Among all the large smartphone manufacturers, Apple has so far been the most cautious in introducing AI-powered photo editing tools -- but perhaps not for much longer.

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Hometown newspapers are small businesses, just like the hardware store, the cafe, or the auto repair shop. They’re not just “media.” They’re employers, sponsors, storytellers, and neighbors, and their work ripples through every corner of the community.

This year, collaboration is a focus of ours at SaveYour.Town, and I want to talk about how newspapers and local businesses can truly work together. Both sides bring value. Your newspaper can be an incredible resource for your business, and your support helps keep local journalism strong.

Use Your Local Paper as a Valuable Resource

Share Your Press Releases 

Newspapers still do something better than almost anyone else: they get local information in front of local people. When you’ve got something to share—a new product, an event, a success story—send a press release to every paper you can: your hometown, nearby towns, and regional outlets.

A good advertising department won’t just print your story, they’ll help you build on it. They might mock up ads, stop by your business, or help turn that small piece of news into a bigger presence. Local stories and local advertising work hand in hand, keeping attention, dollars, and pride right where they belong: in your community.

If they don’t do this automatically, you can do it yourself: mockup your own ad and ask about it when carrying the press release.

Photos Make that the Newspaper Make Everyone Smile

In one small town, the local newspaper ran photos of everyone who bought a seat in the Save the Webster Theater fundraiser. People cut out their pictures, shared them, and proudly showed them off. That’s the magic of local journalism—it celebrates people, connects neighbors, and turns ordinary moments into community pride.

No social media algorithm can do that. Only someone who knows the people and the place can.
What could you do like that in your community?

Newspapers Fit in the New Way to Market

Marketing in newspapers used to be the way to reach your audience. Now, it’s part of a mix that includes social media, email newsletters, and websites. Successful newspapers have adapted; they’re publishing both online and in print, meeting readers where they are.

Your local paper might even offer digital ads, social media promotions, or direct marketing campaigns. Those “new ways” are built on the trust and relationships newspapers have earned over decades. Going digital doesn’t replace print—it expands your reach while keeping your connection local.

Collaboration, Not Just Ads

Your hometown paper already captures the heartbeat of your community—business updates, church events, reunions, and celebrations. Now’s the time to think about how to collaborate more deeply.

How can your business and your newspaper co-create campaigns, share stories, and build relationships that last? When you work together, everyone benefits. The stories are richer, the economy is stronger, and the sense of pride runs deeper.

Supporting your local newspaper is part of “shop local.” A town that values its local news invests in its own future. When local media lose revenue, you feel it—in fewer stories, less coverage, and fewer opportunities to connect. Supporting your paper means investing in your town’s voice—and your business benefits from that, too.

How Newspapers Can Be Better Local Businesses

Tell Your Own Story

Newspapers can strengthen their community connection by telling their own story. Don’t assume people know what you do—show them.

• Share the range of what you cover, from birthdays and sports to civic meetings.
• Introduce your team so readers can connect faces to bylines.
• Celebrate your achievements and update readers on what’s next.
• Use your website and social channels to share more stories beyond print.

Many of you already show up at council meetings, Friday night games, and ribbon cuttings. You share obituaries, honor rolls, and community milestones—let us know where to find those stories online, too.

Make It Easy to Work With You

A simple “Work With Us” webpage or one-sheet can make advertising easier for local businesses. Include who your readers are, which sections perform best, and when seasonal peaks happen. That turns your newspaper from “a place to buy ads” into “a partner that helps small businesses grow.”

Here’s what could go on that page or a simple one-sheet:

• Who reads your paper: top age ranges, key ZIP codes, and the most popular sections.
• When they read it: weekday vs. weekend audience.
• Which sections work best for which audiences: weekend features for families, sports for local fans, business page for professionals.
• Seasonal spikes: back-to-school, holidays, elections, big local events—so advertisers can time their campaigns.

Go Deeper with Small Businesses

Small businesses and newspapers need each other. Let’s move beyond “Do you want to buy an ad?” and instead ask, “How can we work together long-term?”

Try things like:

• Basic ad-planning sessions
  • Sit down with businesses and help them:
  • Define their ideal customer using your readership data.
  • Choose the right sections and days.
  • Set a realistic frequency so the message has time to work.
• “Track-with-us” packages Don’t just run ads—help track what happens. Include:
  • A clear call-to-action (bring in this coupon, scan this QR code, visit this URL).
  • A unique coupon, QR code, or URL for that campaign.
  • A simple tracking sheet or shared dashboard.
  • A short results review at the end: what worked, what didn’t, and what to try next.
• Reader surveys for advertisers. Run occasional sponsored questions like:
  • “Where do you shop for gifts?”
  • “Which restaurants do you visit most often?” This engages readers and gives advertisers insight they cannot get from a generic online dashboard.

These steps can turn newspapers from simple ad vendors into trusted community partners and problem-solvers.

 Shop local is even more important these days. And that includes your local newspaper.

I walked into a local retail shop in Alva, Oklahoma, population 4,000. It’s called Bates & Co., and they are best known for their handcrafted hairbows for infants and kids.

But when I walked into their store, they had all kinds of things under one roof: women’s clothes, fashion jewelry, travel accessories and more. It was a rural women lifestyle kind of shop.

I asked the owner where she found all her products, did she go to the Dallas Markets to find them? She said no, she bought from the wholesale apps on her phone.

I was floored! I’d heard local stores talking about the difficulties of going to market, arranging purchases, waiting on deliveries, and finding items that wouldn’t also be available in other stores in town. I had no idea the power of a simple wholesale app on your phone!

So I bet there are other business owners or hopeful future store owners who don’t know that either.

Wholesale apps are your trade show that never closes

If you’ve only ever bought inventory through licensed distributors or in-person markets, this feels almost unreal. But for many retail categories — especially clothing, gifts, accessories, home décor, and boutique-style items — there are wholesale marketplaces that live right on your phone.

And no airfare or hotel bill.

That’s powerful in a town of 4,000.

But it also means you need to be a smart buyer.

Green flags: signs a wholesale app is worth your time

I did a little research on this, and I’m excited about the potential for rural retail businesses. But not all the apps are trustworthy, and like any business decision, it takes some discernment.

Here are some tips and suggestions I found that seemed the most useful, as well as some of my own rural business takes.

Clear wholesale requirements

Legit apps usually require:

• A business name
• An EIN or business registration
• Sometimes a resale certificate

That’s a good sign. It means they’re trying to keep retail shoppers out of the wholesale pool.

Transparent pricing and minimums

You should see:

• Wholesale prices clearly marked
• Reasonable minimum order quantities (MOQs)
• The ability to test with a small first order

You don’t need massive quantities in your small town boutique, so look for apps that understand that.

Real brand information

Look for:

• Brand story and location
• How long they’ve been on the platform
• Reviews from other shop owners

If you can’t tell who you’re buying from, slow down.

Shipping timelines you can live with

Some items ship in days. Others are preorder and ship in weeks. Both are fine — as long as it’s clearly stated, and as long as that works for your business.

Red flags: when to delete that app

These are the things that would make me nervous:

Prices that don’t seem right

If the “wholesale” price seems too good to be true, or you could pay that at Walmart, something is off. Either quality will disappoint, or you’re not really buying wholesale.

No clear return or damage policy

Stuff happens in shipping. If there’s no explanation of what happens when it does, assume you’re on your own.

Retail customers mixed in

If the app openly sells single items to consumers and claims to be wholesale, that’s a warning sign. It puts you in direct competition with your own supplier.

Pressure tactics

Countdown clocks, “only 3 left!” warnings, or constant push notifications are designed to lead to bad buying decisions. Does it remind you of a gross online casino? Delete it and move on.

Use apps to multiply your local advantage

Small-town retailers like you actually have built-in advantages when it comes to using wholesale apps, advantages that big-city shops often don’t.

You don’t need to win on volume because you win by knowing your people. You’re closer to your customers. And you’re used to paying attention.

That makes these apps more useful to you, not less.

You can test without betting the farm

Big-city stores often need big orders to justify shelf space and staffing. They live and die on volume. In a rural shop, you can bring in a handful of scarves, see what happens, and decide from there.

That makes low minimum orders a feature, not a limitation.

You can move faster than chains

Corporate retail plans seasons months in advance. With faster turnarounds via apps, you can react in real time. If customers start asking for cute new bags or travel accessories, you can go looking that afternoon.

That kind of responsiveness is hard to match.

Fill gaps alongside your unique local flavor

Take a moment to appreciate the unique local flavor you create in your store. You offer experiences and items that can’t be bought online.

Bates & Co didn’t replace those handmade hair bows with cheaper versions from an app, they used the app to thoughtfully add new products that their customers would want.

Your locally-produced items, personalization and special services give you an advantage.

In store classes, demonstrations and hands-on crafts are memorable experiences that no online competitor can copy.

Use these new apps to add even more value, not to replace your amazingness.

Wholesale apps drive down the cost of distance

In the past, rural retailers were fighting to catch up to trends because markets were far away, minimums were too high and there was always too much to do.

Wholesale apps flip that. You can now buy the same styles as a boutique in any big city, without leaving your store and without waiting for the next big trade show.

That doesn’t guarantee success, but it removes one huge barrier.

What’s your take?

If you’re using wholesale apps in a small town, I’d love to hear which ones you’ve tried and what surprised you. Or your challenges, tips or what to avoid.

The right web design company can optimize your website for higher conversions. But who knows your customers better? You, or the design team you plan to hire? Because businesses and their customers have industry- and niche-specific needs, it’s critical that your web design company understands your business.

Great design happens when your customer knowledge meets designer expertise. But that isn’t enough anymore. You will also need search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO).

Ruler Analytics reported in 2025 an average conversion rate of just 2.9% across fourteen industries. This means there is massive optimization potential.

Source: Ruler Analytics

With search traffic declining and zero-click searches becoming the norm, isn’t it time you optimized your website for conversions? This is where the right web design company comes in.

Choosing the Best Fit in Web Design Specialists

Choosing which web design company to hire is more complex than ever, as skill sets vary among developers. So, start with your business goals.

Do you only need a website or does it need to integrate with internal or third party systems, your CRM, or dashboards? Will you be integrating existing processes or is developing them part of this project’s roadmap?

Most web designers are not developers capable of building complex systems. Many do not even have experience integrating existing systems. There is also a difference between UX/UI designers and UX/UI developers. You need both, but you may not need AI UI/UX design or development.

Plan First: Would Your Site Benefit from AI UI/UX?

What is your vision for the totality of how your website interacts with existing processes?

Most businesses think in terms of individual needs:

• CRM
• Calendar/appointment setting
• Call tracking
• Inventory management
• Accounting
• Project management
• Analytics

These individual needs vary by type of business. If there is a business case for it and you have the funding, integrating everything into an all-encompassing solution may be preferable.

But how do you know what to build? Take the advice of Marc Caposino, founder of the AI Design Agency Fuselab Creative:

“The best user research happens in the wild. Watch how people currently solve the problem you’re addressing. What workarounds have they created? Where do they get frustrated? What do they do immediately after they complete the task?”

If you want to go beyond just having a website built, find an agency that has demonstrated success with similar projects.

Review Portfolios of Web Designs for Businesses Like Yours

Your business may seem simple to you because it is what you know. However, for many niches, that simply isn’t accurate. Stick to designers who specialize in your industry.

Most designers will have a page showing a portfolio that allows you to click through to live websites. Study their layouts and make notes about what you like and dislike.

When you’re searching for web designs, choose sites for businesses in your niche that are most similar to your own. For example, if you own a dental practice, search for “dental website design”. You may even want to look for differences between a site for a pediatric dentist versus an oral surgeon.

Some designers make that easier. For example, this dental web design portfolio uses filter tabs at the top to make navigation of their design portfolio intuitive and efficient.

Interview Niche-Specific Web Developers

Do not expect every web development company to be familiar with the requirements of your business. It is up to you to make sure they are qualified.

That is why I recommend you work with a company with experience in your industry. Here’s an example.

Dentistry doesn’t seem complicated. Everyone knows a dentist. But every dental practice offers different procedures. Not all do implants or offer Invisalign. Within dentistry, there are also specialties, such as orthodontists, pediatric dentists, oral surgeons, periodontists, and others.

While they all have a primary goal of scheduling patient appointments, some use a simple appointment form while others integrate with dental management software such as Dentrix and Oryx. Inquire whether the company you plan to hire is familiar with integrating any industry-specific applications your business uses.

Focus on Your Business Goals

Make a list of every application essential to your business. Determine which applications the developer you hire will need to incorporate into your website.

Include your:

• CRM
• Office management
• Accounting package
• Appointment booking
• Advertising
• Dashboards
• Call tracking and analytics platforms

Failure to plan could mean delays and increased costs if you have to hire additional specialists or programmers to complete your project.

How to Know What Customers Want in Website Design

Use behavioral analytics tools to analyze how visitors to your site use it. There are many paid options, as well as the free option Microsoft Clarity. This video explains how this type of tool works and the pros and cons of HotJar versus Microsoft Clarity.

Now that you can do this at no cost, why wouldn’t you? Analytics tools can answer questions such as:

• Are visitors clicking in the wrong place?
• How often do they land on a page and immediately exit?
• Did they leave your appointment scheduling option without completing it?

The answers to these questions can be indicators that your design needs improvement.

Ideally, your business should be willing to accommodate whatever your potential customers want in terms of how booking and other processes work.

I’ve had younger clients who only wanted customers to book their own appointments, yet they were running ads targeting an older, more prosperous demographic–then becoming unhappy that it was making their phone ring!

Involve an SEO Expert Before You Move an Existing Site

Over the decades, I’ve seen many sad stories of businesses losing traffic and incoming links because they launched a new website without 301 redirects of the existing URLs.

Any time you do a website redesign, an SEO expert should be involved. This is essential to avoid technical mistakes, slow load times, poor mobile responsiveness, or bad UX. If the development company will be handling the technical SEO of your site, ask for references specific to their SEO capabilities.

Test Your Website Before Launching

When you’re negotiating the contract for your website, make sure testing is included. A final testing process that catches problems before launch is essential. Even if the development company is doing this testing, repeat it in-house as well. Have someone with strong attention to detail read every page and test every link, form, and integration.

If you use third-party solutions, verify that those work and are optimally configured. For example, appointment setting apps may have two to three steps or as many as 14! Every additional step can reduce conversions. If one-click checkout works best for Amazon, why would anyone think asking 14 questions is a good idea?

Reassess what information you’re asking potential customers for. Call in a few favors and observe others go through the process of buying or booking on your website. Any confusion will cause abandonment, so watch for any hurdles that slow the process.

With search traffic declining, it's crucial to make the most of every visitor to your site by increasing conversions. To do this, you’ll need to streamline appointment scheduling and checkout processes to ensure as little friction as possible.

Remember that your website is an extension of your brand’s reputation. To make a great impression on visitors, you’ll want to make sure everything works perfectly.

Transform an old file cabinet into clever, space-saving garden tool storage that keeps your outdoor essentials tidy and easily accessible! A creative DIY project that is affordable and useful by combining recycling with functionality for every gardening enthusiast. As a Fusion and Amazon Influencer, this post contains affiliate links in which I earn a small […]

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