“We are completely underestimating the value of thank you and you’re welcome.”
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of The Thank You Economy
Thank you. Two simple words that may possibly be the most important to your business. And in this week of giving thanks, we all need a little reminder about the power of thank you.
A Passion for Caring
If you have spent any time on PassionSquaredTV, you have seen his highly charged, passionate videos on the future of business, about caring, about giving a sh*t. If you have not watched his videos, we recommend you do, they are thought provoking & loaded with awesome insights into the social + digital revolution and what it’s really all about. We heart him, f-bombs and all!
As Our World Goes All Jetsons
In The Thank You Economy, Gary speaks directly to how businesses must get into a mindset of gratitude, of caring, of coming from a place of thanks, just like the good old days. He speaks to how consumers are demanding more connection, value and relationships from the people they choose to do business with. Gary says, “As our world goes all “Jetsons” the opportunity for people and businesses is to go all “flintstones.” And since many of us either grew up watching both, or have seen re-runs, we know exactly what that means.
Quotes from The Thank You Economy
“It’s not about the budget, it’s about the creativity and the caring.”
“Be driven by gratitude.”
“It’s not the number of followers… , it’s the strength of your bond with your followers that indicates how much anyone cares about what you have to say.”
The Thank You Economyis all about the power of caring, engaging, giving a sh*t and how businesses and brands that get it will thrive in the new social economy! Awesome. We heart and highly recommend.
You can find Gary on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and by visiting his website here Gary Vaynerchuk.
(shared with LOVE + GRATITUDE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“The artist lives to have stories to tell and to learn to tell them well.”
Criss Jami
One thing we can always count on in the social + digital world is change. For those of you who are addicted to Pinterest and are using it for your business, you will be happy to know that Pinterest just launched Business Pages.Here is a super easy step-by-step for you.
Step One
Go to business.pinterest.com. If you want to change your existing page, select “Convert Existing Account”. If you want to start a new business page, select “Join As A Business”.
Step Two
Fill in all of your business information. If you are converting an account, it will look different. We will get to that in the next step.
Step Three
If you are converting an existing account, this is what it will look like. First, you select your business type, for salons, choose local business. For session stylists, beauty bloggers, etc choose professional. You now have an opportunity to edit your profile, change your business name, About section, user name etc. HINT: User names are your unique URL, so we suggest if possible, it be the exact name of your business. This helps with becoming more discoverable on the web, big time!
Step Four
We now have the opportunity to “verify” our websites. This allows for your actual website URL to be featured on your page. HINT: We highly recommend you have a super smart person do this, or what some people call the “IT” guy or girl. For those of us with WordPress blog sites, there is a way to verify, but again, its takes a IT person. We have our IT friends doing ours this week.
Step Five
While you have your super smart IT guy or girl, have them add the “widgets” you want to your website. Pinterest has added some cool new ones. All of these widgets are designed to increase engagement and connections. Super cool.
Step Six
Celebrate and keep pinning your passions! And be sure to thank your super smart IT friend for the help.
If you want to learn more about Pinterest, check out our webinar posted on PassionSquaredTV.
We also offer one-on-one mentoring in the world of social, digital, marketing and branding. If that sounds like your thing, click here to connect with us.
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
André Gide
SEO, made simple.
Many times, terminology can really mess up a persons day. In this case, for me, its the term SEO (search engine optimization). My motto is why use a big complicated word when you can use one that people understand? Isn’t that the point? Sometimes I think not. So, anyway, to us, all SEO really means is DISCOVERY. When clients or customers are looking for a service or product, can they easily find you on the web?
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist(even though they are super cool).
The goal is to be discoverable, whether it’s you as an individual, a salon or a brand. The way to be more discoverable is to have an active, engaging and relevant social + digital footprint. That means Facebook, YELP, YouTube, etc. Easy, right?
Not all platforms are created equal.
If you are a salon or stylist, the most discoverable platforms for you are YELP, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, online booking and marketing platforms such as Schedulicity or a communication/review platforms such as Demandforce and your website or blogsite such as WordPress or Tumblr. If you are a brand, it’s your website, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and a blogsite such as WordPress or Tumblr. If you are super active on Twitter, its a great platform for discovery, which our industry as a whole is not at this point.
My love don’t cost a thing.
Now, there is a way to pay for discovery (paid search), such as Google ads and Facebook ads, and while we believe in both of these for certain businesses and objectives, the great news is if you are active on the platforms above with relevant, engaging and consistent content, your discovery will be organic (un-paid search), meaning, its free.
So there you have it. Now back to the original question, are you DISCOVERABLE?
While there is much more to learn about discovery and more pieces to the puzzle, the above is the most important to understand for a small business. To learn how to become more discoverable, ask us about The Social Beauty Intelligence Check-Up, a super cool service we provide to expand your social + digital IQ. We also offer one-on-one mentoring if that’s more your thing. Click here for more info.
(image discovered on Starbucks Loves Pinterest board)
Simple is smart. Yet many times we feel the need to complicate things, thinking more words, more bells and more whistles somehow create more value.
Our hero marketer Seth Godin breaks it down on his blog today. Simple. To the point. Awesome.
Free coffee, next exit
That’s the most effective billboard one can imagine, particularly if it’s typeset properly and if the coffee is good.
Most billboards aren’t nearly as useful, because the wrong service is promoted, or, more likely, because someone saw all that space and worked hard to fill it up.
The same thing is true of most websites. You know so well the why’s and how’s of what you built and how terrific it is, and the thought of using just a few words when a bunch will do is frightening indeed.
No, your solution doesn’t have to be simple or obvious. But the story about what it accomplishes does.
The goal of a marketing interaction isn’t to close the sale, any more than the goal of a first date is to get married. No, the opportunity is to move forward, to earn attention and trust and curiosity and conversation.
Simple, clear and actionable.”
Seth Godin
Which areas of your marketing can you simplify? Your story, website, promotions, service menu?
So go grab your cup of creative fuel and take a fresh look at your stuff. Easy? No. Worth it? Yes.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”
Erma Bombeck
Blogging has been around since the late 90’s and still today is one of the best forms of content sharing and engagement. Some make a living off of blogging, some just blog to share their passion on a subject.
Today, there are 77 million blogs on Tumblr and 56 million on WordPress (including Passion Squared) according to Wikipedia. WOW.
Blog Platforms We Love
WordPress We love Get Handsome, a blog created by hairstylist and men’s groomer Luke Makovic who blogs about grooming, life and style (yummy food included), using WordPress.
Tumblr We all love MAC Cosmetics, and can learn so much by how they use Tumblr to share the MAC experience.
Our Four C’s To Blogging
Commitment
Like anything, making a commitment is a big deal. So be sure you are fully committed to your blog and your community that will be engaging with it.
Consistency
Both online and off, consistency is the foundation of growth and success. Once you make a commitment, the consistency of how often you post on your blog is key.
Content
We say that your content is your marketing, and that cannot be more true than on your blog. Your content is why people want to engage with you, your content is the value you deliver through your blog.
Courage
You will need a lot of this one. When we put ourselves and our dreams out there for all to see, it takes courage. Know that some blogs will be super awesome, some will get no response at all. We must have courage to create and share what we are passionate about.
So now what you ask? Here are some tips for you to consider before diving into the blogosphere.
Why Start Blogging?
You have something to say and are passionate about sharing it.
You want to create more value around your brand.
You want to become more discoverable on the web.
You are looking for a new creative outlet.
You want to be seen as an “expert” in your field.
What To Consider Before You Begin?
What is the theme of your blog? (beauty, hair, fashion, how-to’s, men, make-up, business, etc.)
How much time will you commit to posting?
What resources do you have available to help you?
Where will you find content ideas?
Are you ready to go all-in?
How To Get Started.
Pick a platform. (WordPress, Tumblr, etc.)
Choose and image/theme that fits your brand.
Connect and integrate your website and social pages to your blog.
Set a schedule on how often you will post including the types of posts that connect back to your theme. And commit to it.
Play with test posts, the more you practice and play, the easier it will be. Practice makes perfect (or what we like to say, perfectly imperfect)
If you are passionate about sharing your art, and want to blog but need some help, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft the ultimate blog. Click here for more information on our mentoring program.
(shared with blogging LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
PS: This blog post took about an hour to create along with two americanos, thank you Starbucks and thank YOU for allowing us to share our passion.
