A Truly Unique Barber Shop Experience
“So how do you want it cut?” Peter asks as I sit in the chair.
“Short on the sides and the top, but watch out for the cowlicks in the back,” I tell him.
“I’ll make sure those really stick up for you.” Peter jokes.
I am not a snob when it comes to getting my hair cut. I’ve had the fancy-pants haircuts from the salon where they massage your head, wash your hair thrice (once before the cut, once after, plus conditioner) and I have even had my fair share of “supercuts” where my hair was buzzed with a razor in McDonald-esque precision. But I have never had an experience quite like the haircut I just received from Peter.
The haircut doesn’t look much different than any other, but the process was fundamentally different because of Peter.
“So how did you hear about us?” Peter asks.
1. He starts by throwing the black cape over me and putting those little protectors over my collar- so it doesn’t get hair on it.
“Actually I was just driving home from lunch, needed a haircut, and yours was the first place I saw.” I tell him.
“We have been in this same location for 30 years.” Peter explains.
2. He proceeds to cut my hair using a combination of 2 different electric razors and 3 different types of scissors, with the best part still to come.
“So I’m guessing this is your place?” I ask.
“Yep, me and Vince over there own the place.”
“Are you from Buffalo?” I ask, knowing the answer since EVERYBODY in Buffalo- except for me and my family- are from Buffalo.
“My family has lived in Buffalo and Western New York for generations.”
3. After I think he is finished with the haircut, he pushes the button on a very old looking mechanical shaving cream dispenser that nosily pumps out shaving cream (the kind they used back when clients came in for a Sunday morning shave and haircut Peter tells me) and he uses the cream to plaster my ears and neck- then he pulls out a straight razor and makes sure that my haircut is completely clean.
“They don’t offer a shave and a haircut anymore, not even sure if it is allowed.” Peter adds.
4. After he cleans off the shaving cream, Peter applies the aftershave- which stings a little, but smells like cologne from a different era.
“Great food here in Buffalo,” I add.
“That’s because the restaurants are privately owned and operated, they actually want you to come back,” Peter explains to me. “Whenever I travel outside of Buffalo, all I see are chains.”
“There is just something different about the Ma and Pop restaurants.” I say, as Peter nods his head.
5. He finishes off my neck and ears with a light powder
“How does it look?” Peter asks me as he shows me the back with a large hand mirror.
“Great.” I answered, a little disappointed the haircut was coming to an end.
6. To clean up he starts with the light brush that takes all of the excess hair from my face and head. Then he pulls out a larger brush that looks like a mini broomstick and after removing the tabs from my collars he sweeps all of the excess hair from off my shirt.
“How much?”
“That will be $17″ Peter tells me as I quickly hand him the money with a tip. Peter then hands me a business card, but he has to write his first name on it with a pen.
“We do accept appointments as well,” he tells me.
“Good to know, I will definitely be back.” I tell him as I leave the place.
It was a truly unique experience- which is not something you come to expect from a barber shop. Are your clients getting a truly unique experience from you? Do you offer the extra details like Peter did? Or are you in a rush to get to the next client? I stumbled upon this Barber Shop completely by accident, but I guarantee they have won a customer for life. How can you make sure that your service creates a similar response? How can you make sure that your customers are completely delighted when they finish working with you?
We hear a lot about streamlining the business process and taking the individual out of the equation. But this strategy doesn’t work very well at barber shops, and it certainly doesn’t work in the social media world. My friend Tom Larsen recently said to me, “Online it seems a lot like the 1950′s where people used to sit on the front porch and chat with the neighbors as they passed by.”
Or perhaps like the barber shops back in the 1950′s? I thought as I drove back from getting my haircut. Peter is a Linchpin, as Seth Godin describes them in the book Linchpin. People or businesses that offer that kind of service and experience will never lack clients that are delighted not only to pay the bill, but to add a tip.
Adrian Dayton is a New York lawyer, social media consultant, and author of Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition. Join him ever Friday morning for his FREE conference calls as he learns from professionals around the country who are providing unique experiences to their customers. Adrian gets his hair cut at Avenue Hair Parlour, 2199 Kensington Ave. Amherst, NY 14226. (716)839-1020 Be sure to ask for Peter.
Leveraging Social Media to Get Major Publicity
It was a warm sunny afternoon in December when I first met Ken Colburn. Since we were in Pheonix, it came as no surprise to me that Ken pulled up in a red convertible 68 Camaro. He was wearing sunglasses and trying every bit to play the movie star. We sat down at a great Thai restaurant that Ken had recommended and had a great meal where I learned all about how he has built a massive data recovery franchise with stores all over the country.
“How do you get so much publicity?” I asked Ken, knowing that besides having a weekly show on CNN he was also regularly quoted and interviewed in major news publications all over the country.
“With budget cuts, they’re under-staffed, overwhelmed and in need of fresh content almost daily. Especially nowadays, they don’t have time or money to look for sources, so you have to do is make their job easy.”
“And how do you do that?” I asked curiously.
“For starters you need to check out http://muckrack.com/ – an awesome site that aggregates the Twitter messages of journalists all over the world.”
With just that link I have been able to start conversations with multiple journalists. Muckrack aggregates Twitter messages or “tweets” by BEATS. World, US, Politics, Sports – really whatever you like. Think of this as a cocktail party attended by every journalist you could ever hope to meet. Now you just need to say something interesting enough to get their attention and join their conversation. This may be no small task. Perhaps you could tell them your child has flown away on giant balloon? (I wouldn’t recommend that approach.) It is your job though to figure out ways to engage them, or answer questions that they are asking. Monitor the conversations, and sooner or later you can find an in.
Now that I have monitored http://muckrack.com and started conversations with journalists, I want more. I have asked Ken to come on this Friday’s conference call and share 4 Tips to Getting Major publicity. During this call you will learn how Ken got on CNN, and a number of other pointers to help you build your online reputation. Perhaps in the next call after that we can find out where he got his muscle car and sunglasses.
1. Use Twitter & MuckRack.com to see what is trending & to pitch story ideas as they are looking for you.
2. Subscribe to services like HARO (http://helpareporter.com) & Pitchrate (http://pitchrate.com)
3. Follow-up but don’t be a pest; the media lives moment to moment & if your story isn’t in that moment, it won’t get picked up.
4. If you want to be on TV, start building a library on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. for practice and exposure.
This Friday morning at 10:00 AM EST, Ken Colburn, will be joining us on the Weekly Voir Dire. CLICK HERE to sign up for the free call. Spaces are limited, so be sure to call in at least 5 minutes early.
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Spam Evolves: Watch Out
A few weeks ago I wrote a simple blog post “How do I get more comments on my blog?” My brother Damian Dayton wrote this thoughtful reply in the comments section:
I forget about this often, but when I teach, I spend more time thinking about the questions I will ask the students than the material I teach.
questions lead to engagement. I forget this when I am blogging. Hey, Why didn’t you ask a question in your blog post.
P.S. great use of Old 97’s.
I approved the comment, it didn’t have perfect punctuation, but it came from my brother, so I quickly approved it. A few days later, I had a new comment awaiting approval (always a nice sign) except this time it was from someone named “Karen” who has a goal setting website (which I will not link to here for obvious reasons.) What did she have to say about my blog post?
I forget about this often, but when I teach, I spend more time thinking about the questions I will ask the students than the material I teach.
questions lead to engagement. I forget this when I am blogging. Hey, Why didn’t you ask a question in your blog post.
P.S. great use of Old 97’s.
The second comment was EXACTLY the same as my brother’s previous post, and if I hadn’t read it carefully I might have just approved it out of habit. This spam comment is obviously created by some sort of automated SPAM bot that copies comments, and then automatically posts them under another name. Since then I have had 8 more comments that were similar trying to get me to link to different websites.
There are a couple of problems with these new “spam” comments. First, Worpress doesn’t recognize them as spam comments because they seem legitimate- so they need to be moderated. Second, if you have somebody else moderating your blog (that moderates many blogs) then these messages will likely slip through sometimes. Be on the lookout.
There is one other form these “spam” comments take. They will also quote Twitter comments about your post, and then link back to the their site. Don’t approve these! It will only encourage those dastardly spammers.
3 Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Social Media
Have you ever listened to NPR for so long that the news broadcast is played a second time? I always change the channel, because A. I have already heard all of the news and B. it is just kind of annoying hearing the same voice, same tones, and same jokes over again. This past year I have been sharing the message of social media with all types of lawyers- from large law firms in the US to boutique firms in Australia. The funny thing is, they all the same doubts, the same reservations, and some of the same excitement. Hearing these same doubts over and over can get as annoying as a repeated NPR broadcast, but there is something that makes it all worth while. There is a moment when it finally clicks for professionals- where they no longer view social media as a toy or a novelty. It suddenly becomes real for them, a powerful device for engagement and communication. When they finally have this “aha” moment- that is something I really enjoy. If lawyers, or really any professionals are going to get to that point, they have to first overcome their doubts and fears.
Here are three powerful concepts that every lawyer must grasp before they can arrive at that “aha”moment. (These brief excerpts from Social Media for Lawyers: The New Frontier by Carolyn Elefant and Niki Black)
ONE: SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT A FAD OR A FRIVOLITY, BUT A PARADIGM SHIFT SWEEPING BOTH THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND SOCIETY AT LARGE.
TWO: A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IS A TOOL FOR ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS AND NOT, IN ITSELF, A GOAL.
THREE: USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN’T TRANSFORM OTHERWISE APPROPRIATE CONDUCT INTO SOMETHING UNETHICAL.
While these seem like simple principles, they are barriers that keep the skeptics from appreciating the value of social media. Once a skeptical lawyer experiences the thrill of making a great connection- or receive a phone call from a major news publication as a result of their online activities, they won’t ever want to give it up. How can we help those in our organization to get there?
This Friday morning at 10:00 AM EST, Carolyn Elefant, co-author of Social Media for Lawyers: The New Frontier, will be joining us on the Weekly Voir Dire to discuss her new book and how you can help your firm or organization get started reaping the benefits of social media. CLICK HERE to sign up for the free call. Spaces are limited, so be sure to call in at least 5 minutes early.
Paid Twitter Ads, Spice, and Real Time Search
He who controls the spice, controls the universe! -Baron Vladamir Harkonen, Dune
In the classic science fiction novel, Dune by Frank Herbert there is one substance more valuable than anything else. (please forgive the nerdiness of the analogy) The spice on the planet Arrakis, which prolongs life and makes space travel possible. Is there anything on Earth as valuable? The only thing that comes close is INFORMATION- and time and time again over the last year Twitter has proven to be the best source of real time information. Whether it is breaking news of Micheal Jackson’s death, an earthquake in Haiti, or gossip about Justin Bieber- Twitter is scooping all of the major news stations in real time. This is an impressive feat by Twitter, but how does controlling all of this information make money?
After years and years of not making a single dollar, Twitter announced last week that they were in fact interested in cash. This entrepreneurial endeavor is taking the form of paid ads- of which there are two types. First, paid ads that will be shown on the top of the organic results through searches (like those that can be seen on http:// Search.Twitter.com) and second, embedded within conversations. Think about this second one as an interruption of your Twitter conversations with an advertisement. All of these paid tweets will be marked clearly as ADVERTISEMENTS.
Advertising tweets will have far less credibility and will be much more likely to be ignored, and here’s why. Any company can currently use any number of free apps to search conversations and reply to them in real time (join the conversation) without having their tweet marked ADVERTISEMENT. This could even be automated by the companies, for free, with the right applications.
One thing that people on Twitter hate is SPAM. Ads for teeth whitening, FOREX automation, get rich quick schemes, and the new Donald Trump MLM (which apparently will create a larger GDP than the People’s Republic of China). These advertisements are not only annoying, but they lose all credibility in the minds of readers because they are so obviously SPAM. Why will these automated Twitter advertisements have any more credibility? They won’t.
In addition, why does Twitter have to mark them as advertisements? As long as the the tweets are being created in a way that follows the terms and conditions of Twitter (which Twitter could adjust in any way they like), they shouldn’t have to be marked that way. The fact that they are advertisements will be obvious to anybody that clicks on the profile of the individual or company sending the message.
I’m really not bugged by the Twitter advertisements at all. In fact I don’t even notice them. That is exactly the problem, if we never see them, and nobody ever clicks on them, how is this business model going to sustain a company that believes itself to be worth $1 Billion? Paid ads won’t begin to get them there.
As Google has proven already to those who doubted them, he who controls the information, controls the world. Remember when Google had their IPO? Everybody said, how can a company go public, if all they do is offer free searches? It is all about the value of the right information- and how that information is organized. Twitter controls a massive amount of real time information, superior in many ways to the info that Google handles- there have got to be some powerful ways to monetize that. Time for Twitter to be a little more ambitious. If they want to take over the world- it will take more than just a few Twitter ads to do it.
How Do I Get 100,000 Hits in 2 Weeks?
This morning on my Friday morning conference call we will learn how Kineto Pictures was able to produce this music video on a shoestring budget, and have it viewed over 100,000 times in just a couple of weeks.
The video is awesome, but the real secret behind the success? Engaging a single thought leader online in promoting the video. Her name is Michelle Phan. Hear Damian Dayton, owner of the production studio Kineto Pictures, break down what is so special about her Youtube videos, and some powerful video tips that can help you create effective videos, even if you are just shooting from your office.
Link 1: http://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan
Link 2: http://www.youtube.com/user/MichellePhan#p/u/0/Bu836l-AlAo
Link 3: http://bit.ly/9CC3Jw (lawyers using video effectively)
CLICK HERE to sign up for this morning’s call
Once A Day- The Rainmaker’s Rule
I met Nick as I walked down to the take the ferry in to Sydney. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going, so he was nice enough to guide me to the dock. He was wearing a suit, I was wearing a suit, and we were about the same age- so we quickly became friends. Nick is a highly successful architect working in downtown Sydney, and running into him turned out to be a serendipitous occurrence, a happy accident. Not only did Nick walk me to the Ferry, but once we landed at the Sydney Harbour I had some extra time so he gave me a walking tour of some of the most spectacular architercture in Sydney. He asked me about what I did, so I told him about Social Media for Lawyers, and he was very curious as to how social media might help someone like him bring in more business. So I laid out some of the basics for him. He then taught me something very valuable:
“I just try and do ONE business development activity every day. Whether it is a coffee with a potential client, meeting someone for breakfast, or even just a simple phone call.”
When he said this, it stopped me in my tracks. Sure it was simple, no fancy technology required, but what he shared with me is a routine and a process for business development. He schedules it every single day. Professionals interested in bringing in business, or “making rain” would be benefited greatly if they would schedule time for at least one business development activity every day.
There is great power in process. What is your process? What are you doing every day?
Adrian Dayton is a New York Attorney and author of the book Social Media for Lawyers: Twitter Edition Each Friday you can join the conversation on his FREE Friday conference calls to learn how to bring in more business. This week the topic is “How Professionals Can Unlock the Power of Online Videos” CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CALL
5 L’s to make your onLine videos LIVE LONGER
by Guest Blogger Damian Dayton
CLICK BELOW TO HEAR WEEKLY VOIR DIRE CONFERENCE CALL WITH DAMIAN
People spend a lifetime perfecting video techniques, but there are a few simple things that you can do to make you web video look and sound better.
LIGHT
People always want to know what camera to use. Our company was in business for a year before we bought our first cameras. A WHOLE YEAR! but we did have lights, and while we’ve bought and sold a few cameras and are about to buy a few more. We still have, and use the same lights, but we keep adding more. You don’t have to, and probably shouldn’t buy a complex light set up unless you want to get into production full time. But you want to ask this: Is there enough light? and is it flattering?
If I am watching a dark video it makes me feel claustrophobic. Most importantly it makes it hard to see the eyes. When you are meeting with someone in person you want to see their eyes, and if you are using web video you want to connect with people. If the light source is too strong, you will create harsh shadows , usually behind your head, or under your nose.
For beginners, I recommend using natural indirect light. Sit next to a window so the light comes in from the side. Natural light is usually the most flattering (fluorescent light is usually the least). If that is not an option, you can use the lights you already have, but consider buying something like a cheap Chinese lantern and use it off of camera, to the side. It should give you a softer diffused light.
Without professional lighting and cameras your video will probably trend towards “too dark” but using some of these tips will help people see you better and feel more comfortable. What you are trying to do here is not look too slick, but making them feel more like they are listening to you talk, and not a grainy video.
LENGTH
I know you want to cover a lot of stuff. but on the web, keep it short. it’s better to have a bunch of short video that one long one.
I recommend that clients keep their videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes at the maximum. Any more and people lose interest. Working in Children’s television we learned that people tune out quickly and there is no place this is more true than the internet. The plus side of keeping it short is that it makes you edit, and focus on key points. Then if you need to create more videos, you have more content on the web that all points back to each other.
LOLS
Everyone wants a video that will “go viral”, unless you are willing to do something ridiculous, painful, embarrassing, or a combination, this probably won’t happen. If you are really interested in this, we can talk, but it’s not as easy as those Chronicles of Narnia guys make it look.
If you are not a professional comedian you will probably not make people laugh. Even if you are a professional comedian you will probably not make people laugh, at least not enough to make people want to pass along your video. However, that doesn’t mean don’t joke around. Since your video is not professional, don’t try to act to stuffy. Be yourself. Be willing to laugh at yourself this will make you approachable. Even a failed joke reveals humanity and accessibility.
(To hear the other two L’s join us this Friday morning at 10:00 AM EST for a free conference call, “How to Make Your Video Look Professional, Even if You Can’t Afford to Hire One.” CLICK HERE to sign up for this Friday’s call.)
LASTLY
Think about where you want to host your video. You can use a flash player on your website (if you do, I recommend an H.264 compression for the best results) or you can embed video from an existing video site. For me I think it is the difference between putting a billboard in a suburban neighborhood versus along an interstate. Sites like Youtube and Vimeo have great compression options and people sometimes forget that they are great social media sites as well. That is where people go first when they are looking for video, so I recommend hosting your video there in addition to wherever else you have it, both sites also offer privacy options if you DON’T want everyone to see it.
Remember, what goes on the internet, STAYS on the internet.
Damian Dayton is a founding member of Kineto Pictures which has produced video for companies all over the world including Microsoft, Chevron, and Z-Line Design. In addition Damian was writer and director of the Emmy nominated children’s series “Signing Times.” You can learn more about Kineto Pictures at http://kinetopictures.com or find him on Twitter @damiandayton. Damian will be joining his younger brother Adrian on this Friday’s conference call to answer any questions you might have about creating your own video. Feel free to email questions in advance to info@adriandayton.com
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5 L’s to make your onLine videos LIVE LONGER
by Guest Blogger Damian Dayton
(Damian will be joining us this Friday morning at 10:00 AM EST for a free conference call, “How to Make Your Video Look Professional, Even if You Can’t Afford to Hire One.” CLICK HERE to sign up for this Friday’s call.)
People spend a lifetime perfecting video techniques, but there are a few simple things that you can do to make you web video look and sound better.
LIGHT
Nobody wants to watch a video that looks like it was filmed in a cave. You want soft, filtered light, preferably natural light
LENS
The lens is the eye of your audience. If you are using a web cam, look your audience in the eye, not in the monitor (it will look like you are staring at their chest). If you can possibly afford it, use a higher end camera with interchangeable lenses. The more light you can get in the lens, the closer it will approximate the human eye, and you want to make your video feel like your audience is meeting you, not watching your amateur video.
LOCATION
Think about where you are. It should be a space that feels like you. and it should be well lit, but have less light than you have on your face. Stay away from a hanging sheet. but most of all remember ABAWW (anything but a white wall)
LENGTH
I know you want to cover a lot of stuff. but on the web, keep it short. it’s better to have a bunch of short video that one long one.
I recommend that clients keep their videos between 30 seconds and 2 minutes at the maximum. Working in Children’s television taught me that you can’t keep interest up for much more than 3 minutes, and that goes double true for the internet. Most people are watching from work or home and will decide to tune in or out in the first 30 seconds.
LOLS
You don’t have to be hilarious, but be yourself. Most of all, be willing to laugh at yourself. it gives everyone else permission to laugh along. You probably won’t “go viral” but you will make your audience feel like they are getting to know YOU and make them a little more comfortable.
LASTLY
Think about where you want to your video to live. I recommend the most popular video sites, youtube and vimeo. Both allow embedding into your website. If you only host the video on your website, then you have just created an expensive billboard that can only go up next to your office. Youtube and Vimeo are social media sites as well as places to host video. both have privacy settings, but remember this:
“what goes on the internet, STAYS on the internet.” And that can be your biggest blessing as well as your biggest curse.
Damian Dayton is a founding member of Kineto Pictures which has produced video for companies all over the world including Microsoft, Chevron, and Z-line Design. In addition Damian was writer and director of the Emmy nominated children’s series “Signing Times.” You can learn more about Kineto Pictures at http://kinetopictures.com or find him on Twitter @damiandayton. Damian will be joining his younger brother Adrian on this Friday’s conference call to answer any questions you might have about creating your own video. Feel free to email questions in advance to info@adriandayton.com
Think Small (the new BIG thing)
I woke up this morning frustrated. You know that kind of half awake state when something is troubling you? I tossed and turned until finally I decided- time to get up and write. 
My frustration is that the power of social media is not sinking in for law firms or for lawyers. To intensify this frustration, many of the lawyers that start blogging and even start using social media to build their practice never get much traction. These law firms and lawyers need to realize one thing:
You can’t gain credibility in a community you are not willing to participate in.
How do politicians gain credibility in offline communities? They knock on doors, speak at the Rotary Club, and join the PTA. How do you gain credibility on the online world?
Start having conversations.
This last month in Australia I was able to have a conversation with many of the major firms and over and over I heard the same thing:
“Our firm has a Twitter account.” (as in a single Twitter account for over 1,000 attorneys at one firm I spoke with)
“We are considering starting a blog.”
and then the most frustrating,
“We don’t trust our attorneys online.”
Law firms (and many lawyers) are thinking about social media the wrong way. This isn’t about “going viral” or being the next big thing. Social media is about grass roots. It is about a hundred different individual conversations. I guarantee your marketing staff doesn’t have the time or the resources to be approving each one of those micro-conversations.
Grass roots efforts can’t be micro-managed
Here are five ways lawyers can think small and enjoy big gains from social media:
1. Knock on doors.
Okay, so you don’t actually need to knock on doors, but you do need to pick up the phone. Find allies in the online world.
Obama had time to talk to individuals, do you?
Have a phone conversation with the contacts you are making online. Show sincere interest in what they are doing, find out what their goals are, and then briefly share your own. It isn’t just about who you touch online, but also about who THEY touch. You will never know this until you talk to them.
2. Face-to-face is still best.
The #1 doubt I hear from lawyers hesitant to use social media is this:
“We prefer to do our business development face-to-face.”
Absolutely right. There is no substitute for getting out there and pressing the flesh. But how do you meet new contacts? Who goes to the cocktail parties and conferences in your city? Isn’t it a lot of the same people? Aren’t you somewhat bound by your limited geography? Social media opens you up to a whole new crowd. Meet them online, then connect face-to-face as soon as possibly.
3. Comment on other people’s blogs.
Find the best writers in your area- what are they writing about? Share your perspective. If the readers of your comments like what you are saying- they may come check out your blog. Even if they don’t, at least you have shown you aren’t only interested in your own content.
4. Share other people’s quality articles through Twitter, LinkedIN, or even Facebook.
When you share a fellow blogger’s content, you win a new friend. Seems simple enough, right?
Unfortunately, Law Firms are the biggest offenders here- broadcasting self congratulatory information about the firm and their lawyers. If your Twitter account only advertises what your lawyers are doing and writing, this is tantamount to walking into a crowded bar and yelling:
“Look at me, I’m awesome!” and then turning around and walking out of the bar. Please don’t be that guy.
To gain credibility online you need to distribute great content- regardless of who the original author is and then stick around to be part of the conversation.
5. Stick around.
It takes time to build relationships. Using social media for business development is much faster than traditional methods but it doesn’t happen overnight. Remember, this is a marathon and not a sprint. Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals for your social media use. Then follow up with those contacts you make.
I guarantee that making these simple changes to your social media strategy will make a measurable difference in the results for your firm and your attorneys. If nothing else, it will help me sleep better at night.
