Monday, July 8, 2013

Progress is a Slow Process

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Coming back from an injury, or trying to rebuild after your store has been completely destroyed is a slow, agonizing process. The thought of ''is it worth it'' will cross your mind more than once, I'm sure. But in order to come back stronger than ever, you must realize progress is a slow process that won't happen overnight, but instead, over time.

So, it has come to your attention that you have somehow developed a negative reputation online. You start to see that it is taking a chunk out of your profit and you are beginning to lose customers. What do you do now? How do you start to repair your reputation? While there are many ways to begin this process, and just as many options available for you to start repairing, you must understand one of the most important things about this. This will be a slow process from start to finish.

The progress you are looking to make won't happen overnight--it is simply too much work involved for this to take a week or two. It would be fair to say that you are looking at an uphill battle of a couple of months. You have to realize that not only do you have to rebuild your reputation, but after you are done with that, you have to get the customers you lost back. And, that is not a guarantee.

I will say this though, depending on the severity of your reputation damage, it won't take as long as others. However, you still shouldn't expect to be out of the hole in hurry. In my opinion, I think you should take advantage of this period. It gives you a chance to go over weaknesses in your business plan. Further, you are given the opportunity to implement a newer version of what you were doing before. In a way, it’s a blessing in disguise, except that it has come at the expense of your business operations for the time being.

Taking your time to ensure you are making the right amount of progress is very important. If you choose to rush back, you are leaving holes you received in the predicament still uncovered. You are pretty much saying 'hold my spot, I'll be back." You cannot afford to take any shortcuts in this situation and think you will still be able to do business, because the sad reality is you won't have a business to operate.

As time progresses, customers will see the changes you have made and will soon begin to migrate back to you. While the process is long and slow, what matters is you are back stronger than before and are now fully equipped to resume business like you were doing before.


Time waits for no man. With this is mind, it is important to make sure you are utilizing the time you have to rebuild your business and make it stronger and better than it was before. 

Weed Out the Negatives

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Negativity can show up at any time and place. It can also come in different forms, such as online, print and verbal. Needless to say, it is something we really can't escape, but we can try to weed it out and build up a strong barrier against it. We build barriers of defense in hopes that they will be as impenetrable as possible.

Because we live in a technologically savvy world, we have become more susceptible to negative attacks, online and in print. But, this susceptibility is mostly online due to the fact most of our activities and transactions take place there more than anywhere else. What makes it even worse is that some of our favorite places to visit online (such as chat rooms, forums, comment sections and Social Media sites) have become breeding grounds for trolls to spread their negativity.

We often think of people who spread negativity as being angry and bitter people who want nothing more than to see others suffer just so they can have company. While that might be true, in recent years it has come to light that these people are often teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 who have somehow gained access to chat rooms and comment forums.

To really get to the root of this problem, we must first take a look at the fundamental problem that starts when you are given access by just signing up for an account. This problem can't be totally eliminated with social media, because it would take a lot of the users away from the site. When it comes to other social forums such as chat rooms or video game networks, however, the verification process should be a little bit stricter.

Though it may seem like it's too much of a hassle to tighten the guidelines, you are making an effort to show your users that you care about their safety and want them to enjoy themselves while using your product. If they are already paying a fee to use your product, then this should not be a problem because they will be getting their money's worth, plus added security.

To ensure you are providing the most negative free environment, you can incorporate credit card verification. Children under 21 have to have a cosigner in order to get a credit card. With this in effect, it makes it that much harder for them to have access to a credit card other than what parents allow them to use. A penalty system should be enforced. Anyone who engages in troll activity or negative comments should be penalized--after a certain amount of penalty points have been accumulated, they will either be suspended for a certain amount of time or banned altogether. Protect your users by protecting yourself. If you don't, you will develop a reputation for allowing anyone to come in and run rampant in your company.

Providing a safe environment for your customers should be at the top of your priority list. Though you won't be able to totally get rid of all the negativity that you come in contact with, you should have a defense system put into place that makes it harder for negativity bringers to gain access.

Friday, July 5, 2013

Efficient Strategies For Your Online Reputation

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Positive online reputation will gain you the success you long for, but a negative one can be the end to your brand name or business. It cannot be emphasized enough just how important online reputation is to your overall image. Thusly, taking a proactive role in maintaining it is a necessity. You have to learn how to be efficient and which strategies work to your best advantage.

Googling your name is a good way to start, but this does not build your online reputation. Use Google Alerts in order to find what is being said about you online. This tool will give you alerts when your name is used and allow you to discover who is talking about you. When you find negative content surrounding your name, you have to react immediately, but at the same time respond in an intelligent manner. Ignoring negative content will only makes matters worse and put out the idea that you don't care about what customers have to say about your brand.

Give your customers the chance to vent. You can try everything possible to avoid receiving a negative comment or review, but chances are, you will receive one sooner or later. How you respond will indicate how you deal with negativity. Do not be scared of letting customers leave inquiries regarding your business. Let your customers vent and find out what they have to say.

Reiterate how important positive reviews are to your business. Reach out to your loyal customers and ask them if they could leave a positive review about your business. You cannot stop from receiving negative reviews, but you can take the time and effort to recruit positive ones.

Do not overact if you receive a negative review. Act like a professional and try to solve the issue. Avoid responding in a negative fashion. Remember to take a deep breath and offer the customer the best possible solution to deal with his or her issue.


If you do not have the time to maintain a positive online reputation, you should strongly consider hiring an online management company such as Centel Media™Centel Media™ helps you build a professional and positive online reputation--they have professionals working in order to achieve just that. Why take risks that may end up hurting you tremendously when you can count on a management company to take care of such a need?


Useful Tips For Young Adults

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Young adults are the ones who are the most savvy when it comes to computers and other tech handy devices. You should also be aware of your online reputation because it is becoming more and more important in the world today. Everything that one does revolves around the internet nowadays. Whether they're applying for jobs, colleges, or trying to maintain a business, young adults should be more aware of online reputation and how to maintain it professionally and positively.

Before going public with certain information, think about it. Too many people tend to post comments or pictures they would not want a person of authority to see. Some posts have a spur of the moment type of feeling and these can be really detrimental to your online reputation. Gossiping, rude, and inappropriate comments about a teacher, employer, or another person should not be posted. These can be signs of immaturity to a future employer or to the school you plan to attend. Do not act on emotion. Think about the consequences that come about when you post comments about others.

Understand the page's privacy settings. Many people tend to think that their online posts and comments are only viewable by their friends. This may not be the case. If they did set their privacy settings improperly, that one embarrassing photo may now be available for all to see. Check your privacy settings and make sure that they are set to your liking. Embarrassing posts and pictures can be with you forever--do not let such simple matters paint a negative image of you on the internet.

Be aware of what your friends are posting about on your social media accounts. Everybody has those friends that post comments or pictures without thinking about who it could effect. Do not let them post negative information your page or attach your name, indicating you are part of this negative content. Explain to them how important your online reputation is to you. If they still don't seem to care, make an effort to block them from posting on your page.

Finally, sexting is definitely something you should avoid when comes to your online reputation. Even though you may think you are sharing an intimate photo with a significant other, you are not in control of who can see these types of photos. It is very easy to forward a picture and you do not want to be embarrassed in this type of fashion. Sexting can cause your online reputation to be tainted and damaged very quickly. Avoid at all costs.

Be aware of your online reputation as a young adult and remember that certain actions may dictate the type of image you will be giving to future employers.

Take Your Customers Back

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Running a business is more than just having great products. It means having the goal of keeping an excellent reputation and elite customer service. Before you put all of that in motion you need to have a customer base to service. A loyal customer base would be best, but it is better to remain hungry and humble and build that base on your own.

Do you have to be cutthroat if you want your business to be a success? In my opinion, you don't. But you do have to be tough as nails and you must have a killer instinct within you to want to demolish your competition. By "demolish," I don't mean anything unethical, illegal or in any way slandering. Instead, you demolish by putting your best foot forward and making sure your product is second to none.

Loyalty among customers is a lost art (if you can even call it an art). Customers are finicky. We switch sides so often it seems like we never give a company a chance to really grow on us. Part of that is our fault. The other part can be attributed to globalization and the influx of international products that are imported and exported. For those that do remain loyal, I commend you on your commitment to just one company. You have likely survived several takeover attempts as well as many culture changes.

Companies that reward their customers' loyalty should be commended as well, but their job is not done. Now, they have to get their customers back. The process of getting customers back will be tough, but it’s worth it in the end because you are showing you’re willing to go above and beyond for them. One of the major steps you can take is getting involved in social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The world operates on a tech savvy axis, so now you have to convince the new generation of shoppers to come to you.

A slight change in business practices is another way to get customers back as well. In the past, you might have had customers leave you because of the way you did business. You might have been operating sweatshops or engaged in some insider trading. But the bottom line is you have to get your customers back. Changing your business practices can definitely gain you some attention. You might not get all your customers back all at once, but remember it is a process that might take 3 months or 3 years. It's important that they see you making a change and, most importantly, making an effort.

Customers are going to come and go, that is the nature of the business game. The winners are the ones who play the game smart and don't lose their customers.

Trust In Your Team

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Trust is extremely overrated, but severely understated. In big companies, trust is always taught from the first orientation and further reiterated in the thick packets of ethics that the company follows. There is no watchdog that will oversee all of the things that employees do, so there is extra emphasis put on trust.

It is not what you do when somebody is looking, but it is what you do when they're not looking and it’s just you by yourself. This analogy is often used to filter out those who you can trust with those who you can't. It is very important, no matter how big the company is in size, that you can trust everyone from the CEOs at the top all the way down to the interns who have access to precious material.

Trust has a major effect on the company's direction, its profit, as well as the image and culture of the company. Above and beyond anything mentioned, if your company has a negative image or has developed a bad culture, you can forget about a profit. The only direction you are heading is down. We live in a global society and business is not just done on a domestic level anymore. Some countries are very strict and hold their country's culture in the utmost respect. It is safe to say, if your company's culture is not one of much honor, you can forget about doing business with most countries.

You build and develop a team who can best represent you and your business when you are not present. It is there that trust really gets put to the test, because, as I have said many times before, those who work for you or for another company are a representation of that company. The last thing you want to hear or see is your company being blacklisted due to the actions of the employees.

When an event like that occurs, it is going to be trouble until you make an attempt to fix it. In no way should you take a wait and see approach--that should be the last thought on your mind. Repairing your reputation and hiring trustworthy employees are what your priorities should be. If you take the proper steps to start the process of improving your culture and repairing your reputation, in time, customers and fellow businesses will begin to trust you again.

Trust can destroy your company or it can take you to heights you have never seen before. But before you soar above the clouds, make sure your team is capable of holding the company up as it rises.

Proof is All You Need

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Accusations are the first declaration of war between you and your opposition. When you accuse, it is your job to make sure the claims are valid and have evidence, or else you will take a monumental hit to your reputation.

Anytime you accuse someone of anything, you need to make sure you have evidence to back it up. That evidence could include physical witnesses, written evidence, or even footage of someone caught in the act of what he or she has been accused of. Whatever evidence you have, make sure it can stand up in a courtroom and won't buckle under any type of pressure.

An accusation of any kind is very serious, because not only are you questioning someone's integrity, but you are putting their reputation into question as well. When you do that you are putting your own reputation on the line as well. It's common knowledge the accused will shoot down any accusation you are pointing their way, and it turns into a standoff of two people calling each other liars. Whoever is found in the wrong will be seen as a liar to the public.

If you are accusing someone of something and you have a shady past yourself, I would caution you if you choose to further proceed. For example, if this is some type of high profile incident with two people of celebrity status, you can best believe there will be some dirt digging. From there, it becomes a mudslinging contest.

It is in the best interest of both parties to make sure they are not in any way vulnerable to front page slander. I say that, because the public, at times, chooses not to always wait until the final verdict has been handed down. Occasionally, they will assume you are guilty based on what the papers say. No matter if you are innocent or guilty; if you land on the front page you are going to need reputation management, both online and in the media.


Online reputation management is very important because it helps restore your positive reputation you had before you were unceremoniously dragged through the mud. It will help restore your business profiles as well. People who have had a negative opinion of you in the past now see you differently and will want to do business with you again.


Repairing your reputation will take a lot of work, especially if you have been accused of some sort of ethical violation. Whether you are guilty or not remains to be seen, but no matter the outcome, you need to make sure you can salvage and repair what is left of your reputation.