LinkedIn Proves The Importance of a Social Media Presence

I began scouting colleges and universities five years ago, only five years, and in that time I selected undergraduate and graduate programs through meticulous research, index cards, and color coding. Of course, the internet provided a great deal of information, but there was no personal interaction, the closest I came to really finding a true feel for a potential school was through the standard tours on campus or when I read each school's marketing materials that came through the mail in bulky envelopes.

Having recently experienced the process of selecting a school, I am both excited for the new ways students can reach out to schools, while also envious that it isn't me who can reap the rewards. Not only do they have the perks of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where they can connect with and follow the school and its alumni, LinkedIn just announced a revolutionary networking feature: ‘University Pages.’

University Pages allows schools worldwide to present themselves and connect with their future students, similar to how business professionals already connect with future clientele and employees. The real game changer here is not the development of a new page or flashy new service provided to schools, it's LinkedIn new membership policy that allows users as young as 13 to join the site to help plan out their future.

This is a marvelous strategy that produces double the rewards. Since its release, 200 universities have created their page on LinkedIn and this number will continue into the thousands in the coming weeks. With a membership base of 240 million users, that number will increase exponentially when you take not only the future students into account, but parents, educators, and all other parties related to the interests of academics.

What the young, up-and-coming students in the world should take out of all this, is that the importance of social media is continuing to gain steam. No longer is social media geared towards personal networking, but has since become a connection to every aspect of life. Now more than ever, it's crucial for everyone to keep their social media presence in mind, both in preventing possible embarrassment and highlighting what you can offer to future schools or professions.

If you need help crafting a presence in social media, consider Centel Media™. Their services can help you build a platform in social media that can expose your potential to the world.

LinkedIn's new 'University Pages' feature exposes the increasing importance of building a positive social media presence.

How Social Networking Can Impact Search Results

It’s uncommon for any viable online marketing campaign to shy away from using social networking as an integral asset. But, that shouldn't be the only component to a successful online business.  Without the implementation of a broader strategy, social networking isn’t enough to make the notable difference in search engine results, and in overall business growth. There’s no denying the effect social networking has on search rankings when it is used in conjunction with other marketing devices. But, participating in social networking is unlikely to deliver results if you or your brand fails to share valuable content.

That is the initial step, developing sharable content. Interesting, unique, and creative content will do more than inspire a quick glance. Working without this is like putting the cart before the horse. Even if your brand is the first result in a search engine, a lack of relevant content will quickly push a user on to search result number two. Online marketing and brand reputation development is a two-part system. It’s about generating the emotional and personal buzz on social networking sites, which will then fuel the technical and logistical aspect of search results.

Search engines are not a natural cycle that revolve around human emotion, they are algorithms based on repetitive data. The trick is to develop a natural cycle through social media sites by letting your followers do the hard work for you, without actually knowing they are providing the repetitive data that improves search engine results.

At Centel Media™, our services include Facebook and Twitter page optimization. We will assist you in gaining likes and followers on social media sites in order to help you gain a public presence on search engines.  If you choose to take on Centel Media™ social media optimization service, our web experts will give your page that initial push in promoting your company so that your social media page can get the results you've been hoping for. Centel Media™ has the means of doing this in an honest way, without resorting to buying likes and followers.

As previously outlined, having likes on Facebook and followers on Twitter can really push your business to new heights, but not without the right content. With this newfound fan base, you can publish content on your social media sites and be assured that it is being seen. Establishing followers that could become potential clients is a necessary part of improving your online reputation.

Centel Media™ is here for all of your social media optimization needs to help you reach the level where you and your business deserve to be.

Tracking Your Online Reputation

Just as the internet opened the world to us, it also opened us to the world. Studies show that the younger generation is spending over 8 hours a day online. The price we pay for all this interconnectedness is our diminished sense of privacy. Without the proper approach, you or your brand's reputation may become the victim of negative online exposure.

As you surf the Web, information is being collected about you. There are three types of tracking sites that record your information: sites that you provide consenting information, sites you visit without providing any consenting information, and sites you do not visit and do not knowingly give information. It’s perplexing to think that websites we never even visit gather our information. They seek us out, following our online movements by association. These associations may not seem important to you, but remember, everything online is connected.

This type of virtual stalking is known as behavioral tracking, but not all tracking is bad. Many services rely on behavioral tracking and user data to provide relevant content and enhance the online experience. But most tracking happens without users' consent and without their knowledge. Unfortunately, it’s out of your control who, when, how and if you or your brand is tracked.

With countless sites tracking you, keep in mind that your reputation can be affected without your awareness. Privacy should not be something you compromise, and your reputation shouldn't be either. It's your right to know what data is being collected about you and your brand, and the best way to handle it is to be active in managing the data you provide to trackers. Blog posts, social networking, press releases, and Wikipedia submissions, are all outlets for data collection.  

Remember, not all tracking is bad. Tracking can provide the opportunity to connect potential clients to your company. It can make those large leaps in association that can grow your brand's reputation in a positive way. It’s just a matter of controlling the output of data that is being tracked.

Centel Media™ can help you and your brand build and manage a successful reputation that promotes positive tracking and healthy data collection. This data is being tracked even now; so the longer you wait, the more negative data could be compiling!

You and Your Customers Are a Team

In a perfect world, both the customer and business will coexist as a team so that each get what
they want from the other. Businesses want the money and customers want the product. Often times, a gap widens between the two, mostly caused by faults on the side of the business, but not always.

Poor customer service or product will certainly lead to a rift between you and your customers. To fix this, you must look from the customer's point of view and determine how you
and your customer can work together and evolve into a promising relationship full of continued satisfaction on both ends.

Teamwork between a business and customer is built on strong, solid ground. The foundation
comes from one party having something the other wants or needs, so an agreement is arranged to
satisfy both ends. There must be an open conversation between the customer and business, so the
business can understand if their approach is working and what they need to do to improve. It is
impossible for a business to change if they are unaware of what they need to change in the first
place.

Your business can put millions of dollars into your marketing, research and promotion, but if the
customer is not drawn in to what you put out, then all that money will be wasted. The only result
from this tactic is a negative reputation, because customers will feel like you've chosen to ignore
their wants and needs. Customers should never have to respond to changes with resentment or
betrayal, and in order to prevent this, businesses must listen before acting. On the other end,
customers should speak up if they have an issue with anything occurring inside a business. A
customer's feedback can be the reason a business changes for the better.

All of these points boil down to the fact that businesses and customers benefit the most when
they are working as a team. While it may seem that the business gets most of the blame for
poor teamwork, in reality, it takes both sides for a relationship to work successfully. What the
customer gives, the business dishes back out, so it is key for the customer to give the right
feedback to help the business grow into what they want it to be.

The relationship's appearance may seem disproportionate, but that's simply because the business has a larger presence. In reality, the customer and the business are on the same level, and how that relationship evolves is the difference between your business's success and failure.

Hand in hand arm in arm helping each other can do no harm.

Negative Suppression Services

Roughly 90 percent of internet users who visit online communities do not participate in open discussion. This includes a lack of commenting, writing reviews, or sharing to other social networks.

However, the majority isn't what should worry any online website, it's that 10 percent minority who have much sway on the public's opinion. These users may go to the extremes to make a negative opinion about your site heard, taking their view and posting it on your site or an outside article, which may cause the problem to spread to dozens of other online outlets and social networking sites.


Negative articles can then appear in search engines, and possibly end up high on the list of results.
No matter how hard you try, there will be some degree of negative response to your
online presence. These things happen to every company, but even a few negative articles
will skew and distort your personal or professional reputation.

Centel Media™ can help to eradicate these negative comments and fill up search engine results with articles that push a positive viewpoint of you or your business.  Centel Media™ will use negative article
suppression strategies to bury harmful postings with a variety of techniques to flood the
Internet with articles highlighting your good qualities and accomplishments, and thus
pushing your negative posts to the bottom of the results page, never to be seen again.

However, even after a few negative articles are suppressed, what's stopping new negativity
from surfacing?  Well, Centel Media™ has the tools to help protect you or your business's sites
from further damaging comments. With greater preparedness, you or your business can
fight back against negative comments before they even come into the picture. Having that
insulation is a priceless asset to any online interest.

Upon the acquisition of these services, clients can see what you want them to see, without
the obscured image painted by negative comments. No one knows you or your business
better than you, and no one should have the authority to control how you appear on the
Internet.

You have the right to manage your company's image and  Centel Media™ is here to
help you do just that. They strive to ensure that you or your business stands strong against
negativity on the web. With search results consisting of what your business is truly about,
you will be one step closer to maximizing your potential.


Don’t let negativity bury your brand's reputation, bury negativity with  Centel Media™ professional suppression services.

Taking Steps to Build Up Your Social Media Reputation

Most brands understand the importance of building a social network online. Establishing a Twitter handle, a Facebook page, and LinkedIn profile gives every company the chance to compete in the current virtual landscape of social-based consumerism. If you want your online interests, either for you or your company, to grow, then you must utilize social media.

It is crucial for any brand to take control of their social media interests. The most successful companies or individuals in the social media world set an example of authority, while also implementing and carrying out creative strategies. These brands prove that there is more work to be done on social media sites beyond the initial login process. There is more than one way to set a brand apart, and by taking a few different routes, you can follow in the footsteps of success.

The first step, is to provide truly inspiring posts via Facebook, through uploaded videos, memes, links or quotes that are “share” worthy. Go beyond a sales pitch or an informational pamphlet, tap into a universally human emotion or an area in need of motivation. Reach out to your consumers on a professional, yet personal, level.  

The next goal is to provide coupons or deals specifically designed for your Twitter followers. Give your followers a discount or bonus that isn't given to any other social media user or found in any newspaper. Something that your customers can take into the stores with them, and greatly increase foot traffic. Or, you can market another type of tangible reward, a reward for their continued support and following of your Twitter account.

The final step, is to allow your fans and followers to create portions of your social media for you. Have open contests for promotional artwork, or the next television advertisement. Encourage your viewers to become part of the team by submitting their ideas and casting their votes on the outcome.  

These methods of involvement in social networking are not just for companies and corporations, but any professional who wants to brand herself or himself as someone worthy of notice. If you desire to develop a robust online reputation, you must begin by taking strong initiative in your own social media activity, this is a guaranteed method to display your wealth of knowledge and passion within your field.

By Quincy Grant,

Press Secretary,

Centel Media™. 

Negative Video Suppresion

With the increasing numbers of citizen journalists, online videos are becoming more and more common. This escalates the chances of videos being published that harm your online reputation. These largely positive social technologies can have sinister downsides for companies that choose not to monitor such digital information.

From large scale anti-advertisements, to a simple picture slideshow. A clip from a bloggingsite, or an endorsed campaign. Negative videos can come from anywhere and anyone. The larger your company grows the larger the risk grows of negative media and videos, which could seriously and permanently damage your reputation.

Attacks on reputation are becoming far more sophisticated and targeted then they were in the past. One contributing factor is that the attackers have the ability to extensively research their target. They can do this by pulling information published on the victims own site and social networks.

A popular blogger might spend hours researching the names, titles, and job descriptions of your corporate employees. This is public information found on your company website, seemingly innocent. But, this true information could give credibility to a false accusation. A viewer of the video may reason that all other facts presented in the video about the company in question are correct, so the false accusation must be true as well.

It is not uncommon that negative attacks are fueled by public knowledge, you can become a vulnerable target by your the public information you yourself supplied to online sources. Of course, you could protect yourself by keeping your head in the sand, not participating in social media, but you would also be missing the benefits of these services.

Unfortunately, burying your head in the sand cannot turn back the clock on damage already done and the negative videos already appearing in search results. Videos are likely to show up in the first three pages of search results. Once they are published and searched, these videos can be shared, sent, and uploaded via email, Facebook, and other social networking sites.  

At Centel Media™, we offer “Negative Video Suppression.” A solution in which we create nearly 100 positive videos in order to push negative videos back past the third page where they won’t be seen. We publish these positive videos on various sites, including social media outlets, to increase their exposure and chances of dominating the first couple of search engine results pages.