Can You Be Amazing?

 

      Every once in a while an article passes thru my feed that stops me in my tracks. Thank you Bekee Mozzillo for this one.  It’s called 7 reasons why you will never do anything amazing with your life and it has some cold hard truths if you’re brave enough to hear them. Written by Raymmar Tirado as a self-proclaimed seeker of truth this in your face rant smacks the reader right between the eyeballs. His challenge is to put down the phone, turn off the TV, look up from the text books and get some real life knowledge, by living. By getting street skills that you only develop by putting yourself on the line and recklessly pursuing your dreams, even if you are the only one that understands them. He has 7 reasons you won’t be amazing.

     Because you have not failed enough.  Putting yourself out there is a scary proposition and sure it is much safer to sit back and watch others. But it is only in the doing and the failing that you learn. Take the risks, learn through failure how to do things better next time.

     Because you care what others think about you. Following your passion is a one lane highway. One so many others are unwilling to navigate out of fear. Fear of being different, being judged, being authentic. You must start to care about the right things, like investing in yourself and your dreams. Stop comparing yourself to others and find the joy in the journey, yours not theirs.

  

    Because you think you are smarter than you are. Just because you have knowledge doesn’t mean you know. Do you have knowledge in the right areas? Have you studied and mastered the right skills? Not what society is force feeding you, real, applicable knowledge. Study life and apply the lessons to better your position in the world.

 

     Because you don’t read.  Everything you need to know and learn is in the written word somewhere. It is NOT on Bravo or reality TV. Turn off the tube or the laptop and research the written word. Learn how others have failed their way to success by studying their journey. We can fail faster by using the failures of others as our Cliff notes. Make it a point to read daily, something in your field or related. Find what it is that if you knew, you could soar.

     Because you lack curiosity. Did you lose your childlike wonder? Do your own research and find your own truths. Scrutinize every bit of media and look behind  it. Every source has an agenda, a belief they want you to embrace. Understand the motive behind the media and form your own knowledge base. Ask yourself why they say so and what if they’re wrong. 

     Because you don’t ask enough questions. You can learn everything you need to know by asking questions, the right questions. Question everything, question yourself and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Don’t ignore the knowledge around you every minute of every day. There are lessons to be had if you are willing to ask the questions. 

     Because you can’t handle the truth. The more I know, the more I learn I don’t know.  We must be willing to admit we don’t know what we don’t know.  The truth is all around us, taunting us to recognize it and embrace it. Learning that we don’t know it all can be liberating, freeing. And understanding this truth can eliminate the one thing standing in our way, ourselves.

Snapchatting Your Story

     We’re always looking for a way to be on the cutting edge and stand out from the pack. I just listened to a salon business podcast about using Snapchat to grow your business. If you have teenagers you already know this social media darling. It has been around since 2011 and like all other platforms high schoolers were the first to use it. Within the last year, like other outlets, businesses have picked up on this unique platform to be able to interact with clients in a much more personal way and offer behind the scenes, in the moment content.  It has become a great way to share your salon story. So you send a photo or video that disappears within 1-10 seconds and once the viewer gets it they can choose to share it respond to it or not. The time sensitive format tends to create a sense of urgency within the viewer to react quickly as snaps only have a 24 hour life span. It is promotion in the moment.  

 

      Integrate Snapchat into your other social media channels to inform people about current events. There seems to be an increase of use in the evening hours and on the weekends. There is also a peek after lunch, when people are hitting that wall and disengage from work to check in with social media for a break. You can set up a series of Snaps, say a gel polish application or nail art in the moment and at the end include a special offer with a code to be used or booked within the 24 hour period. This encourages clients to check in regularly. You can build in promotions or simply inform and educate. Snapchat is a much more personal way to interact with clients. Very few beauty professionals are using Snapchat so you will get a lot of traction becoming an early adopter. Like any other channel you must go all in and devote the time, at least a few months to build a following and to gain interaction. Have fun and you will soon learn what Snaps outperform others. For salon owners with staff , have several staff members Snapchatting your salon at the same time. One person doesn’t have to run it and your clients are getting many different views of what is happening in your salon. Because this is such a visual business it is a great outlet to be using and sharing. It recreates that personal interaction without having to be in the salon. It empowers users to be creative and clients feel that special connection. It’s building relationships, always the goal. Let go of that traditional fear of social media postings and create conversations in a more organic fashion. Content can be constantly created through photos, which get the most engagement. Set up a Snapchat account with a user name and email or phone number and drive people to Snapchat from your other social media sites.

 

      Post things like don’t miss Snapchat Saturdays on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and maybe share things like favorite nail art of the week or best nail restyle. Snapchat events to personally connect with clients that could not be there to make them sure not to miss the next event. Let people k now you are sharing unique information and specials on Snapchat. Gauge your Snapchat success by client response and visits unique to Snapchat offers. You can also track shares and views. Even though the Snapchat demographic is mostly 17-25 it is reaching into the 30 somethings evolving like other sites. You may need to share with your clients how to use it, but then you have empowered them to adopt the new technology and stay on trend, and doesn’t everybody want to keep up? Research also shows early adopters of technology are generally a stronger financial demographic. So take the time, give it three months at least,  have fun  and you can really build your business on Snapchat, cuz that’s smart marketing.
Listen to the podcast here
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