If you haven’t checked Pinterest yet, you should. Not necessarily because you like the content, but because the site managed to go viral after everyone thought we had seen it all in social networks. Obviously they did something right.

Let’s define Pinterest? It’s a social networking and social publishing site based on photos. Something like Tumblr meets Flickr.

Essentially, each user has a theme board where they can pin stuff they like from around the web. The content is represented through images. The site is very visual and that “eye-candy” aspect is what seems to have triggered its immense growth (it’s the fastest site in history to reach 10 million unique visitors per month).

Here’s how Wikipedia describes it:

“Users of Pinterest curate themed boards, populating them with media found online using the “Pin It” button, or uploaded from their computers.[15] Each such item of media is known as a “pin”, and can be a picture, a video, a discussion, or a product. Pins can be grouped into “boards”, which are sets of pins focused on a specific topic. Pinterest can be accessed by adding the “pin it” button to the desktop bookmark bar, “follow me” and “pin it” buttons added to personal website or blog pages, and the Pinterest iPhone application available through the App Store.

To register for Pinterest, new users must receive an invitation from a friend already registered on Pinterest or request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website. The registration process currently requires users to link their Pinterest account to their Facebook or Twitter account. Users choosing to log in via Facebook must be using (or opt in to) Facebook’s “Timeline” format.”

How does it fit in the Social Marketing Universe?

The people who created the site got many things right to make it such a hit, so there’s a lot to learn about their marketing angle during and after creation. Even if you are not planning to launch a social network anytime soon you can still use Pinterest to promote your sites, to expand your network and even to make some money directly. Ultimately, spending some time on Pinterest will open your eyes to the ever expanding, rich-content of Social Media.

Pinterest

Follow The Eyes social media planning and development eagerly embraced the release of Facebook Timeline. Here’s what we’ve experienced in our conversion.

The new Facebook Timeline features allow you to create a better brand experience for your fans by letting you brand your company better, create an in-depth history of your company, and engage your fans by taking creative content to the forefront.  Facebook has used this new platform to encourage companies to interact more with their fans by creating conversations and make the focus on developing relationships “beyond the like.”  While this platform may take more time and effort it’ll be worth it in the end because engaged consumers are more likely to use a product or service and develop loyalty to that brand. Here’s some useful information:

The cover photo is 850×315 pixels and really allows companies to catch a user’s attention and relay a great brand image to the audience.  Facebook is setting some limitations to the cover photo; it cannot include price or purchase info, contact info, calls to action or references to Facebook features such as the “like” or “share” buttons.

The timeline allows companies to “go back in time” to when they were founded and fill in any important milestones in the company’s history.  This allows fans to get a feeling for the brand; where it’s been and where it’s going.  This feature is especially useful to companies who have been around a long time and have an extensive history, but younger companies can use this to promote certain product launches and other milestones as well. The nostalgia adds a new layer; it’s cool to see old black and white photos on Facebook when it’s traditionally been a medium for all things new.  They have also enabled a feature allows you to pin one important post to the top of your timeline so it the first thing your fans see when the scroll down your page and you can have that post pinned there for up to seven days.

A new administration panel, which will appear at the top of the page and is visible only to administrators, keeps all top-level analytics directly in front of you when you land on your page.  The panel shows you recent likes, fan activity, page insights, and your message inbox (another new feature which will allow fans to send you a direct message). The new messaging feature partially solves the frustration of many page admins who can’t directly communicate with their followers because traditionally there have been strict barriers to communication between brands and users. A brand still can’t reach out to a user unless the user initiates the conversation. Facebook decided to enable this new messaging feature to facilitate better dialogue in terms of customer service.

How might these changes affect your social strategy?

There are a few changes on the new format that may require companies to adjust their current social media campaigns and most of these changes affect custom tab applications.   In the new layout applications have been moved to the right side of the page directly beneath the cover photo.  One of the downsides is that there are fewer applications shown above the “see more option,” but on the plus side Facebook has increased the thumbnail size to 110×74 pixels.  The old size thumbnail will still work, you’re just missing out on valuable Facebook real estate with which to brand yourself.

The biggest change with the new layout is that Facebook has gotten rid of landing tabs.  Landing tabs are apps that would be the first thing consumers would see when they went to your page.  The apps themselves still work they will just no longer be able to make them landing tabs. Your Timeline is now your default landing tab. Facebook suggests that you make post about a particular app and pin it to the top of your page in order to drive traffic to that application.

Are you ready to opt-in?

Get started thinking about how you are going to utilize all that brand new Facebook real estate. And remember Facebook is all about creating connections and the best way to do that is to be creating content that is engaging. Have fun building your brand.

Facebook Timeline Features

The way we watch television has changed over the past few years. With the introduction of Hulu in early 2008 to the 2.0 version of Google TV, the platforms we use for content and how we consume the content has changed with amazing speed.

Viewers no longer sit down to tune-in to their favorite show at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays. They DVR it, catch it on Xfinity (Comcast’s online TV component) the next day or download it for $1.99 on iTunes to stream to their Apple TV. In addition, with the dramatic rise of video usage over the last decade, the TV is no longer seen as a big barrel of entertainment — more and more it is being used as a viewing window for all the available video content in the world.

In the same way the music industry was turned upside down with the advent of iTunes, TV is now headed down a path of changing delivery platforms, payment models and consumption patterns. The big players are trying to combat the fact that Millennials (Generation Y, Net Generation, Echo Boomers—born in the 80’s – early 90’s) do not want to pay for cable. They are utilizing streaming services.

Think about it. The CW, Disney and ABC Family have partnered with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon to offer content to subscribers. What does that tell you?

Web sites like Hulu, Xfinity and Crackle have made free access to content, formerly locked down on cable, an expectation of TV viewers. For a small price you can download your favorite show or access the tremendous library of content available through iTunes. Plus, you can also stream your favorite shows and movies to all your devices for a monthly fee with Netflix.

The bottom line is people can consume what they want, when they want, for the price they want and on the device of their choosing. THAT’S A GAME-CHANGER. I think the next few years will be revolutionary for content creators, platform builders, cable television, and networks.

Content procurement is another facet of the changes occurring in the new era of television, as evidenced by Google’s recent launch of more than 100 new YouTube channels with exclusive video content commissioned from media companies and celebrities.

Obviously, there is more video available on the web from cable and TV networks than could ever possibly be viewed in our lifetime. So, we could all use a little help sifting through the billions of hours of video footage to find what is both relevant to our interests and worth spending our time watching. Google is addressing this by building an infrastructure for categorizing video content because, “Google still believes that TV is in the middle of a fundamental change from hundreds to millions of ‘channels,’ and that’s where the opportunity for Google lies: helping consumers make sense of that huge trove of video.”

While the entire television model is in a state of flux, the user-base has become ultra-social in their viewing habits. New services and apps have been created to provide the chatting masses ways to check-in to shows, to earn rewards for being fans and to share their love of TV with their social circle. GetGlue, IntoNow from Yahoo!, and Miso are three examples of services that are leading the way in entertainment check-ins. While services like these may currently be common only to hardcore TV enthusiasts and the perpetual, early-adopting techies, they have experienced steady growth over the last year. These services are still in their early days, but they have a lot of opportunity for growth as the television model continues to evolve.

The State of Television

Is there a brand you feel is this irreplaceable? A brand that, no matter what, will deliver for you and one you will always trust. Most of us do, and that is brand loyalty. I recently read The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier. Branding is critical to any business. The Brand Gap presents a unified theory of brand building.  Instead of concentrating on the strategic, or creative, aspects of branding, this book explains how both ways of thinking can unite to produce a “charismatic brand”—a brand that customers feel is essential to their lives. Neumeier defines it as, “A Charismatic Brand: any product, service or organization for which people believe there’s no substitute.”  Simply, it’s a committed relationship, a safety blanket or, at the minimum, a constant that’s part of your daily routine. Brands that can achieve this level of brand loyalty will be able to demand a higher price and are better able to communicate with their customers.

Brand loyalty has been a very strong force in consumer behavior up until the “Great Recession”. The loyalty part is not dead; it’s just in hiding behind the miserable economy and all of the clutter that exists in today’s advertising world. Brand loyalists still buy Starbucks at $5 a cup. How has this brand become Charismatic and gained such loyal followers? It doesn’t happen overnight, and there are hundreds of elements that make up a successful brand – but it’s worth it. I spent an hour touring (visit if you believe in branding!) www.brandkeys.com. According to Dr. Robert Passikoff, President of brand research company Brand Keys, just a 5 percent increase in loyalty can result in as much as a 95 percent profit increase. So, no matter the upfront cost or difficulty, I’d choose brand loyalty any day.

So, the big question is, “HOW DO YOU DEFINE BRAND LOYALTY”? What makes you purchase a brand over and over again? Is it a brand you just really love? One you choose by default? Do you have loyalty to a brand at all? I find myself completely agreeing with Neumeier’s definition, that brand loyalty is a product you believe has no substitute. Ultimately, what drives these brands is – the consumers. Without us, they would not exist. And, without them, we may go insane. So, next time you’re at the store, think about your loyalty and reach for the brand that has always followed through for you.

Brand Loyalty

You must leverage social media if you want to successfully market your business. You will reach a huge amount of customers and prospects worldwide in just a few minutes.

If you are a newbie to social media management, this new way of marketing can be overwhelming.

With the advent of social media, many new communications and content marketing channels are available. Social media creates a new environment for customer conversations. And, just about the time you get comfortable with using a few, another new social media community pops up.

Where do you start and what social networks do you focus on? Many choices are available. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube are the most visited social media sites.

Using social media on a regular basis will help you gain valuable customers that are in the know, and like and trust your business. With social media, you let people know what’s going on with your business. This contact and interaction will help your company build relationships; make friends with customers and prospects. With social media, many ways are available to profile and highlight your company.

You should frequently post informative content that lets prospects get to know your company, its expertise, brand messages and offerings. By reaching out and having interaction with your social networks, you are able to touch base with hundreds of people each day.

Social media is particularly critical to reputation management, brand messaging and reaching customers. How you interact with others through social media will have a big impact on how others view your company, its products and services, and maintaining your brand identity.

The information that you put online should enhance the reputation and expertise of your company, and support your brand. You need to make sure that everything you write and put as your content elevates and guards your company reputation, including how your company looks and acts, what it says and how it says it.

Social media pages are designed for content postings that build relationships though content interaction. It is important to make sure that you balance how much marketing you do. Your social contacts will become very tired of your company, if day in and day out you do are making a hard sales pitch.

Your social media content is King. Once you commit to be social online, you must keep your content fresh and valuable to your followers and fans. Informative content will help your company stand out from your competitors online.

You need to use good content marketing with your social media efforts. Informational content generates trust. It provides prospective buyers with the information needed to nurture their interest and push them through the sales cycle. You can even figure out what they are interested in simply by looking at what content they interact with online.

When you first do your social media planning, a huge challenge is to find out what social media venues that your customers are using. After doing your research to find them, you need to analyze and find out what type of content your customers’ are interested in. Knowing their areas of interest will enable your company to become a resource in your product or service arena. You also need to think about how your company can create continuous beneficial and informative content. The key to retaining loyal customers and attracting new buyers is telling valuable, relevant and compelling stories.

You need an ongoing social media strategy and plan to make sure you will reach your goals on an ongoing basis. Social media marketing is only one part of an Internet marketing plan, but it is a very important part. Social media activities are an essential element to capture business online.

In the end, DON’T be random, DON’T be passive. Spend time on your plan and employ it with deliberate execution!

Think You Have A Social Media Marketing Plan?

While creating the Follow The Eyes website, my curiosity (actually my obsession) with search engine optimization led me to a few statistics proving it’s worth it to do SEO:

• 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.
• 62% of search users click a link on the first page of search results.
• 42% of search users click the top-ranking link.
• 8% click the second-ranking link, and the click-through rate continues to drop thereafter.

Search Engine Optimization may seem overwhelming or difficult; some small companies may not think they will benefit from investing in SEO. Do these stats change your mind?

sources:

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-stats-to-justify-seo/36762/

http://www.intraspin.com/news/10-statistics-that-demonstrate-the-value-of-seo/

SEO Statistics