Pinterest: Linking visual marketing to social media

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” and that’s where social media site Pinterest comes in. According to comscore.com, Pinterest just hit 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history.  They also reported that the average Pinterest user spends 98 minutes per month on the site, compared to 2.5 hours on Tumblr, and 7 hours on Facebook. With Pinterest gaining significant media attention and experiencing enormous growth, the natural question is: Why and how can Pinterest be implemented into your marketing strategy?

A major reason for businesses to embrace this social platform is the web traffic referrals that brands are receiving from Pinterest. According to Shareaholic, Pinterest drove 3.6 percent of all Web traffic referrals to other sites in January--more than Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube combined. For example, Nordstrom uses Pinterest to post pictures of fashion looks, all of which have the Nordstrom website attached to them. Once a person looks at a certain picture and is interested, they can easily click through to the Nordstrom website. Perfect for Nordstrom, because they are not only marketing specific products through Pinterest, but also driving business to their website. What Pinterest has done is given companies, businesses and organizations—especially those in fashion, jewelry and other product-oriented  fields—another avenue to market their brand and products.

Experian Hitwise stated last month that Pinterest was the third most popular social networking site, trailing only Facebook and Twitter in the U.S. The use of this site for businesses has been quite beneficial because they can get to know their target market better and the target market can also absorb the company's culture and product by viewing their "pins." Whole Foods, Dr. Scholls and Coca Cola are just a few companies that have utilized this site for marketing and advertising purposes. Whole Foods “pins” recipes while Dr. Scholls “pins” shoes and both allow users to buy what they are looking for by clicking a button that sends them right to their website.

In reality, Pinterest is a sort of social equivalent of visually-appealing advertising done in a very creative way; one that is interactive, offers brands and prospective customers not just one image, but endless numbers of ideas, products, and recipes for success.

CASE STUDY: shedding new light on The Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Oscar Night® America

CASE STUDY: shedding new light on The Rhode Island International Film Festival’s Oscar Night® America

The Client:

FLICKERS: The Rhode Island International Film Festival’s presentation of Oscar Night® America Providence; Rhode Island’s exclusive Oscar events officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts & Sciences (one of only 49 official Oscar night parties in the United States).

The Goal:

To achieve media placements, build awareness through a social media campaign, create local marketing initiatives to promote the events, and develop a more powerful front-of-house experience for guests and the media at the event.  

Our Work:

Miamore Communications developed a campaign that combined traditional press outreach, marketing and social media initiatives. We created a national hook by emphasizing and promoting a local Oscars nominee. Marketing initiatives included the establishment of a cross-promotional program involving local restaurants and a Facebook promotion in conjunction with the state’s largest magazine, Rhode Island Monthly.

The Results:

Social Media:

While under the direction of Miamore Communications, the Rhode Island International Film Festival’s social media engagement increased by 1,031% over the previous month. Post interactions increased by 82% compared to the organization’s premiere annual event, the Film Festival period in August of 2011.

Editorial Placements:

From January 1, 2012 until February 29, 2012, Oscar Night® America Providence received more than 14 million impressions in print, broadcast and online media:

·             298,463 broadcast impressions

·             9,890,609 web impressions

·             3,864,797 print impressions

•14,053,869 TOTAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS

Placements included:

·          USA Today

·          KTVU (San Francisco)

·         The Associated Press

·         The Boston Globe

·         The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

·         The Arizona Republic

·         KTVU (San Francisco)

·         San Antonio Express News

     ABC6 Providence/New Bedford

·        The Providence Journal

·        Rhode Island Monthly

·        The Rhode Show

·       WPRO FM Radio

·       CBS12 Providence/New Bedford

Weekly Round-up February 24, 2012

The Oscars and social media

In honor of Sunday night's Oscars - Mashable and mRank have teamed up to provide us with a social media leader board ranking of the top 15 most-buzzed-about terms from this years Oscars. Social media sites include Twitter, Facebook and the blogging world. 

Take a lesson from bad PR

Although Levi's ad slogan "Hotness Comes in All Shapes and Sizes" may seem to address women of- well- all shapes and sizes - the visual advertisements tell a different story. This week Levi seems to have created some bad PR for themselves by ineffectively executing their marketing goal.

Holy Twitter

It was announced friday that Pope Benedict XVI will be opening a personal twitter account enabling him to reach out to his Catholic followers. The twitter account is just the next addition to the Popes growing internet presence - with a youtube channel, a website, a facebook page and an iPhone application. I find it really interesting to see such an old and traditional culture embracing the new age of communication.

Timeline for Brands

Communications and social media gurus are more excited than ever for the highly anticipated new facebook timeline for brands which is launching next week. CEO Reggie Bradford of Virtue claims that brands will "build even more meaningful interactions with social audiences" via this new timeline. 

Weekly Round-Up: February 17, 2012

Twitter condemns fate of Saudi Blogger
This week, Saudi blogger Hamza Kashgari was deported from Malayasia back to Saudi Arabia - per request of the Arabian government. This controversial blogger received backlash from many social media users - including a Facebook group entitled "Saudi people want punishment for Hamza Kashgari -for negative tweets he posted about the prophet Muhammed. His return may result in abuse and possible death punishment for the young 23-year-old. The uproar caused by these tweets certainly sealed the fate of Hamza; it's crazy to think social media could condemn a person to such a fate.

Does your social media presence determine who you are?
Thanks to reports from ComScore, a Mashables article reported this week that in 2011, 16.6 percent of minutes spent on-line were spent on social media websites. The article also highlighted that while 3 out of 4 internet users have a Facebook; sites like Tumblr, Twitter and Google+ are rapidly expanding in monthly visitors. Another interesting article from this weeks news highlights what it means to have a strong social media presence, and just how important it is for you.

Take a note from these guys
This week Voltier Digtial provided insight into the top 5 companies that use social media in the best possible way. Thanks to a neat infographic, we can see just how they did it. From user friendly sharing, to successful hashtagging, many companies (say, McDonalds?) can take a lesson and learn how to better promote their company through the use of social media.


Good news for the luxury market
In business news this week, the luxury market had something to celebrate. After a long slump many luxury goods markets are projected to increase sales for the upcoming year. Claudia d'Arpizio, partner for Bain & Co. in Milan, commented "the surprise was mainly in the US and Europe." She went on to add "Luxury shame is now over."

Weekly Round-up: February 10, 2012

From fairytale creatures to an outer space phenomenon, here are our top news picks of the week from the social media and fashion world.

Pinning Winning
After recieving my pinterest invite via e-mail on Monday, I have been exploring the social media site and all it has to offer. If you haven't tried it yet, I advise you to sign yourself up for an invite - as it has been reported by comScore that website has taken the lead as the fastest growing social media site - with over 10 million monthly users. If you are unsure as to pinterest and it's features, check out this article for a breakdown! Now go get your pinning on!

Out of this world Tweets
Twitter announced this week that it will be teaming with two major companies to provide Twitter access via satellite. This will make tweeting available to virtually everyone everywhere. Read more here.

Analyzing your statistics
Thanks to Ann Smarty, a web and marketing entrepreneur, here you can find 5 useful and extremely information spreadsheets containing everything you need to know about the analytics of your social media accounts. Best of all? It's free!

2012 New York Fashion Week
Thursday February 9 kicked of 2012 fashion week in New York. The ready to wear collection "Creatures of the Wind" by Chicago based Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters was far from ordinary. Inspired by a 17th century fairytale of elves and fairies, these magical creations were the perfect way to kick of this year's show.

Weekly Round-up: February 3, 2012

Happy February!  Let's take a closer look at some of this weeks top news stories from the PR and social media world...

Social bowl, Super media
This year's Superbowl is one for the record books. For the first time ever in superbowl history, a social media command center, made up of 50 social media gurus, has been established in downtown Indianapolis - where the Superbowl is being held - to provide internet users with all the necessary information they need. President and CEO of Raidious say's "it's probably the future of big-event social media." Well, I am certainly looking forward to seeing what changes this may bring!

The new age of media
For any one interested in media relations, here you can find really useful information reguarding the traditional media market, and what you can do to be successful in it.

Valentine Jewels
Thanks to a survey done by the 'NRF' -National Retail Federation - many women (and hopefully me too!) will have a reason to smile this Valentine's Day.  With numbers at the highest they've been in 10 years, more than 8 in 10 men surveyed will be dazzling their loved ones with jewelery this holiday.

Show don't tell
Thanks to social media platforms - businesses are able to gain a following and expand their business by connecting with every different kind of person. But telling people how great you are isn't the best way to do things.  Follow this advice and you're sure to be successful.

Why Canned Blog Content = Disaster

I recently heard about a couple "blog services" that attempt to translate the concept of syndicated (i.e., canned) print products into the social media realm. Because the same exact content is used by multiple businesses, the cost is low. An easy, inexpensive way for a busy small business owner to have a “social” presence, say those who offer the services. Great idea, right?

Wrong. Very, very, very wrong.

I don’t care how cheap the service is; posting the same blog content as dozens of other businesses is an enormously costly mistake. It is a mistake that will not only harm your brand's public perception, but one that is in violation of Google’s duplicate content policy and will kill your Google ranking. Add to that: when this “cheap” fix inevitably fails, it could deter you from trusting blogging and social media as a marketing tool… which would ultimately have a devastating effect on your business growth and revenue.

Unlike syndicated print, blogs are not produced only for a local market. While the reader of a local syndicated print product is unlikely to see the same print content from a competitor 1,000 miles away, a blog reader can (and probably will) search a subject, finding results in real time from around the globe. A blog is also, fundamentally, social. And social means—first and foremost—authentic and engaging.  A blog is personal for your business—a place to share your unique expertise, your unique product or services, and your unique point of view in a way that engages potential customers. If your company blog, instead, has canned content and the same posts as dozens of other businesses, it defies the very purpose of a blog and, worse, defines you to your potential clients as inauthentic… the kiss of death in a social world (online or otherwise).

Since I started consulting on social media three years ago, I’ve found that the most effective way to explain the ins and outs of this “new” digital form of communication is to show how it is so very similar to the age-old form of communication: in-person networking. So, first, imagine the blogosphere as a giant cocktail party where your key potential clients are mingling. Now, here's the equivalent of what happens when you have "canned" blog content:

1. You (a.k.a your blog) introduce yourself to someone you’ve wanted to meet. As with all networking, you have only a very short window of time to connect with her, show your personality and let her know how and why your products or services are perfect for her. 
2. You have a great dialogue (blog post) and walk away quite pleased. 
3. She, in turn, walks away (surfs online) and meets another professional (aka another blog) in your same field. 
4. That other professional introduces himself to your potential client… then proceeds to have exactly the same conversation (syndicated blog post) you just did. Verbatim. The exact same words, the exact same mannerisms, the exact same smiles and nods; all at exactly the same points in the conversation. “Creepy,” is her likely response, right? 
5. Then, when she moves on and it happens three more times (syndicated blog posts), she’s likely to go running from the room, not trusting one word that any of you said. 
6. A month later, when she needs expertise or wants to purchase the goods and services you offer, what is she going to do? Easy: she’s going to seek out someone authentic and genuine. Someone she can trust.

As a small business owner, you’re busy, so hiring someone to represent you is a great way to conduct business development. But it’s a pretty basic requirement that whomever you hire must understand your brand and services, and can represent them in a personal, genuine manner. You wouldn’t send a representative into a key trade show or networking event if he couldn’t speak personally about your business… or worse, if he was representing dozens of other businesses at the same time and simply regurgitating the same script about others as he is about you. The same standards must hold true for whomever you contract as a ghostwriter for your blog or other social media profiles.

The bottom line: networking in the digital realm isn’t something new, it’s just an online extension of networking in the “real” world. So, the same age-old rules apply: there’s the easy way of doing things. And then there’s the right way.