All posts tagged social media

Board-em Is In

Posted on:January 31, 2012 Comments: No Comments Categories: Blog

By now you’ve heard of the semi-new social media site, Pinterest. We reference “semi-new” because the site has actually been around since spring 2010. Pinterest is in invite-only mode and possibly still in its beta version (maybe?), as there are still some kinks that need to be worked out. Regardless, the site has garnered a great deal of attention across the web (like a masterfully planned PR campaign) and even has international fans or imitators* already (however, you choose to look at it).

If you haven’t heard of the site, consider yourself warned, because it’s slightly addictive. You come to realize how powerful visual stimulation is and may become a pinning fool. Pinterest serves as an inspiration or a vision board for some, a showroom for others and another way for people to express themselves.

We know that you may be overwhelmed with all of the available social media tools, however, if this one is right for your business, you’ll find that the interaction is different and rather enjoyable. Who doesn’t like to look at cool visuals or get inspired?

Some quick ways to jump in on the fun:

Share Your Personality
Whether you’re pinning for your business or for yourself, or collaborating on a board, Pinterest allows you to share a little bit of your personality with the world. Who knew you liked tattoos and puppies, right? How does this help from a business perspective? While some may be concerned about sharing too much, sharing things that resonate with your business or personal brand allows you to attract the types of clients who want to work with you and whom you’ll also want to have as customers. Plus, they may serve as great conversation starters!

It’s Not Just About You
As with all social media sites, the goal should be connection for businesses and while you’ll be pinning for your board, don’t just pin about your business or your clients’ businesses. Yes, upload your latest products, but also share the inspiration behind the product, which may make for great visuals. For instance, a fashion designer may share a landscape scene that inspired her new collection. While it’s about her new collection, it’s not just the finished product with a price tag. She’s sharing the story.

Be Creative
You have an opportunity to share quickly with Pinterest and it doesn’t take a lot of effort for people to become engaged with your boards and pins. You can share pictures of your staff when they were kids and have your clients/customers guess which pic belongs to whom or posts pics of your pets or even before and afters.

One question we received from a client is whether they should follow or re-pin images from their competitors. This definitely depends on your business. (Note: Do not get yourself fired! And use good judgment!) You’re probably not likely to re-pin or like all of your competitors’ products, however, if there’s something you like and it’s appropriate, why not? Your Pinterest account, boards, pins, etc. may then be used as a resource or “must visit” since you’ve pinned the coolest, most interesting things, regardless.

How are you using Pinterest?

(*Updated 2-1-2012: Also known as rip-off artists.)

Branding Your Business

Posted on:October 24, 2011 Comments: No Comments Categories: Blog

When it comes to branding, what’s it all about? Your logo? Your website? Your Facebook business page? Your ads? Yes to all, however, it’s mainly about your company’s personality.

When it comes to establishing a brand, many people expect the logo and pretty pics to do all the work. Real branding is established when the logo creates meaning for the observer. An apple in the grocery store is just…an apple. If I asked you to envision the apple in a school, you might think of your favorite teacher. An apple that’s on popular electronic devices around the word? Well, you know that bitten apple stands for innovation, progress and is responsible for all the cool “i” products (as in: iPad, iPhone, iPod).

Whether you’re building your personal brand or the brand for your company, you need to clearly capture and articulate the personality of the brand. Sometimes your personal brand and company brand are synonymous, but not always. When establishing, tweaking or revitalizing your brand, there are two very important things to remember:

1) What does your brand stand for?
Power and prestige? Compassion and service? Every business (and person) is a combination of skills, abilities, etc., but there’s a focus and an underlying foundation that you place all of these upon. Take inventory of what your brand stands for and see if your website, marketing materials, etc. are conveying that message. Ask your family, friends and anyone who will give you an honest opinion what they think your brand stands for and see if you’ve communicated your brand’s personality.

2) Who do I want my brand to speak to and who is my target audience?
This one is really important. Many business owners would like to believe that everyone wants their products and/or services, and this is definitely not the case. There should be some people who don’t want to utilize your services. Or, perhaps you don’t want to have as a client! When you hone in on your target market, you have a better chance of developing messaging and images that speak to that audience. This, in turn, will help you attract the types of clients whom you’re targeting and want to work with. This doesn’t mean you won’t have some people who are outside of your target market, you will, but you will have reached your primary audience and that is the goal.

When identifying your target, be sure to get specific. Don’t just say “women who are 25-55.” While that’s important, you’ll really be able to see how to push out your brand when you know who you’re reaching. The person who is: “a woman between the ages of 25-55, has a husband, two kids and loves Target” and “the woman who is between the ages of 25-55, is single, no kids and shops online exclusively” may require different strategies to get your brand noticed.

Make a list of words that you want your brand to convey and compare that with what you’re hearing about your brand. Is your business brand’s personality clear? Is it communicating the message you want?

Three Quick Tips for Businesses Using Google+

Posted on:October 7, 2011 Comments: No Comments Categories: Blog

News has been circulating that Google+ is close to unveiling pages for brands and businesses that the public can access.

Because Google+ is a new service, many businesses may not know how to begin communicating with their customers and clients in this new setting. This is crucial information for brands and businesses that would like to continue building long-term relationships with their customers.

There might even be businesses and brands themselves that do not understand how to use the service. To assist them, we have compiled three tips that will not only explain how Google+ works, but also demonstrate how to communicate with customers and clients on this new platform:

Boost your brand or business’ search ranking. Google looks favorably upon Google+ content in search and the links shared in Google+ are highly indexed. This means you should try to share as much content as possible with your customers on Google+. Just remember not to spam.

Customize content with Circles. You can create separate “Circles,” or groups, for your: 1) target audience, 2) marketing audience and 3) internal communications audience. Then create a calendar or schedule that indicates when to send messages to just those specific segments. This way you will not blast irrelevant messages at (or worse, spam) the wrong segments of your audience.

Tag content with hashtags. Similar to Twitter, hashtags have made their way to Google+. You can use hashtags (as you do on Twitter) to identify topics of interest. You can also tag your posts so they are searchable for others looking for tips on, for instance, #marketing.

Still have a few questions about how Google+ works? Leave a comment and let us know!

Fair Use and Content Online

Posted on:May 27, 2011 Comments: No Comments Categories: Blog

Whether you are a devoted blogger or the king/queen of Facebook statuses, you more than likely share links to articles, pictures or videos within your daily content. When you’re posting info, are you familiar with your rights, or the rights of the creator from whom you are gathering content? In no way are we offering any legal advice – we just want to share how there are rules to sharing with your desired network!* Social media is a new medium, and with that comes ever evolving rules and guidelines. Here’s some info that you may find helpful!

Fair Use

“My posting was just fair use!” This statement may come to sound familiar over time. Fair use allows you to quote copyrighted material without asking permission or paying for it, but here’s the catch…since there are no hard rules for fair use, there are four factors that help determine if a use is likely to be…fair.

  1. The purpose and character of your use
  2. The nature of the copyrighted work
  3. The amount and substantiality of the portion taken, and
  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market.

For more information about social media and the idea of fair use, check out the Center for Social Media. This American University website offers excellent tips and educational tools that can help you understand the fair use ground rules for social media.

Give Credit

Posting someone else’s work is not free advertising for them, especially when no credit is provided. When you want to share links, photos or videos, make sure you give the owner the proper credit that s/he deserves. When in doubt about including someone else’s content in your blog, just ask the author or visit Creative Commons. This nonprofit organization can help you get permission from the copyright holder.

Not Receiving Credit?

If a website posts your article and has not provided a back link or even a mention of your name, what do you do?

  • Contact the site Webmaster and kindly explain that they are in breech of copyright and that you would appreciate that they remove the content immediately.
  • Can’t get in touch with the Webmaster? Contact the site’s host and explain your situation. Whois can help you search for a website’s domain registration.

The online world moves at mach speed and we’re all out here learning and navigating this new world together. Just remember, communication is key and when in doubt, ask questions! We hope that these tips and information are helpful to you. Any questions/comments/ concerns? Feel free to leave a reply below or reach out to us.

*Disclaimer: We are not lawyers. For legal advice, please reach out to an attorney. Some great attorneys (and Savor sisters) include: Jessica Eaves Mathews and Francine D. Ward.

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