Gig Economy News: Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Today, entrepreneurship and the internet go together like peanut butter and jelly, like bread and butter, or like whatever your favorite food pairing might be! There’s no question about it though, even if most of your business is conducted offline, the internet is still an invaluable tool for spreading the word about your work, building up your brand, and even for managing the day-to-day tasks of running a business. This week, enjoy a few articles from around the web about how to use the internet to your advantage, and how to tame it when it tries to get the better of you. Your Name Should Mean Something For many of the entrepreneurs that we work with, their name and their brand are synonymous, so any efforts by a disgruntled customer or a rival to smear your name can have major effects on your business’ reputation. Luckily, there are entire companies dedicated just to solving this problem and helping you maintain your name’s integrity on the internet. Here are Business News Daily’s top picks for managing your online reputation. The Web is Your Lab Whether it’s your entire business concept, or small ideas for how to grow and improve your business – any creative inventor knows that beta testing is key for releasing a bug-free upgrade – even if what you’re selling has nothing to do with tech. Here’s another way that you can use the internet as a tool. Check out our tips for beta-testing your business ideas on Fiverr before putting them into action. Even Brick-and-Mortars Need the Internet “Most of my business comes from referrals,” or “I don’t sell anything online,” are just two of the many excuses we have heard for why people with mostly real-world based businesses don’t invest energy or effort into strengthening their SEO. However, this is a huge mistake that can cost you in the real world. Check out why Allbusiness thinks that every entrepreneur should value SEO, even if most of their business is conducted offline. The Marketing Sky is the Limit No matter who you are and what you sell, at the end of the day every entrepreneur knows that the internet’s greatest potential is its capability to connect you with people who are seeking your products and services. But how do you make sure that your marketing is effective and is reaching the right people? If you need a marketing makeover, take a look at our guide to breathing new life into your online strategy. How do you use the internet to your advantage? Tell us in the comments!