The Truth About You, Your College Degree and Your Job

Posted on July 31, 2012 Written by

This is a guest post and video by Farnoosh Brock of Prolific Living.

Too many times in my engineering degree, I felt frustrated and unhappy. Many more times in my 11-year corporate career, I felt trapped, discouraged and miserable. And I did absolutely nothing about it.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I griped. I complained. I wallowed in my own self-pity. I gossiped with my co-workers about the unfairness of it all, but in hindsight, I did nothing useful, nothing that helped me leave that situation and define a better one that matched what I wanted to do with my life.

I mean, how are we supposed to know any better than doing what our culture and society teaches us: grow up, get a degree, get a job, be good at it, be grateful for it, do it until you retire. The end. How can we stray away from this if we want to be “responsible” and “successful” adults?

Getting a college degree and having a job still have their merits and advantages; both can be fulfilling if it’s the right fit and if it allows you an opportunity to do something you love and find meaningful.

What about the times when that’s not the case and when you can feel miserable going through the motions? First of all, there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling that way. And there’s everything right with you pursuing the right answer.

I went from a corporate junkie to a successful entrepreneur without a single marketing or sales class or startup experience. And now that I have made that seemingly impossible transition, I am passionate about showing you how to do it with a step-by-step plan.

 

The Importance of Social Media in a Successful Marketing Campaign

Posted on July 30, 2012 Written by

This is a guest post by Tim at HostPapa.

One would have to be blind not to see that social media networks have been some of the most successful performers on the Internet in the last few years. Say the word “Facebook” in nearly any part of the world and it will be recognized. In the past, the most commonly known words were Coca-Cola and “OK.” This is changing. With the combined technologies of high-speed Internet, cheaper laptops, and now the advent of smartphones, it is much easier for the average person to become involved with social media sites.

Naturally, companies both large and small see these as avenues for a new target audience that was previously unheard of. What may come as a surprise, however, is that while 66% of all companies have a Facebook page and 51% have a twitter account, a mere 16% say that their marketing efforts have been fully utilized and integrated into their existing campaign strategies! Take a look below to get a better idea of just where companies are with this process via this study from InSites Consulting and Marketing Profs:

social-media-importance

Most companies are still in the very early stages of taking this next step. Just as the “dot com” revolution is still being talked about, many believe that the social network revolution may provide companies with an opportunity to grow as never before. By taking full advantage of all the benefits social media has to offer, a company can expect to achieve three things.

 

Fetching Friday – Resources Mashup & Within Two Worlds

Posted on July 27, 2012 Written by

This post is part of a weekly series, Fetching Friday, featuring the best posts of the week in blogging, business, freelancing, SEO, and social media on kikolani.com.

The Resources Mashup

Here are some of the best articles I have seen on Google+, retweeted on @kikolani, and read in RSS subscriptions this week.

Blogging / Content

 

Building Your Personal Brand with Pinterest

Posted on July 26, 2012 Written by

Do you tend pin on your pin board on Pinterest more than you tweet on Twitter lately?

Pinterest offers a new kind of social media sharing, and at the Internet marketing firm I work for, we’re seeing it swell in popularity (even though it’s still in the beat phase) among bloggers and search engine marketers for building a personal brand online.

As mentioned, Pinterest offers a unique social sharing experience as users actually “pin” their favorite photos onto their own personal pin board (or profile page), and also seek inspiration from other users’ pin boards as well. In fact, Pinterest is becoming so popular, that ComScore notes daily Pinterest usership has increased by 145%, since earlier this year.

Across the U.S. users largely utilize Pinterest to pin hobby interests, arts, crafts, gifts, interior design, and fashion ideas. However, there is huge opportunity for bloggers to use the site to build a personal brand—by pinning blogging resources, web statistics, analytics, and SEO marketing tips.

Here are eight ways for bloggers and SEO marketers to use Pinterest as an ideal way to build a brand presence online.

 

How to Get More Responses for Guest Blogging

Posted on July 25, 2012 Written by

This is a guest post by Adam Riemer.

One of the hardest things to do with your new websites or blogs is to get people to find it and trust it. Once you have people finding and trusting your blog, you can then begin to build your brand and grow your following. The issue is that with all of the clutter on the web, it’s hard to start a new site and stand out. That’s why guest blogging and posting is a vital tool that you can use to help get your site off the ground, build a fan base and create a trustworthy brand. Here are some tips that you can use to help increase your chances of being accepted as a guest blogger, even when your site is not known and has no authority.

Write original and unique emails and contact form messages.

One of the most annoying things a blog owner or webmaster can get is a general template asking for a guest blog post or article submission. Before writing to the site owner or using a contact form, read a few of their posts and make a couple of comments about them. Show the owner of the site that you do enjoy their work, you have read their blog and that you know what they enjoy writing about.

 

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