Liz King Events: Social Media Event Planning Specialists

If you've been missing LKE posts over the past few days, it's because we've been socked by the historic snowstorm in October! Here in New York, thousands are still without power. However, I wanted to post quickly and share a company doing amazing things. Check out this customer service. And, if you're in the area, think of them next time you're looking for one of the best massages! I've been here and they are truly amazing, all around!

Is it Cold in your Home? No Power? No Hot Water?
Richardscottsalon.com

Once again we would like to offer a helping hand and make the difference in our community. After this massive snowstorm so many of us still are without power, without hot water, and in some cases damage to our homes.

We have 4 showers and 10 shampoo sinks that are available to anyone that wants to feel clean and fresh. We invite anyone that is in need of assistance to warm up, shampoo their hair or take a hot shower in our spa. We will even charge your phones, computers and blow your hair out.

NO APPOINTMENTS NECESSARY
Again it's all free of charge.
Good luck and let's hope for a speedy repair to the community.

Richard S. Mason
Joseph Norris

  I was going through a stack of business cards I've collected over the past few weeks recently. I was trying to figure out a way to make sense of all these pieces of paper, but that's an entirely different issue to discuss. What I noticed is that in a stack of about 100 business cards, there were 7 cards with the exact same template - the one pictured here. All had the "Vistaprint" words on the back. It led me to share this post. In order to be successful, business owners need to take two things very seriously. THE POWER OF DIFFERENTIATION How will I remember you if your business card looks the same as everyone else? In an ever-expanding world, branding is more important than ever. You're competing for eyeballs, but more importantly, for memories. You want people to get a sense of what you do by looking at your business card. You want it to be unique so that people will be able to pull it out of a stack. That being said, being TOO unique is never a good thing either. You don't want to have an odd shape that will get lost in the stack. INVESTMENT I completely understand that small businesses are working on tight budgets and have very limited resources, but the information and emotion you convey on a business card is perhaps more important than the card itself. If a person can't tell by looking at it why they need to contact you, the phone number and email become irrelevant. While free is always nice, certain things are worth paying for. I believe you should try and practice what you preach so I'm attaching my current business card below. I'm very open to your feedback so please let me know where you see room for improvement. The image on the left is a bit brighter here for some reason, but the colors do match the back of the card. Thanks!      

It seems all I hear these days is how to use technology and social media to brand your business for free. I actually spend a lot of time talking about it myself. In fact, I'm getting tired of having to talk about it!

It occurred to me over the past few weeks that regardless of how much "free" marketing there is out there, there's still a huge value in making a financial investment in your branding efforts. For companies that are barely scraping by or just starting out, social media can be an amazing tool, but it can't be the only thing you rely on. Making a financial investment in your branding is good for a couple of reasons.

Financial Investment = Personal Investment
Taking out the credit card (does anyone use a checkbook these days?) to pay for a $1000 ad takes some guts. No matter how rich you are, seeing money going out is always less enjoyable than seeing it come in. The mental decision that it takes to make that payment creates a link to action. Getting free marketing often makes it harder for us to value it and contribute to it's success. Whether for good or bad, making a payment often kicks us into action.

Read More from Liz King at Icon Presentations

I'm sitting here in LAX ready to head home to NY after a long week in LA. It has been such a blissful week - full of fun, exploring and even some work. We did a bit of traveling around the LA/Anaheim area and there is one thing I found. I didn't even know I was trying to find it, but it's the same thing YOU were looking for. The key to every good and lasting business - good customer service. 

They say Disney is the happiest place on earth, in large part because of their customer service. But it wasn't just Disneyland employees who went out of their way to offer friendly conversations and more help than we knew to ask for. Nearly everyone we met went above and beyond for us and it was so truly noticeable. I kept remarking to Ed about how wonderful all the people were and that's when I realized how important service really is. I've talked about it before, but it's been rare for me to experience it so consistently, especially being from New York. 

The next time you're interacting with a client (or, anyone, as a matter of fact) slow down and assess how you can help. What can you do to go above and beyond? What can you do to make an impression that will last? What has been your best customer service experience?