Few things can sink a small business in the 21st Century faster than a poor online reputation. Whether it is in the form of bad reviews on sites like Yelp! or a lack of search engine hits, your business could be suffering in a big way even if most of your clients are satisfied with your services. This is why online reputation management is so important in today’s business world.

No matter what kind of business you may have, your online reputation should be monitored and managed closely. Here are a few tips that will help you with that.

Claim Your Brand
The first step to online reputation management is to claim your brand name. Whether that is the name of your business or even just your own personal name, you should do all that you can to claim it as your own before someone else can use it. They won’t necessarily try to use it against you – it’s usually a coincidence when someone has a similar name to your own on the Internet – but you should keep it as a representative of who you are so that people don’t get the wrong ideas about you.

Create Original Content
Any content that is related to you and your brand should be original and organic. Nobody wants to read something about a small business that sounds too much like corporate-speak. It may be difficult for those who aren’t naturally good writers, but it is important to create authentic and original content. If nothing else, it will help potential clients get to know you and who you really are.

Combat Negative Reviews
Negative reviews are a part of having a business online. Even if most of your customers are satisfied with what you have to offer, there will always be at least a few people who are not. Unfortunately, customers have plenty of platforms to voice their opinions online, and they may seriously hurt your business if they decide to say something negative.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, so you absolutely should not try to bury negative reviews unless it is clear that they are unfair or blatantly false. Instead, address the issues brought up by the negative reviews and explain how you are working to fix them. Customers will see that you are acknowledging your business’s faults and appreciate your commitment to honesty and change.

Engage Your Customers
Being online gives you plenty of opportunities to interact with your customers, often in real time. Respond to any messages, tweets and questions you receive as soon as possible. They will appreciate the attention, even if it is just technically over a computer network.

Stay Active
The most important thing to remember when managing an online reputation is to stay active. You can’t have a reputation if you aren’t present, so keep updating your company’s website and social media accounts, and pay attention to what people are saying about you and your brand. It may seem like a lot of hard work, but it will be worth it.

Contact Blast Creative for all of your Reputation Management needs!

The post Top Online Reputation Management Tips appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

Few things can sink a small business in the 21st Century faster than a poor online reputation. Whether it is in the form of bad reviews on sites like Yelp! or a lack of search engine hits, your business could be suffering in a big way even if most of your clients are satisfied with your services. This is why online reputation management is so important in today’s business world.

No matter what kind of business you may have, your online reputation should be monitored and managed closely. Here are a few tips that will help you with that.

Claim Your Brand

The first step to online reputation management is to claim your brand name. Whether that is the name of your business or even just your own personal name, you should do all that you can to claim it as your own before someone else can use it. They won’t necessarily try to use it against you – it’s usually a coincidence when someone has a similar name to your own on the Internet – but you should keep it as a representative of who you are so that people don’t get the wrong ideas about you.

Create Original Content

Any content that is related to you and your brand should be original and organic. Nobody wants to read something about a small business that sounds too much like corporate-speak. It may be difficult for those who aren’t naturally good writers, but it is important to create authentic and original content. If nothing else, it will help potential clients get to know you and who you really are.

Combat Negative Reviews

Negative reviews are a part of having a business online. Even if most of your customers are satisfied with what you have to offer, there will always be at least a few people who are not. Unfortunately, customers have plenty of platforms to voice their opinions online, and they may seriously hurt your business if they decide to say something negative.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, so you absolutely should not try to bury negative reviews unless it is clear that they are unfair or blatantly false. Instead, address the issues brought up by the negative reviews and explain how you are working to fix them. Customers will see that you are acknowledging your business’s faults and appreciate your commitment to honesty and change.

Engage Your Customers

Being online gives you plenty of opportunities to interact with your customers, often in real time. Respond to any messages, tweets and questions you receive as soon as possible. They will appreciate the attention, even if it is just technically over a computer network.

Stay Active

The most important thing to remember when managing an online reputation is to stay active. You can’t have a reputation if you aren’t present, so keep updating your company’s website and social media accounts, and pay attention to what people are saying about you and your brand. It may seem like a lot of hard work, but it will be worth it.

Contact Blast Creative today for all of your reputation management needs!

The post Top Online Reputation Management Tips appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

I’m not sure what it is the past few years with employees and attitudes. As a business owner, at times, I feel like it’s almost not worth it to have employees anymore. Is it me or do we have a generation of Princes and Princesses who think that the world evolves around them and that our role as employer is to serve them, serve them now and smile?

In the last year, I have dealt with these types of employees who clearly have a high opinion of themselves and as a result come across as somewhat demanding and, well, full of themselves. And we, the parents of this generation of employees have created a generation of young adults who feel so entitled and wrapped up in their own needs that they can’t see how self-centered their requests are?

I think that it comes directly from the attitude that every child should get a trophy just for showing up. They didn’t have to earn anything, everything is just handed to them. We have created this generation and now we have to deal with the consequences.

Let me give you a few examples:

Employee 1: put hours that she didn’t work on her timesheet, when I called her out on it, I was the bad guy for saying anything. How dare I! Next this same employee just didn’t show up for work, no phone call, no nothing. When I finally tracked her down, I was the one in the wrong; I was treating her so disrespectfully. And the kicker, I didn’t fire her, mainly because she is the daughter of a close personal friend.

Employee 1’s social life came into the workplace. Her friends became more important, she started texting non-stop, making error after error. I timed her during 2 four-hour shifts. She texted 3.5 hours out of each shift. Silly me, I thought that I could talk to her, but once again, she became angry, and me, well I am disrespectful. How dare I tell her what she can do at work, during the time that I am paying her for. By golly, she graces me with her presence and I should be thankful for that!

I told employee 1 that she could no longer text at work and that was the end for her; she gave her two weeks notice. But she didn’t stop there, no, no, she told her parents how rude and disrespectful I was to her and drove a wedge between our friendship. I thought at the time that I had a stronger relationship with her parents, but apparently not, because they are so angry with me even as I right this, they are not speaking to me.

I believe that it’s this damn world of helicopter parents, always hovering, making sure all is right in the world for their little angels, but the one thing that I know for sure, is that in the workplace, these parents, myself included, have done no favors to our children and these kids are getting a taste of reality when someone says “no” to their outlandish demands. But as an employer, it is difficult to keep employees, there is no loyalty, there is no need or desire to work, there is no communication, they just quit and go on to the next job. One day this generation is either going to have to learn to follow the rules or they are going to find themselves unemployable.

Another employee from this same generation, Employee 2, she had similar attitudes, how dare I tell her when she could and couldn’t work. For the most part, my employees can self-schedule, they just have a certain number of hours that they have to work each week. But silly me, I actually expect them to work their full FTE. I am such a terrible boss.

Employee 2: Wasn’t following the policies and procedures for my business. I talked to her about it; she said that she didn’t agree with them, they were stupid and not necessary. Okay, but it’s my business, my policies & procedures and she had to follow them. She told me that I was too controlling.

I created a new policy and she told me that because I hadn’t created the policy before she started working for me that she shouldn’t have to follow it. And once again, I was to controlling. I had control issues. She never did follow policies & procedures, so she was eventually fired, but not before we had more issues. I don’t mind changing or adjusting policies & procedures, but there is a right way to go about it and it’s not just blatant insubordination!

Employee 2: At Christmas, asked for a bonus. Literally told me that I needed to give her a bonus. The kicker, I do give yearly bonuses, but they are merit based. It’s hard to give a bonus to someone who doesn’t work when they are suppose to and has to constantly re-do their work or I have to re-do their work. But once again, I am the difficult person; I am the person in the wrong. The little darlings have graced my business with their presence and I should just give them everything.

Employee 2: Again, at Christmas time, told me that she wanted to give 2 of her kids iPhone 5’s for Christmas and wanted me to get a new phone and give her mine for her child and then if anyone else in my family had an iPhone 5, could I do the same thing. Me, I’m thinking that is pretty ballsy, but once again, I am the bad guy. I should be more understanding and willing to help my employees out more. I am a selfish person.

Employee 2: Making $20 an hour and about to get a raise to $25 an hour, wanted a raise to $50 an hour instead, but because I was such a nice person, she would let me by with $30 an hour. It was a demand, not a request. Great negotiation skills! The selfishness and entitlement is almost overwhelming. The jealousy over my life, the family vacations that I take, my cell phone, the issue with not working when she was supposed to, not following policies & procedures was just too much. She was fired.

But now here is the flip side of the coin. As the business owner, I work 20 hours a day, sometimes 7 days a week. If I have an employee who doesn’t show up or who doesn’t work, I have to do their work. If an employee makes mistakes, spelling errors, etc. I am the one who has to correct them and if I don’t catch it, then I am the one who gets chewed out by the client.

Yes, I do try to take vacations with my family, but I work my butt off to be able to take them. Yes, I have nice things, but I have worked hard my whole life and am very fortunate to be able to afford the extras that I have in life. Nobody handed them to me. I didn’t expect anyone to give them to me. I worked hard and I earned them.

As far as being selfish, I do provide incentives to my employees, bonuses, I take them on business trips, pay for educational classes, buy software for their computers that they need. I do a lot of anonymous giving; I’ve paid dental bills for people who couldn’t pay or afford a dentist, but needed emergency care. I’ve purchased a heater for a family in the dead of winter so they could bring their premature baby home. I’ve bought books for college students who couldn’t afford it. I’ve purchased gas cards for college students to get to and from class.The list goes on and on, I don’t think that I am a selfish person.

If you want to come work for me, you absolutely cannot have your cell phone at work. I only want to work with people who are grounded, authentic or real and who don’t believe that they are better than the rest of the world and deserve everything handed to them on a silver platter. I want employees who are comfortable in their own skin.

I know that I tend to get a bit rattled by the shenanigans of these former employees and need to work on that. But what I do know for sure is that I don’t appreciate their behavior or how they treat others. Remember a couple of paragraphs back that I said I work a lot of 20 hour days, I just don’t have time to tolerate the little princes and princesses and there is no way that I am going to accommodate their demands. To me, it feels like bullying and I’m not going to be bullied. I don’t want employees who think of this as no more than just a job!

There are far greater issues in this world and dealing with these princes and princesses who need to be dethroned isn’t worth my time or effort. I just won’t hire them in the future.

This is my business and I am the Queen of my kingdom and here’s what I strive to do:

1. Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable to discuss his or her issues. Not everyone is a prince or princess and I think hearing from the rest of the team on how to behave respectfully will hopefully be taken to heart.
2. Start a program for myself and other small business owners with role models and mentors so they can learn and hear from other people on the impact of their attitude and how that attitude is holding them back. Provide them with opportunities to learn how to succeed and be an active member of the team.
3. I will say no more frequently. I will not reward brattish behavior and I will explain why. None of my employees will get a trophy just because they showed up!

My goal is to try and make the world a better place or at least my corner of the world a better place. Make a better work environment for my employees. To enjoy life and my family! Lets all put down our crowns and realize everyone has flaws, but we are capable of working together and lifting each other up and making our corner of the world a better place!

The post No Crowns Allowed appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

It seems that everyone reads online reviews before buying a product, or working with a company. Are online reviews legitimate, or are companies uploading fake reviews to gain favor? How can you tell a legitimate review from a false review? The advice you can learn is great, and can help you to make a smart purchasing decision. The problem is, one out of three reviews are fake.

Several websites are promoting online reviews for a fee. Companies know the importance of reviews, and several of them are paying companies to post fake reviews for them as it helps to boost their reputation. Some companies are making upwards of $30K a month just to create fake reviews for companies on websites like Amazon.com.

Some of the things you can find that are similar with the false reviews are the way a person emphasizes with a company, or if they have a lot of online reviews with their profile. However, only having a single review can also lead to a concern related to the legitimacy of the review as it can show false profiles are being set up.

Fake online reviews tend to have the words “I” and “We” used in the review often. They are normally vague when it comes to the way they describe the product or service. Companies are using new programs to detect false reviews and other concerns related to false online reviews. These companies want their customers to receive legitimate information before they buy a product. Facebook has already started working on cracking down on the companies that are buying “likes” for their account. These methods will help to cut down on the problems related to fake reviews, helping customers to find the right information they need to make an informed decision.

We had our own issues with fake reviews from a local company in Billings Montana. The owner created fake Facebook profiles and then used those profiles to give Blast Creative bad reviews. In turn, he gave himself,  5 stars. So competitors are doing it with malice to try and drive business to themselves. See the photos.

Regulators in several states are cracking down on fake reviews. Some companies are being fined upwards of $350,000 for fake reviews. This false advertising practice has shown several companies the importance of asking their customers to leave feedback, regardless of if it is positive or negative. The positive element is that you do have the ability to rebuttal any of the reviews that you do feel are not legitimate.

The other thing to notice with a fake online review is that it will focus on boosting the SEO of the company. When you see a review saying something like “The pizza at City Pizza in Denver is the best pizza in Denver. We just love the pizza at City Pizza in Denver.” It is a clear message that this is a fake review and the company is posting it to try and boost their SEO rankings.

There are some websites that verify their reviews. Certain sites will not allow a person to review a product unless they purchased it from their website. This is a great way to know the reviews you read are trustworthy, and not coming from a fake reviewer.

The post Online Reviews-Scam or True appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

When it comes to the reputation of your business online, it definitely is a global village. With a click of a mouse, potential customers can check out reviews and find both negative and positive comments. According to the Huffington Post, 90% of customers are influenced by online reviews.

In this environment, your business lives and dies by its reputation. Taking care of how you are perceived on the internet is a must for any business.

You may choose to not deal with it, but the situation won’t go away. You are at the mercy of your reputation. Smart businesses are proactive.

Why Reputation Management Is Important

Consumers rely on the testimonials and reviews of people who have used specific products and services. Whether it is Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Angie’s List, Google, forums or blogs, customers are not shy about getting the word out about their experiences with online and brick and mortar businesses.

Every business has occasional troublesome encounters with customers. This is to be expected. It can be a package that wasn’t delivered on time, a widget that broke, an app that had a glitch or a meal that was served by a surly waiter.

The goal of all smart business owners is to resolve problems as soon as they come up, preferably before reviews are written but definitely as soon as you hear about it. This keeps a customer and prevents word of mouth from scaring away others.

Here are six tips that have helped successful businesses protect and manage their reputation online.

Manage Your Brand

#1. Take control of your brand.

Make sure you are the one in control of your brand name, on including domains and social media platforms. Use the same name to be consistent. Use a service like KnowEm.com, which provides a list of social networks and domains to check in order to be sure only you have claimed it.

Pick three to five major social media platforms and get active on them. The major players are Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Angie’s List and Google+. But it might serve your business to look into YouTube, Tumblr, LinkedIn and others.

To establish an active presence takes consistent effort and time. More than five outlets will be more than a businessperson can handle alone. Don’t overdo your social media efforts or your will end up not establishing a strong presence anywhere.

Set up your brand on each of the platforms you choose. Use the same logo and name for brand recognition.

#2. Post consistently.

Put up new info and answer questions at least once a week, though two or three times is better. Do it regularly so people know you care.

#3. Track your reputation.

Keep an eye on how you are perceived online. Use online monitoring tools to help you keep up to date on your reputation, like Twitter Search and Google Alerts.

Tell People About Yourself

A solid, consistent presence online will help people get to know you. If you feel like an old friend, people online will tend to discount negative reviews and give you the benefit of the doubt. This leads to positive word of mouth if a negative comment is posted.

#4. Be active on your blog.

Write regularly and don’t worry that you don’t sound like Hemingway. Simply let people know what is new at your business, write about things that inform your readers and entertain them. Your blog is your safe harbor online. It gives you a channel to respond to bad reviews or situations.

#5. Use testimonials.

Prominently display on your blog a link to testimonials on your website. These are an excellent antidote to negative reviews.

#6. Respond immediately to problems.

Reply right away to negative posts and comments on your social media accounts. Jump on them quickly before negativity spreads. Ask what the problem is and listen to the response. Don’t act defensive or aggressive.

Listen, apologize, explain if it will help and offer to reimburse them if that is appropriate. Do what it takes to make the situation better.

Then fix your payment system, sales info or whatever was the source of the problem. That way it won’t happen again. Never argue with an angry customer online. EVER!

Following these six steps consistently will help maintain a positive reputation for your business online.

If you are a business owner in any of these genres, financial, photographers, dentists, hotels, restaurants, construction, HVAC, hardware stores, real estate, or any business owner and want more information on Instagram or Social Media Marketing, please contact Blast Creative today!

The post 6 Reputation Management Tips to Look Good Online appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

So while we do Social Media Marketing for a living at BLaST Creative, we don’t use Pinterest because of all the SPAM! I heard a rumor last week that Pinterest had dealt with the issue. Sadly, I am here to tell you that it is not true.

I created a BLaST Creative account last week and started adding a few boards and pins, within 1 hour I had over 50 spam emails and continue to receive between 50 to 100 spam emails a day. It is absolutely ridiculous! Is Pinterest selling our email addresses?

We use Facebook and Twitter and don’t have anywhere near the spamming problem. Pinterest is a nightmare and yet it is a good marketing tool! So what do you do?

1. Don’t use Pinterest!
2. Set up a second email address that you use only for Pinterest so that the spam emails go there and you don’t have to deal with them.
3. Block the spam emails as they roll in-which is what I did.
4. Continue to complain to Pinterest, but that doesn’t seem to be doing much good.

Because of the popularity of the site, Pinterest seems to be attacked by spammers and doesn’t have the appropriate safeguards in place. So enter at your own risk, for the moment, spammers control Pinterest!

If you are a business owner in any of these genres, financial, photographers, dentists, hotels, restaurants, construction, HVAC, hardware stores, real estate, or any business owner and want more information on Social Media Marketing, please contact Blast Creative today!

The post Pinterest Spam Problem appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.

I’ve been thrown under the bus so many times in my lifetime by business partners, associates and friends that the tread marks have left excruciating scars and I sit here wondering if honesty, integrity and loyalty exists in 2013! I hate not trusting people, but time and time again I get slapped in the face by reality. I recently read an article on Katie Couric’s website:

Want to know how to spot a liar? Here’s how!

From Janine Driver, body language expert and author of “You Can’t Lie to Me.”

Read more here…

Basically you can never be too sure if someone in your life is being dishonest. But you’d think with the age of the Internet and Social Media, people would try to be more honest, because their reputation is on the line-literally! Edward Snowden is a prime example, his life is ruined and he can’t go anywhere in the world without people knowing him and what he did. Kids in high school and college know all too well how one bad decision can end up online and destroy their lives and yet, here we are in 2013 and people continue to be dishonest, show lack of integrity and loyalty. So color me stupid, people just don’t care and that scares me, what is the world going to be like 10 years from now?

According to Webster Integrity is:

Definition of INTEGRITY

1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility

2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

And this is Webster’s definition of Integrity for kids:

Main Entry: in·teg·ri·ty
Pronunciation: in-teg-rt-
Function: noun
1 : the condition of being free from damage or defect
2 : total honesty and sincerity
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided

So you be the judge, is there integrity in the world in 2013? Especially when it comes to business! Has the oil boom and the almighty dollar turned us into a society with no morals, no integrity and no loyalty? In a world where everyone claims to be a Christian, where is God? In Luke 6:31 it says do unto others, as you would have them do unto you! So does that mean I should treat business partners, associates and friends the way that they have treated me. Or how about Exodus 21:24 where it says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth? The biggest lesson that I’ve learned in life is that if someone claims to be a Christian or talks about their faith in God and God has led them to this or that, RUN, RUN for your life! I once believed that Christianity, honesty, integrity and loyalty all worked hand in hand, but I am here to tell you that I was wrong.

Loyalty is something I am finding is almost extinct. Does loyalty exist among brands? Is there customer loyalty? What about loyalty among friends? Coworkers? Do we live in a society where everyone is ready to jump ship and no one is loyal to anyone or anything? Personally, I do not believe that loyalty exists in our world in 2013. Loyalty is important to me and I am loyal to others, but sadly it is not a two-way street. So here I am at a crossroads wondering what I should do. Do I change my morals and values? Do I forget about them altogether? How do we live and survive in a world where the existence of honesty, integrity and loyalty are on the verge of distinction?

The post Honesty, Integrity and Loyalty Do They Exist in 2013? appeared first on Website Design and Marketing.