Posts Tagged ‘Pinterest’
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
Flickr - methodshop.com
In January of this year, I wrote about the “new” thing in social, Pinterest. If you weren’t ready to jump on the bandwagon then, by now, we all know Pinterest is hot and isn’t showing any sign of cooling off! According to one source, total unique visitors to Pinterest increased by 2,702 percent since May 2011.
Most of us realize the uses and advantages for individuals, but what about businesses? Nearly 30 percent of Pinterest users have an annual household income of $100,000 and, according to Search Engine Journal, Pinterest referrals spend 70 percent more money than visitors referred from non-social channels. If that doesn’t convince you, then how about this: 69 percent of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they’ve bought or wanted to buy, compared with 40 percent of Facebook users, according to All Facebook. And, Pinterest itself has recently launched business pages, demonstrating that they plan to become more business-friendly.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the legalities of pinning—possible copyright issues—and those of us in media-related roles are especially cautious here. The Social Media Law Blog, advised “Users, businesses included, who use Pinterest carefully should be able to navigate the waters successfully and open their products, services, creations, and inspirations up to the rapidly growing base of Pinners. Like any new online service there is some uncertainty and some risk, but by exercising care, much can be mitigated.” For more legal-related information, Ad Age posted a video with a mini-law lesson from Brian Heidelberger (partner and chair, Advertising, Marketing and Entertainment Law Practice of Winston & Strawn).
So, now you’re convinced, but where do you start?
- Listen. Follow other brands that are similar to you. This will help you see what resonates and what doesn’t.
- Then, when you’re ready, you might begin by putting a Pinterest button on your website. This is the easiest way for people to pin your images so they lead back to the source—you.
- You’ll also want to set-up a variety of boards in your business account so that the content is well organized. Keep in mind, according to a number of sources, you have only four seconds to capture your (potential) customer’s attention! Take care that your images are of good quality and the links are direct. Again, make it easy for them—don’t make them hunt.
As with any content, you’ll want to cross-promote via your other social channels, but be wary of “content overload.” You don’t want to train your followers to NOT pay attention to your tweets, posts, etc. And, like your other channels, be a participant—not a pusher—comment and follow-back. Basically, be a good social citizen.
Are you using Pinterest for your business or your client’s business? Do you have tips (or cautionary tales) that would help our readers? Please share!
Tags: Ad Age, advertising, All Facebook, Brian Heidelberger, BurrellesLuce, campaigns, communications, Entertainment, Fresh Ideas, marketing, Media Relations, Pinterest, PR, Public Relations, Search Engine Journal, Social Media, Social Media Law Blog, tips, Tressa Robbins
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Media Outreach, Media Relations, Public Relations, Social Media | 3 Comments »
Friday, November 9th, 2012
This post first appeared on Capitol Communicator 11.9.12 and is cross-posted with permission.
Pinterest has always been open to the public. You could not hide any of your “pins” from particular people or limit them to only your followers – until now… Pinterest users are receiving emails announcing the roll-out of secret boards.
According to the email from Pinterest, “Secret boards give you a place for things you’re not quite ready to share yet, like a surprise party, special gift ideas, or even planning for a new baby. We’re testing out the feature by giving everyone 3 secret boards. You’ll find them at the bottom of your profile. We can’t wait to hear what you think!”
What will you post to your secret boards? I’m thinking it will be a great place for my holiday wish list.
Tags: BurrellesLuce, Capitol Communicator, Debbie Friez, Fresh Ideas, Pinterest, Social Media
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »
Monday, August 13th, 2012
Review: What’s the Best News Monitoring Service? (Keybridge Communications)
Keybridge Communications, a DC-based public relations firm specializing in writing, media placement, and design, dishes on their experience with various news monitoring services and why BurrellesLuce has the best products and service.
Pinterest Opens Its Doors to the Public. Now What?
“Social media star of the moment Pinterest led the news yesterday by announcing that it has officially made the transition from an invitation-only site to one that is open to all interested individuals and businesses. In other words, business owners and PR pros no longer have a legitimate excuse for ignoring this must-have tool.” (PRNewser/Mediabistro)
JC Penney Looks to Newspapers in Revamped Marketing Push
“In the wake of bleak second-quarter results, JC Penney says it is shifting its marketing from brand building to business building. During a meeting with analysts to discuss second-quarter results, CEO Ron Johnson detailed the marketing shifts that have taken place since its chief marketer and merchandiser, President Michael Francis, abruptly departed after just eight months. JC Penney “went dark” in mid-June — the same time Mr. Francis departed — turning off TV ads, canceling the July catalog that was already printed and scrapping July newspaper inserts, Mr. Johnson said.” (Adage)
In Self-Imposed Alternative to SOPA, Google Will Ding Repeat Copyright Offenders in Search Results
“Google said today that it will use the number of copyright removal notices filed against a certain domain as a signal in its search results. This is a sort of voluntary alternative to the infamous SOPA and PIPA legislation, which would have required ISPs and search engines to block access to sites accused of copyright infringement.” (AllThingsD)
Tags: Adage, BurrellesLuce, Copyright, Fresh Ideas, Google, JC Penney, Keybridge Communications, marketing, media, Mediabistro, monitoring, news, newspapers, Pinterest, PR, PRNewser, Public Relations, Social Media, SOPA
Posted in BurrellesLuce, Media Monitoring, News Coverage | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Social media is boring, so let’s find a way to influence the physical world, says Peter Corbett, CEO of iStrategyLabs, when highlighting his latest projects during the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit on April 20. The full-day event, sponsored by the Capitol Communicator and Potomac Tech Wire, was held at Gannett headquarters and included insights from marketing, communications, advertising and public relations experts.
With many folks overwhelmed by the number of social media platforms available, one panel attempted to put the social networkings into perspective. Moderated by Geoff Livingston, vice president of strategic partnerships at Razoo, the panelists looked at several options beyond Facebook and Twitter and shared what worked for their organizations. All the panelists encouraged participants to find out what platforms their core audience use.
Commenting on Google+ users, Kevin Dando, director of digital marketing and communications at PBS, says the site is just a place for men to talk about being on Google+. However, you shouldn’t discount Google+ because it will help your website’s page rank. Additionally, Google+ and YouTube are becoming closer and will soon have shared search. On the other side of the spectrum, Pinterest has mostly female users and can be very effective for visual campaigns.
PBS, like other TV networks, needs to be on GetGlue, a platform that allows users to check into TV shows and other entertainment media. Dando says shows with live Twitter events have ratings one percent higher than those without. He commented Tumblr doesn’t drive a lot of traffic, but it does have a lot of engagement.
The role of chief marketer has become chief storyteller, says Debra Lavoy, director of product marketing at OpenText. You should use the story to pull the team together and that content marketing should be renamed substance marketing.
If his marketing budget was increased, Vocus’s Jason Jue says he would wish for more storytellers. (Download this PR Storytelling tip sheet from BurrellesLuce). Speaking of storytellers, when I asked the Beyond Facebook and Twitter panel if they could review Storify, they said they were all fans, especially for events. At SXSW, they said they barely left a session before someone would post all the tweets from the event to a new Storify.
Examples of brands using marketing and social media for good and helping causes were also abundant. For example, Terry Macko, senior vice president of communications and marketing for the World Wildlife Fund, discussed WWLF teaming with Coke to raise awareness about the environment. Despite backlash and confusion over the white cans, the campaign raised over two million dollars.
The summit inspired several great blog posts, including:
Tags: 6 Questions All CMOs Need to Ask Themselves, advertising, BurrellesLuce, campaigns, Capitol Communicator, Cari Pierre, cause marketing, Coke, communications, Cynthia de Lorenzi, Debbie Friez, Debra Lavoy, digital, Engagement, environment, Facebook, Fast Company, Fresh Ideas, Gannett, Geoff Livingston, GetGlue, Google, Is the Press Release Dead, iStrategy Labs, Jason Jue, Kevin Dando, Lisa Nirell, Marcia Moran, marketing, Mid-Atlantic, Modern DC Business, OpenText, PBS, Peter Corbett, Pinterest, Potomac Tech Wire, Public Relations, Razoo, search, Social Media, SpeakerBox, Storify, story, storytellers, strategic, summit, SXSW, Terry Macko, The Sounding Board, Tip Sheet, Tumblr, Twitter, Vocus, website rank, World Wild Life Fund, YouTube
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Industry Events, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
Today’s TV now needs to be “social TV,” where the online experience allows viewers to share their experiences with other viewers and the world. Fans no longer have to wait to discuss the latest episode at the water cooler the next day; they are doing it in real-time and all the time.
Discovery Communications’ main social media strategy is engagement says Gayle Weiswasser, vice president, social media communications, during an American Marketing Association’s Washington, DC (AMADC) chapter program in January. Additionally, Discovery looks to build community, drive fans to tune-in, increase website page-views, and gather insights.
Most social media strategies contain the big three platforms, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but not all platforms are right for every organization. For Discovery, YouTube and GetGlue are also essential platforms. It even started a Pinterest page for TLC because TLC shows are very visual and tend to attract a lot of female fans. As quoted from this Desert News article, “If you’re an American and you know about Pinterest, chances are you’re either female or someone who heard about Pinterest from a female – because no fewer than 83 percent of Americans using Pinterest are female.”
(For tips on adding Pinterest to your integrative communications efforts, check out this BurrellesLuce newsletter: Understanding Pinterest and Your Audience and my BurrellesLuce colleague Tressa Robbins recent post about Pinterest and how companies and the media are using the site.)
Tips for Creating Social Experiences to Enhance TV Fan Bases
- Give fans exclusive content. This is a great way to drive engagement, Weiswasser says. Discovery offers additional scenes and other insights as rewards for comments and sharing. The content is usually only available for a limited time and is not available during the broadcast time for the show it promotes.
- Use multiple platforms to interact with your audiences. Weiswasser suggested making “co-viewing” apps available on multiple platforms to promote a linear TV experience for user who following the conversation on a number of different social networks.
- Think before you post. Weiswasser tells her team to ask, “If I were a viewer/fan, would I really like this post?” If the post is mediocre, she says it’s best not to post.
- Be aware of trends and hot topics. A great way to gain some momentum for your organization is to embrace the culture at the moment. Animal Planet, for its show “Hillbilly Handfishin’” tweeted, “@OldSpice & @FabioOldSpices – Are Either of You Brave Enough to Try Noodlin’? We Triple Dog Dare You!” Both of Old Spice’s spokespeople, Isaiah Masufa and Fabio took the dare for a couple of fun April Fool’s Day jokes on YouTube.
- Increase outreach success by having (celebrity) spokespeople interact with your communities. When Clinton Kelly of “What Not to Wear” took over the show’s Facebook page, they had the most activity in eight years.
Some other great takeaways from Weiswasser:
- Give the social media team authority to make real decisions.
- Listen and talk to fans.
- Build on the engagement you’ve made.
- Accept that not all audiences are alike.
What lessons have you learned from your social media fans? How do you encourage more engagement? Which new social networks are you adding to the mix?
Tags: AMADC, American Marketing Association, Animal Planet, apps, audience, BurrellesLuce, Clinton Kelly, community, content, Desert News, Discovery Communications, experience, Fabio, Facebook, Fresh Ideas, Gayle Weiswasser, GetGlue, Hillbilly Handfishin, Isaiah Masufa, LinkedIn, media, newsletter, Old Spice, online, Pinterest, social, Social Media, strategies, tips, TLC, trends, Tressa Robbins, TV, Twitter, What Not to Wear, YouTube
Posted in Advertising/Marketing, Broadcast, Industry Events, Online Video, Public Relations, Social Media | No Comments »
