At Some Point, Any Step is in the Right Direction

We love to talk a lot about what we'll accomplish someday. Friends get together and find pleasure in dreaming like teenagers. "Eventually, I'll get out of this town. Eventually, I'll get the job I've always wanted."

Something strange happens. We stagnate, and not for any particular reason. Your environment has a knack for finding ways to tie you down, even when you're unmarried or without children. Jobs, family, and friends always give us convincing reasons to stick to what we know. 

Familiarity breeds contentment, then contempt. That's why there are times when taking any step, even backwards, is in the right direction. A step backwards can get you back to a place where you try harder in an unfamiliar setting, pushing you and reminding you of what value you possess. 

I could say something as generic as, "take risks." But it really comes down to, "just do something."

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

U.S. Economy Slowing Down-How to Keep Your Business Moving Forward

Reuter's came out with a study today with some bad news for the U.S. economy. U.S. companies are finding it more difficult to grow their revenue now than at just about any time since the financial crisis.

For some, this is just baffling. We've been told by our government that the private sector is doing just fine. Since 2012 started, many companies have been nothing but optimistic about the recovery and starting off the year with impressive numbers. What we've seen, however, is a sharp downturn to start off the summer, with growth almost half of what it was last year. 

This slowdown is discouraging, but should serve as a warning more than anything else. Just like pain is our body telling us to stop what we are doing, this news is a similar wake-up call for businesses trying to grow like it's 2002. 

The problem typically comes down to sales. Getting people to buy your product or use your business is always a challenge. It seems like we are trying harder and harder to make profitable connections but are coming up shorter and shorter as the quarters go by. Well, what works? What can companies do to change what they're doing and finally see some manageable growth that isn't just a fluke?

I submit a new strategy for businesses to try out. PRIME Strategy. Conceptualized by the Richter10.2 Media Group founders, Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook, PRIME is built to create the relationships that businesses are trying to make with their customers and vested interests but aren't able to do on their own.

It's not exactly public relations, marketing or advertising. Instead, it's strategic relations: identifying exactly what audience you want and crafting a message designed specifically for that audience, making the deal an inevitable close. 

How do I know this works? We use it for our company, Richter10.2 Media Group. We use PRIME to find clients for our video company, R102 Video. We're seeing constant growth with no sign of slowdown, even during these trying times. 

5 weeks ago, I had no idea what Richter10.2 Media Group was about. After, a month of being introduced to their mission, purpose, and history of growth, I have an irresistible urge to share their methods that are working for more and more businesses every day. 

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2 and PRIME, check out our introduction video here.

Where Does Creativity Come From?

Merriam Webster defines creative as having the ability to create rather than to imitate. Creativity is about originality, imagination and in this case, the production of some kind of idea. This process is not complex. 

If creativity was complex, it would probably be easier. If it was broken down into a detailed formula or mathematical structure, creativity could be predictable and manageable. Creativity is not complex until it tries to be persuasive. The variables that come into play when trying to present a creative idea as a means of trying to get someone to do something becomes extremely complex and reliant on countless, unseen variables.

Being creative, however, is simple. Original ideas come down to a person's affinity for thinking differently and being aware of their idiosyncrasies. Everyone has a level of creativity, but the misnomer is that the most creative person can produce an original idea at will. While this is a fantastic skill to have, it is not really the most useful, especially because it is easy to believe you are creative when you're not. You can know when you are being creative by simply knowing where creativity comes from.  

Creativity comes from objectivity. Without delving too much into philosophy, it is imperative to remember that originality is a product of being separated from bias and consistent thinking. This is why anyone can be creative. It is because anyone can and will be objective at some point in regards to the creation of some kind of idea or concept. In business, proposals and campaigns are pitched to management in an effort to accomplish objective approval. The managers have an incentive to be unbiased. For that reason, a good idea must be interpreted objectively first and foremost. 

If I am creating an advertising campaign to generate sales for shoelaces, I will have a hard time if I create a concept built upon my own love of shoelaces. Creative ideas come from the practitioner who says, "What if I wore sandals everyday? What would get me to buy shoelaces? What is persuasive about shoelaces?" 

The point is that the process of creativity can be achieved through more than just meditation or thinking really hard. It takes preparation and an awareness of your own ability to produce something original and genuine. If you find that you can't produce something that your boss doesn't like even though you apparently love it, it's probably because you aren't creating something. You are imitating your own wants and desires that, in this case, have no real effect on anyone else. 

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

The War Against Facebook Pt. 2

As a recap, Facebook is in the midst of a true sink or swim year as they are experiencing the climax of bad press that has been building up over the years surrounding privacy issues, viruses, and people getting tired of the service. 

One important thing to note is that Facebook is a behemoth. They will hit 1 billion members absent deus ex machina. All I'm pointing out is that the service is poised for a fall now that it has hit a high peak. Could they overcome? Sure, but at this rate, it is more likely that Facebook has trying times ahead of them, and they should be prepared for the worst.

What would I do if I was their head of public relations? While I am no expert, I have observed that the most successful businesses that have achieved a high level of popularity always find unique and interesting ways to solve their problems. 

Facebook has to seriously deal with their problem of their servers not being able to accommodate so many users, causing a lot of bugs and slowdowns to ensue. Expanding their servers is a legitimate problem for Facebook, but it must be done in order for the site to keep its users happy. They need to acknowledge the problem in the press and own up to it, showing everyone that they are making steps to improve the service.

When it comes to Facebook's privacy issues, it would be counterproductive for them to diminish the issue as they have been. They've taken great steps already to making their privacy settings easy for people to understand and apply to their profiles, but people still blame the site for not being transparent. Instead of ignoring these complaints or just addressing the issue through a press release, Facebook needs to find a way to turn this weakness into a strength.

The same goes with the site recently buying Instagram and offering its own Instagram clone. The problem is perception. People see Facebook trying to be "everything to everyone" through moves like this, and all it does is drive away users. It wasn't a bad move for Facebook to buy Instagram. Far from it. The real problem is that Facebook is allowing itself to be seen as a lackluster site that is buying up the competition. Both are essentially untrue, but that is what the conversation is becoming, and when enough people are saying something, enough people are believing it. 

Facebook can't control the conversation, but they can guide it. Their current strategy has been to distract its users from its drawbacks by constantly delivering new content that matches their rivals. That isn't enough anymore. The site needs to win back its loyal users that people like me join Facebook to connect with. As soon as my friends aren't on Facebook, I won't be on Facebook, and that rings true for many other people. 

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

Image Credit: http://cdn.ientry.com/sites/webpronews/pictures/facebook_IPO_Mark_616.jpg

 

The War Against Facebook pt. 1

Let me start off by saying I am no knight for Facebook. The day Facebook and I break up, if it will ever happen, will be just another day. Still, I can't help but notice that more and more people are taking up arms against the service, almost like it's some kind of coup. Let me explain.

I spend hours every day studying trends and opinions that are spreading around the online universe. Doing this on a daily basis has helped me develop a knack for predicting trends and accurately understanding shifts in public opinion. 

That's why the past few weeks have made me wary about Facebook's future. It's not just that the social media giant has been experiencing misfortune with it's recent shift into going public and tanking in the stock market. Stuff like that recovers and is not truly indicative of the company's future. The real trend that is scaring me is the overblown reaction to all of this bad press. It started with people deleting their Facebook accounts at a more rapid rate, seemingly doing so because they were fed up with privacy issues.

Yes, privacy. Facebook's biggest obstacle separating it from total domination, at least in my opinion. Facebook has dealt with some seriously bad PR over the years with privacy issues, turning extreme loyalists and users of the site into malevolent naysayers. The same goes with ongoing issues with viruses slipping into Facebook's scripts at an ever-increasing rate. 

Now, however, we are seeing new trends of people outright getting rid of their accounts because they are just sick of it. Many people just don't see value in the social site for reasons that range from lack of good content to it taking up their lives for little-to-no reward. It's bad enough that Eric Jackson, a credible analyst, is announcing to the world that Facebook will be a memory by 2020.  Bad press like this just seems to be a reason that the process of Facebook's end will be even sooner. 

To me, it almost seems like a conspiracy against Facebook. It's most likely not and there's really no evidence for it, but what I see is a few extreme haters of Facebook repeatedly announcing to people online that the site is, for lack of a better word, boring. Old. Tired. Done. Enough people seem to be agreeing, even though the site really hasn't changed that much these past few weeks.

Am I a Facebook hater? By no means. I love the site and I check it regularly. Unfortunately, it is waning on me. I am one of those users that finds it more and more rare to read updates I actually care about. I would much rather check my Twitter feed which is always bursting with good content, and I have even begun to dust off my Google Plus account and have been finding it rewarding. 

Time will only tell. Facebook needs to implement some kind of new PR plan in order to turn this negativity around before it becomes a problem big enough for people besides me to see. What would I do? Come back here tomorrow for the answer in pt. 2. 

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

 

 

Quick Ways to Ensure Password Protection and Security

More and more reports are coming in that over 6 million LinkedIn passwords (which is roughly .05% of LinkedIn members) have been leaked by a Russian hacker site. While this is not 100% certain, internet watchdogs are encouraging everyone to change their passwords as soon as possible to prevent their online info from being stolen.

This is a great time to discuss tips you should take to make sure your online information is always safe and secure. While online security sites like LifeLock and Equifax can be great deterrents against online attackers, there are also free ways you can keep yourself safe and protected.

It really comes down to common sense when choosing your password. I know it's tempting to have the same password for every site with only a few variations, but this doesn't fly when technology is becoming more sophisticated everyday. Your best bet is to have a different password for each facet of your life.

Your bank account, first and foremost, must always be its own and should never be integrated into any of your other passwords. You'll probably get away with having similar passwords for your various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but remember that these sites have access to a lot of your private information. Erring on the side of caution is highly recommended.

If your main worry is forgetting your password, you should also consider staying away from listing your passwords on a document saved to your personal computer. You are much better off writing them down and storing them in a safe place. 

I love Google Chrome and how it saves all of my passwords for me so I don't have to log in to a site every time. Unfortunately, we are entering a new age of advanced technology where almost anything can be hacked and compromised. While I don't foresee Google Chrome going down this route anytime soon, it is just as well that I am constantly entering my passwords in manually if for no other reason than to memorize my passwords. 

Finally, change your passwords often. At least twice a year is pretty reasonable, but the more you change them, the better off you ultimately are. Also, if you share a password with someone for any reason, it is smart to change it soon after, no matter how much you trust that person. One good reason to do this is because they may use your password on an insecure network.

When it comes down to it, common sense is the real deciding factor between whether or not your online life will remain safe and protected. Be sure to listen to that nagging voice in your head telling you to make your password something besides "1234."

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

 

 

How to Survive the Beginning of the Month

It's a new month, which means all of that energy your team used to finish the last month off strong is starting to wane off. Morale is probably higher now that stress has been relieved, but your daily production is starting to diminish. What can you do to keep that energy going?

That's a tricky question to answer because employees maintaining that same energy means that they are having to sustain high levels of production, which often results in stress. Unfortunately, employees don't want to wrap their heads around being their absolute best on a daily basis, even if they are more than capable of that.

Obviously, managers know that being your absolute best on a daily basis is essential to seeing production (and everyone's wages) grow. So, how do you go about energizing your staff without stressing them out? 

It's all about wording. It's honestly that simple. If you want your team to stay upbeat and energetic, encourage them. Don't challenge them with daunting, morbid tasks about "how good" last week was. A good manager will motivate his employees to keep the energy up by setting the example and letting employees come to the conclusion that they need to stay productive themselves. 

A great example of this is how the executives at my company, Richter10.2, keep the energy up. They measure our production on a weekly basis and provide solutions for us to solve any problems we come across with our workload. The result is a fully trained staff that knows exactly what they need to do watch their numbers grow, and our morale is always high as a result.

Give your employees goals and watch them meet them. If they don't meet them, train them. Constantly telling them to hold to an arbitrary energy level just creates stress, even though the intention is to motivate. There are tons of ways to incentivize your office to increasing their production without making them feel like their jobs are on the line. 

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.