Zeroing In

For many people it is a dream come true to own, operate and control their own business. All the hard work has led to this day and it is straight to the top from there. But, the hard work is not done yet. You have to know what audience you are targeting before you start your business. Make sure the message and products you have are clear and concise and targeted to the right audience.

Knowing the audience you are targeting starts way before you begin to operate. When you have your internal team together, from there you can brainstorm and decide what products belong to each audience. Research is going to be very important for you--it will help determine what product and services to match to your unique blend of customers. As an owner, it is important that you are able to really understand who your customers will be, what they like and how you can give it to them.

Marketing is more than just another way to promote and bring attention to your products and services. It is a deep connection to the audience in which you are trying to reach. Marketing over the years has evolved and today it can make or break a company, especially one that is just starting out. It is very important that when you market your product you don't include any messages they may be deemed offensive or culturally insensitive.

Global business has allowed you to expand into countries that have different cultural practices then the one you currently call home. That is why I mentioned research earlier in this blog, because if you are going to make a commercial or post a billboard up, it is important that you know what is appropriate to post or show on television without being offensive.

Once you have all the important tasks taken care of, you can move on and get into really operating your business. It is important that you know who you are targeting so you can give them the best product and service that will best suit their needs. When the time is right you can expand your horizons by either adding more products to your inventory or globally doing business. Whatever you choose to do just make sure you have a clear idea of who you want your products to reach.

Reaching the right audience may seem like a piece of cake, but it can get very confusing if you don't do your research beforehand. Know who you are targeting before you begin the process of offering service.

It Was All Good a Week Ago

When the mighty fall, they fall hard. I am not trying to kick a person while he is down, or poke fun, but the lack of humility that one has demonstrated while at the top is one reason there is little sympathy. You can always get back up and dust yourself off, but the journey back will be even harder than it was before and twice as hard to maintain. You have attention, all eyes on you. That is, after all, what you craved isn't it? But those eyes are anxiously waiting for you to fall again so they can stand tall over you.

I always felt humility will take you so far in life, farther than any dollar will ever take you. You could lose it all, but if you were humble and the people that supported you remembered that, you will thrive. You might not be as rich but the strength and love you are getting from your fans will more than make up for that.

Many business owners have the fortune but lack the humility. They are treading on thin ice. With regulations becoming tighter, one slip up and the gates to negative publicity will open. And you won't get one thread of sympathy from anyone.

But, I’ll lay off the big wigs for a bit and scale it down to the smaller owners. These are the smaller owners who have dreams of making it big and can. However, they lack simplicity and that will cost them. When you are in this stage of your career, it is important to know that aside from your hard work it's the customers who keep you going. They allow you to continue to operate by giving you their business in exchange for your services.

While it is only natural for you to get bigger and expand, you cannot forget those that helped you get there. More often than not you hear about small businesses that have become huge conglomerates, but they are in the press for all the wrong reasons. This included being sued by former partners and dealing with ethics violations, just to name a few. It is headlines like this that people remember. When you fall, you're going to be up against a wall and you're going to be looking for support from those same customers that you shunned.

Humility will allow you to live on forever. Even after you are gone, if your company is still around the image of it will be one of much humility.

Projection

I bet if we had the ability to see into the future we would change what we do today to ensure that we would be better off in our future. But unfortunately we don't have the power to do that so as mere mortals we are stuck trying to make today a better day for tomorrow. Projection is a heavily used word in business and sports; it is based on how others see you doing in the future and how you will fare against sudden changes and events.

Where do you see yourself five, ten or fifteen years from now? What are the projections for your business that the so called experts have forecasted for you? While it can be very good to have your company named in projections, the work you put in is going to be the real projection for growth. What people can assume your business will do is one thing, but only you can come up with the results not any expert forecast.

Who is to say that projections are correct, after all many of times people have projected a stock to rise or a team to win the championship only to see the stock fall and the team not even make the playoffs. There is little weight held in a projection in fact there is none at all. If you ask a CEO of what he thinks about his projected company quarterly earnings he would say he could care less. The same with the coach of a professional sports team, ask them if they care and the response you get back would be filled with expletives.

The point I am trying to make is when you are starting the projections that people will make for your business will be downright depressing. Let that be your inspiration to succeed rather than be intimidating. I started off this blog with the thought of all humans being able to see into the future and what that would mean. Those experts who make those projections are trying to possess that power but they fall very short. And not only do they fall short they are wrong half of the time! Some power they have they should get their money back. Projections are filled with human error but hard work is filled with blood, sweat, tears and the desire to not lose and be successful.

Hard work can't be projected or forecasted. It is only measured by how much you put into your business and the return it gives you in the form of success.

What You Should Know About Uploading Video to Your Site

Video is a great tool to use for any website, providing new ways for you or your business to gain exposure. However, it's important to understand how video works on the Internet to ensure you don't misuse it and risk bad publicity. Spreading word of your interests related to your website can be tough. With all other websites trying to vie for new visitors, it's important to use all the tools you can to separate you or your business from the crowd, and video is a very useful option. To properly use video on your website, you should take advantage of its ability to market, inform and entertain guests on your site, while at the same time remembering that anything posted on the Internet stays on the Internet.

If your website is aimed at exposing products or services, then marketing through video can be a great asset. Marketing campaigns that are focused on giving potential customers a glimpse of what you offer, like commercials, should be limited to short videos that briefly touch on major selling points. You could also make videos that are longer and more in-depth to inform truly interested parties of all the specific qualities you wouldn't normally be able to fit into a commercial. The ability to further inform potential customers is what makes a website unique from all other forms of marketing, giving your business a chance not just to capture intrigue, but to fuel it.

Maybe your website isn't business oriented, but that doesn't mean video can't be used for exposure. Entertaining or informative videos that revolve around the interests of your site can keep things fresh and prevent your content from becoming stale. Blogs or personal pages often need an extra boost that steers your site's interests in new directions and explores topics that may not be easy to translate into written form. Keeping an open mind to different forms of media on your personal page may be the ticket to breaking any creative block holding you back.

Despite all the benefits of using video for webpages, you must never forget to watch what you post. Just like anything else on the Internet, even if you think you've deleted something, there's a good chance you didn't. Other people can download videos you post and repost them elsewhere, giving embarrassing or detrimental video new life, and stripping you of any control. Be smart about what you put up on your site and keep other people's perspectives in mind. If these cautionary words came too late and you've already got a video crisis on your hands, then consider Centel Media™ video suppression service. 

Negative Articles: How They Hurt You and How to Stop Them

When destructive articles about you or your business surface online, your reputation can take a major hit. It acts against all the work you or your business have done to market your interests and places you in the awkward position of needing to defend them. If handled inappropriately, your reputation will continue to unwind. Take care of negative articles by pausing and really thinking about what your next move will be. First, gather information on the source of the defamation and grasp the impact of the words spoken against you or your business, then take the appropriate action.

With the number of websites that exist online, only a handful are known by the majority of the public. Some sites, although accompanied by a following, steer clear of the public eye. Figure out the history and current state of the article's origin to understand if the source has the capability to spread the article further across the Internet and thus endangering your interests. If you decide that the source is indeed noteworthy, or even if you feel the situation will worsen if left unattended, then the next step is to swallow your pride and listen to the article.

It may feel like listening to a negative article about you or your business will just add to your stress, but doing so will give you the proper perspective of the issue at hand. Determine if the words in the article are slanderous and overly-personal or level-headed and unbiased. If written without bias, it's possible that the article may be something to take into consideration and a possible way to grow your business by showing you listen to complaints and express a desire to continue improving yourself or your business. Articles that land on the side of insult and slander should be handled with great professionalism. Never re-engage through insult or argument, keep yourself calm and collected.

Now that you've got a solid grip on the article's source and impact, it's time to take action. If you've decided that the article needs to be dealt with, and then find a reputable firm that can help suppress the article from public view. Centel Media™ offers this service and you can find out more on the Centel Media™ home page. 

Get the Media to Market Your Product for You

Writing solid press releases can create intrigue in your business and spread word of new products you wish to make public. If the press release is done right, your product will be marketed for you through interest from the media, which will translate into exposure to new customers. If you want to see your business make its way into magazines, newspapers or even television, then putting together a press release with the right elements is essential. To make an attractive press release, you must grab your audience's attention, make it short and sweet, and provide convincing evidence to back up what you say.

No matter what you're writing, it's key to maintain your audience's interest so they continue to read, and press releases are no different. First, write a gripping headline that both identifies your subject and leaves your audience wanting to know more. Initial impressions mean everything, and a compelling headline will give you an edge, but keep a hold of your audience once they begin to read the body of the press release. Try not to stray from hard facts, flowery or abstract writing should be kept out of the picture.

A one or two page press release is the appropriate length. Dragging on too long is an automatic turn off and landing too short makes it looks like you don't have enough good things to say about your product. It may be difficult to keep your press release short and quick at first, but if you cut down on filler and stick with concrete, need-to-know information, you'll have better luck keeping their attention. Getting straight to the point, within the first paragraph is a must. You don't need a long, drawn out introduction to your product or you'll risk losing your audience, just cut to the chase.

Potential customers always reach the point in a pitch where they need proof. Back up your product by providing them with the facts, the evidence that shows your product can live up to what you claim. Statistics and numbers are always good things to include in a press release in order to show your product's capabilities and subtly compare your product with what your competition has to offer.

If you're looking for a professional firm to handle your press releases, check out Centel Media™.

Shaking Off the Rust

Practice makes perfect and once you have it down to a science it becomes second nature. Even if you stop for a couple of years it is still ingrained in you, muscle memory will never go away. When getting back into the swing of things it is important to shake of the rust and there will be plenty. Also know that you will have to be prepared to make adjustments, things more than likely will have changed while you were away so it is important that you know what you are up against.

When you are taking your business online back from a long hiatus be advised that the online business game has changed big time. It will be tougher for you because there is so much that you need to catch up on and be aware of. Your business is no longer just going to survive on its .com name you now have to have to look into a social media account and promotion using that platform.

If you are not discouraged yet it gets better trust me. Your online business is looked at today as an extension of you as a person. How it is designed, its ease of navigation and shipping procedures are very important and can be a breaking point for your profit if you are not taking care of it. Gone are the days where you could just present customers with a website and leave it up to them to find what they wanted. The more interactive the site is the more traffic you will get.

In your day how you separated yourself from your competition was to take your business online, you were taking your arms race viral. Today everyone has a website for their business it is very easy to obtain one, with that being said you need to find a way to stand out among your rivals. Now how you do that is up to you there are many routes you can take, hopefully you find the one that best suits your needs.

Lastly your online reputation, everything I laid out for you all culminates to your online reputation and if that becomes negative or gets dragged through the mud you are going to wish that you never returned to doing business online. Keep your reputation in the clear by taking heed to all customers questions and concerns, know that any adjustments or changes you want to make will have an effect on your customers and that will have the biggest effect on your profit.

Returning to online business can be a boost for your company, but all that glitters is not gold. The internet has become a warzone so be prepared to battle to make your company stand above all.