Everything You Need to Know About Pinterest

The response I’ve heard surrounding Pinterest all echoes the same sentiment: “this is seriously addicting.” As someone who is easily distracted by sparkly things, I’ve forbidden myself from using Pinterest at work (only, of course, to thoroughly research this post…).

Do we really need another social network to waste hours of our lives? Better yet, how has a network that is still invitation-only managed to get 2.7 million users (and that is just those who are signing in with Facebook)?

Pinterest is a social bookmarking tool used to “pin” images found around the Web into categorized collections, or boards. Think of it like an interactive, shareable scrapbook. Like any good social network, you can follow other users, share their content, make comments, and tag users. Similar to a Twitter stream, you get real-time updates of what the people you follow are pinning.  You can also easily share your pins on Facebook and Twitter.

While there aren’t a lot of brands using Pinterest yet, I expect that to change very soon. The audience on Pinterest is different from the major social networks because most people use it to find inspiration, whether they are hosting a party, getting married, remodeling their bathroom, or looking for a recipe for dinner. In other words, many are using Pinterest to help guide their buying decisions. If a user finds something they like on Pinterest, there is a good chance they will at least click the source link and, at most, make a purchase.

Why People Are Obsessed

Pinterest combines two of the most compelling elements of social media: visual content and sharing who you are. Oh, and everything looks really pretty…

HOW IT WORKS

Although Pinterest is still “invite only,” you can request an invite on the site with a pretty quick turnaround for access. You can also login using your Facebook or Twitter account for instant access. The Pinterest user interface is extremely intuitive — so much so that I think the quickest way to “get it” is to join and from there it’s very self-explanatory. But, there wouldn’t be much to this post if I told everyone to just go join Pinterest…

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Before I get into how this social network can be beneficial for brands, here’s a quick overview of Pinterest’s features:

PINS

A pin is an image or video, either from a website or uploaded from the user. A description can (and should) be added to pins.

BOARDS

Pins can be organized by topic, called boards. By default, Pinterest starts users off with a bunch of boards, but these can be deleted or renamed to suit a user’s interests. Within my pin boards, I’ve created collections of everything from recipes I want to try to countries I’ve visited to ideas for organizing my home to nail polishes I think are pretty (don’t judge me).

FOLLOWING

Like Twitter, you can follow anyone, even if they aren’t following you back. You have the option to follow all of another user’s boards, or you can just select certain boards to follow. You can sign up using your Twitter or Facebook account, which makes it easy to find all of your friends already using Pinterest.

REPINS

Repins are the “retweets” of the Pinterest world. Repinning is sharing an image pinned by someone you follow or found while browsing Pinterest, and then adding it to one of your own boards. Repinning gives credit to the person who first pinned the image. You can also edit (or add to) the description when you repin something. Source links also stay on the pin no matter how many times it is repinned. You don’t need to be following someone to repin from them.

LIKES

Liking a pin just adds it to the “Likes” on your profile, but doesn’t add it to one of your boards. Again, you don’t need to be following someone to like their pin.

PINNING FROM THE WEB

You can add a “Pin It” button right into your browser to easily pin things you come across on the Internet (this is currently only available for Chrome).

You’re given a choice of which image to use from the page you are pinning:

You then select which board to add the pin to, and can add a description:

The source link is automatically pulled in:

SHARING

Anytime you pin something, you can easily share it on Twitter and Facebook:

There are also share buttons alongside any pin you click on:

BENEFITS FOR BRANDS

On the surface, Pinterest may seem too niche to benefit a wide range of brands. As with any network, once Pinterest grows there will most likely be features added specifically for businesses (promoted pins? sponsored boards?). For now,  there are 3 main benefitsfor brands using this network….

1. Get Seen

Pinterest levels the playing field for smaller retail businesses that don’t have the budget or resources to compete in search results. If I search for jeans on Google Shopping, I’m going to see Levi’s and a bunch of other brands I already know sell jeans. “Discoverability” is a word I’ve seen thrown around a lot regarding Pinterest. Meaning, Pinterest helps people find new products/brands/styles they would normally not come across by plugging keywords into a search engine. Chances are, the people I choose to follow on Pinterest have similar taste to me. I know I can check out their pin boards and probably see pins of jeans that would suit my taste. If I do a search for jeans on Pinterest, I know I’ll find trendy options and smaller brands I don’t know about, or even a DIY project for turning an old pair of jeans into a mini skirt. If I search for jeans tomorrow, I will see something new since results change as new pins are added.

2. Building Links

Anytime someone pins something from your site, it automatically pulls in not just the image from your site, but also a link. There is a chance for that pin to be repinned multiple times (even hundreds of times, in some cases), building up a healthy amount of backlinks. Here’s a great post that makes the case for linkbuilding on Pinterest. You can see if people are pinning things from your site by replacing “yoursitename.com” in this link with your URL:  http://pinterest.com/source/yoursitename.com/

3. Brand Advocacy

If people love your products and they’re on Pinterest, they will not only pin your stuff, but they might dedicate an entire pin board to your brand.  True story: I have an entire board dedicated to Essie & OPI nail polish (again, don’t judge).

Need proof people are voluntarily hawking products? Just look at some of the Diet Coke-related things I’ve seen:

TIPS FOR BRANDS

1. Follow, Repin & Like others  As with any other social network, you need to share the love. This is also the best way to zero in on influencers and encourage them to follow you back and repin your pins by frequently sharing their pins.

2. Encourage employees to set up their own accounts Build clout as an industry authority by letting your staff showcase how passionate they are about your field. For example, this Kate Spade graphic designer has a few pins of her company’s products, but more importantly she demonstrates she’s a tuned in part of the fashion community by being active on this network.

3. Create boards BEYOND your products and your brand… …yet still related to your industry. For example, a home decor company could pin do-it-yourself books and a bakery could pin some favorite kitchen gadgets.

4. Add a Pinterest icon Let your audience know you’re here by adding a Pinterest icon to your other on-site social buttons.

5. Incorporate a “Pin It” button Even if you aren’t going to set up a profile on Pinterest, you can still get your brand involved by including a “pin it” button on your product pages or blog posts. You can also add the button to blog posts using the WordPress Pinterest plugin.

BRANDS ON PINTEREST

Who’s already here? Some major brands using Pinterest include:

• Real Simple
• Nordstrom
• HGTV
• Etsy
• Better Homes & Gardens
• West Elm
• Cooking Light
• Bergdorf Goodman
• Williams-Sonoma
• Whole Foods
• Bon Appetit
• Paula Deen

CONCLUSION

Currently, this community is best suited for retail, lifestyle, food, home decor, design, publishers, and travel brands. Only brands with visually-appealing content have something to offer the community.

If irrelevant brands take over, Pinterest’s intimate feel could be sacrificed. Self-promoting brands risk being shunned by Pinterest’s tight-knit community and it’s stated in the Pinterest ethics that self-promotion is discouraged. Anytime a new social networks comes along, it is tempting for businesses to jump in. Given that Pinterest is toeing the line of a niche community, this network is not — and never will be —  for everyone.

Brands that find the most success on Pinterest will be the ones that put aside self-promotion and add value to the community in a way that is unique to their business.

Do you think Pinterest is just a passing fad or do you think it has staying power? Do you think the “Pin It” button will become as ubiquitous as the “Like” button?

Follow me on Pinterest: Click Here!

I once read an article from the Direct Marketing Association that said at any given time, you could expect that only about 3% of your target market is actively looking to buy the type of product or service you offer. THREE PERCENT!

So if the other 97% is not looking for you… you have to go out and look for them!

And while you’re at it, you might as well go looking for that 3%, too, so that you find them before they find your competitor.

(By the way, the idea that there’s “no competition” if you just stay true to your authentic self if ludicrous. But I’ll address that in another post.)

People can’t buy from you if they don’t know about you. It’s the first and most important tenet in the expression, “people buy from people they know, like and trust.”

When it’s spelled out this way, it all sounds pretty obvious. But I never cease to be amazed by the business owners I meet who complain that they don’t have enough clients and yet are simultaneously unwilling to take action or try something new.

I’ve literally had people say things to me such as, “I don’t like to go around saying what I do. I prefer to wait until I know if that person is a good fit for my business and then I let them know that I’m a coach/consultant/trainer/therapist/etc.”

My response to these types of cop-outs is always the same: “So how’s that workin’ for ya?”

(You’ll have to excuse my brashness today. If you can’t tell, this is one topic that really gets me fired up! )

The thing is, whether you have a professional services business or you sell information products or some combination of both, one of the critical ingredients to growing and SUSTAINING your business is to get your business/services/products/etc. in front of as many eyeballs as possible.

That means getting in front of many more than the few hundred or even a few thousand people who subscribe to your your e-zine list, like your Facebook fan page, follow your tweets or happen to stumble across your website.

To truly be successful and grow your small business, your end-to-end marketing system must include actively extending your reach to your target market on a continual basis.

How do you know which small business marketing and client attraction methods are best? Take into account a combination of things, such as: What strategies will help you reach the most of the right people with the least amount of time and energy? Which strategies do you most enjoy and, thus, are most likely to stick with? And what is your time frame and budget?

A big part of this is also simple trial and error. But don’t give up on a tactic after just one attempt. There’s a learning curve involved, and marketing requires frequency.

There’s truly no limit to the creative ways you can get your “offer” in front of more people and attract more clients. To get you started thinking broader, I’ve put together a list of 111 ways you can get your small business out in front of more eyeballs. If you offer a service or product that can improve people’s lives, then you’re doing a disservice to the world by not letting more people know about it.

All I ask is that you take one small step every week to expand your reach.

Live Events

1. Go to networking events

2. Attend professional conferences and seminars

3. Get paid to speak

4. Speak for free

5. Exhibit at trade shows, expos and fairs

6. Host a trade show hospitality suite

7. Sponsor events (charity, sporting, professional, community, etc.)

8. Host your own networking event

9. Invite target clients to an “open house” at your place of business

10. Hold a grand opening/re-opening of your business

11. Participate in charity or community events

12. Reserve a hospitality suite at sporting venues

13. Invite target clients to a wine tasting

14. Conduct a free or low-cost workshop in your community

Print and Direct Mail Materials

15. Create and distribute a catalog of your products

16. Develop a marketing brochure highlighting your services

17. Mail out a sales letter (send by FedEx or UPS to clients you really want to land)

18. Write a book

19. Send out postcards

20. Giveaway bookmarks, sticky notes, notebooks, etc.

21. Buy an ad in the local phone book (but be sure to get the online listing too)

22. Submit your business to local business directories

23. Place ads in local newsletters (i.e. community, church bulletins, etc.)

24. Hand out at least 10 business cards a week to people you meet

25. Send out yearly calendars with your branding

26. Wear logoed apparel (i.e. t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, etc.)

27. Carry a re-usable bag with your business logo when you go shopping

28. Put your brand prominently on all of your product packaging

Media Publicity & Advertising

29. Invest in magazine and newspaper advertising

30. Buy radio and TV spots in your local market

31. Send letters to the editor of your local paper

32. Write opinion editorials (OpEds) related to your area of expertise

33. Submit byline articles (i.e. articles written by you) to trade magazines

34. Give radio and TV interviews

35. Be an expert source for magazine or newspaper reporters

36. Record podcasts and post them on iTunes

37. Give internet and satellite radio interviews

38. Distribute press releases

39. Hold a press conference (if you have something really BIG to announce)

40. Author a recurring column in a local business publication

41. Go on a media tour (be sure to hire a PR pro to help you)

42. Request an editorial board meeting with influential publications in your industry

43. Film your own “infomercial” and post it online

44. Join speakers’ bureaus

45. Get listed in expert directories (like Profnet)

Online Promotions

46. Have multiple websites, each dedicated to a specific product, service or target market

47. Publish an e-zine or e-newsletter

48. Buy ads in other people’s e-zines

49. Submit articles to other people’s e-zines

50. Conduct cross promotions (like co-registration) with other e-zines

51. Publish a blog

52. Comment on other people’s blogs

53. Contribute guest articles to blogs

54. Submit your blog to blog directories

55. Get your blog listed on other people’s blog rolls

56. Sponsor banner ads on other people’s websites and blogs

57. Promote your business in your e-mail signature line

58. Set up an affiliate program

59. Invest in pay-per-click advertising on sites like Google, Yahoo! and Bing

60. Publish a free e-book, special report or e-course

61. Host free audio seminars, podcasts or webcasts

62. Post videos showcasing your expertise

63. Submit articles to article databases

64. Send out video e-mails

65. Set up a free Google profile page

66. Submit your website to search engine listings

67. Craft online sales letters and squeeze pages

Social Media

68. Establish a Facebook personal profile

69. Start a Facebook “fan page” or “group”

70. Purchase Facebook pay-per-click advertising

71. Participate in Facebook conversations

72. Create your own YouTube channel and post frequent videos

73. Create a LinkedIn profile

74. Form your own LinkedIn group

75. Set up a Twitter account with a custom background

76. Post your favorite links to online “bookmarking” sites

77. Create a members-only online network (i.e. Savor the Success)

78. Participate in online forum discussions

79. Hold a special promotion through sites like Groupon and LivingSocial.com

Outdoor Advertising

80. Buy billboard space

81. Have your vehicle decaled

82. Put magnets or stickers on your car

83. Invest in “yard” signs

84. Hang outdoor logoed banners

85. Pass out flyers

86. Purchase signage on the sides of buses

87. Advertise on taxi tops

88. Invest in airport terminal signage

89. Buy bus, train and subway station ads

90. Post announcements on community bulletin boards at coffee shops, etc.

91. Sponsor signage at sporting venues

92. Sponsor your local little league team’s uniforms

93. Hire those crazy guys twirling signs to stand near closest intersection

94. Pay a guy (or gal) to wear a costume and hand out coupons

95. Go all out with a “guerilla” marketing campaign

Special Promotions

96. Put “QR” codes linked to your website on your marketing materials

97. Have a custom iPhone App developed

98. Hold a sale or offer a special discount

99. Give out “refer a friend” coupons

100. Hold a contest

101. Offer a special edition or limited edition product

102. Give a “gift with purchase”

103. Host a celebrity appearance and offer a photo opp

104. Give away free samples

105. Invite the local radio station to broadcast from your place of business

106. Hold a live demonstration (think Home Depot paint department)

107. Offer an autograph signing from a local celeb

108. Give away chachkas/chotskies (i.e. pens, key chains, mugs, magnets, etc.)

109. Sponsor an “experience” marketing event (i.e. rock climbing, “money” chambers, etc.)

110. Run a referral program contest – whoever refers the most people wins a prize

111. Create a loyalty programs (i.e. point programs)

Known as The Corporate Agent, Angelique Rewers, ABC, APR, teaches micro business owners and solopreneurs around the world how to grow their small business by working with Big Business. Get her FREE CD and articles at www.TheCorporateAgent.com.

I will admit that when I first started my business over 18 years ago every little hiccup threw me into panic mode.  However, as the years went on and the more accustomed I got to the proverbial bumps in the road, I learned to respond to them in a very different way.

Problems and Dissatisfaction Are Symptoms of Something Else Going On

First of all, I want you to view problems differently.  In every situation that I had a problem or an extreme dissatisfaction in my business, I quickly realized that it was an opportunity to make my business even better.

Problems Expose Leaks

Problems expose things that were not working right in my business.  Problems expose a breakdown of systems, or lack thereof. The moment the problem was exposed, I determined it would never be a limitation to me or my business again.

Problems Can Lead Us To Answers

Suddenly I welcomed problems, pressure or dissatisfaction because it caused me and my team to seek answers.  Solving these issues once and for all provided us the energy and time to move on to greater things and we no longer were limited to what held us back in the past.  See how great “problems” can be? 

2 Key Issues That Problems Reveal:

1.        A lack of systems, communication and/or policies

2.       A breakdown in systems, communication and/or policies

Here Are 7 Simple Steps To Fix Problems In Your Business:

1.        Acknowledge the problem or dissatisfaction

2.       Define the underlying issue causing the problem (usually a lack of a system)

3.       Fix the problem as quickly as possible

4.       Put systems, policies and/or communication procedures into place to support the proper outcome every time

5.       Provide proper training for new systems, policies and procedures

6.       Make someone responsible to oversee and carry out the system

7.       Hold weekly/monthly accountability calls/meeting with written reports to monitor the systems (if you do not have staff, run the reports and have accountability calls with your business consultant)

Problems should provide us the motivation to find solutions and drive us to seize the opportunities.  Allow these uncomfortable situations to be the door to your business breakthroughs.

©2012 Kiyla Fenell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite a bit of buzz has been circling in the mommy groups I am a part of about the 36 year old Marissa Mayer. She is the new powerhouse CEO of the publically traded company, Yahoo. Marissa also happens to be in her third trimester of pregnancy.

Supportive words like ‘we’ve come a long way’, ‘good for her’, ‘what a role model’, ‘she’s blazing the way’ to comments of doubt, sadness and uncertainty like ‘why can’t we just be happy with raising our babies and having great marriages’, ‘she is setting us all up to fail’; ‘there aren’t enough hours in a day’ or ‘I feel so sorry for her baby’ filled up the forum following the news.

Surprised? No, not really.

My question is, ‘how can we assume that because a woman holds a high paying, powerful position, that she will neglect adequate personal time with her children?’

I have never been the CEO of a publically traded company, but I have been a mommy CEO of my own million dollar company. I was running two very successful businesses at the time my first daughter Milan was born. I chose to keep my baby with me all day, every day. Did I have it all figured out? Was it always pretty? Absolutely not! I had my fair share of skeptics too. Remarks like ‘get that kid a nanny’, ‘you need to stay at home’, and ‘this is wrong for your child’. I heard but chose to ignore. These days we have added a second child to the mix. Are things harder? No, it’s just twice the fun.

Here are a couple of tips I use to make life of being mommy & CEO a little easier…

1.       Ask clients, suppliers, vendors or staff to come to you instead of going to them. This deducts time for travel and gives you more focus and prep time.

2.       Schedule business calls back to back. Arrange for people to call you because you can save minutes by just having to answer the phone versus searching for and dialing their number.

3.       Use children’s naptime and after bedtime to get a bulk of work done. The only time my home is completely noise free is while the kids are sleeping

4.       For me television is a definite time thief. Years ago I took the TV out of the house.  House guests have asked me what I do with my time. I answer by saying…A LOT. I have learned to enjoy the quiet to work or relax.  A luxury most mommy CEOs don’t get enough of.

5.       Be 100% present with whatever or whoever is in front of you. Guilt comes in when you feel as though your kids aren’t getting all of you, or you know that the business isn’t receiving the effort it deserves. Set specific times aside every day for both. Do not have one eye on the computer screen and the other on your child. This requires a lot of dedication, focus and planning. It can be done.

6.       I connect with my spouse daily. I have “date” time with Bobby every night after the girls are put to bed at 7pm. We use that time to have sex, catch up, discuss important life stuff etc.

7.       Plan for meal times, breaks and self care. If I do not eat properly or take sufficient care of myself, I will not be in tip top shape for clients or family.

8.       I wrote about this in previous posts. I work strictly in my core competency. I also work from daily to do lists within my time budget

9.       Plan the night before for the day ahead. I create my to-do list before I go to bed. This way I can get right to work without having to plan it out. Saves a lot of time.

10.   Throw perfection OUT the window. Sometimes it looks ugly behind the scenes. All that matters at the end of the day is…did you fulfill your promise to your customer? Were your kids, husband and yourself loved and cared for? Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

Do I think Marissa Mayer is a good role model for women? I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

©2012 Kiyla Fenell

 

 

 

 

Celebrity Organizer Ellen Kramer

CEO of A New Leaf Productivity

Why don’t we follow through on the things that we “should” do?  In Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model for Finishing Whatever You Start by Steve Levinson and Pete Greider, the authors propose that we have two guidance systems:  the Primitive Guidance System and the Intelligence-Based Guidance System.  Each of these systems pulls us in different directions like a car with two steering wheels.

The Primitive Guidance System, PGS, has the most control and is based on instinct.  The PGS responds to the squeakiest wheel…I’m hungry: Look for food.  I’m bored:  Look for something more interesting to do.  In the meantime, your Intelligence-Based Guidance System, IBGS, has enabled you to make great plans…I should get my taxes done.  I should eat more healthy food.  I should exercise daily.  I should, I should, I should.

The problem is that there is no connection between the two systems.  Around April 1 your taxes become the squeaky wheel and your PGS will respond.  You race the clock to get your taxes done.  They may not have been done early, but they were on time.  This is the way your guidance systems work.  So you see, poor follow through is not so much a character flaw, but a flaw in the design of your mind and your guidance systems.

Now that you know why poor follow through occurs you can take steps to work around the design flaw.  The key is arranging your environment so that your good intentions are the squeaks that get the powerful PGS’ attention.  Here are a few of the suggested strategies to effectively follow through with your intentions.

Spotlighting – Your mind becomes distracted by many voices when you are trying to accomplish something:  the ones that want to get the project done and the ones that just want to sit back, relax and not get it done.  The trick in spotlighting is to make sure that you are paying attention to the “right” distractions or cues.  Here is an example of a cue:  You see a big, juicy hamburger on TV and then become hungry for a big, juicy hamburger.

Here are the steps involved in spotlighting:

1)      Identify the right voices that urge you to do what your intentions are telling you to.

2)      Identify or create a cue.  Something that will stimulate the right voice.

3)      Find a way to be sure you will be exposed to the right cues.

For example, a manager who also coaches a baseball team uses baseball theme to provide cues throughout his day.  His intention is to coach his staff the way he coaches his little league team.  He puts a photo of his Little League team on his desk, uses baseball themed notepads, and hung a baseball cap on the wall.  All of these cues remind him throughout the day to do a better job motivating his staff.   What behavior would you like to develop?  What cue would work for you the way that baseball worked for this manager?

Going too far – Make the intention more meaningful or threatening by pledging to violate it in a big way.  Essentially you make a deal with yourself. If your intention is to stop smoking, make a pledge that if you are going to smoke a cigarette, you must smoke two cigarettes at a time.  You can’t just smoke one. To your Primitive Guidance System smoking becomes a threat rather than just satisfying a craving because you HAVE to smoke two cigarettes.

Right Before Wrong – With this strategy you make a deal to do the right thing before the wrong one.  For example, let’s say you decide to start eating healthy snacks, but find yourself reaching for something unhealthy instead.  Make a deal with yourself to eat a healthy snack first and then eat the unhealthy snack if you still want it.

You have been introduced to three strategies to help you follow through on your intentions.  Try these strategies for yourself.  I am very interested in hearing about your results.  As you go through this, keep in mind that we are talking about your mind here.  If your mind fails, you think that you screwed up.  If your heart failed, you would not think of yourself as a failure.  It typically takes some time for habits to change.  Give yourself a break and give yourself time to fully integrate into the new behaviors.

I would love to hear what you think.  Do you have trouble following through on your intentions?  Have you found ways to get around your PGS?