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.

Take a Look

If you have recently been online on one of the many search engine sites you might have passed a few articles that gave a list of the best and worst brands, best schools and so on. These lists are compiled every year around this time and are the results of thousands of surveys taken throughout the year. One list I neglected to mention really caught my eye. It was a list of the worst companies to work for.

This list included ten companies that we all have heard of and may have used them in the past or we might be using them now. Current employees and former employees were all surveyed based on some questions and when the percentages came back the numbers were very alarming. The one thing I noticed that these companies had in common besides being on this list, was their employees really hated working there and that the companies main objective was completing the sale they could care less about the customer.

Two very alarming trends but most importantly two ways to get your businesses reputation destroyed which is partly done already because you are on this list. My first thought about the companies that made this list - are they aware of this? If they are, what are they doing to change it? Do they even care? Most companies will pay little attention to these types of lists because they feel it doesn't represent what their company means or they are under the impression that they have employees that love coming to work every day.

They might give internal surveys and based on the result of that they would think they are doing a good job when it comes to employee relations and customer relations. Not a good list to go off of because it is very biased and employees might be afraid to speak out fearing they will lose their job. So it is safe to surmise those internal surveys give a false result. The lists that are posted should be a wakeup call to any CEO whose company made that list. It is public and the whole world can see what type of business you're running which will definitely have an impact on stock prices and the board won't be too happy either.

It is time to get help and begin to patch the relationship up between you and your employees. You have to think about the future and recruiting talent down the line. If you're on this list and have not made any types of improvements talent will pass you by without looking back. I have written before about how important employee morale was to the image of a business and that if it is bad the whole company is going down. What you can take from these lists are ways to improve your image by starting in house. You may think no one is watching or reading these lists but judging by the amount of comments left under the article themselves you are severely wrong.

Lists can sometimes be wake up calls, primarily for those who land on worse of the worst list. It is public for everyone to see and eyes will be watching to see if you are taking the necessary steps to make sure you are not on next year’s list.

The Big Bad Wolf

The wolf walks with a purpose, strong, unmoved and ready to take on any challenge put in front of it. But there is something grumbling behind its back. Yes, it provides a good product and the customer service is OK. It could be better, but customers don't like the way they are handled. It's almost like a Jekyll and Hyde situation. If you catch it on a good day, you will get the best service imaginable but any other day, forget about it.

This is how some people feel when dealing with many big businesses and companies. They are forced to accept the good with the bad until something better comes their way, and they will be more than happy to take their business elsewhere. Keep in mind, we aren't discussing image or reputation yet, but rather, how customers see you as a whole. Eventually, we will get to these other points.

Having worked in retail, the big bad wolf was often times the customer who no one wanted to deal with. This can be because of the way we see them treat our coworkers or based on our own personal experiences with them. Many times, these patrons have been avoided and didn't even know it. I know you are supposed to do your job no matter what, customer service over everything, but at some point you will have been disrespected enough times by this one patron, leading you to refuse to deal with them at all. You would rather suffer the consequences of missing a big commission deal than face belittlement.

Customers can deal with the label of being the big bad wolf; they can always move on and shop some other place-- the opinion of them is based on the employees at that particular store. A business, on the other hand, should not be happy with that label. It doesn't give off a friendly vibe and worst of all, your image and reputation are taking a hit.

While you might be making a good profit now, that will soon change as more and more businesses are being created that will become competition for you. Suddenly, the big bad wolf is realizing its market share is rapidly decreasing and it is losing customers by the boatload. From this point on, the only thing that may save your business is repairing your reputation in hopes this mass exit from your business will gradually slow down.

No matter how big your business gets, if the customers are unhappy, they will eventually move on to a different business. Even if the new business doesn't provide the great quality that you provide, the respect is what matters to them.

Easy to Mess Up, Hard to Clean

Why is it that the easiest things to destroy are often the hardest things to fix? Maybe it is the way we are making things these days. It is our fault for not carefully constructing and taking our time to put together well oiled machines. Instead, we throw a bunch of big pieces together and hope they will stay strong long enough to be improved. When you end up in this type of situation, there is going to be a big mess for you to clean up.

Sometimes it is something that means the most to us that can be easily destroyed, so it is imperative to keep a keen eye on the prize and make sure nothing interferes with it. You have to stay alert. Once you take your attention away, that is when you will get all types of influences trying to come in and destroy what you worked hard for. The protection method I just described was for protecting your online reputation.

Your online reputation, aside from your business and your profit, is the most important thing to your professional life. One can argue it might be the most important. If your reputation is negative, then your profit is affected as well as your business as a whole. Your online reputation can go from bad to worse to completely destroyed in the blink of an eye. Never say never, but when your reputation is completely destroyed, the likelihood of you coming back is nearly impossible and will take many years to fix. In fact, the next generation of owners might be the ones to improve it.

I'm sure you don't want to leave a mess for the next generation of owners to clean up, because it will be even harder for them to try and operate a business and improve its reputation. Technology is only advancing as time goes on, so if you think it is something in today's world, picture 10 to 20 years from now. Picture how information will be shared and how valuable a good clean reputation will be.

While this is a wakeup call to you, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that you have many options available to you to help repair your online reputation. As I stated earlier, a repair can take a very long time. If you don't do it right, it is only going to set you back 10 steps instead of moving you forward. A company like Centel Media™ is the best option to choose. Centel Media™ does a great job of improving your online reputation and making sure it is protected against any attempted attacks.

No one likes cleaning up messes, especially if a mess involves the online reputation of your business. This mess will take years to clean up if the proper help is not called on.

Gain a Boost Through Social Media

Online Reputation paints a picture about you what you represent over the internet. A lot of different factors come into play when building the type of image that you want, and it is important to embrace and make use of all of the different tools. Social media, responding to your customer's inquiries, and blogging are great examples of what you can do to help your brand name.

Social media is about building a relationship with you and your customers. It is very important when you want to make build a good name. Trust and honesty is a must when dealing with your customers. You do not want your customers to have skeptical thoughts about your business, because this leads to negative experiences and possibly negative comments. Remember, customers usually leave reviews when they had an incredible customer service experience. Do your best to keep your customers happy. You need to give the customer an unforgettable customer experience in order to get positive reviews.

How does social media help attract customers? It's simple. Customers want to go to sites where they will get an honest opinion about a certain product or service. There is no place that a social media forum, where customers can communicate with each other in order to share their thoughts and experiences. Check your social accounts regularly so that you can answer any questions that your customers have. Ignoring their concerns or responding to a negative comment in a hastily manner will only create problems for your online reputation.

Last but definitely not least, we reach blogging. Blogging helps customers gain a perspective of who you are as a person. Share your thoughts with passion and connect with your customers on a different level. Show them that you do not only care about the sales of your product, but what thoughts they have about different topics. It is important that you show a different side of yourself rather than just a business side.

All these tips on how to build your online reputation are very important. You can not expect to gain a positive online reputation without putting in the time and effort. Your customers have a big impact on your online reputation, take all the right precautions in order to make sure you are making it a successful one.

Leave Rivals in the Dust With Online Reputation Management

Companies that take themselves seriously and really care what the customer says are going to go out of their way to make sure their reputation is spotless. You will be surprised how much of a difference a clean online reputation can make in terms of your numbers moving up. Even if it is a couple of percentage points, it is an improvement from where you were an hour, day or month ago-- all business should be striving for this.

Your online reputation is more important than you might think it is. Just because you have customers and your profit is steady does not mean you should rest on your laurels. As a business owner, you should be coming up with ways to improve your positioning. Contrary to popular belief, it is not too hard to come up with new ideas. Great ideas are often times sitting right in front of you, but you have to make the choice to go out looking for it.

If you look at your business from a customer’s perspective, you will be able to nitpick and see what changes should be made. Now you know why your profits have been steady rather than improving and now you can work on those changes. If your profits have been steady, than changing your company a bit will only move you up and into a leadership position among your peers. You will get first dibs when it comes to customers and partnerships with businesses around the world.

Unlike your peers, you are not satisfied with average returns. If you are putting everything into your company, you should be getting more than average results. Online reputation management can help you in several ways. Perhaps you do have a clean reputation, but you're lacking a presence on social media. A company like Centel Media™  can help you with your presence on social media. Having a presence on social media can expand your horizons and connect you with a bigger audience of customers that you did not have before.

Maybe your webpage needs an overhaul. It has become a little too hard to navigate and is not too appealing to the eye anymore. No need to look any further than Centel Media™ . That's right; the same company that got you exposure on social media can help fix your webpage. Your reputation is in check, so there is no need to bother with that. However, if it wasn't, you know who to go to. As you can see, these are minor changes. There are no mass layoffs or press conferences to announce an M&A.

Changes that occur from within will boost your image and leave your rivals in the dust. Smart business owners are constantly aware of how their reputation looks.

The Beauty of Having Options

Having options give us the ability to choose what we want to associate ourselves with and give our business to. We have the ability to choose from a variety of options that offer the best product or company that best fits our needs and preferences. Businesses have many options too, though they may not exercise them as much as consumers they do have options on how they choose to operate their businesses, the location and many other choices to choose from.

When we are presented with a list to choose from we are given the option to choose a business or brand that has the best product, customer services and presents themselves in the best way possible. It is in the best interest for a business to put a lot of emphasis on all three of those criteria, but the last one could be a deal breaker for most customers, so you must make sure that your image and reputation is respectable.

There are millions of businesses out there that all compete for the service of customers. They are all trying to stand out and prove why they are the best option for us to choose. Having options can get confusing if you are bombarded with them all at once, which is why you should take your time when looking them over. Consider the pros and the cons. There is no right or wrong answer, but the decision you make can have an impact for many years to come. It is in your best interest to pick the business with whom you can maintain long term stability with.

Businesses have to be a little less picky when it comes to options. As I stated earlier, in terms of operations and locations they are flexible, but when it comes to other things like profit, customer service and overall image, businesses have one option and that is to be professional. Businesses are the options. Rather than having an option to choose, they are the ones being chosen. 

With this in mind, the pressure is on businesses to make sure they stand out from the pack. However, in order to really stand out, they have to offer something that others don't. Maybe they do offer it, but just not in a way that you do. To me, that is standing out. You all offer the same service, but there is one little thing that separates you from the pack and makes you the best option for a customer to give their business to.

Options give us the freedom to choose what we want. It also keeps businesses competitive so the best product and service rises to the top.

Bigger Than Your Reputation

Your online reputation goes everywhere with you. It doesn't take a rest. Even when you are asleep, it is awake protecting your business, but still vulnerable to any negative attack. Your reputation doesn't just live at home, it travels all over. Even though you are doing work in one specific country, your reputation could be thousands of miles away and you don't even know it.

Globalization has brought the world together and has allowed many people in other countries to make a living, but unfortunately, many people have lost their jobs due to globalization, so it is a double edged sword. Big businesses have used globalization to get work done faster and more effectively, but that doesn't come without its own troubles such as unfair labor practices, low wages and other inhumane actions that have taken place over the years.

As consumers we really don't think about what the process is to get the clothes and shoes we're only interested if they have our size and color we want. If you think that is harsh, imagine the reputation some of these companies that have businesses overseas who make clothes. A lot can be said about a person who knows that they are treating people unfairly but still continues to do business in the same way. The reputation that these companies have is being attacked on a daily basis, mostly negative, but they somehow manage to do business and make profit.

Most companies are aware of what is being said about them online, both domestically as well as internationally, but they refuse to let that interfere with the business. Many of these same businesses have been boycotted or has had rallies and marches in front of their headquarters. So, if people have taken action and it is known by those in charge that they participate in these practices, why hasn't it stopped?   

These businesses have become too successful to fail. Their presence in the business world has become bigger than their reputations, and it shows. As I pointed out earlier, consumers are not too concerned with how the clothes are made. If you were to go online and look at the reviews, you wouldn't find one about labor practices. Instead, you would see most reviews about the quality of clothing and the speed of shipping. For the past couple of years, businesses have begun providing better services and making an attempt to improve their reputations. It is a slow process that won't happen overnight, but if they continue to work at it on a daily basis, it will improve.

Your presence can be bigger than everything else, including your reputation. You shouldn't rest if you have a negative reputation though, because that can quickly catch up.

Death by Plagiarism

There is nothing worse than plagiarizing somebody else's work when it comes to your online reputation. We have been taught this concept ever since we were kids, and yet some still do it without being aware of the consequences. Nowadays, with the use of Google, it is very easy to figure out if someone has plagiarized. All you have to do is type in certain criteria from the blog, or any other sort of document, and you will see if the information has been said somewhere else.

Plagiarizing destroys your credibility and this is the last thing you want as a business owner. It is very important for you to maintain a positive online reputation when trying to appeal to customers or maintain loyal ones. If a customer becomes aware of your loss of credibility, he or she might go someplace else in order to conduct business. "Honesty is the best policy” is a well-known phrase that fits this type of situation perfectly. Have the right mindset and come in with clean hands. Do not take any short cuts, because in the end, it is hard work that pays off.

When you are writing a blog, be sure to indicate citations that include where you got your information from and give a link back to its original content. You do not want to be called out on plagiarizing information. Nor do you want to have a customer call you out, which will make the situation even worse.

There are so many aspects that you need to become aware of when it comes to maintaining your online reputation. Embrace them and take the right steps in order to attract customers or the employer you are seeking. Every major company and professional uses online reputation in order to find out more information about a certain person or company. Make sure yours is at par with your overall resume. If your resume indicates brilliancy, but your online reputation shows negative content, then you are at a disadvantage. Take the proper steps in order to make your overall picture appear in a positive light.

Centel Media, a reputable onlinemanagement company can help with such situations. Reach out to a company if you are serious about having a positive and professional online reputation. They have professionals that dedicate their time and effort in making sure that your online reputation is up to standard. Remember, your online reputation is priceless.

Centel Media Bests the Brand Battle

Your brand name can be attacked with negative content at any moment. It does not matter if you have big brand name like Dell or one that's not so well known. Be aware and prepared that a negative comment may come your way and act accordingly. Swallow your pride and accept the fact that it will happen--this will make it much easier to deal with.

The days where a disgruntled customer would write a letter to the company discussing their frustrations are long gone. Customers these days have a found a faster and more effective approach by posting their comments about your brand name online. Listen to what your customers have to say. This is vital in order for your brand name to survive. If you do not listen to your customers complaints, how will you know what is in the best interest for your company? Do not make the mistake of ignoring their comments even if they are negative.

When coming across a negative comment, act immediately. Even if you only find one negative comment, do not prolong your response. Acting promptly will earn you a solid reputation if you respond in a formal and professional manner. Do not ignore the comment as discussed above, because this will only indicate that you do not care about your customers complaints. Overreacting must also be avoided at all costs. This tends to indicate that you are emotional, which will cause your customers to lose respect for your brand name.

The best way to respond to a negative comment is to address the issue and ask the customer if he or she would like to discuss the matter in private terms, for example, in a message on your Facebookpage or through email. If you come across a comment that is false and causing you negative implications, address the person in a friendly ton, and state facts that counteract their false comments. Indicate to the customer why they should reinstate their comment, or ask them nicely if they will remove the comment.

Your online reputation should be taken very seriously and managed properly. Hiring an online management company such as Centel Media will turn out to be helpful if you need assistance with building your online reputation.

Centel Media's Tips to Thrive

The result of success starts on the inside of a business. One cannot assume that all the pieces will fall into place and that you can achieve greatness from that point. To get to that position, there is going to be a lot of shuffling and moving things around. Nothing will be perfect, but the pieces should be put together accordingly, which makes the outside look perfect.

What makes a business thrive is how it is built on the inside and that starts, of course, with the employees that are working for it. Employees are more than just workers. They are the vital organs that keep the company moving and booming. It is very important that all employees stay challenged and motivated. When employees are not motivated we see productivity drop, which will affect the whole business, not just one section.

As a business owner, it is important that you have people in the right places so there are no misunderstandings that will surface later and stunt progress. Hiring the right people for the right job is one of the most important decisions you will make. Placing under qualified or over qualified people in positions just to fill spots is going to lead to a very hard fall, so it is important to know who is good at what and place them in the right positions.

Employee morale can sink a company very fast if it is negative. Low morale is very dangerous for the image and reputation of a company. Businesses that have low morale often rank at the bottom of customer service surveys. Employees lack enthusiasm, so they choose to work ineffectively, which is taken out on the customer. Keeping morale high is a very challenging process because you are dealing with so many personalities, but it is your duty to find some common ground that keeps everyone motivated.

With all these components flowing at the same time, a business will see a lot of profit and growth, and don't forget the popularity among the customers. How your business is built on the inside will have a huge impact on how it is presented to the public. Weakly built companies are at a disadvantage, not only for customers but talent as well, you won't be able to recruit top talent, or any talent, because of the work environment. Build a well-oiled machine from the inside out and it will run for many years to come.

Internal health is the key to any successful business. As a business owner, you should be doing checkups to maintain good health.

How Technology Can Give Businesses a Leg Up

Getting your business to be better than it was previously is a hard task to start, let alone complete. It means you are looking to constantly improve your everyday operations, profits and overall image. A boost can come in at any time and take you to where you want to be. The biggest boost you can use is the technology that you have available to you.

As technology has improved over the years and slowly begins to take over our everyday transactions, businesses all around the world have benefited immensely from it. Back then, if you could afford to promote your business you took out ads in the papers, you might have sponsored a radio station program knowing that they were going to mention your business on the air. If you really could afford to, you bought air time on a TV station for a commercial.

But what happened to those businesses that couldn't afford advertising this way? Their best bet for promotion was word of mouth, and maybe a small spot in the paper advertising their business. You could definitely say that the playing field was largely uneven and benefitted those with money. There was not a guarantee that the company with the most money had better products and service. Most of the time, the smaller stores provide better service because they have time to spend with the customer and give them exactly what they needed.

Technology has entered the picture and those businesses that used to be on the uneven side of the field are now looking eye to eye with the bigger competitors. What can't be left out is the way our tastes have changed over the past couple years. TV watching has decreased, we have tablets that allow us to read magazines instead of grabbing a physical copy, and we have personal music players that allow us greater listening options than ever before.

Smaller companies have actually benefited more from the technology boost, because they have gone from being a local business to having customers that span several states. We have seen the emergence of many small chain stores over the past years that were able to take advantage of technology and effectively promote their products and gain new customers everywhere.

This is good for business because it creates a competitive landscape, which is good for the economy in many ways. Customers also have more of a selection to choose the product that best fits their needs, rather than the one that is being shoved in their face by over marketing and promotion.

Taking advantage of technology can boost your business onto another level. You will reach a wider audience, and thusly, incur a profit increase.

Grimm Story of Cinderella Lends a Lesson in ORM

We often try to satisfy what we think others want to see or say, and even what they want to hear. The only thing that comes out of those scenarios is confusion and anger. It is important to fit in where we feel most comfortable. It's important that we can be ourselves and that our peers accept us for who we are. When it comes to business, it is necessary to always play to your strengths. While you might like to take on other ventures, know where your bread and butter come from.

There is nothing more confusing than a company that expands too thinly and forgets what specific trade got them to their point of success. There is nothing wrong with being labeled as a business that just specializes in one specific trade rather than multiple ones. Yes, diversity is the way to go and that is totally fine, but not everyone is meant to get involved in other business areas. You are taking on many risks when you overextend yourself.

You might not have the capital to cover the move and trying to get loans in this economy is harder than ever, so you are now forced to come up with a way to raise funds. In doing so, you might have to raise the prices on products you are selling, which will not go over well with your existing customers. If you wind up losing a significant amount of customers, how will you come up with the money? You can't. Now you've not only lost profit and customers, but you also have a negative reputation.

Staying in your lane of business has its benefits. This includes stability, experience and customer loyalty. Businesses often make moves based on what they think the customer might want them to do, but quality service and products are all we really want. Focusing on what got you to the place where you are now will guarantee that your business will last for many years to come.

For businesses that refuse to wear the shoe that fits and try to move up a size, they might be doing a major disservice to the longevity of their business. As I pointed out earlier, there are many risks involved and the one that stands out the most is the loss of your customers. If you fail in your move and you have to come back to the customers you pushed away (therefore charging more to fund your move), it'll be a long time before you get back into their good graces. Stay loyal to them and they will reciprocate it back to you.

What may not be the most popular look might be the most stable and lucrative in the long run. Longevity is key for your business.

How to Use Social Media the Wrong Way

As a professional, you want to have a clean and reputable name in order to get a promotion or seek the job of your dreams. This is not possible however if you are using social media in the wrong way. Social media accounts are very convenient to use and they can prove be very beneficial. There are also negative implications regarding your social media. Below are some ways in order to control or prevent from negative content from harming you.

If you are a professional, let's say a teacher for example, be careful of who you add as friends on your social media account. First and foremost, do not post any pictures that can be considered controversial. You do not want to your students to see these pics, but at the same time, you should not be adding your students as friends. Having students looking at your personal life is never a good idea because you are supposed to be a role model, or a person of high authority.

Make sure to keep your account secure, you do not want the public eye to witness everything you post on social media accounts. Many people today tend to post statuses or pictures without a care in the world. This will lead to negative consequences because the internet has a good memory; it doesn't tend to forget that drunken photo of you decided to put up a couple of months ago. That photo may end up being viewed by your boss or your future boss. You do not want to be in this position.

Your online reputation should not be something that you should ignore or tamper with. Think about the consequences of certain actions, you do not want to risk that promotion or job that you are seeking. Social media accounts are great in building your online reputation, but use them in the right way. If you are a professional use accounts such as LinkedIn, this is a good way to showcase your qualifications and get employers to take a look at you. In the other hand if you have business of some sort take advantage of all the social media accounts that exist. Use a Facebook page to promote your business, and include relevant content that describes your product.

Uncharted Territory

Diversity in business is a good thing. It is often said that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, but to spread them around evenly. If you have reached a certain level of success in one particular sector and now feel it is time to expand and move on to another, it can be exciting. Still, there should also be a level of nervousness because you are entering a different business world.

Moving into another business sector can often times feel like the first day of school. You are by yourself and there is no one coming up to you asking if you want to sit with them at lunch or be friends. Why should they? After all, you are coming in to get a piece of their pie after you have completely finished another one. So, feeling alone should not come as a surprise. It is important that you are able to try and transfer some of the good business experience you had in your previous business into your new one.

One thing that is very important is that your reputation is positive. You can't move from one business to another with a negative reputation. Once news gets out that you are looking to make a transition into another area of business, the critics and skeptics will come out in full force to destroy you. So make sure when you are searched online you come up positive and there is nothing that can bring negative attention to your new venture.

Promotion is key in business and it will mean even more to you when you are moving into a different business section. To get the word out about your new move, social media will become very important. You already have a strong fan-base, so you will be able relay the message to them via social media. This will be the easiest way for you to also attract new customers. You might even steal a few customers from your new competitors, much to their dismay.

They won't be too happy about your arrival and they most definitely won't be happy with you taking some of their customers, but that is the name of the game. You will be talked about negatively to customers and it will affect you in some way. Some customers might choose to not continue service with you. The best response to that is to keep operating your business and let that do the talking for you. You don't want unnecessary conflict that can take your focus away. Remember, you're still new to this sector and though you have had immense success in the past it is a new day and a new chapter.

Moving on to a new challenge can be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Before you move, be sure that there is nothing that can come up and destroy your business before it begins. 

Work it Out

There is nothing worse than leaving work undone. For a business, there should never come a time when you don't finish a task. For instance, if an unfavorable situation arises, you may choose to leave it alone rather than try and work it out. If you do that, the ramifications it can have on your business will last for a very long time. During that time, you will find yourself constantly climbing up a downward moving escalator.

We don't want to do it, but it needs to be done. We can't always walk away from something because it is not going our way. Though there may be many emotions and feelings involved, if it means that it can help improve you and your business, it is in your best interest to work out any problem. As a business owner, you are at a disadvantage, unlike customers who have the right to walk away from something if they don't want to deal with it.

You need the customers to survive and to make a profit, so whatever you need to fix needs to be done efficiently and effectively. I have stated this before. Customers are more than willing to give many chances to a business that was once on the outs with them, but has managed to work themselves back up to respectability. If you ever find yourself in this position as a business owner, you should immediately look to companies that have been in the same situation and mimic the steps they took to get back into the good graces of the customers.

You can't just get mad if people are not attracted to your product or simply don't want to do business with you. Getting mad is the last thing that should be on your mind. Instead, you should be researching what customers want and how you can get it to them. If there are complaints coming your way from customers, work on fixing whatever the problem is. Don't ignore them or push them to the side. You can bet the farm that one complaint can and will get bigger as time goes on.

It is not good for your business if you are given the reputation of a non-compliant company, or one who doesn't aim to satisfy the customer and their needs. Businesses that have that type of reputation are struggling to meet expectations or are not in business anymore. The little things can be the difference between a positive reputation and a negative one. Always remember, a negative reputation can follow you for years even if your business is doing well, so it is imperative to work out any problem, complaint or concern out and show your audience that you are committed to them.

Leaving no stone unturned should be the motto you live by when it comes to your business. Customers will always remember the effort you made when it came to taking care of any problem they had.

More is Better

The more you have, the better equipped you are to deal with any problem or situation that comes your way, whether it is good or bad. It is always a good idea to have more than enough because we live in a world of surprises--unorthodox attacks can come from any angle. When you are adequately protected, you are more likely to get through any situation.

Having more doesn't necessarily mean that you should be greedy and begin to infringe on other people’s property. Instead, use what you already have and try and increase that. When it comes to your business and the reputation of it, you should not have any reservations about protecting it to the fullest of your capabilities. There are some things you can skimp on and be downright cheap about, but your business is not one of those things.

No expenses should be spared when it comes to your business, the more tools you have to protect and enhance it, the better. You have to think strategically and come up with ways to outdo your competition by staying one step ahead of them. You have to know they will try and come at you and your business in the most vile and disrespectful way possible. Therefore, you need to have a way to defend yourself against any attack and be able to still shine through a dark time.

You must keep your customers in mind too. In one instance, you're on good terms with them and the next; you're on the outs, trying to get back in their good graces. With customers, an honest complaint can turn into a negative attack on your business, which can lead to more trouble than you bargained for. When a situation like that comes up, you should already be in damage control mode. Show the rest of the public that no matter what is being said about you, you are still going to be operating your business as usual.

There is a lot of responsibility when it comes to running a business. You have to constantly be aware of your position among your competitors and your customers. On top of that, you have to make a profit or maintain what you are already making. How you choose to go about all of these tasks is up to you, but whatever you do, make sure you have more than enough protection to go around and cover all areas twice over.

It may seem greedy to have more than what you need, but in business, you can never have enough protection to go around.

Online Reputation is Priceless

Your online reputation will determine how successful you will become. It does not matter if you are a student or a business person; you have to build a positive online reputation in order to get the goals that you set for yourself. Attending the college of your dreams may not be possible if your online reputation does not match up to your academic career. Take some initiative in order to maintain and build the type of online reputation that will get you to the next level.

Everything travels fast when it comes to the internet nowadays. Negative content will spread if you do not take the proper precautions. Deal with building your online reputation now rather than later. Search your name, look for negative comments and be proactive with your online reputation. You will realize sooner than later that people with negative online reputation will have a hard time finding jobs or maintaining their businesses. 

Let your customers vent if you are in the business world. You need to know if they are frustrated over something or if they had a bad customer experience with your business. Learning from your mistakes is necessary in all aspects in life, and it applies to online reputation as well. In order to earn the trust and loyalty of your customers, you have to respond to their inquiries and make an effort in order to change certain services that are not up to par. 

Hiring an online reputation management company such as Centel Media will be very beneficial if you do not know the proper steps in building a positive online reputation. Centel Media's professionals excel with giving your brand name a positive outlook and having the negative content suppressed. 

Online reputation is not something that should be ignored and there cannot be a price on your name. Your online reputation is going to paint an image that is portrayed to everybody on the web. Everything that is important in life must be given the proper time and effort, and your online reputation is no different. Hire an online reputation management company, or take the time and effort to deal with it on your own. But do not, by any means, ignore your online reputation. It is far too valuable, and may be even priceless.

Taking on the Giant

The hardest thing for a business to do is stand out and claim a presence among its millions of competitors. That goes double for a small business that is looking to get a piece of the pie that its bigger corporate rivals are enjoying. They have to come up with ways to step out from behind their shadows and create one for themselves.

Businesses come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Some are bigger than others and some might be more effective and efficient. One thing that they all have in common is the goal to bring the best product to the market as possible and hope that they can get business. While that task may be easier for some than it is for others, all hope is not lost. With the right amount of marketing and promotion, your small business could find itself rubbing shoulders with some of the big time businesses.

As a small business, your first step towards world domination is knowing who you are up against and the reality that you will never be as big as the bigger companies or reach the broader audiences. I know it sounds harsh, but that is reality. You are going up against well established companies that have a big presence and will be hard pressed to move. So, your job is to conquer what they have left unattended, which means smaller audiences. This is one step in increasing your visibility. If you are able to do business in a smaller space and be successful, it's only a matter of time before you are forced to grow and move on.

Your next step should be to create a presence on social media. This is a step that cannot be skipped. I know the internet might scare you and you would rather not deal with it, but once again, keep in mind you're small and therefore need to use any tool available to you. This means making sure you are getting your message out to existing customers and potential ones. Furthermore, social media is inexpensive, so you don't have to worry about the cost to market your business.

If you have been following me so far, you should know what is coming next: good old online reputation management. It's never overrated, but somehow understated. Now before you say that your reputation is clean, stop right there. It is better to be safe than sorry and if you have the opportunity to acquire the services of a respectable firm, you take it, no questions asked. There are actually some firms that can help you with building your company. Firms like Centel Media can help you design your webpage, establish your presence on social media and on top of that, protect your online reputation. With all this knowledge in hand, you are ready to take on the world one step at a time or better yet, one customer at a time.

It won't be easy trying to gain traction in the cutthroat world of business, but it can be done. A little luck and a lot of hard work and dedication will take you to far greater heights.

Mail Call

Many of us check our email daily. Of the thirty plus emails we receive on daily basis, we read maybe five to 10 of them. Most businesses struggle with getting their emails read and not labeled as spam. Once that happens, you can forget about connecting to that customer. In fact, your email will never get seen. Instead, it will go into the deep pile of spam mail never to be seen again.

It wasn't too long ago that emails were the social media of its generation. It was hip, trendy, and if you didn't have one you were considered lost in time. While it still remains one of the most popular and effective ways to communicate, it often gets grouped with trash if it is not labeled correctly or does not have an attention grabbing title.

The faith lost in emails has developed over the years from spam and viruses that get transmitted through emails and wreak havoc on your computer. People no longer open emails freely. In fact, if a message looks like spam, it is going straight to the spam folder. Unfortunately, you can be running a legit business and send out emails to the public in hopes of gaining interest from the recipients, but have these emails never get there. Not only have your messages been labeled as spam, but your business has the reputation of sending out spam.

Having your business being labeled as a spam sender could be very damaging, especially if you are just starting out. I always say social media is a cheap form of marketing, but you can add email to that list as well. It can be an amazing tool for your business at a very low cost. But since you have the reputation of a spam mailer, you now have to fix that. Of course, it will cost you, but it is a cost that you should be glad to pay. Unlike fixing your online reputation, I don't recommend you trying to do this on your own. It is too risky and if you don't completely remove your self out of that position you will most likely fall deeper. This only leads to more time and money wasted.

Hiring professional help should be your next move. Not only will you get your reputation restored, but you can look to them for help with marketing your emails so that customers read them rather than discard them. What you were missing is how to properly market your emails and the audience to send them to. Now that you have professional help, you no longer have to worry about your emails getting spammed because they are now constructed in a way where they stand out from the rest of the emails that we get.

Email marketing is often overlooked, but if you are not careful, it can give you a negative reputation without you even knowing.

Culture Change

A business is defined by its culture and how it does business. Some sectors are labeled by the public as having a bad culture, one that puts profit above the concerns and needs of the people they are servicing. As a business owner, you should be aware of the type of culture you are cultivating and that you have the right people working for you.

The main problem people have with jobs or businesses is the culture. You will often hear the word toxic being thrown around when someone is attacking the culture of a business. The culture of a business includes many key factors such as mission statements, employee morale and customer service interaction. Businesses that receive positive grades in the three aforementioned criteria are often some of the most profitable and popular businesses in the world. Finding a mix of the three is not an easy task, but for those that can achieve this, they will be among the top rated businesses.

On the flip-side, there are many businesses that have failing grades in one of the three categories. Some even have failing grades in two or more. These are the businesses we read and hear about on the news and in the paper. The businesses are often misguided and fall deeper into the toxic category, which nobody wants to touch. The culture of a business starts at the top of the helm. The CEO is usually the one who comes in and sets the tone and direction in which he wants the business to go.

Big businesses are often under immense pressure to fill the spot of a CEO, so they often choose someone who is not fit for that specific job. Now he might be a great fit at another company that fits his strengths, but for this job, not so much. He is now faced with the option of adopting the company's existing culture or injecting his own. Either way, a struggle is developing, which leads to bigger problems with board members, employees and most importantly, the customers.

It is important to know who you are hiring and what their plan for the company is. If we look at some of the world's biggest companies today, they are struggling to repair their reputation with the public for many reasons. Those same companies have gone through numerous CEOs in a little under a decade because of the culture struggle. Many of them are now trying to repair their reputation with the public and are diligently searching for the right candidate to properly represent their business.

The difference between having a successful global business and a business that is barely making profit is culture. In the global society we live in today, culture can no longer be pushed aside or hidden beneath big profits.

How Should You Respond?

Are you going to respond to negative comments made by customers with anger and with the same type of negativity, or are you going to simply ignore them? Either way, the outcome will not be good. We have always been taught to respond to negative content with positivity, which will at least show that you do not act out of emotion. Ignoring comments that customers have made about you, however, will just show that you do not care about what they have to say. Your online reputation is on the line when it comes to certain decisions; do not make one that will cause you to have a negative reputation.

When it comes to responding to negative comments, have a plan of attack. You are in control when it comes to responding to comments, respond appropriately and consistently in order to have the effect you want. Try to build relationships with your customers and earn their trust. This will come to your benefit when negativity starts to come about. Some of these loyal customers that you build your trust with will defend your good name when a customer tries to bad mouth your brand.

Learning from your mistakes is crucial when it comes to responding to certain comments. If you ever do respond out of emotion or negativity, learn from it. There are going to be certain consequences that come about from this and you will know what to do next time in order to avoid it.

The best thing to remember is to stay positive. Do not over react or panic when you start to notice negative comments. Your actions will indicate how others will think of you as business owner, or as a professional. Online reputation is just as important as your credit score nowadays, do not let it go downhill. If you do not think you are capable of dealing with these types of situations on your own, consider hiring an online management such as Centel Media™. They have professionals that will help you build the right type of online reputation that is needed in order to be successful. These professionals will also help to put up more positive comments and remarks about your brand name and fade out the negative ones.