Promote what you love

I Can See You

February 25, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…”

Eric Qualman

Promote what you love

Here is the audio version of this post if you are not into reading. You’re welcome.
I Can See You

Much of my week is spent on the social and digital web researching, learning, listening, building relationships and joining in on some amazing conversations with my mentors, peers and friends. I love how these platforms empower relationships, people and business.

Promote What You Love Instead Of Bashing What You Hate
I have been noticing many leaders in our industry posting content that feeds right into the stereotypes that people have about salons and hairdressers on their Facebook pages. And of course, with those posts come thousands of comments, some from beauty professionals and not so shockingly from salon clients. Booooo.

What appears to be happening is that many are forgetting something very important about business pages on a platform like Facebook, they are PUBLIC. Which means, everything you are saying, the good, bad and the ugly, is seen by your clients and potential future clients. When you may think you are using your “inside voice”, you are actually creating a permanent footprint with your words.

This YouTube tutorial gone very wrong has been flying at the speed of light around the web. I am sure you have seen it. What blows my mind is the comments and shares from professionals about this.

This video, with over 5 million views, is an opportunity to educate clients. But what I saw mostly was a lot of bashing, teasing and laughing. And what is worse is that it was all done in a public forum, Facebook. Yikes! How could we use this video to educate our clients, instead of trying to make them afraid? You follow?

Hair Tutorial Gone Wrong

Here are a couple super professional responses and shares on that video that I love. Reason being, both Kristen and Gordon used this as a empowerment tool, not a bashing opportunity.

Hair Tutorial Response Hair Tutorial Response

Your Story, One Post At A Time
In today’s world we are all telling a story. My awesome friend and industry leader Fabio Sementilli just posted his awesome Fab Friday blog on the amazing  The Hair Nerds, and he spoke to the branding of you, as an individual, and the opportunities now for all of us to become brands in the social era. Fabio says so well, “Tomorrow’s small business will have a global profile.” The only thing I would add is Today’s small business. As this is happening, now.

Every status update, Instagram pic and Tweet are telling a story for the world to see. What do you want your story to be, sound and feel like? What do you want your clients and future clients to see? Always be mindful of how you choose to engage. We are watching you.

What Happens On Facebook Stays On Google
One of the many joys I have each day is the vibrant conversations I get to have with hairdressers around the world. This one is one of my recent faves. My buddy Damien Laliberte, of CrossCheck TV and Over Directed, was wondering how to get his photography to become more discoverable. Since I have studied this at length, blogged about it and even done a webinar on the topic, I immediately shared my thoughts. Well he is a super smart guy, and clearly challenged my advice, well, in fact, he just did not believe me. Until I saw this post last night on Facebook.

Facebook Conversation with Damien Laliberte

You see, everything you post on a business Facebook page is public, and much of what you post on a personal Facebook page is public, unless you set your privacy settings super tight.

One of the many cool things about engaging on the social and digital web is becoming more discoverable. So clients can find you, and if they like what they see, and read, do business with you. How awesome is that?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, you can share them below, share them on Facebook or share with me directly. I am listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Word of Mouth

The Multiplier Effect

January 28, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Learn to make customers really, really happy. It doesn’t take much more than that.”

 Andy Sernovitz

Word of mouth.  The foundation of every successful business and most definitely the foundation of a salons success.  It’s almost such a common phrase and concept that we forget the power of it.

Check out our fave biz guru Gary Vaynerchuk on what he calls The Multiplier Effect of the social web, in other words, the POWER of the social + digital web to ignite word of mouth.  It’s short, so press play and we will review after.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY1skOtCSBs

Simple concept? Yes. Easy to execute and make happen? Not so much.

Here is what it takes:
1. Caring
2. Listening
3. Engaging

If you only did those 3 things, there is no doubt in our minds that you will begin to see how the social + digital web can super charge your word of mouth and in turn, your business.

Give it a try.

If you are serious about super charging your word of mouth both online and off, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft the ultimate plan.  To learn more about Passion Squared Mentoring, click here.  We look forward to helping you ignite your passion and live your dream.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)

the social era

Are You Listening?

January 9, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Brands are either part of the conversation or they’re not and as a result, they’re either part of the decision-making cycle or they’re absent from the heart, mind, and actions of the connected customer.”

Brian Solis, author of Engage and The End of Business As Usual

As many of you know, I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the web. I have a healthy obsession with engaging and listening because I care about you and want to help you and your business.

Recently, I have seen a lot of chatter on Facebook about the ROI (return on investment) of engaging on the social web, and how it really is just a big waste of time. What that tells me is there is still a BIG misunderstanding of these platforms and how important they are to the future of business, both big and small.

Engage.
These online platforms are no different than our offline platforms (i.e. the salon) when it comes to business. They are designed to allow us to engage with current and future customers in a meaningful way. To listen, to have two-way conversations, to solve problems, to build relationships, to create and deliver value. How in the world can someone not see the ROI in that? SMH.

Listen.
I overheard a conversation a while back from a business saying “If we have a business Facebook page, then customers will want to talk to us and ask us questions, and that is a lot of work.”  My response was simple: What could possibly be more important than engaging with and listening to your customers? How awesome is it that they care enough to engage with your business and buy something from you? Think about it.

Care.
I love this infographic that illustrates the trend of the connected customer when it comes to expecting customer care via social platforms. By 2014, refusing to communicate with customers via social channels will be as harmful as ignoring phone calls and emails. WOW. Take a moment and let that sink in.

the social era (infographic discovered on Google courtesy of Bluewolf)

Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics said it best…”The ROI of social media is that your business will still be around in 5 years.” I could not have said it any better.

So remember. Engage. Listen. Care. Three simple yet powerful words to remember, both online and off.

If you ever have any questions for me regarding my blog posts, feel free to post questions to Facebook or email me by clicking here. I will always respond, both online and off. Because I care.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)

Rave Reviews Infographic from Milo

Raving Fans

December 19, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“More contact means more sharing of information, gossiping, exchanging, engaging – in short more word of mouth.”

 

Gary Vaynerchuk

There is no denying the facts. In today’s world, it is so important for local businesses to be engaged on review platforms such as YELP, Google Places, Citysearch and the like. People are talking about you, people are looking for you, your job is to know what they are saying and to be discoverable on the web.

Check out this super cool infographic that shows the facts about how potential new clients use review sites. Powerful stuff, and even more powerful for your business if you pay attention and use these platforms to help generate word of mouth and attract new clients.

Rave Reviews Infographic from Milo(infographic discovered on Google courtesy of Milo)

To learn more about how to claim your YELP page, click here to view our webinar.

If you are looking to engage more deeply in the social + digital web in 2013, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft a plan and learn how to use these platforms to help you achieve your dreams. Click here for more information. We look forward to hearing from you.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)

the-holstee-manifesto

This Is Your Life

December 2, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE

“Life is short, live your dream and share your passion.”

The Holstee Manifesto

 

the-holstee-manifesto(image discovered on Holstee website)

(n) man·i·fes·to
A written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.

Nearly all of us have seen this image floating around our social pages.  But what many of you may not know is the story behind the Holstee Manifesto, which has been shared over 500,000 times and viewed 60 million times online. It started as an idea for a different kind of clothing company, in the height of the recession in May 2009.  The rest, as they say, is history.

A manifesto is a story.  A statement of values and beliefs.  And as we have talked about several times in our blog, webinars and workshops, people buy stories, not things.  Will your story go viral and ignite 500,000 shares and an online business? Who knows. Is it worth taking some time to create yours? Absolutely.

So you may be thinking, isn’t this the same thing as a mission statement? No. Let’s be honest, most mission statements are lame, stale, passionless and old school.  Manifestos are the new mission statement.  They are real, authentic, emotional, relevant, public and immersed in passion.  They are stories. Not just words typed on a piece of paper and filed away.

What is your manifesto? Are your team and clients aware of it? Do you share it on your website, social pages, in your salon or business, your communications and materials?

If you are looking for guidance and inspiration to create your story, we offer one-on-one mentoring to help you craft the ultimate manifesto.  Click here to inquire about our programs.  We are super excited to be part of your growth and success.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)