Spooked by Social Media? 3 Tips to Get Your Business Started

In the spirit of Halloween, let’s talk about something that can be really scary…..you guessed it, the world of social media! If your business hasn’t jumped on the hayrack (or bandwagon) yet, have no fear. Here are 3 ways to make sure you don’t get lost in the (corn) maze:

Hide out for a while

Regardless of the pressure you may be feeling to jump on social media, don’t rush into it. The best first step is to not move at all; instead, sit back and observe. What are your key audiences saying about your brand or your industry as a whole? What are you competitors doing online? Just like any offline relationship, a successful social media relationship starts with listening. Once you know where your audiences are most active and what they need, you’ll be better positioned to jump into the conversation at the right time and offer an effective solution that meets those needs.

Carve out your strategy

Let’s get festive and pretend your social media strategy is a pumpkin. What would you carve into it? What story would your design tell? It’s important to have a good understanding of who you are and what makes your business unique. Yes, social media is known for informal interaction, but everything you post should be purposeful with an end goal in mind.  Be sure to outline your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ahead of time to help you measure the success of your social media content and strategy.

Be the friendly ghost

The key to a successful social media presence is transparency. Don’t be afraid to let your followers see through your larger business objectives to build trust and really humanize your brand. Your followers become more than just customers; they become friends, so share content that is driven by more than your company’s sales initiatives. Reward them with exclusive behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, post photos from your office’s fun holiday festivities, and share inspirational stories of your work in the community. Maintaining an online “friendship” with your key stakeholders requires a combination of solving their problems, teaching them new information, motivating them, and celebrating their successes (what I like to call a virtual high-five). Be prepared to invest the time it will take to reciprocate the support your followers are giving you by proactively monitoring their activities and helping them find the tools they need to succeed.

What are your social media fears? Let HON help!

Follow HON on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.

 

Introducing Solve™ – The Answer For Comfort and Versatility

Welcome Solve, our newest addition to the HON winning lineup of seating.  Here are 3 reasons why Solve is a single solution for everywhere and everybody!

Day Long Comfort

People are becoming more and more mobile in today’s evolving office, moving from individual to collaborative work at a moment’s notice.  This new workplace trend requires a high performance seating solution that can intuitively adapt to each user’s body type and movement throughout a space. Solve was uniquely engineered with a responsive design, including a synchronized seat and back that move in harmony with the user to provide continuous and customized comfort. With this high level of ergonomic support, consider the search for a universal task seating solution complete.

Ideas Come in Many Colors

The beauty of Solve is reflected in the design statement it makes for any organization.  Choose between three uniqueback materials, including:

• Ilira®-stretch Mesh Back – a great choice for those looking for a softer, more relaxed feel
• ReActiv™ Back (coming soon!) – streamlined, geometric back for a responsive, firm fit
• Upholstered ReActiv™ Back (coming soon!) – comes in a variety of colors to complement any workplace aesthetic

With three different back materials, three ergonomic controls, optional adjustable lumbar support, and height- and width-adjustable arms, Solve answers the need for a higher level of personalization.

Solve™ featuring the ReActiv™ back – COMING SOON!

Intelligent Design

The Solve chair is smartly appointed to accommodate today’s most demanding environments.  Solve achieves optimal balance, proper alignment and lumbar support to provide continuous comfort.  Backed by the HON Full Lifetime Warranty, Solve answers the need for a seating solution that is more reliable, adaptable and comfortable.

This single family of chairs offers the flexibility to support an entire space, and the durability to last for years to come.

To learn more about Solve, visit the spotlight page at hon.com.

Introducing Quotient™: Where Form And Function Are Perfectly Divided

HON is excited to introduce Quotient, a new seating line that introduces enhanced comfort at an attractive price! As with all HON products, the possibilities are endless with Quotient.

WORKSTATIONS

Whether your workstations are standing height or seated height, Quotient provides essential comfort controls, streamlined visual design and exceptional quality backed by the HON Full Lifetime Warranty. The advanced seat cushion design and ilira®-stretch mesh back provide necessary support for long days at the office. The ilira-stretch material moves in four directions to provide responsive, multi-directional support.

COLLABORATIVE AREAS

Quotient is designed for anyone to achieve their desired posture quickly and easily. The intuitive synchro-tilt control responds to the body’s natural movements, while the arms can adjust up and down or in and out. This flexibility makes Quotient a great option for collaborative environments in which various groups can gather for short periods of time.

Quotient is available in our full line of fabrics and finishes and is simple to order and specify. We hope Quotient will be your new favorite seating option!

To learn more about Quotient, visit the Quotient spotlight page on hon.com.

 

6 Creative Ways to Use HON’s Flock® Collaborative Solutions

Wherever people migrate within a space, Flock is designed to support collaboration and bring people and ideas together. Beyond the traditional workspaces and the beautiful dual fabric options, not to mention comfort, here are 6 more reasons to “fall” for Flock this month:

Co-working Spaces | Because “working alone stinks”

NextSpace, a co-working company offering shared office spaces to young entrepreneurs, leveraged the versatility and mobility of Flock to pave the way for the next generation of workspaces. To learn more about the concept of co-working and to read the full NextSpace case study, click here.

From Santa Cruz to Berkeley, Flock solutions have been supporting NextSpace co-working locations in a variety of applications.

 

Lobby and Welcome Areas | One chance to make a first impression

Flock Collaborative Solutions makes the most of open spaces with a collection of comfortable lounge and guest seating, easier than ever to customize with a wide variety of colors and patterns to match any aesthetic.

Installation by Union Office Interiors and Dingo Capital Advisors in the reception of the Ballard Center in Augusta, Maine.

 

Office Nooks | Big Thinking for Small Spaces

Transform seemingly unusable areas in your office into comfortable and inviting spaces. When designed correctly, these are great change-of-pace spaces that invite interaction and provide a well deserved break from heads down concentration.

New touchdown spaces are always popping up at HON Headquarters in Muscatine, IA.

 

Learning Spaces | Collaborating comfortably and socializing in style

Whether you’re using Flock mini ottomans in a middle school library, or Flock seating and tables in a university commons, Flock’s ability to help people connect virtually anywhere makes it a great solution for all areas of the Education market.

Installed by Perry Office Plus, Two-tone fabric Flock mini ottomans at North Belton Middle School.

Shenandoah University installation by Pifer Office Supply.

 

Press Rooms | Beyond the Tradeshow Booth

Donating furniture for a media interview space is an important, and often overlooked, advertising opportunity while planning tradeshows and other events. Not only does it give you additional product signage and talking points when interacting with the media, but it also helps spread awareness of your brand to more than just the event attendees.

HON partnered with Tag Communications to create this inviting interview space at the 2015 Iowa Association of Business and Industry Conference.

 

Personal Living Spaces | Comfortable and customizable 

Flock’s focused family of products is designed to work together to turn any space into a social, collaborative area – even your home sports center! With unlimited fabric combinations and modular elements that fit together seamlessly, Flock is a great fit for the home, too.

The winner of FSI Office’s Ultimate Fan Cave content won this basement makeover.

Bring Flock home today – even your pets will love it!

 

Visit hon.com to learn more about our Flock collection.

Why do you love Flock? Share your installation success stories or creative application ideas with us!

Not Just Our Favorite Color: 6 Ways HON Stays “Green”

Here at HON, green is so much more than just our favorite color. It all started when we began making card files from pieces of scrap metal almost 70 years ago.

Today, we are just as committed to conserving raw materials and reducing waste in our design, manufacturing, and distribution processes. Here are 6 ways in which The HON Company minimizes its environmental footprint:

1. Recycled Counterweights – Rather than using new plates of steel for counterweights, HON converts waste material known as mill scale from a local steel plant into counterweights. This manufacturing process promotes waste reduction by diverting the mill scale from the landfills. As someone who has spent time working this process, I can tell you it is no easy task!
2. Paint Reclamation – Our powder coat finishes are applied in a chamber that continuously collects any excess paint. HON manufacturing locations recycle more than 27,000 gallons of wet paint each year.
3. Comold – As an alternative to plywood, comold is used in many of the HON seating components. Comold is composed of 97% compressed wood fiber wastes and molded into the structural seating components. This process saves 2,800 trees and diverts nearly 4,000 tons of waste from landfills annually!
4. Disassembly Instructions – HON provides its dealers with disassembly instructions and recycling guidelines to assist with proper disposal of office furniture components at the end of their useful life.
5. Fabric Recycling – We collect our scrap fabric and turn it over to a company that shreds it for use in “shoddy.” Shoddy is the material found in the trunks and floors of automobiles. Annually, we recycle 200-300 bales of fabric scraps – keeping 100 tons of waste out of landfills
6. Bulk Packing – As an ongoing effort, HON is always working to reduce the amount of material used to package products. It is a challenge to minimize packaging while maintaining the protection required by our high quality standards, but we have gotten creative by bulk packing multiple items in a single package.

To learn more about how HON thinks green as well as our company philosophy on sustainability, visit hon.com.

HON wants to know! How does your office stay green?