Video blog Passion Squared hd

Video Killed The Radio Star

January 16, 2017Nina KovnerENGAGE

I want my MTV

It was August 1, 1981, a day I will always remember. It was the day MTV came on air, and it was insane! The first video that played was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles. That day, our world forever changed. That day was almost 36 years ago.

As one obsessed with music from a very young age, I was fixated on the idea that my songs were given a new life, and I was able to actually see the artists through these things called music videos. All was well in the world.

Most of us had no clue what all this meant from a technology side, we were kids in high school, who only cared about where the next party was and when our next concert was gonna be.

Fast forward to today. In 2017 we all have the opportunity to be our own VJ’s, have our own MTV channel, and we have YouTube + Facebook + Instagram to thank for that.

With the rise of Facebook LIVE and Instagram LIVE, we can now get even closer to our communities and deepen the relationships we have already been building. We can deliver even more value to empower those who have chosen to engage with us. And that is awesome AF.

Here are some LIVE basics to help you create more awesome for your tribes…

Facebook LIVE
Zuckerberg has made it very clear. If you want to “get it right” on Facebook, you gotta embrace Facebook LIVE as well as upload “native video” meaning not sharing links to Facebook but uploading videos direct to Facebook.

Why? Well, if you ask me, he wants to “own” it all, and its a direct assault to YouTube. What’s the reward for doing this? We get to be “seen” more in the newsfeed, which means people can engage more with our content. Period. If you feel victim to the algorithm, then its time to fall in love with LIVE.

Facebook LIVE Tips
1. Who is your audience and what do they value?
2. Create a plan including topics and frequency of LIVES, be intentional and purposeful
3. Create a space that allows for a strong WiFi signal, good lighting, sound along with a tool to keep your phone steady
4. Communicate when you will be broadcasting
5. Engage with your audience while LIVE
6. Title your LIVES with words relevant to your topic
7. Share your LIVE videos on other platforms if relevant
8. Practice if you are uncomfortable, it gets easier the more you do it
9. Be human, this is the social web, and social means SOCIAL
10. Edit your LIVE when it’s finished- on your page, you have many options today, including choosing the best thumbnail image, adding captions (most people watch videos on Facebook with the sound off), adding keywords for targeting, etc.

Click here for more tips on creating an awesome Facebook LIVE

Instagram LIVE Tips
1. Who is your audience and what do they value?
2. Create a plan including topics and frequency of LIVES, be intentional and purposeful
3. Create a space that allows for a strong wifi signal, good lighting, sound along with a tool to keep your phone steady
4. Communicate when you will be broadcasting
5. Engage with your audience while LIVE
6. Practice if you are uncomfortable, it gets easier the more you do it
7. Be human, this is the social web, and social means SOCIAL

Instagram LIVE does not have a save option, at this point, so to be sure you are delivering the most value, #4 is really important.

Click here for more tips on creating awesome with Instagram LIVE

Here are links to the tools I use for my LIVES
Clip On Ring Light

Ring Light

Mini Tripod Kit

Tripod Kit

Now you have all the tools you need, and the most important one, YOU! And your passion for building deeper relationships with your tribe by delivering a ton of value through your LIVE streams.

And lastly, please join me each week on Instagram Tuesday mornings at 7am pacific for my Q+Awesome Instagram LIVES and every Wednesday morning at 7am pacific for my #WednesdayWisdom Facebook LIVES.

Mad Love + Gratitude-

Nina xo

Is Your Business Disoverable Passion Squared blog

Is Your Business Discoverable?

November 7, 2016Nina KovnerENGAGE

The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. George Bernard Shaw

One of the most effective ways we grow our business is by engaging new clients. Word of mouth and referrals are the way this happens. We all know this. With the social + digital web, we have an awesome opportunity to amplify word of mouth and referrals. Yet, unless we are present on the platforms that people use to find businesses, then we have missed the opportunity to be discoverable.

So let me take you on a little journey, and before you jump on, put your “client” hat on…

Intent
I want or need something

Search
I am going to look for it

Discovery
Yay, I found it.

Action
I am going to click, call, book, buy…. or NOT!

There are two ways I like to look at search and discovery. There is social and digital. Both need to be looked at now as mobile search as nearly all of our day to day online activities are happening via our mobile.

Social
Social search is what it sounds like, searching on social. This is what we do when we use the search bar on Facebook, peruse hashtags or use the discovery page on Instagram or even use Snapchat to find businesses via a tool like Ghostcode, Add Nearby, etc. See where I am going with this?

Digital
Digital search is a more traditional type search like Google, Yelp, YouTube, Yahoo, Siri, etc.

The Job of Search Engines & How You Benefit
Both social + digital platforms and search engines are designed to deliver to us the most relevant and recent results for the terms we used to search. So if your business is relevant to the search and you are active on the platforms you have chosen, you have more of a chance of being in the top results.

Put Your Consumer Hat Back On
Ask yourself and think about the last time you searched for something online.
What terms did you use?

Now think about clients looking for your business.
What terms would they use to find you?
What is your “thing”? What experiences do you offer?
Who is your audience?
All these things need to be thought through to ensure you get matched up with the ideal target clients.

The words, posts, photo descriptions, about sections, etc. need to be relevant to your brand and business so when I go looking, I find YOU.

What Pages Matter?
Well, there are some that matter to all and then some that matter depending on your target audience as we always want to be where our clients are. But here is a good start.
Yelp
Google Business
Facebook
Instagram

Now Its Your Turn!
This week, I want you to set aside one hour to do some more searches of your own. Then head back to your social + digital pages and see where you can improve your chances of becoming more discoverable. Think words, think pictures and their descriptions, think contact info, brand name, services and specialties, all those things matter.

And if you feel extra inspired, click here and let me know what you discovered and what actions you will take.

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

#QandAwesome What Does Engagement Mean?

August 6, 2016Nina Kovner#QandAwesome, ENGAGE

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.