How do you measure accomplishment at the end of a day of writing?  Is it pages, words, or time?  Ask yourself that question because it is different for all writers.  The prolific writers, the ones we turn to for advice, even for something as small as a quote, have mostly all spoken about accomplishment.  While Hemingway was in Montana he wrote most mornings, and spent his afternoons fishing for trout or hunting.  Other authors start and don’t finish until they’ve hit some predetermined goal—Steven King’s five pages every day, or the gold standard one thousand words, or Karen Russell’s goal of maximizing quality time spent engaged within her story (she’s not a word robot).     

Why do we listen, then?  Do we plan to copy Hemingway’s write-only-in-the-morning style?  Will adhering to Steven King’s prolific writing style make us as celebrated an author as the man himself?  No.  At least for the most part I believe no.  We listen to them, because being in the room at the desk alone can feel daunting.  For the most part, writing is not a team activity.  It’s just us.  There’s no one to whom the writer can compare himself against but himself.  It’s an activity that entirely self-motivated—unless of course you have a deadline or a job which requires you to write—and the reason we look to other authors for advice is that these are the people who discovered something about themselves.  They all discovered who they are as writers. 

Start easy, start a journal.  Don’t simply walk away when things get difficult—if the right word is not coming, or if you’re simply stuck staring at the screen—keep writing.  You’ll be amazed at the ideas you will find yourself capable at times of the greatest stress.  Those ideas might not flesh themselves out with perfect articulation, but they might be there.  Keep writing and determine the things that work best for you.  Consider the amount of time you need to stay focused every day, or even every other day.  Understanding what will keep you focused, keep you at that desk for those ours or those pages or that word count will, eventually pay off.    

If you need a content writer or a copywriter, please contact Blast Creative today.

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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!

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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?

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