply everywhere.

Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. senator from New Hampshire, discusses how women in small business are cracking the glass ceiling.