Promote what you love

I Can See You

February 25, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…”

Eric Qualman

Promote what you love

Here is the audio version of this post if you are not into reading. You’re welcome.
I Can See You

Much of my week is spent on the social and digital web researching, learning, listening, building relationships and joining in on some amazing conversations with my mentors, peers and friends. I love how these platforms empower relationships, people and business.

Promote What You Love Instead Of Bashing What You Hate
I have been noticing many leaders in our industry posting content that feeds right into the stereotypes that people have about salons and hairdressers on their Facebook pages. And of course, with those posts come thousands of comments, some from beauty professionals and not so shockingly from salon clients. Booooo.

What appears to be happening is that many are forgetting something very important about business pages on a platform like Facebook, they are PUBLIC. Which means, everything you are saying, the good, bad and the ugly, is seen by your clients and potential future clients. When you may think you are using your “inside voice”, you are actually creating a permanent footprint with your words.

This YouTube tutorial gone very wrong has been flying at the speed of light around the web. I am sure you have seen it. What blows my mind is the comments and shares from professionals about this.

This video, with over 5 million views, is an opportunity to educate clients. But what I saw mostly was a lot of bashing, teasing and laughing. And what is worse is that it was all done in a public forum, Facebook. Yikes! How could we use this video to educate our clients, instead of trying to make them afraid? You follow?

Hair Tutorial Gone Wrong

Here are a couple super professional responses and shares on that video that I love. Reason being, both Kristen and Gordon used this as a empowerment tool, not a bashing opportunity.

Hair Tutorial Response Hair Tutorial Response

Your Story, One Post At A Time
In today’s world we are all telling a story. My awesome friend and industry leader Fabio Sementilli just posted his awesome Fab Friday blog on the amazing  The Hair Nerds, and he spoke to the branding of you, as an individual, and the opportunities now for all of us to become brands in the social era. Fabio says so well, “Tomorrow’s small business will have a global profile.” The only thing I would add is Today’s small business. As this is happening, now.

Every status update, Instagram pic and Tweet are telling a story for the world to see. What do you want your story to be, sound and feel like? What do you want your clients and future clients to see? Always be mindful of how you choose to engage. We are watching you.

What Happens On Facebook Stays On Google
One of the many joys I have each day is the vibrant conversations I get to have with hairdressers around the world. This one is one of my recent faves. My buddy Damien Laliberte, of CrossCheck TV and Over Directed, was wondering how to get his photography to become more discoverable. Since I have studied this at length, blogged about it and even done a webinar on the topic, I immediately shared my thoughts. Well he is a super smart guy, and clearly challenged my advice, well, in fact, he just did not believe me. Until I saw this post last night on Facebook.

Facebook Conversation with Damien Laliberte

You see, everything you post on a business Facebook page is public, and much of what you post on a personal Facebook page is public, unless you set your privacy settings super tight.

One of the many cool things about engaging on the social and digital web is becoming more discoverable. So clients can find you, and if they like what they see, and read, do business with you. How awesome is that?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, you can share them below, share them on Facebook or share with me directly. I am listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Word of Mouth

The Multiplier Effect

January 28, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Learn to make customers really, really happy. It doesn’t take much more than that.”

 Andy Sernovitz

Word of mouth.  The foundation of every successful business and most definitely the foundation of a salons success.  It’s almost such a common phrase and concept that we forget the power of it.

Check out our fave biz guru Gary Vaynerchuk on what he calls The Multiplier Effect of the social web, in other words, the POWER of the social + digital web to ignite word of mouth.  It’s short, so press play and we will review after.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1skOtCSBs

Simple concept? Yes. Easy to execute and make happen? Not so much.

Here is what it takes:
1. Caring
2. Listening
3. Engaging

If you only did those 3 things, there is no doubt in our minds that you will begin to see how the social + digital web can super charge your word of mouth and in turn, your business.

Give it a try.

If you are serious about super charging your word of mouth both online and off, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft the ultimate plan.  To learn more about Passion Squared Mentoring, click here.  We look forward to helping you ignite your passion and live your dream.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)

cyber monday

Monday Cyber Monday

November 27, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Build it, and they will come” only works in the movies.  Social Media is a “build it, nurture it, engage them, and they may come and stay.”

Seth Godin

Happy Giving Tuesday, yes, that is the new term being used after the shopping frenzy’s known as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday and a day dedicated to giving back to those in need through charitable donations.  Very important indeed.

Today we wanted to focus on Cyber Monday as we see a huge opportunity for salons to become part of the estimated $1.42 billion dollars spent yesterday.  How you ask?  Well let’s first take a look at the stats in this awesome infographic.

cyber monday

Now lets talk about how you can be part of this online shopping frenzy, not only to increase revenue but more importantly to offer value, convenience and options for your clients.

One of the coolest trends we see is the shift towards gifting experiences over “things”.  And what better gift is there than an experience in your salon or spa?

So we gotta ask…

1. Do you offer Online Appointment Booking?

2. Do you offer Gift Cards (that are able to be purchased online?)

3. Do you offer Series or Packages of your services (that are able to be purchased online?)

There are several ways you can begin to engage in the online sales world, not just for Cyber Monday, but 365 days a year to increase engagement, traffic and ultimately sales.

One small business we work with offers packages to their clients, available for purchase online, and ran a special between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and sold $8000 in packages.  Yes, you read that right.  Wow.

Did you offer any Cyber Monday specials?  Are you considering offering online sales in the future?  Two very important questions to ask yourself as we move into 2013.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)

thank you

Thank You. You’re Welcome.

November 21, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“We are completely underestimating the value of thank you and you’re welcome.”

Gary Vaynerchuk, author of The Thank You Economy

 

thank you

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)

Are you discoverable on the web?

Are You There Salon? It’s Me Client.

November 15, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

André Gide

Are you discoverable on the web?

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.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)