Thursday, October 17, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Don't Be Shut Down: Take the Risk
In the
news Friday, Washington Congressman and House Representative from Wisconsin
Paul Ryan made a rather remarkable change to his position. As the public knows
well by now, Washington has been stuck in a political gridlock that has shut
down the government. Federal services across the nation have been affected and
the majority of the public is understandably upset at the situation. Once
elected, politicians are expected to get things done in office, but that
certainly hasn’t been the case and the American people are fed up.
Representative
Ryan decided to bolt from his party line, at least for a bit, as he tried to
place a possible deal on the table that will not involve defunding Obama's
Affordable Care Act, commonly known now as Obamacare. Whatever your political
beliefs or ideology, the federal government cannot remain in shutdown forever.
So unlike his fellow Republicans and Democrats, he took some much needed risks
in order to help push a bill through.
I
emphasis risk-taking because, in today’s market, there are so many companies
that need to stop waiting for catastrophe and start making the necessary moves
to push ahead. When times get tough, the majority of businesses and business
owners just do their best to outlast the problem, instead of trying to reach
out to customers and break new ground. These companies either don’t change the
way they market or take a more passive approach so that, in the end, they don’t
have to spend as much money. While this may be the safe road to travel, there
are opportunities that, if you take the risk, could improve your company right
in the here and now.
A cheap,
easy way to expand your business is to improve your online presence, which is
much less expensive now than it has ever been before. We at Centel Media™ have
services that will help you manage your online reputation. While this may be a
turbulent time, a solid presence online will give your company a boost in
exposure and provide more opportunities to gain clientele. If you’re just
starting up online, consider our Website Design, Blog Creation, Domain Name Registration, and Facebook/Twitter Page Design services.
If you’re already on the web, but don’t have the reputation you’re looking for,
you should utilize our Social Media Optimization and Google AdWords Optimization. Don’t
let economic woes strangle your business, take that initiative and invest in
online reputation management.
Jonathan
Wong,
Creative
Writer,
Matthew
Shaffer,
Editor-In-Chief,
Friday, October 11, 2013
Twerking an Online Reputation
From her controversial twerking performance at the VMA’s in August
to her Saturday Night Live appearance as Michele Bachmann last week, Miley
Cyrus continues to make waves in the media with her sexually-charged image. In
just a few years, Cyrus quickly changed the media’s perception, and her overall
public image from that of a goody-two-shoes, to a sexual deviant.
In response to recent questions
about her twerking, Cyrus said “it went exactly as planned,” “I mean, it’s a
month later and we’re still talking about it.” In many ways her plan to stay in the spotlight worked, her controversial performance at the MTV Video Music
Awards is the most-tweeted moment of the year, breaking the Twitter record with
306,000 tweets per minute. The internet can be a harsh pool of negative content
and a reminder of bad moments in history. While her intention may be to keep
her name in the media, through any way possible, she could change that attitude
twenty years from now. But, by that point it will be impossible to remove any
of these reminders.
In spite of her current choices in behavior, Cyrus is a talented singer and budding actress. She has no regrets. "I can't change anything, can't go back," she said. "I can do a lot of things, but I can't change the past.” She is right about that, there is no way to undo the cyber damage already done. While Cyrus may not yet see the backlash and consequences of her actions, negative content could hinder her career and her personal future. Social media and search engine content will continue to unearth negative content about this point in her life,
whether it’s relevant or not.
She might not be interested in negative suppression services now, but at some point Cyrus may want the opportunity to redeem herself and her public image. It doesn’t matter who the victim of negative online content is, online reputation management is for everyone.
Centel Media™, the leading online reputation management company,
could repair Cyrus’ online reputation and maintain a positive image. Centel Media™ is the best in their field, with a number of effective services available
at a fraction of the cost of their competitors. Centel Media™ believes that
damaging online content is an opportunity for brand growth and positive
recognition. With the speed and accuracy of Centel Media™ professional
services, they take care of each online reputation, popstar or not.
Courtney Fisher,
Assistant Press Secretary,
Matthew Shaffer,
Editor-in-Chief,
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Cut Out the Middle-Man: Take E-Commerce Into Your Own Hands
Everyone knows about EBay and Amazon: they are
two of the largest online product distributors in the world. Known for selling
all kinds of items ranging from books, electronic gadgets, and clothing to the
leftovers in someone's junk yard collection, these two sites are synonymous
with online sales and are the best friends to any small business producer who
can't afford or don't have the ability to distribute their products on their
own. However, if you are capable of moving products on your own, then
your company should definitely consider selling without the need of a middle-man
distributor.
Being able to sell a product online is a big plus
compared to the alternatives of recent past. Instead of needing a building
solely designed as a distribution center for the public, your customers can buy
directly from your warehouse or equivalent. There is no rent to pay to
landlords, no clerks to run your business, and no maintenance of your shop.
With half of your old-world business removed from the equation, all you have to
worry about are your production or service facilities.
The biggest argument against online sales is
often focused on trust. The customer never gets to hold the product in their
hands and only has a photo of a factory-perfect model of the product to rely
on. This is indeed a problem and one both EBay and Amazon have struggled with
since their inception. For them, it’s a major issue because their products come
from any number of sources, but for you and your company, it will be a lot
easier depending on how well the reputation of your company's brand fairs. If
you’re respected by the public, you’ll find a lot of customers willing to buy
your products and services without too much thought.
Reaching that level of respectability is easier
said than done. But, with Centel Media™ article, review, image and video suppression
services, our professional staff will help improve your online reputation and
boost E-Commerce for your website. If you have other needs such as raising your
company’s presence on a search engine results page, finding ways to make your website stand out, or designing the perfect social media page, we have the right services at your disposal to
help improve your online experience.
Jonathan Wong,
Creative Writer,
Matthew Shaffer,
Editor-In-Chief,
Monday, October 7, 2013
How to Design an Effective Website
Due
to the propagation of the Internet from the early 1990s to the present day,
having a website for professional use is one of the most important aspects to
running a successful business. Most companies now have their own websites or,
at the very least, attempted to build one. With the countless number of
websites all vying for attention, it’s necessary to find a unique strategy that
adds variety to your content while also distinguishing your business from the
competition. Some keep the design simple, with tabs that link to various
services and simple pictures that show what they do. Others have complex wheels
of links intended for guests to navigate a large assortment of resources which
most likely include videos and certificates proving brand authenticity.
Whatever
method a company prefers, having an effective website is very important.
However, the key is to have a website design scheme that is easy to navigate.
If guests who visit your website find it too cluttered or so simple that it becomes
too difficult for them to do much of anything, they might lose interest in your
company simply out of pure frustration.
A
site lacking professionalism is also a turn off: if the design looks like a
child drew it using crayons, most of your potential customers might be a little
suspicious of your company's commitment to quality and integrity. Thematic
presentation should always be considered. For example, if your business is a
florist, running a website that has a mechanical feel doesn't make your
potential customers feel at home. Maintaining a strong level of interesting
content, along with a great layout, will give your visitors reason to return.
If your website is filled with nothing but words and a logo, consider adding a
few pictures and even a video for variety.
The
key to simplifying navigation is to use a color palette that is easy on the
eyes and a design that clearly shows where everything is. At Centel Media™, our
staff has professional experience in website design and will happily support
your company through our Website Design Service.
Not only will we help with the design, but we’ll also assist in connecting your
business with social media sites like Facebook, video sites like YouTube, and
other optimizations that will increase the overall traffic to your website.
With a solid design, you’ll find it much easier to draw attention to your site,
giving you the recognition you need to succeed.
Jonathan
Wong,
Creative
Writer,
Matthew
Shaffer,
Editor-In-Chief,
Friday, October 4, 2013
Criticism: What's Constructive and What's Destructive?
Constructive criticism on the Internet you say? Isn't the Internet
full of people who post things because they can and do so mostly with limited
perspective? When browsing comments and reviews on blogs, forums, and video
content, you tend to find a lot of people who cling to each other in support of
a dissenting view. This can be anything from disgruntled employees on a
business forum slamming their former employer, to reviews on a blog about the
“poor writing” of a particular television show. Despite the consistent
negativity across the Internet, there are some critiques that have value, shedding
light on aspects of your company that need improving.
Filtering out the good criticism from the bad can be tricky. The
Internet is full of people who wish to derail your progress in any way they
can, especially through the use of slanderous comments and reviews. When these
people or businesses target your company with their biased viewpoints, it’s
often best not to directly respond to them and utilize some of Centel Media™ negative article, review, image or video suppression services to
mitigate the damage.
Although all of the above is indeed true, there are also people
with good intentions who want to encourage your company’s development. The
first place to look would be your customers and supporters, rather than some
anonymous person doing a video blog or a random forum post. If your company has
a comment section or even a dedicated support page, you can usually find a good
mix of both constructive and unrealistic criticism. Working out the differences
can be challenging, but finding constructive advice and ironing out the
reported problems will allow you to fine-tune your company's weaknesses and
even recover the unhappy customers you’ve previously lost.
In fact, the simple act of responding to constructive criticism
really makes your customers and clients feel as if they’re actually making a
difference and not simply just another customer. Even if their constructive
comment was overtly negative due to an error you know your company made, being respectful
in your response will reinforce the credibility of your image. In the past,
support hotlines would handle issues like these, but with the popularity of the
Internet, online outreach has become an imperative part of customer service. We
at Centel Media™ are here to help. Our trained professionals can design you a proper website and make
it so customers and clients can more easily connect with you via the Internet.
Jonathan Wong,
Creative Writer,
Matthew Shaffer,
Editor-In-Chief,
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Graduate with a Strong Online Reputation
For those attending an institution of higher education, college is a time for growth, enlightenment, and discovery. However, content posted to social networking sites can have dramatic consequences for students, possibly resulting in long-lasting damage to their future.
College students are very active social media users, always keeping up-to-date with trending topics and joining all the latest social networking platforms. What these students don’t often consider is how their online reputation could harm them later in life. Posted pictures of a night of drinking could mean the difference between landing a job or being unemployed, living with your parents. It’s also possible that, when these images are uploaded to social media websites, they won’t have significant repercussions right away, but five or ten years into a career, those pictures could resurface and call your reputation into question.
Another issue that college students should be mindful of, is writing on social media while in a compromised state. When doing so, tweets and status updates are oftentimes misspelled, garbled, or lead to revealing information that should remain private. The best advice is, if you’re going out for the night, to resist posting on any social media platform until you’re clear-headed the following day and can think over your posts a little better.
More and more employers are checking social media websites for information about their prospective employees, therefore, as a college student, be mindful of your future goals and keep a vigilant eye on your social media reputation. If inappropriate content has been posted, delete it right away and remove any tags associated with your name.
Unfortunately, suppressing negative content and cleaning up an online reputation can be tricky, and in many cases require personal confrontation. If there is someone in particular that is constantly posting negative content involving you, it may be time to delete that contact and use your social network’s blocking services to be sure they no longer have influence over your online reputation.
Be diligent about how you appear online. By starting out young, you have plenty of time to develop and build a solid and lasting reputation. If you want to ensure that your presence online is clean, consider Centel Media™ negative article, review, image or video suppression services.
Courtney Fisher,
Assistant Press Secretary,
Matthew Shaffer,
Editor-in-Chief,
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