Blog, Product Reviews
Just when we thought Pinterest was one of the coolest and innovative ways to share content, namely sticky notes and images, along comes…(hear the drum roll)…TRIBERR! I won’t deny that at first, I like some of your reading this, though “What the heck is Triberr? My second thought was, great another app/software/latest & supposed greatest to manage my info/data/life. So I’ll start with the basics and lead you onto a path where I highlight some of the pros and cons voiced about it and from there, it’s up to you.
The blog world according to Triberr needs their help as they tout “IMAGINE…Hundreds of bloggers reading, discussing and sharing your content for free. Join a tribe of related bloggers, and Triberr will import your latest posts for the group to read and share whilst you enjoy theirs. Delight your followers, while growing your reach.” Right off the bat I begin my dissection of their promotion.
#1 Sounds great right – no branding or tattooing. So far, not bad.
#2 Free sounds good-especially as bloggers. Rarely are we paid what we should be for all the painstaking time it takes to research and write solid content
and not just pontificating pointless opinions. We’re on a roll!
#3 Related bloggers – hmmm, smells like a bit of competition & peeking from your desk at my test in school but I get it that sharing is what Triberr is all
about. Feeling a little reluctant though but I’ll go with it for the sake of research.
#4 For the group to read and share – what is my blog, a bag of M&M’s? A comic book? Sharing sounds great if it’s going to get me more hits and exposure
but is their network the kind of network I WANT to share my blog with? Whom else are they sharing my blog and as an extension thereof, my information with?
Ok, now that I’ve gotten out my own issues out about it, here are other relevant and thought-provoking opinions about Triberr.
Pros
-Gives followers more diverse content and increases your reach and expands your business network
-Access great information from others like writers/bloggers that is zero-inned on your particular area of expertise, geography
-A new reader system that could replace Google Reader for many users
-WordPress offers an all-in-one plugin with seamless integration into your blog
Cons
-Some unhealthy practices have included people posting vast amounts of updates each day just to get multiple shares;
-It can be hard to find the right “mesh” and specific but rare topical tribe
-Many question Triberr’s method of tweeting/retweeting posts and it’s reliability
-Tribes can selectively choose not to promote your blogs
For more opinions and information about Triberr see…
http://alltriberr.com/a-guide-to-getting-started-on-triberr/
http://dannybrown.me/2011/05/31/why-im-hesitant-about-triberr/
WHAT ARE OUR THOUGHTS ON TRIBERR?
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On July 12th I was a part of HubSpot’s highly anticipated webinar “The Science of Inbound Marketing” in which they attempted to host the World’s Largest Webinar. Although they had thousands of people online, unfortunately they didn’t make their goal of surpassing the Guinness Book World Record they had last year. One of the big hooks for it was that depending on how often you Tweeted during the broadcast, you could win big discounts on their upcoming seminar and possibly even free attendance which is worth $600 bucks! So I thought AWESOME – I can surely do that. I mean I am a digital age, multi-tasking gal – how hard can this be?
But despite having great minds both behind it and as the slotted hosts/speakers, it was rather overwhelming to me in a myriad of ways and I was sorely disappointed with it. Their format and dissemination of information truly felt like being on the end of a machine gun – and not the one pulling the trigger I tell ya! It was rapid fire information which caused lack of focus, confusion and even fatigue – all typical of complete information overload in a short period of time. Now I don’t want to give the impression that is was all bad. The information itself was extremely illuminating and the slides gave rock-solid statistics and trends. But it was the METHOD of delivery that was like an assault rifle experience. Now I have NO desire to go to war with HubSpot as I truly respect them as a company and industry leader in many ways. But I feel compelled to say why it wasn’t effective for me and I’m sure many others, that were online. Here’s why…
The webinar started off like many do. Introductions from the moderator as to who the talented speaker will be, what their credentials are and what benefits will be graced upon the attendees. So I removed every distraction, ready with hands on keyboard for note-taking and awaited the flow of great information to make me better at Inbound Marketing than ever! Soon after they began I found myself, a self-proclaimed great multi-tasker, losing ground quickly. I mean we’re talking like A.D.D. Multitasking without any Ritalin-Tweet, read, listen, store this in your brain and look at these slides…all at the same time! And as the information infantry moved in, they wanted more Tweets – no 20 isn’t enough to get tickets, now you need 120 during the only ONE HOUR broadcast to win free entry to this gig. The great slides contained a lot of information of which I could only GLEEN the wealth contained therein before they were on to the next. I counted over 20 during the one hour webinar but I am confident of the inaccuracy of that amount because I lost count numerous times as they flew from one to the next. Once again, it wasn’t a “waste of time” kind of experience. It was a “Gee, I wish they had done it differently” so myself and the thousand others could have really reaped the huge benefits ascribed to it. So what have I learned from this?
Bullet Points for Successful Webinars
Doing webinars is a great tool for networking, marketing a product or service and conveying information in a structured way. But I believe that a few things need to be considered for success of the mission:
Informational Impact – If you are considering hosting a webinar, take your time during it to convey the important information in an ear & eye-pleasing way. If possible, offer the audio or full broadcast on a limited replay for the attendees. As I’ve opined above, if a person can’t take notes during the webinar without knowing shorthand or feels frustrated by the speed (or lack thereof), they’ll lose interest, log off before it’s done and may not tune in again.
Allow Absorption Time – You have to disseminate the information in a manner that allows for total absorption via both eye and ear so attendees can formulate solid questions or just make sense of what they are being told or reading. If not, they will not reap the value of your hard work & time as well as your industry expertise.
All the Artillery is Not Always Needed – If you have a lot of information, don’t feel pressured to convey it all in one webinar broadcast. Try breaking your information into several webinars or a multifaceted series. If you are conveying good, solid industry information, you will create a following and people will return for more. What better way to earn some Social Media street cred!
Who Is Your Comrade? –Isn’t creating relationships at the heart of Webinars? I often think it’s about touching an audience with your business prowess, conveying information that creates dialogue with your contemporaries and building your business network.
So at the end of the day, HubSpot is still the amazing inbound marketing strategy powerhouse it was before this famed webinar and more than likely, I will attend several of their webinars in the future. Just maybe armed with a little Kevlar…lol. What about you? If you attended this event or have an opinion on this subject matter, shoot me a comment.
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Maybe you’ve had a successful hair salon for years and your flow of clients is in and out like a Manhattan revolving door. Or perhaps, you just started one and are struggling to pack the chairs and fill the appointment book. Regardless, both need a website. It would seem that the latter would be more in need. But here are the top 5 reasons why both do and how it benefits the one with the successful streaks AND the one that’s a little green at the roots. Because the goals of a hair salon aren’t to create just great client impressions when they walk out the door, but even before they get there or perhaps know that you exist. How so? Read on….
1st Show that You Are a Cut above the Rest ~ Perhaps you can highlight with the talent of Picasso or have the most stylish stylists in a 50 mile radius- if you don’t advertise it, word of mouth is probably not enough to keep your book of business on the incline despite a declining economy. Grooming is one of the “extras” that many people can’t justify when the light bill is due and groceries are in need. In today’s tough economy improving the growth and profitability of your hair salon needs to be a high-priority and this is one tool you’ll want to have in the kit. Having a website shows potential and repeat customers that you really mean business about your business. It reflects another level of professionalism for clients and to the industry. Remember, the goal is to create a great impression on a client both before they come to the salon AND after they see their reflection in the mirror.
2nd Add Social Media Presence to Your Menu ~ Running a hair salon requires interaction with a lot of people and why not let that network work for you. What do I mean by that? I mean getting people to Like You on Facebook, connect with you via Linked-In and chat about you on Twitter. With constantly changing styles, promotions, and products you shouldn’t have a problem finding topics to talk or Tweet about. This is an ever-evolving industry and you can take advantage of that using the free resource of Social Media. Use it to show others that you are tapped into the most current trends in hairstyling, makeup, products or whatever your salon may specialize in. And speaking of specialties, if you have one in particular-like you wax as smooth as a baby’s bottom or have a stylist who coifs with the precision of Edward Scissorhands-then Social Media is the perfect place to create hype about the talents in your establishment.
3rd Great Referencing Tool for the Trade ~ A website is a great place to let your work shine and the words of your clients work for you. Often, word of mouth helps as much as it can hurt. Letting others “hear” from current/past clients does influence decisions…especially in service-providing industries. Most repeat customers would love say how Thomas keeps their true roots invisible or Shelly is a Shear-tress like no other AND see it in print! No to mention that playing to a client’s ego in this manner, is also another way to keep their business at your business. I mean this is an industry of vanity after all…
4th Stylistas, the Cutting Floor to Web Design ~ A great look and feel website should engage visitors and compel them to spend time there. You are in luck in this particular industry because the variety of website designs available can vary as much as shades of blond. But you also have to know which to choose based on your demographics, clientele and other such factors. Don’t forget that when selecting one, it should reflect both your vision for your business and the clientele walking through its doors. Keeping this in mind, don’t fail to have fun with it. I mean it isn’t a law firm for goodness sake-so you can push the envelope of creativity without seeming over-the-top.
5th Picture Perfect Coiffing & Selling ~ Photo Galleries aren’t fabulous only in SoHo but can be just as spellbinding on the www while exhibiting your stylists’ work. There are various choices to do so…like a slide show, a flip/style online book or even a Virtual Tour of your Salon while talent’s in motion. It will be engaging and be a non-traditional way of showing off your talented team.
Decide Who Will Make the Cut ~ If don’t have a salon website already but are now convinced you need one, here are some considerations when choosing a website designer and/or company:
Find one that you feel understands your salons demographics and how to reflect it on the website.
Know that imagery will be crucial for your website. So make sure that you have “web-worthy” photographs to showcase the talents of your team and use stock photography where needed to beautify the site.
Make sure they will write your content with commonly used keywords that are frequently used when searching for hair salons, especially in your geographic region.
At Design Theory, we’d love to help you take your business to the next level of design and success. As such, we now have great packages 
specifically designed for hair salons that will help you blow away your competition.
Just when we thought Pinterest was one of the coolest and innovative ways to share content, namely sticky notes and images, along comes…(hear the drum roll)…TRIBERR! I won’t deny that at first, I like some of your reading this, though “What the heck is Triberr? My second thought was, great another app/software/latest & supposed greatest to manage my info/data/life. So I’ll start with the basics and lead you onto a path where I highlight some of the pros and cons voiced about it and from there, it’s up to you.
