“’I love being marketed to.’ Said no one, ever.”
Jess3
Caring Is The New Black
“Best marketing strategy ever? Care.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
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)
Is Anybody Listening?
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Leo Buscaglia
(image discovered on Google via smartinsights.com)
One of the greatest opportunities we all have with the social revolution for business is an opportunity to listen. And for customers, a big opportunity to be heard.
Before YELP, Google, Facebook and the like, it was much harder to really know what people were saying about our salons, companies and brands. It was also not so easy for an everyday person, like me, to reach out to a mentor, a community, a brand. The social revolution has changed that, forever.
Today, the challenge for all of us is to learn how to become good listeners. And the payoff can be huge if we do. How do we do it? The following is my list of a few ways you can become a listening business.
1. Care
You have to care. If you care, you will take the time, energy and resources available to you to become a listening company. This is always the first step.
2. Make Listening A Priority
When I hear people express to me their concern about the time and energy it takes to engage on the social and digital web, my answer is always…”What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers?”
As business becomes more social, it’s time to look at your systems, processes and activities and adjust them to meet up with the expectations of the connected customer.
You can also set most of your social pages to alert you when there is activity on your pages. If it matters, you will find the time and resources.
3. Engage On The Platforms That Matter
If you are a salon owner or work in a salon, platforms such as YELP, Google Places, CitySearch, Foursquare and Facebook are awesome listening platforms as is Twitter. Simply search the name of your business. If you are in the product business, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google are all great places to listen.
Social Business Leaders Care. They Engage. They Respond.
Recently, one of my biggest biz mentors and super smart thought leaders in the social + digital space Chris Brogan was listening. How do I know he was listening? He responded. To both an email I sent him, and a tweet. And I am not talking about auto-responded, I mean really responded, with love, attention and grace. Why? Because he cares and understands the power of one person, one tweet, one email at a time. He is a true daymaker in my book. If you are in business today, you are a social business too.
This is a pic of our Twitter convo after our email convo, in which Chris took the time to read one of my blog posts inspired by him and share his thoughts with me. Can you believe that? One of my awesome mentors who I have never met responded to my email. A true OMG moment for me. And this all took place early on a Sunday morning. Yep. Sunday morning. I heart him.
My challenge to you is to take an honest look at your daily activities, and begin to carve out time to really listen to what people are saying about you, your salon, your company and your brand. Believe me, they are talking. Are you listening?
How are you listening on the social web? I would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments or you can share your story with me. I am listening.
(shared with LOVE from Nina)
The Multiplier Effect
“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)
Facebook Graph Search Explained
“To understand the mindset of the connected consumer, one must realize that everything begins with search and intent.”
Brian Solis
Many of us have heard the news about Facebook Graph Search, a new search and discovery tool. While it is still in beta testing with a select group of people, I found a few things that might be helpful in understanding what it may mean for all of us.
I love this video from Facebook explaining why they created Graph Search. This is a good place to begin understanding this new tool.
Lets first understand that there are two ways to look at this new feature. Personal and Business. I am going to focus on the business side for this post. The best way I can wrap my mind around Graph Search is to think of it as a super social, highly targeted and personalized Google.
Are You A Discoverable Business?
One of the most important things to understand about the social and digital Web for business is becoming more discoverable. As my hero and mentor Brian Solis says so well in the opening quote, everything begins with search and intent. People are looking for your business. Your job is to be sure they can find it. This is done by being highly engaged on social platforms such as Facebook, referral platforms such as YELP, and of course, having a good website that clearly communicates your why, what and how to engage with your business.
To learn more about becoming a more discoverable business on the Web, check out our Webinar.
What You Can Do Right Now on Facebook
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Consistency engage on your business page
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Post relevant content at least one time per day
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Be sure your About section and contact information is strong and clear
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Claim Your Page Name (URL) (Here is a post I did on that in case you do not know how)
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Be sure your business is categorized correctly (Click here to learn more about Business Page Categories)