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.
Last night, I (Nancy for White Book) had the pleasure of moderating/facilitating a media panel with women experts who work in and with the media profession.
We helped to bring a dynamic panel of women together for Working Women of Tampa Bay‘s Spotlight Series. Featured speakers included:
Walker Brands, Tampa Bay's first Gold LEED certified building
The event was hosted at Walker Brands, Tampa’s first LEED Gold certified building. Upon entrance, you immediately recognize that the building naturally fosters creativity, and I’ve always said that when you’re in that space ~ you just feel smarter. It’s a smart space, with smart people!
The night began with mingling, light bites from Tatiana’s, sweet treats and wine from Carol Prokap of PR Wine International, and then we opened up into the discussion.
While the audience was largely made up of small business owners and working professionals, the questions I selected for the panel were not just business focused. As women, I believe we recognize the whole person – what makes them who they are personally (as a wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, etc.) and professionally (entrepreneur and/or executive). There are varying opinions on a balanced life, and blending and/or balancing our professional and personal lives is an act that is ongoing. I wanted the questions to share with the audience how these dynamic women make it all happen successfully.
There was valuable information shared and as one of the women noted, we could have talked all night! There were several smart and valuable sound bites and tips shared. Here were some of my favorites:
“Don’t do more, do less well.” This one was courtesy of Nancy W. She shared this nugget when an audience member wanted to know how to cram all the “to dos” a small business owner has into a day. Instead of trying to figure out how to do more and driving yourself crazy, it makes so much sense to just do a fantastic job on a few things.
“Only do what you can do,” was a tip Diane shared from a friend. (One who is actually a special friend to me as well, Deanne Roberts, who has undoubtedly left her legacy here on earth. We love and miss you, Deanne!) Another useful tip from Diane was her use of lists for clarity and identifying strengths. She said she broke down her list to include:
What I like to do that I’m good at
What I don’t like to do, but that I’m good at
What I’m not good at, but I like to do
What I’m not good at and don’t like to do
After identifying these things, she worked to eliminate that last bullet.
They’re watching!Bridgette shared the secret (and at White Book, we know, not so secret) fact that the media is looking at your social media profiles. Your tone and tweets on Facebook, Twitter, etc. would do well to match the tone and image of your business brand. If your personal profile isn’t for public consumption, you may need to use some of Facebook’s privacy filtering features. Your goal as a business owner is to a leave a positive impression.
And Nancy W. added that how you feel now, may not be how you feel about an issue, topic, etc. in two years. Think about how much you’ve grown in the last five years…two years…heck, this month! Think before you post (both comments and pictures)!
Keeping it real and training.Korey shared the importance of being realistic with yourself. As the casting and media director for HSN, she frequently receives requests from people who want to see themselves on television. She shared how it’s not just a great product, a pretty face or even that “spark” that’s going to seal the deal. It’s a combination of these elements…and training, that helps.
Each of these women is admired, respected in the community and inspires others in some way, shape or form in their profession. Last night’s event was informative and a great reminder to stay inspired on our entrepreneurial and professional journeys.
What and who keeps you motivated and/or inspired? What questions do you have about the media and business?
On Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, we’ll be joining Working Women of Tampa Bay‘s Spotlight Series as the moderator for a panel of dynamic women who have made their mark in the media profession.
You’ve already clocked in five days in 2012! How are things going? Are you sticking to your 2012 goals thus far?
We hope your year is off to a fantastic start and you’re on track with your business and personal resolutions for the year.
It’s easy to start off full steam ahead and then the momentum starts to slow down or excitement wanes because: you’re bogged down with e-mails, calls and/or follow-up, you ran just a few minutes behind schedule, deadlines are approaching and well,…life.
Hopefully you’re not experiencing any of these things yet and you’re still moving along. There may be a day in coming weeks when things just don’t go as planned and we wanted to send you some quick tips to refer back to so that you stay motivated:
Divide and Conquer
Whether you do this now or later, break up your goals and to-dos in manageable pieces. In business life, sometimes what you think is supposed to be on your plate may need to shift to someone else’s or you may want to tackle things at a later time. Review your list of goals and resolutions frequently as this will allow you to make adjustments as necessary, delegate and/or eliminate. When you mark out steps toward your goal, this may include pushing back your timeline (on occasion). This is OK. It’s better to give yourself a little more time to work toward your goal (if you have the flexibility) than to give up all together.
Consider giving yourself benchmarks to check in against as well and allowing yourself at least 90 days to complete large projects (e.g. launching new campaigns or programs, hosting an event, writing a new chapter for your book, etc.)
Enlist Allies
Sometimes it’s easy to charge full speed ahead with your goals, passing all others and leaving them in the dust! Fantastic when this goes as planned, not so much when you need assistance through the process. If you launched out the gate really quickly, well…it may be a long walk back. Call upon your business peers who are able to assist you with select endeavors. Sharing what your goals are:
a) allows others to share their experiences (learning how someone else set-up their CRM or is tackling their project management is a time-saver and may prevent costly mistakes), and
b) provides you with an accountability partner who can give you that extra push when you need one.
It may also give you a much needed break from all the to-dos when necessary, with quick coffee/tea/smoothie breaks. You can share your Google calendars with one another, create a private Facebook group or use a collaboration site like Socialcast to check in and keep track of your progress.
Pace Yourself
Here’s where we plug in: “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and “Money doesn’t grow on trees” cliches. It’s going to take equal amounts of patience (to build the empire) and hard work to achieve your business goals (oh, and if money did grow on trees, even planting those things wouldn’t be a breeze!). If you decide to showcase a new product or service, but it’s not moving as quickly as you’d like, you’ll have to solicit feedback, make adjustments, re-launch. Perhaps your media campaign gains some momentum but seems to stall or halt. You’ll need to be open to switching gears, reaching out to different and perhaps new outlets and re-crafting your pitch.
Sometimes you have to go cold turkey, but moderation can be everyone’s friend…so pace yourself when it comes to your business goals (and maybe even personal). After all, it has only been five days! If you’re slacking in reaching your goals or staying on track in June, let us know and we’ll give you some tips to jump start your “get up and go”…or scare you straight into action.
Let us know how things are going thus far and what tips you have to stay on track!
The last days of the year are usually a time for reflection…checking to see if goals were achieved and planning for the New Year. We hope that 2011 has been good to you ~ personally and professionally.
As you make plans for 2012 and map out your goals for a prosperous year where you’ll sell more products, gain more clients, increase your team, acquire more publicity, improve your marketing efforts, and/or learn something new…make sure not to get bogged down or pressured by your goals before you have even started. You have a whole new year to work with, and it’s going to be a fabulous one!
We think this print from HappyTownUSA sums up our 2012 resolutions best. Short and sweet!
Thanks for being a part of a wonderful 2011 and we look forward to more awesomeness for all in 2012.
May you and your loved ones have a fantastic New Year filled with many blessings! See you next year! (Cheesy, but fun to say this time of year!)
We provided some quick tips last week to make your holiday party planning a breeze, now here are some trendy and fun holiday themes to consider to give your holiday party some extra pizzazz this season:
Go Monochromatic
Everything in shades of one color scheme. Change the color theme to each room guests will gather in to create different moods.
Choose One Item
The White House used none other than their dog, Bo this year to theme much of the holiday décor. An easier DIY-inspired idea to take away is the use of cranberries in everything from wreathes to table décor.
The same theme can be accomplished with anything from candy, ornaments, or unshelled nuts.
Combine Holidays
Christmas and Hanukkah overlap this year which provides an opportunity for many inter-faith couples and groups of friends to observe both, if not all December holidays, at the same event. Decor for a combined-denominational holiday party, you ask?
Here are some tips and ideas to host a Christmukah Holiday Party:
Make gingerbread or sugar cookies in shapes to symbolize something from each holiday, religion or general winter-related ideas on a platter.
Image Courtesy of Bon Appetit
Ask guests to bring a dish from each of their own holiday memories to share. (This is a great social opportunity for guests to tell a little bit about their own background as well!)
Have disposable plates and utensils on hand for any kosher guests.
Play non-holiday games like cards and board games everyone loves.
Decorate a holiday tree. Each guest contributes their own ornament to the tree. Watch the décor come alive with each guest’s individual style combined.
Secret gift exchange. Determine the cost guidelines or make a rule that each gift be homemade or of a certain theme to fit the party, e.g. “all gifts must have a certain color incorporated.” There may be a lot of red socks floating around but it’s a fun challenge to see what everyone can come up with!
Have fun planning your holiday gathering this year!
Today there are 179,828,624 blogs in the world (and counting, according to BlogPulse). To get an idea of how frequently this number changes, back in April we took part in a blogger panel via Savor and there were only 158,360,910. We’re being funny with the “only.”
When people blog for personal reasons, the blog may serve as an outlet to share interests and thoughts. It’s cool if someone takes an interest in one’s personal musings, but perhaps it’s not the goal to gain recognition. When you’re blogging for business, the goal is usually to share insightful information, be seen as active and knowledgeable in your industry, provide updates and attract readers to your blog so that they receive your information and updates!
Here are some tips to consider attracting readers to your blog:
1) Post often and be brief. A post of 250-300 words of quickly digested and useful information is welcome from readers. Admittedly, we do not always post as often as we recommend and don’t mean to get all “do as we say, not as we do,” but this one is definitely beneficial. People like when they can hear from you often. It’s like calling home. It’s not necessary to post daily, but a few times a week or on a set schedule (e.g. once a week on Tuesdays), then your readers know when to expect to hear from you.
2) Visit other blogs and interact. It’s beneficial to see what’s going on out there in the world, learn what’s happening in your industry or other fields, and to interact with your peers. Visiting and commenting on other media, professional and business blogs will encourage others to visit yours. When you comment, it asks for a link and your name can link back to your blog. When doing this, make sure you’re genuinely engaging. Don’t comment for the sake of commenting. If you don’t have anything to contribute to the conversation, don’t.
3) Post discounts, incentives and specials for blog readers only. Everyone likes a gift or discount, so you can reward your loyal blog fans by giving them some perks periodically. You can let people know that they can visit your blog site for these incentives via your newsletter and social media channels (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
What are some of your favorite business blogs to follow?
The holidays are here and that means party planning is in full swing! Taking on the coordination of an event in your home or office, in addition to a regular work schedule, can only add to the hectic, holiday season. Here are some ideas to make any party-planning experience a little…breezier!
Use E-Invitations
There are a ton of fabulous sites offering free invitations, including: cocodot, pingg and evite. These sites that will track reservations, send guest reminders and even schedule out thank you notes for those who attended.
Remember, Hiring Help is OK
Perhaps you want to do all the shopping, cooking, baking and the décor, however, it’s OK to relax and be the host this year by bringing in a little help! Some help to consider? Read on…
• Private Chef: You purchase the food and provide any recipes you may want to use. They arrive to do all the work. What else could be better?
• Mixologist: There is nothing more fun than a custom drink menu and professional mixologist who will stir up special creations that go along with your event theme. We recommend our friends at 71 Proof. Reach out to us and we’ll put you in touch!
• Order in: Some may call this sneaky, we say genius. Many local food stores and restaurants carry out platters which can be re-plated onto your own china. This works for cold appetizers and nibbles to suit all your guest’s needs, just as if you had chopped everything up yourself.
• Get a Maid: After all the planning you’ve been doing, who wants to clean the house!
Don’t Forget the Playlist!
Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you can’t throw in a few unconventional tunes on your playlist. It’s a party after all! Michael Jackson is always welcome.
Things To Do in Advance
• Decorate
• Shop for groceries and gifts
• Make cookies and/or desserts
• If making the meal on your own, prep any of the portions you can, for instance, chopping all the veggies, preparing the cold salads or dips, etc.
• Bring in green plants to accent an area and brighten up any space. Plus, they generally last for weeks over flowers.
• Use battery operated candles for an easy ambiance indoors and out. There is no worry about fire codes in the office with these!
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).
You’ve already clocked in five days in 2012! How are things going? Are you sticking to your 2012 goals thus far?
Today there are 179,828,624 blogs in the world (and counting, according to 
The holidays are here and that means party planning is in full swing! Taking on the coordination of an event in your home or office, in addition to a regular work schedule, can only add to the hectic, holiday season. Here are some ideas to make any party-planning experience a little…breezier!