Social Media
Why reinvent the wheel when you can just swipe a page or two from some of the top brands on social media? PR Daily published an article on tips for business social media. Read it here PR Daily
Everyone knows how to do a simple Google search, but do you know how to read pages in languages you’ve never studied or track down the location of a friend’s picture they took on vacation ages ago? Google wants to show you more tips on how to get the most .. read on psst.. they are offering classes.
A LinkedIn profile is the perfect way to have a web presence with or without a website. People can get to know about you and your book. Yes, it does take time and expertise to set up all the options, but once it is in place, you can update most of it in an hour or so.
LinkedIn is the #1 Professional Networking tool on the Internet. Pinterest is quickly taking over that spot. More than 75% of all books are sold on the Internet. Identify ideas to update your profile by looking at other profiles. Visit linkedin/com/in/carolnaff
Finding new and exciting ways to engage with your customers online can help to revitalize a stale social media marketing campaign. Pinterest, a new image sharing social site, has built quite an online buzz and some brands are using the platform to engage with customers. Check out these great branded accounts:
One of the biggest advantages to Pinterest is the demographic that has made the site popular. The site caters to a female audience (reportedly nearing 70 percent), most of whom are under the age of 45. This much sought after demographic can play a key part in the purchasing decisions of the average American household and your bottom line.
Now you might ask yourself, how on earth can my brand use an image sharing website? When you sell a seemingly uninteresting product or offer a unique service it might be hard to see how you can use a site like this to your advantage. But, with a bit of creativity and research, you’re bound to find a way to use the new platform.
Here are seven creative ways some brands can use Pinterest.
Hold a Contest
One creative way to utilize Pinterest is to hold a contest. Lands’ End recently held a contest it coined: “Pin It to Win It.” Participants were encouraged to browse the Lands’ End site, create pins of items they liked, and the most creative and stylish entries won prizes. This kind of contest can engage your audience and also gets them to your site, browsing your products, and linking to them!
It’s important to review any site’s Terms of Service if you’re looking to run a contest on their platform. As you can see, Lands’ End successfully launched the contest, it’s just up to you to come up with the concept. I could see successful photo hunts/treasure hunts, define your style contests, wedding wish-list contests, and many more!
Conduct Market Research
Have plans to revamp services or products in 2012? Why not test out new products or even your upcoming ad campaign on Pinterest?
Other brands have started using Pinterest as a platform to conduct market research or test product launches. In a recent Mashable post, one creative suggestion was to use Pinterest as sort of a social online focus group to see first-hand reactions, on a platform not as inundated as Facebook.
Feature Customers
One way to appeal to this demographic is to play to their vanity. Feature customers on your Pins, especially if you have a clothing boutique or store. “Customer A paired these shoes, belt and top to create this stylish winter cocktail party look!” Showcase customer purchases that exemplify their style or pin photos of products that go well together and that customer X recommends.
Have a wedding venue? Create pins for each of the events or weddings you hold at your venue. Feature each bride and groom and wedding party and take it that next step by creating a style board of the bride’s wedding style. Pin photos of decorations and elements that made the wedding unique. This will help other prospective brides to see that your venue can be transformed to fit their unique needs.
Present Concepts in a New Way
Did you know Pinterest allows you to add contributors to your boards? Have a few team members put together a storyboard on Pinterest to present to a customer. Or co-Pin with a customer to create a board full of ideas for their next event or shopping spree.
I could see this working especially well for an event planner, photographer, bakery, travel agent, art dealer and gallery, or even a jewelry designer. Each of these professions requires both parties to be in agreement on what is the final product style or idea. If the product or idea is presented in a clean, simple, and creative way, using Pinterest, it can stand a chance of being better received. Not only that, it allows you to creatively engage with customers, and prospects can see too!
Put a Face to Your Brand
Personalizing your brand’s style or what your brand stands for can be a hard thing to do with plain ol’ web copy. Use Pinterest to showcase your style, what makes you different, what your brand stands for, and use it as an opportunity to highlight your employees too. Putting a face to your brand is easily done with Pinterest.
Promote Your Image Content
I recently started a board of all my favorite infographics and a brand can do something similar. Feature all of your image content in one place for easy access.
Infographics, product photos, and your own photography can be featured. Do your research and see how other brands are using Pinterest to share their image content by browsing a few of the brand pages listed above.
Stylists, fashion editors, and personal shoppers can feature their image content to help them sell their services. Their style and ability to put together an outfit can be easily translated through a board on Pinterest.
I could see travel agents using Pinterest to help a customer see the full picture of their luxury vacation. Pin photos of activities in the area, landscape photos, and photos of the hotel lodging and other accommodations. The possibilities really can be endless.
Sell More Products
Add a “$” or “£” to your Pin description and Pinterest will automatically create a price banner for your photo. In the gifts section of Pinterest users are able to see your products, and if you do your job right you just might sell some products – by putting a link to the site where a user can buy your product (duh!). Don’t forget to take down the Pin once you sell the product, if applicable.
Using Pinterest in this way is great for artists, designers, arts and crafts peeps, jewelry designers, and even real estate agents.
Imagine creating a board of a property you’re trying to sell. Take photos of the property and surrounding areas. One idea might be to add photos of possible improvements that can be made to the home or those improvements the seller might be willing to pitch in on. By creating a board of all these items a viewer can quickly and easily see just how amazing the house is (or can be).
Summary
These are just a few of the creative ways brands can use Pinterest to spark interest and engage with customers. And to whet your palate for Pinterest even more, check out the announcement from Facebook last night – 60 new and exciting apps were unveiled including a Pinterest app! If you aren’t convinced Pinterest is here to stay, you certainly should be now.
How is your brand using Pinterest? Do you see additional benefits to using this popular site?
Horse Play Happening
Just recently, Yayoi Kusama jumped off the page of a magazine and got my attention.
Kusama released Happening in 1965. Since 1967 she had a lot of happenings and fashion shows not only in New York but also in Holland and Rome. As she got more active , she was influenced by an anti-vietnam war movement and American Presidential election and social elements were added to her art. She started creating Kusama Dress and textile , which were sold at department stores and boutiques all over the United States. In 1969 she opened her own boutique.
Polka dots, the trademark of “Kusama Happening.” Red, green and yellow polka dots can be the circles representing the earth, the sun, or the moon. Their shapes and what they signify do not really matter. I paint polka dots on the bodies of people, and with those polka dots, the people will self-obliterate and return to the nature of the universe. An excerpt from “Infinity Nets,” Kusama Yayoi Autobiograph. Visit Yayoi Kusama
This question is frequently asked by my clients and alliance partners. You notice that all the ‘big guys’ are using social media. Name just one major company that does not use Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Actually, we should call it ‘business social media.” Add the latest player on the Internet, Pinterest.
According to Jeffrey Gitomer, “Social Media is the new cold call.” In his latest book, Social Boom, Gitomer states, “Business social media is the best, least expensive, most direct way of communicating with your customers to be discovered in the last 100 years. By taking complete advantage of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube, you can promote and propel your business beyond the next level, beyond your competition, and beyond the economy. Now is not the time to go slow. Now is not the time to worry about a few negative comments from customers. Now is the time to capitalize on the opportunity … and become the market leader. Business social media will build your brand, your reputation, and your…
Business social media is valuable to:
1. Find clients and customers
2. Drive traffic to your website
3. Promote a sale
4. Hold a contest
5. Have a Web presence
6. Fill classes and seminars
This is the perfect way to have a web presence without a website. People can get to know you and your service. Yes, it does take time and expertise to set up all the options, but once it is in place, you can update most of it in an hour or so.
Strategy: Connect with me and then contact me to help you with your social media.
Facebook Business Page – facebook.com/#!/marinercompany
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/carolnaff
Pinterest – pinterest.com/carolnaff
“Pinterest is like getting a new magazine in the mail everyday.” The latest social-media craze is a virtual pin board or scrapbook to collect and organize your favorite images and ideas from around the Web. Read all about it at The Denver Post
Facebook has begun rolling out a major redesign to users’ profile pages called Timeline. The new format displays your wall posts and status updates as a giant … New York Times story
Do you have a crystal clear idea of how and where to market? Are getting the results you need? Are you reaching your ideal clients?
What an honor to share my expertise at three different venues in June:
Creative Connections Expo 2011
June 9, 4:00 p.m.
visit the Expo – 2:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Visit Expo 2011 for more information
the Expo is free and open to the public
TACtile Textile Arts Center
Special tips for artists
June 11, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Register and pay at TACtilearts.org
Visual Persuasion MeetUp Group
June 21, 6:30 p.m.
Register at Adobe Users Group MeetUp
This workshop will help you learn how to identify your best low-cost, no-cost marketing opportunities that work. You will learn about dead-ends that steal your time, energy, and income. Carol Naff will teach you how to implement a successful marketing plan that produces results.
Presentation Agenda:
Find your keys to marketing
• See the big picture of how to grow your business
• Develop your marketing hook
• Find your target market
• Identify your best proactive strategies
• Assess the value of online efforts (Web Sites, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blogs)
• Learn how to become known as an expert
You will feel empowered once you know the correct strategies to grow your business!
Carol Naff, Marketing Coach 