Facebook LIVE vs. Periscope blog header

Periscope vs. Facebook LIVE

January 23, 2016Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Be where your clients are.”

UPDATE: Facebook LIVE is now available for Facebook business pages as of April 5, 2016. Yay!

With the influx of LIVE streaming platforms and apps, I have been getting several questions on this topic and while LIVE streaming and broadcasting is nothing new, with the launch of Periscope, it seems to have been gaining momentum in some business categories.

So here are my thoughts….

As with any social platform, I always recommend starting with a clear objective of why you are engaging, how you are engaging, who are you engaging with, a content plan and a commitment to consistency. If you can only commit to one platform, then do that, and do it awesomely.

And with all of that, comes the last, and maybe most important thing, be mindful of how and when you choose to broadcast. Too much noise? You lose people. Too much TMI? You lose people. Too much sharing of events where people paid to attend, well, you know the answer to that one. #notcool

Periscope
App based (Periscope)
Links to Twitter
Lots of trolls
Save video option (but be mindful, context is key, so saving them and posting to YouTube may simply be out of context for the viewer)
Potentially high engagement
User can set notifications of broadcasts
Disappears from page in 24 hours
Sometimes poor quality
Comments feed for engagement
Hearts as likes
Light analytics in app

Facebook LIVE
App based (Facebook)
Available to verified pages and personal pages only, not business pages (yet)
More qualified audience (if you have been using your personal page for business as well)
Save and share video option (can share to biz page, if relevant, as well as embed on your website, but again, be mindful of the context when sharing to other platforms)
Stays on your timeline as long as you want it to
Can be edited post broadcast (Go to videos, select video, select edit)
Users can “subscribe” to get notifications of future broadcasts
Potential high engagement, depending on your personal page following and sharing plan
High quality
Comments feed for engagement
Likes as likes and comments as comments
No analytics per se (since its done via your personal page) but as with any Facebook native video, you can measure views and of course, measure likes, comments and shares.

At the end of the day, I will go back to be where your clients are. Are they on Periscope? Go there. Are they on Facebook? Go there. But always be mindful of your intention for broadcasting and the value you are bringing to the conversation.

My take? Facebook LIVE could be a game-changer, as there are a billion more people on Facebook than Periscope. I love the “no trolls” aspect, as well as the quality of experience for the broadcaster and the viewer. And at the end of the day, quality is what our audience wants, quality of content and experience.

Time will tell. And with all that is happening on the social web, it will change in a blink. Again.

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

PS: Do you want to catch my Facebook LIVE chats? You can follow me by searching Nina L. Kovner or click here to follow. Thank you!

Instagram blog header

7 Gotta Do’s To Up Your Instagram Game

January 5, 2016Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“You are what you share.” Unknown

So you wanna up your Insta game? Here are 7 gotta do’s that I promise will help make your Insta game strong…

1. Determine Your Theme
All good social pages tell a story. What will yours be? Your look, feel, and story are the foundation of creating awesome on Instagram. And on the topic of look and feel, please post quality photos, quality, I mean quality!

2. Up Your About Section
I want to know your biz name, your location, your “short” story, and please, how do I contact you? An online booking link is the awesome if you have that.

3. Use Hashtags Consistently
PLEASE. Without these, you cannot be found. My three rules for hashtags;
Use popular hashtags for your subject matter. Not sure, search for them and see what’s popular.

Use your branded hashtag always.
Why? So people can see your stuff and it keeps your content super organized, and allows others to use your hashtag so you can see when people are posting about you and you can say THANK YOU!

Use your local hashtags.
Like where the heck are you? By using local hashtags, people in your area can find you. Yay!

BONUS time saving tip- Put all your hashtags in your notes section of your mobile device and just copy and paste them in the comments section of your post. #yourwelcome

4. Add Your Location
Please add your business location to your posts. Why? So people can find your business and you can also search people who are in the area. And while you can no longer do custom locations on Insta, your business should be on there. And that is the location you want to use so peeps can find you.

5. Engage, Deliver Value, Engage, Deliver Value
Please spend more time listening then talking. Like, comment and share content as it relevant to your business, authentically, not randomly, but with intention and purpose.

6. Be Insanely Consistent
Yep, nothing can replace your consistent presence of posting and engaging with others on Instagram.

7. Measure, Learn, Adjust 
I love Iconosquare.com but please remember, this is not about lost or gained followers or popularity, it is about engagement, relationships, and two-way communication. If your work is on point and you focus on that, the referrals and revenue will follow. #promise

Happy Instagramming!

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

PS: Are we connected on Insta yet? If not, you can follow me @passionsquared I promise to deliver consistent and awesome value to help you create a more awesome biz + life, plus a few goat videos, cause I mean, goats! Right?

Are You Listening?

Are You Really Listening?

July 19, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” Ernest Hemingway

Listening. A lost art? I don’t think so. But I do think many are not quite getting how important it is on social platforms and how many messages and opportunities there are to build relationships, offer solutions and learn.

Nearly every thing I do in business is strategic. Authentic, but strategic. I am a businesswoman. I build people who build businesses, including my own. And as a businessperson, you must begin to learn how to listen and be strategic to if you want to create more awesome.

So here is how the story goes…

I posted the pic above last week with the caption… “Missing my lash extensions + needing a laugh at the moment.” There was a not so hidden message to those who were listening.

The most telling thing was, out of 280 likes and 74 comments, only ONE person reached out to me about their lash services & products. ONE. Only ONE awesome human really listened and read this post strategically, and said to themselves…. “Hmmmmmmm… sounds like Nina is craving some lash services. Maybe I should reach out to her.”

This is social listening at its finest. Not spamming. Not attention seeking. Not self-serving. None of those. It was all listening. Seeing a need or problem. And providing a solution.

Think about it. What would happen if you spent more time on social platforms listening than talking? What would you learn? A lot. I promise. Try it. Then let me know how it goes. I’m listening.

Love + Awesomeness-

Nina

3 Ingredients of An Awesome Social Post

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

Why Social?

March 27, 2012Nina KovnerGROW

“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”

Eric Qualman

Why the Social Web? Because just like your salons, its about people.

Today, “90% of consumers trust peer recommendations” (what we know as word of mouth, referrals and long considered the key in driving traffic and growing our business). And if the social web is “Word of Mouth on Steroids”, then we believe you will want to be there, in a authentic & meaningful way.

Competition for clients has never been greater – and social web provides individuals and businesses with powerful (and affordable) tools, platforms and programs that level the relationship & engagement playing field between very large companies, the very small (and all in-between).

As the social revolution continues and the reach grows exponentially, the social web is becoming increasingly “local”.  Yelp, Foursquare, and now Facebook (even more so by way of Timeline) are leveraging their massive consumer reach to better serve the needs of consumers locally while helping small businesses tap into where most buying power lives -within a few miles of home -and your salon.

Said best by Jay Baer (Social Media Speaker, Author, and Coach) and we believe this to be true- “Focus on how to be social, not do social”.