This Week in Small Business: Important trends in Content Marketing, SEO and the Economy

news you can use

Wow! Just finished this compilation and realized that none of the articles linked to here focus on the presidential race! (You can thank me later.) However, there are some very interesting insights into how things are changing, especially in the world economy, SEO and content marketing. And, in the big scheme of things, these will probably prove more important to small business owners than all the current political scene “sturm und drang.”

Agreed?

Politics, government and the economy

Get a little help with your crystal ball and check out this Wall Street Journal article on five trends that will shape the future of the U.S. economy. And to see how Millennials are changing the global economy, check out this Business Insider article.

Not our favorite subject, but an important one: Essential tax deductions for entrepreneurs and freelancers.

Congress is giving small businesses and entrepreneurs some welcomed clarity on tax regulations. (Even more welcomed by one convenience store owner was when the IRS returned the cash they seized from him.)

Leadership, management and productivity

Do you know about Hyperwallet? If you have a virtual workforce, it may come in handy.

If you want to grow fast, you’re going to have to train fast. You might need to break a few rules.

Know what “geofencing” is and how it can boost your business? Find out in this article I wrote for MasterCard.

Smart use of social media in your customer service system will do a lot to keep your customers satisfied and smiling.

Is your leadership style one of the six mentioned here that create excellence?

Marketing and sales

Keep up with all the important SEO trends for small business websites.

Content marketing has been evolving very quickly since 2010. Sujan Patel clues you in on all the changes you need to be aware of.

Content marketers need to not only manage their content, but also their time. This article focuses on time management.

It’s always smart to learn from others and this article draws 12 lessons from five content marketing case studies.

Darren DeMatas discusses five creative ways to drive sales via customer service.

Looking for hacks to draw traffic to your website? Here are 10 – although they seem more like “best practices” than “hacks” to me.

Entrepreneurship, startups and innovation

Need to tap your family and friends for startup funds? Check out this article I posted on Medium.

This post by the Young Entrepreneurs Council details 15 of the most difficult things when you transition from employee to employer.