Everyone’s talking about 'Pinterest'…

Move over Facebook, Twitter, Google+, et al, another social media is stepping into the game, and providing a valuable marketing tool to businesses.

So what is Pinterest? 

 

Pinterest is essentially a virtual pin-board where you can collect and share images.  It first launched in 2010 and has experienced rapid growth in more recent months.  In contrast to its social media counterparts such as, YouTube, Google+ and Linkedin, Pinterest is also proving a valuable aid in drawing traffic to external websites and blogs. 

How can it benefit your business? 

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, where you attract followers, the Pinterest platform is completely visual and focuses on collective interests i.e. Architecture, Cars, DIY, Film, Gardening, Beauty, Outdoors, etc.  Users are eager to find and share amongst the entire population, rather than purely between friends.  It’s a place to make discoveries which can then be organised onto boards.  For example, on a personal page, you may choose to categorise your finds and ‘repin’ them onto boards which you have named: "For my daughter", "For my wife", "Things I Like", and so on.  A pin is an image you have chosen to share, paired with a short caption, which can all then be linked back to the original source, such as your website or blog in order to drive traffic; great for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s a relatively simple but very effective concept to follow.  In a similar way that a comment or link may go viral on the more established social networks, so too can Pinterest pins, and it’s a perfect forum to study trends amongst the population.

Like any form of social media, it’s a two-way conversation, all about building connections and forging stronger bonds with your audience.

For businesses with products targeting the family market, the advantages are obvious: create a board linked to the appropriate category i.e. Kids, pin photos of your products, include a brief description and price (if desired), ensure that there’s a link where users can follow it to your website and/or blog and let the Pinterest population do the rest; view, like, share, comment and re-pin!

Here are some top tips on using Pinterest:

• First, get invited by a friend, or simply request an invite online
• If you choose to operate a purely business associated page, it may be wise to link it with your business Twitter account, as Facebook tends to link it to your personal account.
• Invest in good quality photographs and images (lifestyle images can be more effective than basic product images).
• Back-link each pin to your source website.  People will click once on the picture to see the full pin, and can click a second time to be directed outside of Pinterest to your website.
• Include a price in the description to automatically add an overlaying banner on the picture featuring the price.
• Pin alternate uses for your product.  For example, if you make children’s clothing, pin images onto a board that form a "From start to finish" guide, for one or more of your best-selling products.
• Add the “Pin It” social media button to your website to allow for and encourage pinning
• Connect your physical and online presence.  Try running a promotion that drives customers to your Pinterest board
• Try to avoid being too self-promotional. It’s easy to spot a self-serving board and it’s also an official Pin Etiquette rule.  Be relevant to your target market and post other content they would find interesting to keep people coming back for more.  Pin your own products, Show uses for your products, as well as inspiration for the lifestyle they advocate.
• Follow big names – this is proven on Twitter. If they follow you back, this boosts your own visibility to others.
• Tag your pin using key phrases that define the brand and inspire, since Pinterest is all about inspiration.  Get in the mind of your ideal consumer and think about what search terms they’d use.
• Use other social media platforms (that have the advantage of a more established user base) to direct people towards Pinterest.  A status update like this one will inform your customers you’re active on Pinterest: “Follow our pins for new products and great ideas!"

If you feel swamped by social media and don't know which way to turn, or simply need to off-load your social media effort, please get in touch with us... we're on hand to assist!

It’s all in the 'sell-in'…

Contrary to common belief, generating media coverage isn’t always as simple as compiling a list of journalists and then contacting each of them about something you consider to be newsworthy.  The key to generating coverage relies entirely on your sell-in; your approach to a ‘story’ that makes it appealing to your target media.

Having been on the receiving end of the PR effort,  I fully appreciate just how many media releases are likely to end up ‘binned’ on account of their: unsuitability, poor structure, weak content, confusing jargon or, poor timing.  In fact, research suggests that up to 92% of media releases that are sent to journalists are ‘binned’.

If you have ever lived the life of a journalist, you will understand that time is of the essence, timing is key and a good story is fundamental!

As an Editor, on average, I would receive as many as 80 releases in one day and countless calls from PR’s.  I would become most frustrated by those who hadn’t taken the time to consider the publication to which they directed their material.  I was equally frustrated by those who considered fluffy adjectives suitable for their release; appearing as advertorial (paid editorial), rather than newsworthy editorial.

It was perhaps the telephone calls that surprised me most of all.  Rather than strong pitches, the patter I’d hear repeatedly, would typically consist of: "I sent you a release (yesterday, last week, etc)… will you be including it in your next issue?"  This type of call would infuriate me and was completely detrimental to their cause… serving no purpose other than to waste time!

The art of crafting a good media release and/or conducting a productive pitch relies on the ability to ‘sell-in’ a well thought-out story.  To do this several key pointers must be considered:

• Understand who’s who
• Tailor your media sell-in: Consider the timing and topicality. Identify the human interest and the ‘news’ value that underpins the story.  Define the What, Who, Why, When, Where and How of your story
• Do not be too creative, or too clever
• Give facts, not flowery adjectives
• Avoid jargon and confusing acronyms
• Confine opinions to quotes from relevant individuals linked to your story
• Keep it short and sweet
• Avoid attachments on emails (unless asked)
• Send your media release to named individuals
• Make yourself accessible
• Check deadlines to avoid contacting at a bad time
• Devise a script for when you telephone a journalist and like your media release, be concise

If you require assistance refining your sell-in, do get in touch, I’d be happy to help!

Social Media: The Ultimate Communication Tool

It has been widely reported that 2012 is the year of the multimedia social network; a year which will see competition grow amongst the market leaders and one in which businesses begin to fully embrace and understand how to effectively integrate social media into the Marketing Mix. 

Where once, advertising was dominant, communication has taken the lead; as the realms of the communication mix open, with a multitude of new platforms to initiate and host conversation that directly engages the consumer.  Establishing the Publicist as the 21st century's answer to the Advertising Executives of the 20th century.

With the masses tuning-out to those top-down messages (as I highlighted in my earlier article about Mummy Blogs) and digital technology becoming a fundamental aspect of daily life, the focus on social media has never been more important to the success of a company/brand.  There is no doubt that social media offers a wonderment of opportunity to almost every sector of business. There does, however, remain a pervasive sense of confusion among businesses of how to get social media working for (not against) them.

The Social Media Landscape

As this diagram demonstrates, the social media landscape isn’t strictly limited to the social networks alone.  Social networks are however, fundamental when compiling any Social Media Marketing (SMM) strategy.  Social Networks have been growing steadily since the Millennium and have rapidly taken hold in terms of popularity. Amongst the social network platforms, MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and LinkedIn still hold top spots.  The latest serious contender to rival these is Google+ which officially launched to the public community in 2011 with brand pages being added in recent months.  Many companies have already adopted the platform, with both large and small businesses demonstrating its potential to reach customers.  Latest reports from ComScore saw Google+ attract 67m visitors worldwide in November last year of which 2.7m were from the UK.  Unlike Facebook & Twitter which have a broadcast heavy format, Google+ activity is generated by quality, not quantity.

Other social media that should be considered in an SMM strategy include publishing platforms such as Blogger and Wordpress, RSS feeds, micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter, live-casts (audio and voice), and the video and photo sharing platforms such as Skype, Messenger, YouTube, Flickr and Instagram.

So what do social media have to offer and why are they so important? 

As a species, we are social by nature and thrive upon connection with others, with access to the internet at home, at work and on-the-move, people can choose to interact and unite when it wouldn’t otherwise be possible to meet, in a safe environment, providing as much or as little or connection as the user desires.

Gone are the days of the four P’s approach to marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion), the conversation for businesses is no longer one-way making the original broadcast approach to promotion less effective and thus dawning a new era of interaction. Social media marks an evolution to the standard four P’s approach to marketing to incorporate a fifth key facet… Participation!

In simple terms social media offers a real-time approach to promoting a message, providing businesses with an option to initiate and host conversation.  Taking six-months to develop and launch a campaign are now a thing of the past as social media enables a more agile approach to marketing.

The fundamental assets of social media can be broken down into four categories… something I like to refer to as the four R’s:  Recognition – build awareness of your business/brand; Relationships – engage with your customers/fans; Resource – create an information exchange; Referrals – drive traffic and build customer/fan-base.

Social media can benefit a business/brand by:

• facilitating how they engage with customers/fans,
• enabling open, fluid interactivity,
• delivering a sincere approach to promoting a message,
• helping generate traffic,
• nurturing consumer confidence
• providing an instantly accessible avenue for marketing promotions and harvesting free, quick and accurate feedback.

If you need assistance mastering your social media from your social platforms or simply want someone to help build and manage your social media campaign and develop creative content, why not get in touch?

The importance of Mummy Blogs: Mummy Blog Savvy

Since forming Lil' Spin, it has become apparent that few businesses truly understand and comprehend the importance of the proverbial Mummy blog and how to engage with Mummy bloggers.  I have therefore decided to put together an article to help bring others up-to-speed on their Mummy Blog savvy…

The dramatic rise of the Mummy Blog in the UK has become a force to be reckoned with; real mothers writing and discussing everything from current affairs, health and fashion, through to business, cookery and wellbeing whilst sharing personal experiences and the daily triumphs and turmoil of parental life in front of a community of loyal readers.

For the mums, blogging can provide a great outlet, a place to free the mind and escape the daily routine whilst simultaneously providing a valuable network and support group.  For some, blogging has become a new-found source of income, supplemented with free goodies to review.

To businesses, they are an emerging holy-grail: popular, trusted and worth investing serious time and energy into forging long-term relationships with.

So who is the typical mummy blogger?

In general terms, Mummy Bloggers are socially savvy, educated women who wield extensive consumer power.  Their words and opinions can influence brand perception both online and off.  They expect to be taken seriously by businesses and traditional media outlets.  They are the real, honest voices in a marketplace that has become saturated with ‘top-down’ messages.

Alongside other forms of social networking, they mark a new form of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) marketing; you can’t control it but when it works, the dividends are higher than any other form of marketing.  Of all the elements of the communications mix (editorial, publicity stunts, advertising, etc), WOM is by far the most potent on a one-to-one basis.  No level of advertising or expert selling could compete with a colleague, friend or an established blogger recommending or criticising a particular product or service.  Similarly, it is unlikely that a teaser advertisement could motivate a viewer/reader to watch-out for the next advert in a campaign in the same way that WOM can. 

How does WOM work and why are mummy bloggers the key to generating it?  

Research suggests that consumers talk about their bad experiences with up to three-times more people than when they are satisfied.  Before the creation of the internet and social networking forums, this level of WOM would be limited to fewer individuals but in relative terms this has now amplified, making it all the more necessary for businesses to ensure their customer service is second to none and their approach to WOM is at the top of their marketing agenda.  

Mummy bloggers possess a broad sphere of influence, circulating both on and offline.  Research suggests that conventional media no-longer effectively reaches today’s mums’ who are more cynical to the mass marketed ‘top-down’ message with a tendency to tune-out and view the source of information as unreliable at best and deceptive at worst.  WOM cuts through the clutter, offering an alternative way for Mums’ to meet and exchange info.  

Mummy bloggers tap into the conversational nature of mothers.  They can build or break brand reputation  through recommendations or criticisms within a community of readers who trust what they say.  Most mothers enjoy being part of a collaborative community and introducing new products and services to their mummy friends.  Product reviews spread awareness and create loyalty toward brands.  Mummy bloggers want to discover brands that incite passion, and they work to offer useful advice and suggestions to their readers who are usually like-minded parents.

According to recent studies, a large proportion of mothers read consumer-written product reviews online before committing even to the smallest purchasing decisions; not only can I say this is true from a personal perspective but I also know of many other mothers who also expend a similar level of time and energy on their product research before committing to the purchase and we, like many mothers, are compelled to share our findings with others.

Connecting with Mummy Bloggers

Many businesses are scared-off the Mummy blogosphere due to a lack of understanding in how to target a Mummy blogger or assess the level of reach of any one blog.  Whilst it is true that certain Mummy Bloggers exist only as a means to obtain 'swag', many work hard to maintain integrity in their blogs.  There are a few measures available including the 'Top 10 Mummy Bloggers' by Cision and Tots100 however, as the socio-viral market is ever changing, so the top blogger last week may not be this week.

Some bloggers have the reach numbers to spread a message on a larger scale, whilst others may have a smaller readership but more passionate followers.  Every blogger counts, even new ones; if a blogger shows an interest in your product or brand don’t shy away because you can’t see enough followers, work with them.  If they want to review your product but you're uncertain about committing the resources to such an exercise, find other ways in which to nurture a relationship.  In the same way that every customer counts, apply this same logic to bloggers too, after all, it is likely that the blogger is also a potential customer with lots of mummy friends both on and offline!

Blogs create and connect the mother with loyal readers who look to them for information and recommendations.  Businesses should engage and respond to bloggers, understand the importance of the relationship and make the interactions mutually beneficial.

If you want to influence how mothers' perceive your product, brand or company, get involved in the conversation.  To provoke WOM amongst bloggers and consumers, create genuine, direct, personalised and transparent conversation.

Do your research:  Mummy bloggers consider it important and find it critical that companies familiarise themselves with each blog before making contact, ensuring accurate personal details and more connective outreach.

Need help?

If you still feel out of your depth and uncertain how to progress your business/product/brand through the Mummy blogging network, contact me and I will be more than happy to assist - email: lisa@spinpublicity.co.uk or call: 0845 257 1479

Why PR?

When deciding upon the marketing methods to adopt to promote your business/product, it is important to fully understand the benefits of the marketing mix. Since PR is my speciality, I thought it apt if I run through the benefits of PR, to help those considering PR make a more informed decision.

When times are tough, businesses often cut-back on their marketing campaign, regardless of the fact that marketing is key to the success of any business. Time and again it has been proven that those who continue to invest in marketing during harder times will often come out on top when the marketplace improves. However, since budgets don’t always enable a fully integrated campaign (advertising, direct mail, promotion, sponsorship, exhibitions, etc), it’s important that you choose your promotional methods carefully and wisely.

The benefits of PR / 

- PR can prove to be an economical way to reach a mass audience, stimulating awareness of, and demand for your brand/products/services.

- PR can aid the development of a stronger and more controlled image; since PR usually involves the media outlet covering a story, these ‘stories’ can long outlive the immediate impact of advertising for example.

- PR can help create the perception that a company is active and on the move.

- PR has up to 7x the credibility of advertising since editorial is conveyed and controlled by a third-party in contrast to advertising which is paid for and controlled by the company it’s for.

- It provides an advantage over competitors who do not use PR effectively.

- PR can increase search-engine visibility and organic results.