Educational Consulting in the age of Instagram

“Let’s see what TripAdvisor says.”
 
That is a familiar refrain in my house.
 
We love to travel, and we love to go places that are a bit off the beaten path, so we lean heavily on sites like TripAdvisor to help us see through the glossy webpages and promotional videos resorts and hotels put together. 
 
You see, at heart, my wife Lauren is a researcher.  She loves to compare different hotels and packages.  She will pour over websites and will read countless reviews.  She gets more done on her phone and laptop in an hour than I would get done in days of old school phone calls.  And, as it turns out Lauren is in good company.  According to Pew Research the trend of using our phones for applications beyond calling and texting is only increasing.

















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​In short, our cell phones, for better or for worse, are quickly becoming the first place we, as a society, turn for information.  As a small business owner, I say it’s time to embrace the change. 
 
If you’ve been following the rebrand and relaunch of Loeta, you will notice that we have embraced the impact that new technology and social media play in today’s world.  We are using Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube and we post regularly on all of these platforms. Additionally, we embrace Facetime and Skype to meet with clients, and we not only post videos on social media, but we also have linked them into our website.  These are all platforms which take me out of my comfort zone a bit, but it’s the way that people research now. In short, it’s the most effective way for us to spread our message of help and support. 
 
All that being said, it is very important to me that we don’t forget the importance of the old school way of doing things.  We absolutely value the importance of visiting programs, and meeting people face to face.  We know that a video can’t compare with a handshake, and that there is a lot to be said about getting to a program or meeting a person and going with a gut feeling. 
 
To us, it’s all about balance.  Sure, some people are going to find out about what we do and the services we provide through more traditional means, but if we are going to get the word out to the families and individuals who desperately need our help in finding a safe environment where they can help themselves get to the next  step on their path, then we must, in short, be where they look in those desperate and dark times. 
 
It’s streaming videos on Instagram coupled with sitting down for a cup of coffee. 
 
Oh, in case you were wondering, Lauren is batting 1.000 on her vacation spots!
 
 
 

 

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