In business, we are trained to network. You have learned to network with influencers, network with movers and shakers, and network with those in the know. That’s all good advice. But, sometimes what’s left out is the importance of networking with your peers. Your peers are people at about the same level of education and experience as you that are in the same field of work as you are. However, often they have different experiences. It’s those differences that will help you get further in your career than you might think. The reason you’ll get the best advice and support from your peers is that: * Similarity Breeds Trust –…

If you have a lot of one-time projects that don’t turn into long-term clients, it is important to look at how you are offering your services and marketing them. If your clients are happy with your work but don’t contract with you long term, or often ask you to do one-off projects at the last minute, there may be something you can do in terms of your marketing plan to eliminate this issue. Set the Tone for Not Taking Last-Minute One-Time Projects When someone contacts you for a one-off project, it is important that you take it if it’s something you do well and you have the time to do…

Today you can see examples of native advertising on many popular websites such as CNN.com, Huffington Post, The Onion, Fast Company, The New York Times and various local newspapers – as well as other popular online magazines and websites. The way you can spot native advertising is that it does not look like an advertisement or the old-fashioned advertorial. Instead it’s sponsored useful content that does not read as an advertisement but as useful content in and of itself that the audience will likely enjoy. There are some experts who do not believe that sponsored posts are really native advertising. They consider them regular advertising. Copyblogger’s Demian Farnworth is one…

Producing content yourself can be difficult when you’re also trying to run an entire business. Thankfully, there are solutions to creating content that don’t involve you having to give up your main money-making activity, or miss time with your family. Instead of creating the content yourself you can hire a content writer to do it for you, as a ghostwriter. This means that they will take your ideas and create the content to your specifications, and you get to put your name on it as your own. Once you pay for the content, you own all rights to it and can do whatever you want with the content. However, before…

Data feeds are used for uploading and promoting products and services. A merchant uses data feeds, and many merchants allow affiliates to use data feeds to promote their products and services too. In some cases you need to download the data feed and clean up the code, then upload it to your own shopping cart or website using a plug-in like Datafeedr.com for WordPress. Some merchants, in addition to shopping carts offer code that you can slip into your site to automate the process so that you don’t have to mess with any code. Drop shippers offer automated data feeds, as does ClickBank and other online affiliate marketing sites and…

Pinterest is pretty much just like every other social network when it comes to being able to search the network for people to connect to. Only, it’s easier. Simply go to Pinterest.com and use the search bar to search any keywords or keyword phrases about people, places or things that you already know are part of your niche. Conduct a Search For instance, if want to connect with virtual assistants, just do a search for virtual assistant, choosing “all pins”. You’ll get a lot of results for that search. You can see amazing pins that other VAs have put up such as pictorial resumes, work samples, quotes and more. Choose…