instagram Archives - Page 2 of 5

3 Ingredients of An Awesome Social Post

June 1, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” May Sarton

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you for listening.

Whether it’s an Instagram shot, a Facebook post, a YouTube video or a blog, there are a few key ingredients to making whatever story you are telling awesome!

1. Make it Relevant
When people choose to follow us, it is because they have decided there is something of value we have that they want. We must take those follows seriously, and stay focused on delivering the value they came for. That means keeping our content and stories relevant. Focus on value. How are you delivering value?

Example: As Passion Squared, people do not come to me for technical cutting skills or workouts (lol) no, they come to me for information on business, career, personal development and empowerment. Thus, my storytelling and content remain relevant to that which my community desires.

2. Make it Human
This is probably where most get stuck, and in working with my clients and A School coaching groups, it is by far the biggest obstacle. “I don’t know what to post” is what I hear most often. This is a symptom of two things… One is you are not yet clear on your brand story, thus you have no clear content plan. So always start there. What does your community value? What is your brand story? Connect those two dots and you are on your way. Number two is, you are trying WAY too hard. Social means just that, social, so be social. Be human. Keep it real. Keep it authentic. Keep it conversational. Keep it consistent. People will respond. I promise.

Example: I post pics of my dogs all the time; they are part of my brand story. However, one day, I chose to not only post a pic of my rescue Faith, but also tell the very personal and human story as to why I named her Faith. It was the most liked dog pic I have ever posted. Get it? Good!

3. Make it Visual
And by visual, I mean awesome visuals. Graphics. Clean. Clear. Awesome. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you don’t know how to make things visually awesome, practice. Take 10 photos for every post, make sure the lighting is good, background clean, subject awesome. Practice. Practice. Practice. If you are making word graphics, there are a ton of apps and tools to make that happen. I love Canva.com and WordSwag, just to name a couple.

Example: I wrote a blog post a few weeks back about 5 lessons I learned from my beauty school experience. It was recently shared on a major beauty industry distributor Facebook page, and went NUTS! And by nuts I mean over 1000 clicks. Why? It was relevant, #1, it was visual, it featured a picture from 1987 of me, in beauty school, lol. And once people clicked, it was most definitely human.

So now it’s your turn. Take a look at your social content, and use this list as a way to measure your current content. It is stacking up? Are you getting the engagement you wish? This is a good place to start.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

5 Ways To Create Awesome on Instagram

March 23, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed. Ansel Adams

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, in today’s world, I would add video to that statement and boy, it is truer than ever in the social + digital world.

You see, we have all been given the opportunity, thanks to Insta, to tell and share stories in a way we never imagined possible. And that is what engages people, stories. And engagement leads to interest, and interest can lead to relationships, and relationships can lead to revenue. Ahhhhhh, yes. See how that works?

Here are 5 ways you can begin creating awesome on Instagram today!

1. Create a plan around how you will share your brand story.
What will it look like, feel like, sound like? What types of content will you share that helps tell your story. Who is your target market and what is of interest to them? How much time will you put towards building your community and content? All very important questions to ask.

2. Spend time on your “about” story.
Be sure your logo is clean and clear on your profile. This is a must. I want to know who you are and why I should follow you. Keep it real. We crave that.

3. Be mindful of the URL you use on your profile, as it’s the only way to “link out” on Instagram.
Ask yourself, “where do I want people to go?” And yes, this can change as often as you choose. And if you are posting anything asking me to go outside of Instagram, simply change the link. (and remember to change it back!)

4. Share other posts (#regram) only if it’s consistent with your brand.
While you may want to share all sorts of content, think first if it is consistent with your brand story. And always give credit for what you share, unless in the few instances where you do not know the origin of the post.

5. Engage, engage, engage.
This is the most important of the list. If you care, you will find time to engage. This means following people that matter to you and your brand, liking, commenting and sharing (if applicable) posts. Responding and replying. This is about relationships. Period. And relationships take time to build.

At the end of the day, it all comes back to caring, commitment, consistency and action. Now you simply need to choose to make a decision. I know, no magic pill, but you know you will always hear the truth from me.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Want to see how others are creating awesome on Insta? Follow these passionate humans…
@sugarskulls
@marcrepublic
@larisadoll
@cassandraplatinum
@andrewdoeshair
@houseofpop

Just to name a few…

The Bad Ass Barbers of Instagram

September 1, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Your culture is your brand.”

Tony Hsieh, Founder + CEO, Zappos

Here is the audio version of the post, thank you so much for listening.

There is so much awesomeness happening on Instagram, thus my obsession with the platform and writing about it. One of my obsessions at the moment, well, not just at the moment but every day, is the bad ass barbers of Instagram. I am so freaking inspired by how they create awesome each day, so here is my take on what they are doing right and how you can learn from them to help you create more awesome in your biz.

1. Culture
Culture is everything. And the barber community has nailed it. They work together, play together, celebrate their communities, and use the same language. They have a shared passion and work ethic. They live their culture. And it shows.

2. Brand Identity + Messaging
This is the one area that continues to blow my mind. The look, feel, sounds and sights are so insanely consistent. From logos, to colors, to fonts, words, sounds, styles, shapes, tools, merch, storytelling via content, and most importantly, culture, these bad ass barbers not only understand branding, it is clear they value and respect how it can create awesome in their business.

3. Engagement
As my biz hero Gary Vee says, “Best marketing strategy ever? Care.” And these barbers care. The reason I know this is based on their engagement on Instagram. They listen, they respond, they give shout outs, they love and support each other, they build relationships and in turn, they have tens of thousands of passionate followers.

4. Generosity
These bad ass barbers are collectively very generous with their lives and minds. They share tips, offer education, host events and more. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

5. Passion
Well, this one goes without saying. However, what I will say is many of us may say we are passionate, but does it show through our online and offline presence? Can it be felt through a screen and through the stories we tell from the content we share?

Generation C, the connected customer, as defined by the genius Brian Solis, is passionate about shared experiences. About stories, about culture, about going behind the scenes. And these bad ass barbers get that. Do you?

If you want to learn how to create more awesome on Instagram, follow these bad-asses, I do, and I am so grateful they exist.

Famous
StayGold31
AnthonyTheBarber916
Pacinos
TheNomadBarber

Oh, and while we are here, here are just a few of my other FAVES creating awesome with men’s hair on Instagram. Follow them.

JustinThomasHair
SugarSkulls
Mikeyyyyyyyy_
KevinLuchmun
AndrewDoesHair

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

The Standoff

July 14, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“News doesn’t break, it tweets.”

Paul Saffo

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

So let me set the scene. It’s a Tuesday morning. I am just returning home from my early morning Pilates class. I see cops. A crew of them, in the lobby of my building.

Nothing seems strange, so I go about my morning. Walk the dogs, make myself another Americano, and catch up on Facebook and Instagram.

Having just hired Ashely, my newest awesomeness creator, she was to meet me at the Passion Squared Loft at 9am. I get a text at 8:50 (love people who are on time, and by on time I mean early) saying “I am here, but the cops just escorted me out of the lobby.” OMG I said, I will be right down. Thinking we can grab a quick ice tea at Coffee Bean (yes, I am cheating on Starbucks cause I am obsessed with Coffee Bean’s ice and their straws match my hair color). But to my surprise, as I walked out to get her, I saw cops, and my street being closed down. The cop said, “you can go to Coffee Bean, but you will not be able to come back.” So we headed back upstairs and got to work.

This is when things got nuts. We heard siren after siren, and started looking out the window of my 9^th floor loft. Still having NO idea WTF was happening in my building.

So what did we do? What everyone does today, we took to Twitter. And Instagram. And sure enough, we found out exactly what was happening. There was an alleged felony fugitive on the 5^th floor. A resident. Who may or may not have been armed. Who was served with a warrant and refused to surrender. So for 8 hours, we waited, with the SWAT team, Bomb Squad, LAPD and LAFD. It was a real life standoff. Like on TV. IN MY BUILDING!

But that is not the point of this blog. The point is where we went for information. How much we relied on the social web, and not news stations (online or off), no, they knew pretty much noting.

It was Twitter, and Instagram, connecting with both official and unofficial tweets and Instagrams. It was about finding and sharing experiences using hashtags such as #DTLA and #LAPD. That’s how it works now. We have access to 24/7 LIVE information, as it happens, thanks to the social web.

So what does that mean for your business? A few things. You can continue to have a “standoff” with the social + digital web. Choosing not to engage on YELP because there are crazy’s on there, or choosing not to engage with an online booking platform like Schedulicity because of fear of losing control of your schedule (which you don’t BTW), or choosing not to find time to Instagram, or Facebook for your business. You can choose to not do any of those things, just as long as you know, each day you wait is a day closer to becoming an irrelevant, un-discoverable business.

Johnny_snips is booked a month out, he’s young and just getting started. AndrewDoesHair delivers a ton of awesome education and launched an awesome product ADH Dry. Larisadoll is passionate about sharing her beautiful, creative colors and can’t take a new client until August 2015. These are just three of several examples of incredibly talented & focused hairdressers who are passionate about building community and engaging on Instagram. They create a ton of value. They care.

The world has changed. Business has changed. The choice you need to make is if you will change too. The choice, as always, is yours.

PS: A BIG shout out of thanks to the LAPD and LAFD, they were amazing. The suspect surrendered peacefully and all is well in the world. And to my new awesomeness creator at Passion Squared, Ashley, thank you for being so amazing on your first day. You rock!

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Connecting Instagram to Facebook Step by Step

June 23, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

One of the most common questions I get asked about Instagram is about how to share your beautiful images to your Facebook biz page. The question came up again on a recent webinar along with a request for a step by step. So a BIG shout out to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post.

Here we go….

Step One
Log in to Instagram, go to your profile page and click on the little wheel thing in the upper right hand side of the page.

Step Two
Click on Share Settings

Step Three
Click on your name. It should show the name of your Personal Page that is connected to your Business Page. If you have not yet connected your Instagram to your Facebook personal page, it will ask you if you want to connect, etc. Do that. Then click on your name.

Step Four
If you manage one business page, that page name will appear and you simply select that page. If you manage more than one business page, select the business you want to SHARE your Instagrams to.

Step Five
Start sharing your awesomeness!

Thank you again to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post. Are you sharing your awesomeness on Instagram? Let’s connect! You can follow me @passionsquared

Tag Archives: instagram

A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed. Ansel Adams

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, in today’s world, I would add video to that statement and boy, it is truer than ever in the social + digital world.

Here are 5 ways you can begin creating awesome on Instagram today!

2. Spend time on your “about” story. Be sure your logo is clean and clear on your profile. This is a must. I want to know who you are and why I should follow you. Keep it real. We crave that.

4. Share other posts (#regram) only if it’s consistent with your brand. While you may want to share all sorts of content, think first if it is consistent with your brand story. And always give credit for what you share, unless in the few instances where you do not know the origin of the post.

At the end of the day, it all comes back to caring, commitment, consistency and action. Now you simply need to choose to make a decision. I know, no magic pill, but you know you will always hear the truth from me.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Want to see how others are creating awesome on Insta? Follow these passionate humans… @sugarskulls @marcrepublic @larisadoll @cassandraplatinum @andrewdoeshair @houseofpop

Just to name a few…

“Your culture is your brand.”

Tony Hsieh, Founder + CEO, Zappos

Here is the audio version of the post, thank you so much for listening.

1. Culture Culture is everything. And the barber community has nailed it. They work together, play together, celebrate their communities, and use the same language. They have a shared passion and work ethic. They live their culture. And it shows.

4. Generosity These bad ass barbers are collectively very generous with their lives and minds. They share tips, offer education, host events and more. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

5. Passion Well, this one goes without saying. However, what I will say is many of us may say we are passionate, but does it show through our online and offline presence? Can it be felt through a screen and through the stories we tell from the content we share?

Generation C, the connected customer, as defined by the genius Brian Solis, is passionate about shared experiences. About stories, about culture, about going behind the scenes. And these bad ass barbers get that. Do you?

If you want to learn how to create more awesome on Instagram, follow these bad-asses, I do, and I am so grateful they exist.

Oh, and while we are here, here are just a few of my other FAVES creating awesome with men’s hair on Instagram. Follow them.

JustinThomasHair SugarSkulls Mikeyyyyyyyy_ KevinLuchmun AndrewDoesHair

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

“News doesn’t break, it tweets.”

Paul Saffo

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

So let me set the scene. It’s a Tuesday morning. I am just returning home from my early morning Pilates class. I see cops. A crew of them, in the lobby of my building.

Nothing seems strange, so I go about my morning. Walk the dogs, make myself another Americano, and catch up on Facebook and Instagram.

This is when things got nuts. We heard siren after siren, and started looking out the window of my 9th floor loft. Still having NO idea WTF was happening in my building.

But that is not the point of this blog. The point is where we went for information. How much we relied on the social web, and not news stations (online or off), no, they knew pretty much noting.

It was Twitter, and Instagram, connecting with both official and unofficial tweets and Instagrams. It was about finding and sharing experiences using hashtags such as #DTLA and #LAPD. That’s how it works now. We have access to 24/7 LIVE information, as it happens, thanks to the social web.

The world has changed. Business has changed. The choice you need to make is if you will change too. The choice, as always, is yours.

PS: A BIG shout out of thanks to the LAPD and LAFD, they were amazing. The suspect surrendered peacefully and all is well in the world. And to my new awesomeness creator at Passion Squared, Ashley, thank you for being so amazing on your first day. You rock!

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Dr. Seuss

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

One of the most common questions I get asked about Instagram is about how to share your beautiful images to your Facebook biz page. The question came up again on a recent webinar along with a request for a step by step. So a BIG shout out to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post.

Here we go….

Step One Log in to Instagram, go to your profile page and click on the little wheel thing in the upper right hand side of the page.

Step Two Click on Share Settings

Step Three Click on your name. It should show the name of your Personal Page that is connected to your Business Page. If you have not yet connected your Instagram to your Facebook personal page, it will ask you if you want to connect, etc. Do that. Then click on your name.

Step Four If you manage one business page, that page name will appear and you simply select that page. If you manage more than one business page, select the business you want to SHARE your Instagrams to. Step Five Start sharing your awesomeness!

Thank you again to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post. Are you sharing your awesomeness on Instagram? Let’s connect! You can follow me @passionsquared

Love + Awesomeness- Nina

2. Spend time on your “about” story.
Be sure your logo is clean and clear on your profile. This is a must. I want to know who you are and why I should follow you. Keep it real. We crave that.

4. Share other posts (#regram) only if it’s consistent with your brand.
While you may want to share all sorts of content, think first if it is consistent with your brand story. And always give credit for what you share, unless in the few instances where you do not know the origin of the post.

Want to see how others are creating awesome on Insta? Follow these passionate humans…
@sugarskulls
@marcrepublic
@larisadoll
@cassandraplatinum
@andrewdoeshair
@houseofpop

1. Culture
Culture is everything. And the barber community has nailed it. They work together, play together, celebrate their communities, and use the same language. They have a shared passion and work ethic. They live their culture. And it shows.

4. Generosity
These bad ass barbers are collectively very generous with their lives and minds. They share tips, offer education, host events and more. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”

5. Passion
Well, this one goes without saying. However, what I will say is many of us may say we are passionate, but does it show through our online and offline presence? Can it be felt through a screen and through the stories we tell from the content we share?

JustinThomasHair
SugarSkulls
Mikeyyyyyyyy_
KevinLuchmun
AndrewDoesHair

This is when things got nuts. We heard siren after siren, and started looking out the window of my 9^th floor loft. Still having NO idea WTF was happening in my building.

Step One
Log in to Instagram, go to your profile page and click on the little wheel thing in the upper right hand side of the page.

Step Two
Click on Share Settings

Step Three
Click on your name. It should show the name of your Personal Page that is connected to your Business Page. If you have not yet connected your Instagram to your Facebook personal page, it will ask you if you want to connect, etc. Do that. Then click on your name.

Step Four
If you manage one business page, that page name will appear and you simply select that page. If you manage more than one business page, select the business you want to SHARE your Instagrams to.

Step Five
Start sharing your awesomeness!

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina