There’s plenty of news for small business owners out there as innovations change the market and hard times yield unusual opportunities. Keep a perspective with our regular selection of small business news exclusively gathered by the Small Business Trends team Monday through Friday in our small business roundup. Here are the news items and blogs we’re watching today.

Leadership

Small business in the driver’s seat? In hard economic times when statistics show small businesses may be the answer, it’s time to step up. Tom Raducha’s Blog

Nothing happens without a vision. And usually it doesn’t come from the people who fit in. Open Forum Innovation

Improving your international business skills. Here are 21 tips for the small business planning to go global. Cindy King

Marketing

In search of a do-it-yourself marketing guide. Why asking good questions can sometimes also be the perfect answer. DIY Marketers

Save your money. 10 ways to avoid paying way too much on your marketing campaign. Entrepreneur.com

What are they saying about your business? Why testimonials remain one of the most powerful forms of marketing and why you need to cultivate them. NJ Entrepreneur

Seeing is believing. How virtual tours can boost an e-mail marketing campaign. Understanding Marketing

Public Relations

Learning from the pros. Avoid these four major screwups when doing PR for your own small business. The Netsetter

Publicizing your local small business online. Following even 25 percent of the 51 tips on this list is guaranteed to get you noticed.  Softline Solutions

Social Media

Enhancing LinkedIn for your business. Here are 11 tips to make a positive impact with the premier business social network. Paul Castain’s Sales Playbook

Adding value to your Tweets. How to up the ante when using social media to market your small business. The Rise To The Top

How Twitter and Facebook are affecting your search engine ranking. If you aren’t taking into the impact of social media on your online business reputation, you are missing an opportunity. SysComm International

Humor

It’s either the world’s best or worst franchise idea. Now all we’ve got to do is figure out whether Joel Libava is kidding or not. Franchise Follies

Policy

More doubt cast on small business aid program. Not only will a government plan to stimulate small business hiring not work but its delay is probably costing jobs and growth right now. The Entrepreneurial Mind

Show me the money. A year after a $787 billion stimulus package aimed at rebuilding the economy, a report says most small businesses haven’t seen any funding. Reuters

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News March 12, 2010

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