In this episode of #QandAwesome, I talk engagement. Like online, on social + digital platforms. While this word is thrown around a ton, I find that not everyone understands that engagement is about building relationships. This is how we create awesome, online and off. Thanks so much for watching!
To watch more episodes, click here.
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
In today’s world of online everything, there is so much light and love, but there also can be so much darkness and deception. You see, online we have the ability to present and promote just about anything. And many actually believe what is being presented to them. In so many ways, that can be awesome, but in other ways, it can be debilitating and impact people’s esteem.
What am I talking about? Perspective.
There are millions of images being shown to us each day. Some are real, and some not so much. And my question is… Is that a good thing or a bad thing? And my answer? Both.
The Magical “But I’m Sick” Selfie
Recently, I was asked to provide a head shot for an event. Which normally I would simply email my go-to black and white head shot most of you have seen on my website and social media, taken by my awesome friend Anne Slattery, and one that I did not have much makeup on and for sure no filters. It’s real. Wrinkles and all. And I love it. But this request was for a color head shot, which I did not have, and they needed it within 24 hours. OMG, what the hell was I gonna do?
On that particular day, I was battling a nasty cold, and the last thing I wanted to do is take a damn picture of my snot nose face. But as any awesomeness creator does, we step up and show up. So I put my big girl panties on, scrubbed my face, put on a shit ton of makeup (which I hardly ever do), called in #teamawesome, and said “lets do this”!
Makeup + Ringlights + Filters Oh My!
With packed on makeup, a fake smile (remember, I was sick!), a ring light and a Snapchat filter (the one that removes all trace of any flaws on our faces, which I call the good self esteem filter), we began shooting. About 25 pictures which were mostly selfies. And then I was done. What little energy I had was zapped from my body.
We took those pics and began to filter them even more, using whatever editing apps were going to create the most magic, and like magic, we had our final pic.
I don’t think I have ever received more feedback about the pic we took that day. I mean, it was like I had just finished a shoot for the cover of Vogue. “Nina, you look beautiful. Nina, those lashes. Nina, the light in your eyes, Nina….
And while I was so grateful for those beautiful words, it made me immediately think about the insane pressure we put on ourselves to look “perfect” on social media. To present “perfect”, to edit to “perfect” and to compare to “perfect”. And the fact it, most of what we see is just smoke and mirrors. Like the Wizard. Like my new head shot.
Yes, it’s me. Yes, I know I am beautiful, inside and out. But don’t get it twisted; it is not what I look like everyday. Not even close. I am two months from 50. I have wrinkles. My skin tone is not even. My lashes are extensions. And with a cold, I look even worse. And that is what is real.
Comparison Is The Thief of Joy
Now let me be clear, there is NOTHING wrong with using the awesome tools and technology available to us to present our best self and our best work. It’s awesome, and I love it. BUT, where it becomes dark and destructive is when we believe it’s actually real. Like 100%. And we begin comparing ourselves and our work to what we see on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.
In addition to that, please remember that most of the time, people only present what they want you to see. And we make things up in our heads as to what we believe to be true. Follower counts do not equal paying the bills. Pretty head shots do not equal being successful. And beautiful work does not mean you have a full clientele.
My promise as a human and a brand is to always be honest and authentic. Why? Because I am in the empowerment business. And empowerment comes from within. Empowerment comes when we own our awesomeness, wrinkles and all.
So by all means use the lights, the filters, the lashes, the makeup, the apps, all of it. But please, be honest with yourself and others. And stop comparing your behind the scenes to others highlight reels (or selfies, or head shots or work, or claims, or follower counts, or…).
Love + Awesomeness-
Nina xo
PS: Wanna share Snap stories? I’m passionsquared, I would love to connect with you!
“The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” Henry David Thoreau
I mean really, why? This is the question I ask myself daily, and one I believe we all must ask ourselves, online and off.
Why would I follow you?
Why would I book with you?
Why would I review you?
Why would I refer you?
Why would I talk about you?
Why would I work for you?
Why would I pay you?
Why would I come back to you?
If you cannot answer these questions with clarity and intention, its time to take a step back and look at your brand. This is your story. Your purpose. Your promise. Without those, you are not a brand. You are simply a business. One that can be easily replaced with the next “best” thing. The next “shiny object”. The next “lowest price”. The next “contest”.
Brands add value.
Brands make me feel something.
Brands speak to me on an emotional level.
Brands create revenue.
Brands have life.
Brands inspire me to take an action.
Why did you choose to follow Passion Squared?
Love + Awesomeness-
Nina
In this episode of #QandAwesome, I share some thoughts on how to decide if you “should” blog. Let’s be clear, it’s not about should anything, its about how you can deliver value and in what form will you choose to do that. Thank you so much for watching!
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent that will survive but those who can best manage change.” Charles Darwin
As a young businessperson, one of my coaches once shared a simple yet profound concept; change the system, change the result. And today, I would add experience before result. Change the system, change the experience, which changes the result.
Simple, yes. Easy. OMG no! That is why businesses suffer and become irrelevant, that is why so many small biz owners feel angst instead of excitement at the thought of change. But guys, I am here to tell you, I know this first hand. I have lived it. This is the truth.
While I am thinking of biz models pretty much 24/7, and how I can help empower the people I love with ideas, concepts and actions, this one thing has been weighing heavy on my mind, so here it goes…
The Client Journey Has Changed, Have You?
As a paying client of two hair salons @sugarskulls @larisadoll and an eyelash extension salon @ilianaladma, and as one who is an awesome social listener and student, I have witnessed what is awesome and not so awesome in many of the salon business models. The one thing that stands out so much to me right now is how clients are booked. And no, I am not going to shove online booking down your throat again, you can read that here and here.
No, what I am talking about is creating space and time for the “new” client journey + experience. The one that includes capturing the experience in order to create a relevant and compelling story to share, as well as help your clients facilitate the story they want to share about their experience.
If we want to capture the empowering opportunities of the social + digital web, we must change the way we do business. And that means changing the amount of time we give to that experience.
But Nina, I Don’t Have Time!
If you find yourself saying “I don’t have time to capture pictures, I don’t have time to Instagram this experience, I don’t have time to Snapchat this story, I don’t have time to pre-book the next experience”, then I say it’s time to take a big step back and look at how you are managing your time and the amount of time you are giving to each client.
Now, I know you will say, “but Nina, this is how I make money, more clients, more money.” I get it. And I will say back to you, if you understand the social + digital web, and clients passion around sharing experiences, and want to provide the best experience possible, then if you create space to do that, you will actually make more money because your experience is more awesome and your clients will share it.
Change Is Constant, Period.
Change happens. The only decision you need to make is if you are going to fight it or embrace it and re-think how you can capture your awesome experiences.
Love + Awesomeness-
Nina
PS: If you are an owner and want to learn more about how to create more awesome in your biz + life, and learn how you can create awesome on the social + digital web, check out my A School for Owners program.
PPS: This idea of client experience in the age of social + digital has nothing to do with the age of the salon, the stylist or the client. In fact, it has nothing to do with age at all. As defined by the awesome Brian Solis, it has everything to do with Generation C, the connect customer, who is not defined by age but by behavior. And “their” passion is sharing experiences, whether it be via a social platform, a review platform, or any other way they can share. If you need more proof then what we are witnessing every day as humans, I highly recommend you read The End of Business As Usual by Brian Solis and The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk.