Caring Is The New Black

Caring Is The New Black

May 13, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Best marketing strategy ever? Care.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

Caring Is The New Black

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you for listening.
Caring Is The New Black

Social business is all about authenticity, connections, relationships and caring. Today’s connected customer is keenly aware of who really cares and who is giving them lip service. This is true of clients, team members and even family and friends.

As my biz hero Gary Vee says… “Caring is in short supply, but always in demand.” And yes, you can out care your competitors.

Here are a few ways to show you really care both online and off. How many of these things are you doing consistently? Which ones need a little bit more work?

1. Respond + Reply
To phone calls, e-mails, text messages and comments. Yes, all of them. I have a 24 hour rule that I do my very best to stick to. It shows respect. No it’s not easy, but if it’s important to you, you will find the time.

2. Please + Thank You
Saying please + thank you still work. Always have, always will. (A special shout out to my buddy Ira Pope Sage for always reminding me of this. He is SO good at it.)

3. Recognition Squared
Recognition is many times more valuable than money. We all want to know we matter. If I do something awesome, a simple shout out goes a long long way. This also goes for when people walk into your business or give you a shout out on your social pages. A simple hello. A simple like or comment back.

4. Take Action
Actions speak louder than words. So cliche, but so often overlooked. If you make a commitment, follow through on it. Simple concept yet not very common.

5. Listen
Seriously. Listen. It works wonders and shows me you truly care about what I have to say.

Use this as a simple checklist or mental list when engaging in biz and in life. Not only will it show your team and co-workers you care, it will make a huge difference in how your clients engage with your business both online and off.

Think about this. There are two salons in town with equally great skills. One is known for really caring about it’s clients. They return phone calls, answer emails, respond on the social web, give shout outs to team members and clients and greet you with a big smile when you walk in the door. The other does not. Where will you go to get your hair done?

A big shout out to Sage Tryall Salon in Lynchburg Virginia, one of our Creating Awesome Workshop graduates and a salon that cares. Thank you Suzy, Todd and Team Sage for being an awesome model for caring. You ROCK!

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Are You There Salon? It's Me, Client.

Haircuts For Sale On The Internet

February 11, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Your job is to not embrace new technology with arms wide open, but instead understand it and learn which disruptive technologies separate you from existing and potential customers.

What’s unique about “connected” consumers is that they find and share information differently than their more traditional counterparts. They make decisions differently than the everyday consumers you’re used to engaging as well.

But keep in mind, the connected do not displace your traditional customer, they simply expand your opportunity to grow your business.

Brian Solis

5.5 Vidal Sassoon Scissor 635

(image via Hairbrained.me ProShop)

Many of us thought it would never happen. With all of the changes in our industry, the one thing that gave us comfort was that our services would never be able to be sold online.

Well I am here to tell you those days are over, and today, you can buy a haircut, a color, a style, and a reservation online.

Does this scare you or excite you? Your reaction means a lot about how you thrive in the era of social business and the connected customer.

Intent. Search. Discovery.
My biz hero, mentor & crush Brian Solis says it all begins with intent and search for the connected customer. And I will add discovery.

You see, in today’s world, people are looking for haircuts, colors, facials, session stylists, make-up artists, educators, how-to videos all online. Your job is to become a discoverable business. And you become discoverable by engaging online, via your website, your Facebook page, YELP page, Foursquare page, Instagram page, etc, etc.

Can I Make A Reservation?
Whether I am an existing client looking for convenience, or a new client looking for a salon, can I engage with your business on my terms or yours? My terms are I want to engage book when I want to book, and that may mean at 11PM when you are sound asleep.

Mitzi Spallas Hairstylist

(image via Mitzi Spallas.com)


Can I Buy A Haircut?
Most salons do not think they are in the e-commerce business. But I would disagree. You can be in e-commerce if you choose to be. You have so many awesome things to offer for sale and the technology available to offer them.

Here are just a few things you can offer online…
1. A reservation
2. A gift card
3. A package or series of services

How Do I Sell Online?
This is the awesome part. There are so many platforms that make it so easy for us to sell our products and services online. If you are a larger salon with a POS system like MindBody, Millennium, or STX, it’s quite likely they offer online booking, gift card sales and package sales.

If you are a smaller salon or independent stylist without a formal POS system, there are platforms like Schedulicity, Style Seat and more. Many of them also offer custom Mobile Apps and Facebook Tabs where a client can book their reservation inside of Facebook or from their phone or tablet, awesome, right?

Play The Discovery Game
This is a fun and easy way to assess how discoverable you are on the Web and how easy or difficult it is for the connected customer to do business with you. Try it.

1. Take a good, hard look at your website.
Does it make it easy for me to engage with your business? One or two clicks to a reservation? Images of your salon? Can I learn about the owner, the team, and read your story? See your work? How to engage with you both online and off?

2. Google yourself and your business.
Can I find you? Try different keywords like “best salon in Los Angeles”, “hair color experts”, etc. Of course, use the keywords that most fit your business, story, etc.

3. Search for your business on YELP. (and Google Places, CitySearch, etc.)
Do you like what people are saying about your business? Can I see pictures of your salon, your work, the team? Can I find your website from YELP? Your hours?

4. Search for your salon using Facebook Graph Search
Can I find you? Do you like what your Facebook page says about you, your brand?

You can continue doing what you are doing, and getting what you are getting. And if you are happy with that, awesome. But for the rest of you who are ready to grow, engage, and evolve, the sky’s the limit with the evolution of social business.

I would love to hear your comments and feedback on this post, please feel free to share on here or reach out to me directly.

(created and shared with love from Nina)

the social era

Are You Listening?

January 9, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Brands are either part of the conversation or they’re not and as a result, they’re either part of the decision-making cycle or they’re absent from the heart, mind, and actions of the connected customer.”

Brian Solis, author of Engage and The End of Business As Usual

As many of you know, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the web. I have a healthy obsession with engaging and listening because I care about you and want to help you and your business.

Recently, I have seen a lot of chatter on Facebook about the ROI (return on investment) of engaging on the social web, and how it really is just a big waste of time. What that tells me is there is still a BIG misunderstanding of these platforms and how important they are to the future of business, both big and small.

Engage.
These online platforms are no different than our offline platforms (i.e. the salon) when it comes to business. They are designed to allow us to engage with current and future customers in a meaningful way. To listen, to have two-way conversations, to solve problems, to build relationships, to create and deliver value. How in the world can someone not see the ROI in that? SMH.

Listen.
I overheard a conversation a while back from a business saying “If we have a business Facebook page, then customers will want to talk to us and ask us questions, and that is a lot of work.”  My response was simple: What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers? How awesome is it that they care enough to engage with your business and buy something from you? Think about it.

Care.
I love this infographic that illustrates the trend of the connected customer when it comes to expecting customer care via social platforms. By 2014, refusing to communicate with customers via social channels will be as harmful as ignoring phone calls and emails. WOW. Take a moment and let that sink in.

the social era (infographic discovered on Google courtesy of Bluewolf)

Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics said it best…”The ROI of social media is that your business will still be around in 5 years.” I could not have said it any better.

So remember. Engage. Listen. Care. Three simple yet powerful words to remember, both online and off.

If you ever have any questions for me regarding my blog posts, feel free to post questions to Facebook or email me by clicking here. I will always respond, both online and off. Because I care.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)