The Standoff.1

The Standoff

July 14, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“News doesn’t break, it tweets.”

 Paul Saffo

The Standoff.1Here 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.

The Standoff

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.

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 5th 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

The Hook

April 28, 2014Nina KovnerGROW

Make every detail perfect, and limit the number of details to perfect.  -Jack Dorsey,  Co-Founder, Twitter

 

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

As I have wandered through several small businesses over the last month, something has stuck out to me that I felt inspired to share. Something so small, and many times overlooked, yet something that tells me so much about how much the business pays attention to the customer experience and to be honest, if they actually care about me.

What is this thing? A hook. Yes, a hook, in the bathroom. You know, a hook to hang my bag, purse, whatever. Do you really want me to put my purse on the floor? Really?

One of my biz mentors Robert Cromeans has always said, “It’s the little things.” And he is right. It is.

Every little detail that I experience with and about your brand matters. Both online and off. The look, smell, color, energy, vibe, sounds, all of it matters. So as the awesome quote from Jack Dorey says above, “make every detail perfect and limit the details to perfect.”

So today, I challenge you to take a walk around your business, both online and off, and check out your details. And while you are at it, be sure there is a hook in the bathroom.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Goodies from Gary Vee

April 14, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE

Great marketing is all about telling your story in such a way that it compels people to buy what you are selling.  -Gary Vaynerchuk

 

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

Gary Vaynerchuk knows things and even better, he shares things. He recently shared some insanely awesome infographics which simply break down some key facts about the social platforms we love, and our clients love. What I love about these is that they focus on awesome content examples that fit the context of the platform, which is key to true engagement, inspired by his latest and awesome book Jab Jab Jab Right Hook.

In this latest book, he uses the example of boxing where the jabs are the set up, the value we create by posting relevant and interesting content, and the right hook being the big punch, or asking for the sale. I love him and his brain. Consider this. Are you posting all jabs and no right hooks? Or all right hooks and no jabs? The sweet spot is more jabs than right hooks. Think about it.

Check out these super awesome infographics Gary created to help us share our story with the right content in the right context for the platform to provide value, build relationships, engage and ultimately make a sale. Brilliant.

 

Facebook Facebook Infographic from Gary Vee

 

Instagram

Instagram Infographic from Gary Vee

Twitter Twitter Infographic from Gary Vee

So now its time to look at your content strategy. Are you jabbing on the right platforms? Right hooks? Storytelling? Is it time to re-think it? I want to know. Share your comments below or click here to share your thoughts with me. I’m listening and I care.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Another Brick In The Wall

January 13, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. – Randy Pausch

Starting, creating, owning and running a small business is not for the faint of heart. It seems almost everyday I witness hopeful, bright-eyed future entrepreneurs “start” a business. And sadly, I see almost as many crash and burn, give up or walk away.

We have all heard the saying, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Truer words have never been spoken.

The last few years have been some of the most difficult of my life, yet some of the happiest and most rewarding.  It seems everyday, there are more bricks, or what seems like boulders in my way.

If you are thinking about becoming a small business owner, of living your dream, here are some of my AHAS the last couple years that may be helpful for you to decide whether you want to venture into ownership.

This is not a list of how to determine if you are meant to be a biz owner, that is a different blog, I am talking about deep in your heart and soul, are you ready to do whatever it takes.

1. Are you courageous enough to stick it through, even in the worst times?

2. Are you comfortable with being insanely uncomfortable?

3. What are you willing to sacrifice?

4. Are you strong enough to bust through the bricks and obstacles that will be placed in your way?

5. Are you committed to consistently, day after day, building your dream, and not just when you feel like it?

Why am I sharing this with you? I work with small business owners every day. I am a small business owner and many times I am accused of being overly positive and optimistic.

I do choose to see the best in everything. It is a daily choice. However, that does not mean I do not have struggles. I do. Every single day.

On any given day during the week, this is what happens in my world…

“OMG what the hell am I doing” pops into my head, more often than I care to admit, but am now.
I cry. A lot.
I get stuck.
I stare into space.
I get scared.
I get insecure.
I am overly critical about my work, this blog included.

And what I have come to learn is that all of that is normal. Well, normal for someone who is passionate and ballsy enough to take the road less traveled.

The bricks are there for a reason. We can either see them as an obstacle or a gift. The gift being, each time we break through, we become stronger and more courageous.

And that is the gift. Courage. To live our purpose. Because when we do, we are giving the world and ourselves the greatest gift of all. Our happiness.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

The Customer Experience (online)

December 2, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”

Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com

 

Are You Discoverable
Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.

Today is Cyber Monday, another made up shopping holiday to drive traffic to websites to consume goods and services. I’m sure you know this by the gazillion emails that are waiting for you to click on in your inbox. That fact is, we are all online. Whether we are socially networking on Facebook and Instagram or shopping for the holidays.

We are all in e-commerce today, one way or another. And we all need to think hard about the customer experience (online), if we want to be a relevant business in 2014 that is.

Here is a simple checklist for you to see if you are a discoverable business and for you to audit the customer experience (online).

Google

Search Engines
1. Google terms that relate to your business. If you are a hair salon, Google “best hair salons”, “best colorist”.
2. Take a look at what results come up. Are you there?
3. Click on the links. Are they your business pages? What do they look and feel like?

Website

Website
1. Visit your website.
2. Is it easy to find your location? Contact info? Hours of operation?
3. Are there pictures of your business and your work?
4. Can I make a reservation or at least contact you?
5. Is the copy reader friendly and relevant to your business?
6. Can I easily see where to find you on Facebook, YELP, etc?
7. Is it mobile friendly?

YELP

 

 

YELP (being active on YELP is one of the best ways to rank higher in search engines. Fact.)
1. Have you claimed your page? If not, click here to learn how.
2. Have you added images of your business and work?
3. Have you filled in the “About this business” section?
4. Are there recent reviews?

Google Places

 Google Places
1. Have you claimed your business?
2. Have you added images, contact info, hours of operation and a business description?

Facebook

Facebook
1. Do you have a business page?
2. Have you claimed your unique URL? This is the best way to show up in Graph Search, the “Google” of Facebook. Click here to learn how to claim your name.
3. Is your about us section filled out?
4. Are the hours of operation there?
5. Is your website, phone number and an email address available?

Instagram

Instagram
1. Have you written a short about message?
2. Is there a link to your website?
3. Do you have your phone number or email listed?

Inbox

Inbox
1. Can I easily find where to sign up for your emails?
2. Do you have a subscribe area on your website?
3. Do you have a subscribe tab on your Facebook page?

While this is not even close to a complete list, it’s an awesome start if you are in a service business. When was the last time you took a look at your online presence? Today may be an awesome day to start.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)