I Am An Artist Too header

I Am An Artist Too

April 13, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW, MY TRUTH

Value is more expensive than price.  -Toba Beta

 

Working in a creative industry such as beauty, there is an ongoing dialogue that never seems to end about not working for “free”, of value, of price, and with that, I continue to see so much misunderstanding of both value and price.

And while I have written on this topic often, here is my latest take on understanding value, price and worth. Because it’s not about getting paid, this is about delivering insane value. There is a BIG difference. Revenue is the result of a job well done.

In our hyper connected and social world, we have an opportunity to do a ton of important and valuable stuff, “for free”. We can write blogs, create videos, share tips, send newsletters with lots of cool info, answer questions on social platforms, do LIVE chats, etc. All super awesome, highly valuable stuff, we do for “free” aka not getting paid.

If we are just starting out, and nobody knows who the heck we are or what value we bring to the table, there are several strategic decisions we can make about working for “free”. Remember, these are strategic decisions and also an investment in building relationships, community, value and potentially a ton of traffic, online and off. Just think, every time you post a blog, hair tip, step by step or formula, that is working for “free”.

If people keep asking you to work for free or discount your prices, instead of getting mad at the people, you may want to consider the following…

1. You are connecting with the wrong people. And this means your marketing plan is off or you simply don’t yet understand or have not clearly defined your target market.
2. You have not effectively communicated your value.
3. You have not set healthy boundaries, people will push, it’s your job to push back, with love of course.
4. You are not comfortable with having courageous conversations.
5. You do not see your worth.
6. Your work is not as awesome as you think it is.

If you set your price, and people won’t pay it, all of the above statements may be true, plus one very important thing; you could be overpriced. I know, a little blow to the ego, but its possible. Pricing is both an art and a science. As I shared here and here and here, if you care to learn more, for “free”.

Lastly, for an industry that screams about not working for free, at least 1 time per day, usually more, those same people ask me to work for free. And the awesome news is, I do have a ton of content available to those people, which is free*.

This weekly blog, The Weekly Dose of Awesome newsletter, my #QandAwesome show, Awesome A Day morning text messages & Wednesday Wisdom LIVE Chats, my daily posts on social platforms, all of it, is 100% available to anyone who chooses to consume it.
*If I was to charge for all of those things I choose to do to create value for my community, it would be thousands of dollars each month. Yes, thousands!

What I sell is experience, knowledge, context + results. I create stuff of value. I am an artist. Just like you. So when you call, text or email me and want to pick my brain about your brand strategy, ideas, team challenges, social platforms, website, problem client, or whatever, you are asking me to work for free. Hmmmmm.

I pay for all my professional services. Why? I respect the businesses & artists who provide them. My haircuts, colors, waxing, facials, nails, graphic designer, web programmer, accountant, #teamawesome at Passion Squared. And I pay with joy, love + gratitude for having fellow artists and humans in my life that know way more than I do about their area of focus & experience.

So next time you text, call or email me asking for help, be prepared to get an invoice…created and sent with love, gratitude and respect. And in turn, I will always pay for my haircut.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

Your Content Is Your Marketing.header

Your Content Is Your Marketing

March 9, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they’d like to go.”  Seth Godin

Your Content Is Your Marketing

About every other day, I get asked “Nina, where do I find content for my social pages?” And my answer is always the same, what is your brand story, promise, purpose and objective. When you know this, then, and only then, will you begin to find inspiration to create or curate (share other peoples) content.

This past week, I was inundated with posts on Facebook and Instagram about the hair transformations of Kim Kardashian and Jared Leto. Now let me get something very clear, this has nothing to do with whether I am a fan of either of them. But for those that follow me, you know I am obsessed with one of them. #teamjared

What I witnessed were so many hairdressers and trade publications I love bashing their hair (and hairdressers) and even posting a message to clients to NOT come (pictured above) into the salon and ask for a certain color. OMG, are you kidding me? I am confident most had no idea the impact these posts were having on their brand. Thus, my intense need to write this post.

Now, onto my point. Your content is your marketing. It is your story. Your brand. Your promise. And if you are using your Facebook and Instagram pages to help grow your business, then why in the world would you post anything that tells clients NOT to come in to see you or ask for a certain look?

Each day I work with passionate humans looking to learn how to engage authentically and effectively on social platforms to help grow their business.

In my lifetime, I have NEVER seen anything like the empowering opportunities the social web gives to creative small businesses. It is astounding. If used properly, of course.

The beauty of our world is that we are free to believe, share and post anything we want. All I am asking is that you understand the effects of your posts and are clear on your objectives for the platforms you choose to engage on.

Remember, your content is your marketing. Every post, share, comment, like (even what you are liking and commenting on other peoples pages)… Each moment is telling your brand story to your current and future clients.

What does your content say about your marketing? It matters.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

PS: A big shout out to @jasonbacke of @tedgibsonbeauty for being an awesome model of content that supports his brand. Well done!

#QandAwesome Episode 3 Blogging + Decisions

February 21, 2015Nina Kovner#QandAwesome

In this weeks episode of #QandAwesome we talk blogging, decisions, consistency, content and commitments. Many of the ingredients for creating awesome in anything we do. A big shout out to my A School group for inspiring this weeks episode. Thanks so much for watching.

A dream without a date header

A Dream Without A Date

February 16, 2015Nina KovnerGROW

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.  C.G. Jung

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

No matter how many awesome ideas you have. Or how badly you want something. Or how passionate and excited you are. If you do not set a deadline to “ship” that idea, it’s just another idea, un-launched.

As I have said so many times, execution and consistency come down to one thing, a decision. It’s not complicated. We make it complicated.

Set A Date!

  • You want to launch a program? Set a date.
  • You want to learn something new? Set a date.
  • You want to create and share a blog? Set a date.
  • You want to send monthly newsletters? Set a date.
  • You want to launch a new website? Set a date.
  • You want to keep your promises to your team? Set a date.

You see, something will always get in the way if we let it. And there are way too many things on our to do list, so something will always get lost.

There are several tools you can use to manage your time and get organized, iCal works awesome for me. But a tool is simply that, a tool. It is what we do with the tool that matters.

Dream all you want. But a dream without a date is just that, a dream. #truth

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina