The Other Social Media Platform

The first thing that will come to mind when you hear "social media" is Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. And, they should. After all, these three are currently the faces of social media, along with others. But to me, the long lost cousin of the social media family tree is blogging.

When I think of blogging, I think if it as a platform for individuals to express their creativity in ways that sites like Facebook and Twitter can't. It's not that these sites won't allow it, but they don't grant the creative space necessary for extensive pieces of work. Blogging has become a way for anyone to vent, express, discuss and do just about anything else you can think of when it comes to individuality.

It is very easy to see why blogging can be pushed to the back of the social media network line. It is not the "sexy" choice to want to connect with friends and family unlike a Facebook or Twitter account. But what blogging lacks in appeal it most certainly makes up for in the freedom department. As I alluded to earlier, blogging allows its users to become one with whatever they choose to write. It is almost like a judgment free zone when it comes to blogging. Blogging gives you room to express and explain if need be, unlike other social media sites where you say something that can be deemed controversial by your peers and you are at the mercy of their ridicule.

Recently blogging has started to pick up steam in the business world as way to market and connect with fans that don't follow them on the traditional social media platforms. I believe this is a great idea and that more businesses should get involved in blogging. It is very easy to promote through Facebook or Twitter, but blogging requires a certain level of creativity that goes above and beyond what other sites require. To blog for your business shows that you are versatile and want to connect with your customers from all over, not just the ones who follow you on Facebook.

I believe that each social media network has its place. They all play an integral role in helping a business expand, promote and market. Instagram allows you to post pictures. Twitter allows you to give minute by minute updates on any breaking news, and Facebook can help you market your product and promote. Blogging plays the role of being abstract and thought provoking and lets the customer really get a chance to see what the company is like. While all these sites are different, they have the common goal of supporting your business and doing its part to make sure it is successful as it can be.

Blogging doesn't follow the beaten path of its other social media counterparts. It gets a little more in depth and allows you to get personal on levels that other sites won't.

Progress is a Slow Process

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

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.

Efficient Strategies For Your Online Reputation

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

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

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

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

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.

How to Build Your Online Reputation

Everyone knows that positive online reputation is the key to being successful. Business owners in particular have to be aware of how to build the right type of reputation, or trouble ensues. Losing customers and employees is the last thing you want to experience as a business owner. You should make an effort to deal with your online reputation now rather than later, before you're wading too deep in negative content. Take time to look at some helpful tips on how to build your online reputation.

Getting to know your customers is an extremely important factor. Find out what they like and dislike. Try to build some type of connection with them. Indicate that your customers are important, so that you know what to do when negative comments start to arise from dissatisfied customers. This gives you a better gateway on how to deal with complaints and stop them from becoming bigger.

What type of customer service are your employees giving to your customers? Get an understanding of what your employees are saying and how they are promoting your brand. You want to make sure that your employees are talking positively about your brand and dealing with the customers’ needs. Make sure your employees are happy and listen to what the employee experience is like so you can prevent a disaster from dissolving your reputation.

Be careful of what you say. Don't post controversial topics or photos on the internet, because these posts will come back to haunt you. Social media accounts can be your foe or your best friend, depending on what you make of it. With that being said, make sure your voice is heard. Post comments on blogs and involve yourself in the online community. Make your voice heard and make sure you come off positively.

Instead of someone else building your online reputation, make sure you do it first. Don't wait until you see negative content surrounding your name, build your online reputation now so that you can deal with negative content more efficiently. Monitor your online reputation so you know what is being said about you. Take the time and effort to find out what other people are saying about you and fix the problems as they come up.

Remember it is important to be sincere and honest with your customers. You want to build trust with your customers so they know they are dealing with a good natured person or business-- that's hard to find these days.

Online Reputation Helps Future College Students

Online reputation seems to help beyond business or job related services. It has to do with your overall image on the web. It's important not to have your image become tainted by negative content, which could harm you as a business owner or cost you from getting your dream job. Managing your online reputation is extremely important. It has even expanded to future college students.

Building a positive online reputation for future college students may earn him or her a spot over another applicant that has similar qualifications. Having a positive onlinereputation will make this person stand out and hopefully attain college admission. Most future college students have social media accounts, and some do not know the harmful conclusions that come about when they post controversial or inappropriate pictures that are available for the public to see.

Think about it this way, colleges are going to want students that represent their school in a positive light, not students who make controversial remarks on Facebook. Teaching students how to deal with online reputation and how to manage it will prove to be very beneficial in the long run. Colleges do deep searches to find out more information about a particular applicant. Do not let a mistake on social media accounts ruin the opportunity to attend college.

Building a positive online reputation at a young age will help a person find that dream job. As a business owner, positivity will help promote business using the right techniques. Similarly, a strong positive foundation is less likely to be harmed by negative content that affect many people's images. Many people today do not know the importance of online reputation and tend to ignore the consequences of not maintaining it properly. Online reputation is just as important as your credit score in some cases. A negative online reputation can cost you jobs or stall your business from succeeding.

It is important to teach students, and anyone, for that manner, the importance of a positive online reputation. Take the time and effort to learn how to build one using different tools and techniques. Whether you are a business owner or an individual, everything revolves around the internet nowadays. Do not let it ruin your future plans.

The Past Never Goes Away

Your past is something you can never erase. Always keep in mind that at any moment, it can come back and get you. Be aware of any past transgressions or any type of questionable behavior in your past.

What you have done in your past has a funny way of coming back at the most inopportune time in your life. When everything seems to be going in the wrong direction, in comes your past. Your past can also show up when you least expect it and give you a major boost. To sum up, what you do in your past has a meaningful effect on your future, whether good or bad.

One thing you can count on is the past can't be erased, no matter how hard you try and distance yourself from it. It is always going to be there. You can't just erase that part of your life. The past usually bites people of celebrity status the hardest because they have the most to lose. In today's society, the public often prosecutes before giving someone a chance to explain themselves. Those with the most to lose often fall the hardest.

Now, in no way am I making an excuse for whatever this person has done in their past. However, if you know that there is a chance that this might come back up; taking preventative measures is the best thing to do. Your goal at this point is to minimize the damage your past has done to your reputation and business. Once that is done, you should be on major damage control, using every outlet possible from social media, TV appearances and any other means to help repair your reputation.

It is obvious that you have a long road ahead, but you don't have to go at it alone. There are many companies are out there to help you during this process. One of those companies is Centel Media™, which provides you with the important service of repairing your online reputation. We can't forget that this is a very emotional time for you. You may find yourself trying in a defensive position, which can get ugly and will not improve your situation. With professional help from a company like Centel Media™, you can rest assured that your reputation repair is full speed ahead in getting you back to where you want to be.

Knowing how to keep your past from interfering with your present and your future is the key to long term success and survival.

Facebook: Open for Business

Business has now made its way onto the social scene, the socialmedia scene that is. It now provides many businesses around the world the opportunity to expand their companies.

Facebook has started out as a way to connect students at one particular college. Fast forward approximately 10 years and it is now connecting people all over the world, which makes for a very happy business world. The ability to have such a luxury as Facebook is something that every up and coming business should take advantage of immediately.

When you are first starting out, you are looking for ways to expand and promote, but at a reasonable price. By reasonable, I mean free. Facebook is a very viable option for many reasons. It can promote your business while allowing you to connect with everyone you know. All you have to do is signup and create a profile for your business.

If you already have a personal account for Facebook, then you are aware of what it can offer you in terms of business; but, keep the two accounts separated. In no way should you ever consider having the same account for business and personal use. That is a nightmare come to life. Your personal life is just that, your personal life. It does not need to be linked with your business account--pages like these shouldn't exist. When you begin to mix your personal life with your business dealings, you start to become unstable and unorganized, which will lead to a loss of profit as well as developing a negative reputation.

If you are just starting to get your feet wet in the business world, the last thing you need is a negative reputation that will follow you everywhere you go. When you go to present yourself to investors, they will not be worried about the product. Instead, they will be worried about your personal life getting in the way of business and ruining their investment. In my opinion, if you have a Facebook account for business, do not add friends and family on it, leave it for associates and partners. The risk is too high to have someone slip up and say something on your page that was not meant for Facebook.

Facebook is now open for business. Make this partnership a successful one by taking care of business at all times and not letting anything get in the way of it.

Guilty By Association

Over the past 13 plus years, TV has provided us with one of the most entertaining genres ever to be created: reality TV. While it may be entertaining for us, it might be the opposite for the participants on the show. These participants might have faced an uphill battle when it came to trying to find employment or working to repair their reputation.

We all know reality television is scripted and is meant to play out a certain way to draw more and more viewers each week. The participants in these shows are more than willing to go along with this for the right price. But when the show is over and the reunion show has wrapped up, where do the participants go from there? Trying to pick up your life from where you last left it will now be harder than before because of this new found fame.

Getting back to regular life maybe easier for some because they did not last long on the show or they were the "good guy" who everyone rooted for every week. Those who really became the stars and stood out on the show, often for the wrong reason, have most likely found themselves struggling to get the job they had before or find work somewhere else.

The job factor is important, but what has the most damaging impact is the reputation obtained through the show. They now have to shed this reputation to prove they are not that same person. Contrary to what you believe, not everyone is a fan of reality TV. In all honesty, the quality of the shows has gone to new heights of personal destruction in order to keep viewers.

The reputation that follows them from the show is not a reflection of who they really are, but it is the impression we get. It is now up to them to show they are not that person, and this starts with online reputation management. Most shows have forums for viewers to chat and comment on, and it becomes a place where people express their true feeling and opinions.

Repairing your reputation is the best way to show you are not who the show portrays you to be and that you are, in fact, a totally different person. It will take work to move your reputation from reality TV star to a regular Joe, but if you want to move on, you must make the necessary changes.

Change is necessary when it means moving on with your life and starting fresh. Though people may see you in a certain light, it is up to you to change that perception.

Do Online Reputation Management Companies Work?

If you're a business owner, odds are you are using the internet to help expand and promote your brand name. What many business owners don't know is that they have to be on top of their online reputation. The last thing you want, as a business owner, is a bad image being portrayed about you on the internet. What can you do about this? Well, you can deal with the situation yourself or hire an online reputation management company.

Let's evaluate maintaining your online reputation without an online management company first. You may think you are capable of dealing with your reputation online, but it is not as easy as it sounds. There are so many things that go wrong, such as customers writing an overwhelming amount of negative reviews, spamming by rival companies, and other issues concerning your reputation.

If you do not know how to deal with negative comments, you will make the matter worse and dig yourself a bigger hole. A lot of time and patience is needed in order to deal with managing your online reputation. Dealing with all this by yourself, in addition to trying to run your business, may be overwhelming. This is a prime example of why trying to manage your online reputation on your own is not a good idea.

Hiring an online management company like Centel Media™ would prove to be very beneficial. Centel Media™ consists of professionals that are trained to deal with building and maintaining your online reputation. They know what to do when their customers are posting negative comments about your business, and they deal with it an efficient manner. These professionals are dedicating their time to clients in need. They are constantly doing research to find different ways to combat online negativity.

People hire professionals to deal with situations all the time, why should it be different when it comes to something as important as your online reputation? You would hire a mechanic to deal with your car problems, why would you not do the same for the protection of your own name?

Online management companies are successful because they offer services the average person could not help you with. Take advantage of the skills these professionals offer, do not take matters into your hands if you do not have the skill or knowledge of online reputationmanagement.

Claiming Your Brand Name

As a business owner, there are a couple things that you should keep in mind. First off, you need to attract customers with your positive and respectable name. The internet is the best way to attract customers because there is no limitation on who you can branch out to. Online reputation management, however, is needed in order to be successful.

Online reputation management has to do with making sure your business is not harmed by negative content on the internet. Negative content will make it hard to gain customers' business. Everybody uses Google to search a business name in order to find out how other customers view the business. Do not let negative content paint a bad image of your business.

Claiming a brand name is an important element that is essential for building an online reputation. Make sure to pick a name that is not used by someone else, because this could lead to a mistaken identity crisis. The last thing you want is for your image to be damaged due to someone else's bad online management skills. Simply search the name you want on Google to find out if it has already been used. There are also other tools in order to help you with this process.

Managing your brand name is the hard part. You want to make sure your name is not constantly bombarded by negative content. As explained above, negative content is what damages your image, and many business owners tend to ignore the negative content. Ignoring negative content is not going to make it go away. Instead, it will make the situation much worse.

Posting valuable content and using social media accounts are great examples of how to help monitor your brand name. This is also the best way to combat negative content surrounding your name. Protecting your brand name is the most important factor and needs to be emphasized because it would be a shame to let your image be tainted by rival companies or dissatisfied customers.

Monitoring your brand name is not an easy task, but if you want to use the internet to expand your brand, be aware of all the issues that can damage your name. If you are on top of things, you can combat anything that comes your way with the proper plan.

The Complexity of Social Media

Social media has opened up two worlds, in my opinion. The first world is bright and full of sunshine--this is the positive side of socialmedia, the side we all signed up for when we found out we can connect with friends and family. On this side, businesses saw more opportunity to promote and advertise at a very cheap price. However, there is also a dark side. We'll stay away from this side.

So, you are a business owner and you want to get closer to your fans and customers. You've read all the reports on how social media can increase your profits by 30 percent. But, you have also read reports on businesses being destroyed by social media due to the leaking of information not meant for the public eye.

As a result of your research, you have come across a bit of a problem that you have to solve. But unbeknownst to you, there is no way to solve this problem; it is just the complexity of social media.  You may read a couple of positive reports about it and find you are ready to jump head first into it. But, some harsh reports have you skidding to a stop at the edge in hesitation.

As a suggestion, I would say go ahead and jump in, but make sure you have a life jacket (or an inflatable rubber duck around your waist) to keep you afloat in the event you begin to drift toward the deep end of the social media pool. I say "jump in" because it can't hurt to try something out. If you don't like it, you are more than welcome to leave and continue doing business the way you were doing it previously.

The floatation devices are not for show. In fact, they are a necessary tool if you don't want to be one of those people discussing a bad experience with social media. Online reputation management is what those lifesavers are, and if you need to call on them to fix your reputation, you won't have to go far because you are prepared.

More than likely, if you get involved with social media, your brand will come across some negative comments. If those comments are enough to scare you off of social media, please make sure that you take care of your reputation. You cannot just assume that if you stop using social media the comments won't continue. Know that what is said is left in the huge database of the internet and can be dug up at any time. As an owner, it is your responsibility to make sure those comments are sent far away and cannot come back to damage your reputation.

Maybe you have realized that social media is just a little bit too complex for you and you have decided not to engage in it. Make sure your reputation online is clean and clear and there is nothing that can come back and haunt you from it.

Get to the Point

There is nothing more frustrating to a customer than having to go through various hoops to find something specific on a website.

Ease of use should be the second thing that is on your list when creating your website for your business. The first thing on your list should be making sure your site is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. While many companies get passing grades on the first task, the second one should get a "NI" for needs improvement. The ease of use factor for websites cannot be understated, yet it is probably a customer’s number one complaint when shopping online.

In my opinion, when customers shop online, they do so to avoid the hassle of in store shopping and the headache that occurs as a result. When they have to go through the same hassle online, you have to know that customers won't be happy and they will complain. Also, keep in mind there are several other businesses that are online that do the same thing. Customers love variety and will leave you in a heartbeat if they felt they could get better service anywhere else.

It is puzzling to think companies still have not made their websites easier to navigate. However, they will learn when they see their website is not getting as many hits as it used to get, or the profit is slowly declining. It’s even more alarming when you know you have this problem, yet you do nothing about it and that includes numerous complaints from customers.

Your wakeup call is coming and will be in the form of a growing negative reputation that will continue to get bigger until something is done about it. A negative reputation and online business is the worst combination to have because the negative rep can and will spread like wildfire. If you have a brick and mortar store, it can be affected by your website. It would be in your best interest to keep the two separated and make sure they never negatively affect each other.

As a business owner you must listen to your customers and always find ways to improve your business operations. It is a luxury to have a website that can bring in more money, but you must make sure that it is not a hassle for customers when they are on your website, or they will quickly find an alternative.

In this case the customer is right. There is no reason that they should have to search far and wide for something on your website. Ease of use is the best way to ensure satisfaction and profit.

A Positive Reputation Equals Positive Profits

A positive reputation means more than just good things being said about you among competitors and customers. Your profit will always increase, which will be more of a reason to keep your reputation positive.

As it turns out, what is being said about you behind your back or on the internet does matter and you have to pay attention to it. Whether it is good or bad as a business owner, you must be aware of what is being associated with your company, even if it means hiring a special team to monitor activity online or doing it yourself. The cost of not being cognizant of your reputation can in all honesty cost you your company.

In business, there is no such thing as letting something play out. The moment you come across something negative about your brand, you must take corrective action if you want continue to operate in the future. Don't take my word for it though. Numbers talk, and the proof is clear as day when it comes to protecting your reputation. Being on top of that leaves you with more time to do other productive things for your business, whether it is taking your business international or just strengthening it from home. The time that you have to do those things would not be available if you did not have a positive reputation.

Your reputation follows you everywhere. Now that you have decided to take your business online, the opportunity for more money has increased but so has the window for negative comments. Keeping tabs on your reputation online provides an even bigger challenge because the comments are coming from all over the place and it can get hard to keep up with.

If you are not careful with your online reputation, it can have an even worse effect on your business than your brick and mortar reputation. If you are unable to do business online because of a negative reputation, and now you have to rely on your physical store, you are in serious trouble. The internet is supposed to be a luxury. As a business owner, you must find tools to increase your profit now that you are stuck depending on your regular store your business is in jeopardy of ending because as we see stores are closing every day.

To keep your online reputation positive, I suggest bringing in a company like Centel Media™ to assist you. Having a reputable company like Centel Media™ there to help improve your reputation and keep it positive gives you more time to focus on your business and not worry about having to constantly check your rep.

Positivity will follow you wherever you go, if you want that to translate to your business, make sure you are doing your part to keep your reputation positive both online and at your store.

Avoiding the Headaches of Negative Reviews

Receiving negative reviews will only cause damage to your overall image on the internet as a business owner. Nobody is going to want to conduct business with someone that has a tainted name due to negative reviews. Think about it, it is very easy to go on Google and type in the name of business. This is the way most people find about whether they will want to conduct their business with a particular company.

If that company has a whole bunch of negative reviews, then it is most likely than not that person will go elsewhere. This ends up being a big headache that will not go away. There are ways to deal with negative reviews, and it will help your business in the long run even if you do not think you need it.

Link in social media accounts that you have for business in your home page. Try to attract the most positive content you have in order to battle the negative reviews that you are encountering. Remember to ignore the negative reviews and pretend they are not there. You have to battle these negative reviews with positive ones, and having them flow in the internet in a consistent basis.

Think about it as though you are practicing a sport. You do not stop once you think you are getting better, you keep going. Battling negative online reviews are the same way. Continue having positive content because you could never get enough.

Blogging is another way to help battle negative reviews. Connect with your customers; show them that you appreciate your business, because without it you are showing that you do not have the care or the passion in the product you are trying to promote.

Battling negative reviews takes time and patience because you want to deal with them with efficiency. Why deal with something, and expect it to get better if you are not putting in the work. Your online reputation is not something you want to tamper with, and having negative reviews flowing around and not dealing with them will cause it to become less appreciated.

Do it with care and your online reputation will become more of an ally than an enemy when it comes to your name.

Don't Wait For Something To Go Wrong

Online reputation management is not something you want to wait until something goes wrong before you get it. You do not want to wait until something bad happens before you get insurance, and you should look at online reputation in the same aspect. Protecting and maintaining your online reputation is key in order to continue to have success in the internet world which revolves around business. 

How do you maintain it? Well, first take an inventory on what Google search pages say about your name or your business. Check to see if you are getting positive reviews, negative reviews, or neutral. Online reviews are make it or break it because they deal with how the online community views you as. If you have a lot more negative reviews, then you are hurting your name, reputation, and your business. 

Centel Media™, an online management company, will help with this situation. They have professionals that can deal with giving you a positive name, and help maintain positive reviews on the internet. It is best to act quickly because you want to build that positive reputation before a plethora of negative reviews start to dismantle your name. 

The best way to think about it is when you have home insurance, for example. You do not get home insurance once something bad happens, but hopefully you have it once something expensive in your home breaks down. Onlinereputation management is on the same lines, get going on your building your positive name so that you know what to do when you encounter negative reviews. 

Waiting for some bad reviews to taint your name will just hurt you and cause headaches. Maintaining a positive online reputation is not an easy thing to do. That is why it is advised to hire an online management such as Centel Media™, as described above, in order to help you along. 

Take the precautions necessary in order to deal with your online reputation. Do not make the mistake of ignoring the fact that you need to maintain it, or wait for something bad to happen. Act quickly and effectively because an online reputation is the most important aspect when it comes to conducting business through the internet, or simply just trying to get that job that you covet.

  

Waiting for some bad reviews to taint your name will just hurt you and cause headaches. Maintaining a positive online reputation is not an easy thing to do. That is why it is advised to hire an online management such as Centel Media™, as described above, in order to help you along. 

Take the precautions necessary in order to deal with your online reputation. Do not make the mistake of ignoring the fact that you need to maintain it, or wait for something bad to happen. Act quickly and effectively because an online reputation is the most important aspect when it comes to conducting business through the internet, or simply just trying to get that job that you covet.

Maintain Your Good Name

For businesses that have been around for well over 100 years, or have been passed down from generation to generation, it is very important to honor and keep the name in good graces.

When someone inherits a business that has been around for a long time, it is an honor that has been bestowed upon him to make sure that not only the business continues to operate, but the name remains honorable no matter what. In today's world, we don't see many businesses that have been passed down at the top of their respective sectors as we should see.

Technology has most certainly played a role in that. Companies who were able to stay ahead of the curve and find ways to continue doing business in conjunction with the tech rise are still doing business. Unfortunately for those who found themselves on the outside looking in, they soon found themselves closing up shop. But, there is a silver lining in all of this. While you may not be able to do business with your brick and mortar store, you have the opportunity to now move your business online and take it to heights it has never been before.

You've always wanted to expand your brand further than just your domestic country, but you never had the resources to do it. What the tech boom has offered you is a way to expand to countries all over the world that may have needed your product, but could never travel to come and get it. Now with you moving your business online, they don't even have to leave their house to shop from you.

Though you had to move from a brick and mortar store to now doing business online (which means you unfortunately had to lay people off) what is important is that you have been able to keep the legacy of your business alive, maintained its good name and most importantly its reputation. Maintaining a good reputation cannot be understated when you move your business online.

In your brick and mortar store you were able to keep things under control and in some way can dictate what people said about you--if they had a problem they could just come to the store. Things have changed, and if there is a problem, instead of coming to you they are now going to leave negative comments about you online which will have major impact on your company.

How you combat these comments is by making sure you have a good PR team or you hire a great online reputation management company to help with repairing your online reputation. Maintaining your business is what is most important, especially if it is coming from a long line of reputable owners who have managed to keep it operating for many years. Don't ruin that by not taking care of your business correctly or skimping on service. Always keep the tradition going.

The business that was good yesterday will still be good today, just with a little twist. Use that to make sure the legacy never dies but keeps on going for many years to come.

I Have a BIG MOUTH!!!

Those are the same words that TV character Ralph Kramden yelled out after one of his tirades more than 50 years ago. Today those words are holding true for those that continuously say senseless things on Twitter and think that no one is paying attention.

When we think of social media, we think of it as another tool to connect with our friends and loved ones, but it can be also be seen by some as an outlet or a place to vent frustrations. While this may seem like the ideal place to do this it is in fact the worst platform to vent. Let me repeat that. Social media networks are the worse place to vent your frustrations for various reasons. Not everyone is going to be sensitive and caring to whatever problem you are going through. While you may think that expressing yourself is good and therapeutic, you are leaving yourself open for cruel and hurtful comments.

One must also keep in mind that whatever is said online is no longer yours but now belongs to the online community. So, when you decide to say something in retaliation to someone saying something about you that may contain some questionable language, keep in mind once it is sent it is gone forever. Before you send that message, keep in mind that you would like to have some sort of decent employment in your future so it would be wise to watch what you are saying online.

Believe it or not, this doesn't just happen to regular people. Those with "celebrity status” are often the most brash when it comes to posting messages or venting on social media. Celebrities and athletes might feel that they are doing a favor by offering their opinion or comment on something, but in fact they are actually hurting themselves and their brand by recklessly commenting on issues. Whoever is in their camp needs to have sit down with them, because as an athlete or entertainer, once your brand starts to lose value it can keep falling until it hits the bottom which may be a long way for some. When that fall does happen, it is a good thing that you have online reputation management firms like Centel Media™ there to help you repair and show the public that you do in fact have some class.

Some things are left better unsaid. When you feel the urge to say something that might be somewhat questionable, think about your future and what effect this can have on it.

Social Media and Your Brand

Business and social media make a perfect team. They compliment each other in various ways and can make up for whatever each lacks in. Social media serves a multitude of purposes for businesses, whether it is promotion, marketing and even damage control on your reputation.

When you are the owner of a business, you are always looking for the next opportunity to promote and get the word out about your business and when you do, you try and capitalize on it. What makes that even better is if it is little to no cost, so not only do you have great promotion but you did not spend a lot of money if any. In turn, you are beginning to see profit because of that.

Social media in some ways has become the newspaper for the internet and while nothing may ever beat the physical copy of a magazine or a book, in my opinion, being able to get your updates and news by simply using your phone is a great luxury to have. What social media has done to make your business more profitable is change how you used to give out coupons and other discounts. Before you had to go and get the circulars that were in the papers. Now, if you follow your favorite company on Twitter of Facebook you can get a code that gives you a discount.

Low cost promotion in addition to increased revenue and traffic on your website is an owner's dream come true and that is what social media can offer if you continue to use it in the right way. But there are situations that come up and force you to have to use social media for damage control and reputation repair, without enjoying the profits it can offer you.

The same thing that can make you profit is the same exact thing that can take it away just as fast and leave you scrambling to try and make up for it. One cannot forget social media is another way to get closer to your customers, and naturally you will have customers who are not satisfied with you and your company. In a situation like this, it is in your best interest to hire a professional firm to take care of this problem. While doing it your self might be your first choice, emotion plays a part and it might go from bad to worse. So, hire a professional firm that can come in and begin to repair your reputation and let you go back to using social media for profit, which is always the best use of it for you.


Social Media is another way for your business to make a profit. In order to keep it that, way make sure any problems you have are handled by a professional that can ensure it will be taken care of.