What Can Make or Break Your Business? Your Online Reputation Management

With today's rough economy, it is essential to find a reliable online reputation management firm to allow your business' website to step above the competition. Without that assistance, your business will be lost amongst the overwhelming search engine results of thousands of other companies similar to your own. In addition, any negativity that has bred on your website will flourish and drown out the unique aspects of your business that can be highlighted as key strengths that separate you from your competition.

We all have searched on Google, and we all know how likely it is for us to click on the links that show up first on the list of results. Letting your business fall further and further down that list of results may be the difference between the success and failure of your business' website. Getting possible customers to see your website when they search for your services can make a world of difference for your website and thus, the likelihood of gaining new clientele.

But what happens when a possible customer does click on your webpage? Well, the content that shows up first has an enormous impact on that viewer's perception of not just your website, but your entire business. A well designed website can do wonders, but the content must also reflect an air of professionalism and positivity to entice your customers. Negative comments or reviews can change a customer's perception in an instant, rendering any professionalism or enticement mute.

That perception of your business does not only come from your website, but any website that has a direct or indirect connection to your business. Social media is often that first glimpse of your company new clientele will see. Ensuring that your company's pages on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are kept up-to-date and free of negativity maintains that professionalism and reliability your business needs to survive. Along with your social media pages, other websites that have reviews or comments about your services are equally important to the perception of your business.

Centel Media™ can help you achieve all of these goals. Improving your company's appearance online will give you the tools to grow your business. Through improved search results and the suppression of negativity on your website and social media pages, Centel Media™ will steer your business in the right direction.

By Matt Shaffer,

Creative Writer,

Centel Media™. 

Speak From the Heart

The best thing you can do for your business or brand when it is embroiled in turmoil and scandal is speak truthfully but most importantly speak from the heart. Customers don't want to listen to a written apology or statement that in all likelihood wasn't written by you.

It makes you seem like a puppet who is just trying to save himself from further trouble. Though that is your goal it should be done with your fans and customers in mind, these are the same people that supported you when you were starting out and stuck with you through thick and thin. It is your responsibility not to give some weak speech or apology that you don't mean, all it shows is you could care less about the support you get from your customers.

Admitting your mistakes and wrongdoings are the first step in speaking from the heart, doing that means you are willing to accept whatever punishment comes your way. The next step should be speaking from your own personal point of view, say what needs to be said not what you think needs to be heard trust me if you do the latter people will smell it a mile away.

It bothers me sometimes when people read statements off of papers. I am not against it and I know you are not going to memorize a whole speech but what messes people up is their body language. The language that your body gives off and the expressions are going to overpower the words that are coming out of your mouths because we will be drawn to that rather than your words. Most people don't realize while they are speaking their body language is being analyzed and interpreted as well.

You would think that they would be properly trained before they went on TV to give a statement but I guess they fell asleep on that part on the lesson. For those with celebrity status i.e., athletes, actors and actresses this is a recurring theme that I see with them on a daily basis. Not only do they seem like they don't care but when being interviewed to give explanations the body language only cements their stance.

Soon enough they will learn that they should be a bit more professional and humble, after all you are speaking to people who support you and your future somewhat depends on their approval or disapproval of your actions. It is your best interest to present yourself not only professionally but honestly, no matter what you have done if you are honest in due time you will be forgiven.

Be Careful how you present yourself when you are speaking to the public especially if you are trying to redeem yourself. Negative body language and forced speeches will get you deeper into trouble rather than out of it.

Results May Vary

If your online reputation has been damaged, your first step in repairing it should be hiring a reputable firm that will help bring you back to the position you were at before. While the reputation management firm is doing its job, you need to be making sure you are doing yours. That means doing things that you did not do previously, things that contributed to the development of a negative reputation.

I can give you the key, but it is up to you to not only use it, but to use it wisely. That is how a company who is undergoing a reputation repair should be approaching their second chance at success. Your main objective should be to make your company better than it was before by capitalizing on overlooked opportunities, instead of repeating mistakes.

The firm you hire is going to do their job no matter what. The public will begin to see you back in the positive spotlight, but you cannot rest on your laurels and assume that just because you have made it back into the good graces that the work is done. That could not be farther from the truth. By assuming, you are setting yourself up to fail again and this time you might not come back from it.

Individuals who hire reputation firms are under the same rules as businesses, but they are more in control. This is because they are the brand, so there is more of an emphasis on the individual rather than teamwork. Just like a business, you have to show what you are doing to improve your image and reputation in conjunction with the professional help you hired.

Doing charitable work is one way to show you are trying to change your image. Become a spokesperson for an organization of your choice. What is important is that you should want to improve your image and reputation. If your income depends on you getting work, but your online reputation is a mess and your image in public is even worse, you can forget about getting good work.

Businesses should want to change because they need customers to survive, not the other way around. The beauty of competition is that we have options, so if you don't think it is important to fix your reputation, expect to see your profit consistently drop. Even if you decide to get help to repair, there is no guarantee that customers will come back. So, it is in your best interest to get to work and immediately fix any glaring holes in your image before they get too big.

Positive results come from changing your image for the greater good and longevity of your company.

Catfishing; Don't be a Victim

Catfishing has been around for a while. It was one of the lesser known forms of identity theft, until it got pushed into the spotlight when a star college football player admitted he was victim of catfishing. I recently found out someone I know had been a victim for four years. Recently, someone was posing as him on various social media accounts.

Four years is a very long time to find out that someone has been living your double life without you even knowing it. It seems even longer for that person who had to keep up appearances until he finally slipped up and was caught. This not only affected the victim, but his family as well. Imagine the shock they must have felt when they were told that same person was not him and this has been going on for many years.

Catfishing has gotten so big over the years that the major cable channel MTV has created a television series titled "Catfish". The show is fabricated in some aspects, but it gives real life situations that many victims of catfishing have gone through. The effect of being catfished has a very strong impact, not only on someone's personal life but his or her professional life as well. Imagine losing your relationship with your significant other because of someone posing as you and getting to close with others, which will ultimately cause a rift with you and your partner.

The effect it can have on your professional life can be very damaging. I always talk about being careful when you are posting things on your actual account, but when it is an account you didn't even know was created, that can put the nail in your professional coffin. We know employers are looking at social media accounts more than ever. If you find that you are qualified for jobs, but not even getting so much as a courtesy call then you should check your social media accounts. Make sure that the only accounts out are the ones you control.

Catfishing is the ultimate online reputation destroyer. It is one thing to ruin your reputation yourself or have customers complain, which will damage your reputation a bit. But, when you have someone who you don't know and an account that is out there and being falsely run by someone other than you, it makes you seem helpless. Like I said earlier, you should always check your social media accounts and be absolutely sure that you are the only one who has access and control of them. With identity theft on the rise and social media being a prime target for it, no shortcuts should be taken when it comes to protecting your online reputation.

 There is nothing scarier than not being able to control your online reputation. It is your responsibility to make sure that you can protect yourself against false accounts that can destroy your reputation.

Protecting Your Child From Dangers Online

Kids today are exposed to more than they should be and it can have a very dramatic effect on them and their futures. Online activity for kids has only increased as time has progressed which means that the risk of them getting caught up in something damaging has gotten greater. Parents must take extra precaution and monitor their children online and try and keep them safe.

The internet can be the ultimate learning tool for kids and young adults as it can provide numerous ways for them to learn and interact with other children across the world. Schools are beginning to implement computer learning classes to give the next generation a head start for their future. Another reason is competition; countries around the world want to produce the best and brightest kids that will soon be leading their country so they introduce them to technology at a young age to stay ahead of everyone else.

Using the internet for educational purposes should not have a restriction on it, learning should not be capped. But when it comes to playing games and when you start to become more social on the internet that is when parents need to step in immediately to lay down some firm ground rules for their children. Before allowing their child on a particular site parents need to review it first to make sure the content is age appropriate. Parents also need to allot time for certain activities, maybe an hour a day to socialize and play games and then you block access to those sites for the rest of the day.

Parental locks are very important as well, cable providers often advertise blocking access to some channels so your kids are not influenced by what they see on them. Controlling what your children see at an early age allows them to still be children they should not be exposed to adult situations at such an early age especially on the internet. Children that see unsuitable situations are more likely to want to engage in some type of bad activity online especially when they get older.

As a parent you have to talk to your children and explain the impact that bad activity can have on their futures. You shouldn't sugar coat anything it is best to be straight with them and tell them how they might not be able to get that job because of something they did when they were young. The younger they are when you have this talk the odds of them not getting caught up in anything will increase because they will always have their future in mind and will be hesitant to mess that up.

Teaching your children about the positives and negatives of online activity can help prevent them from ruining their future before they get a chance to enjoy it.

Choosing an Online Management Company

You're a business owner who needs to make the right move in order to gain a step over your rivals. The best way going about this is managing your online reputation correctly. There are so many tools and tips that you can research on your own, but if you do have the right amount of time or skills you could end making the situation worse. Many business owners decide to turn around their online reputation when it is too late, do not let this happen to you.

Building your online reputation into a positive is one is not an easy task as mentioned above. If you do not have the time, then consider hiring an online management company in order to get the help that you need. Choosing an online management company is very important in determining what type of success you are going to have. A company that has a reputable name and a history of helping turning around negative online reputations into positive ones should be a key factor on which company you choose.

Centel Media™ should be considered because it has all of the factors that will make your online reputation better. They have professionals that deal with all different aspects of the online world that have an impact on your online reputation. These professionals have dealt with all types of situations and have the experience necessary in order to guide you through the process. Whether you are a business owner or a professional looking to improve your name, consider Centel Media™.

You are always going to need that extra step over your rival in order for you to succeed as a business owner. Many business owners today are now becoming aware of how important your online reputation is, and are hiring an online management company in order to make sure that their online reputation is up to par, or even better than their competition. Waiting for negative content to harm your name is not the best approach. Take initiative to start now because there is no such thing as too early. Even if you are encountering any negative content research on how important online reputation is to your success.

Whether it's hiring an online management company or taking matters into your hands, do the proper research.

Taking Control of Negative Content

The setup you display for your online business is important when it comes to online reputation. Blogging, links to different criteria are all important factors when it comes to the design or the outlook of your web page. This will help your customers get to the information faster, and therefore they will be satisfied. One important area that should be brought up is the idea of having an area dedicated to customers posting negative content or complaints on your page.

You may think to yourself that this is crazy and would only hurt your online reputation. On the contrary, having an area dedicated to posting such comments will become beneficial. Instead of customers posting negative content on other sites which make it harder for you to control, why not have it on your own webpage. Customers posting their complaints on your website will make it easier for you to respond quicker and more efficiently. Indicating that you care about what your customers have to say regarding your business will help build a positive look. 

Not only does having an area dedicated to negative complaints on your page beneficial for you, but it also helps customers communicate with one another. One happy customer may defend your name against an angry or dissatisfied customer. The goal is to build a positive online reputation when it comes to dealing with the overall setup of your business page. 

Managing your staff should be a priority nobody likes a disorganized business. Make sure your employees are all on the same page, and have the information that customers are seeking. There is nothing more frustrating for a customer then dealing with an employee who does not know what the information that he is seeking. Training is crucial and it should be taken very seriously. You need to know that your employees are honest hardworking people that will not bad talk your company. 

Your online reputation is not something that you should take lightly. Research and involve yourself with different tools and tips that will help build towards building that type of online reputation that you seek. The worst thing you can possibly do is ignore your online reputation completely. Doing so will only damage the type of future you want as either a professional or a business person.