Posts from the ‘Social’ Category
In 2008, I wrote a post for Web Worker Daily about the way Twitter was have an impact on the way we communicate (How Twitter is a Communications Game Changer). One of the points I made was how Twitter was spawning imitators (at the time, Jaiku and Pownce, Plurk, blippr and Kwippy, to name a few). Today, Pinterest is the target (or inspiration?) for a slew of copycat sites, even down to uncanny interface similarities. (Tell me Pinspire isn’t a direct imitation of Pinterest but for the European set.)
Here are just a few:
1. PinView – This app lets you browse Facebook in the same way you browse Pinterest and presents images and information in a decidedly Pinterest fashion.
2. Pinvolve – This Facebook app let’s others discover content from your Facebook Page in a Pinterest-like manner by creating a new area on your Page that presents your photo posts as a pinboard. You Page fans can then easily pin things from your Facebook Page directly to Pinterest.
3. Friendsheet – View Facebook photos, pictures of your Facebook friends, pictures of you and your own photos in a Pinterest-like format. (Note: I couldn’t get it to work for my own account which could be tied to my privacy settings.)
4. Gentlemint – If Pinterest is “for women,” then Gentlemint is decidedly “male.” The visceral impression you get when you arrive at Gentlemint versus Pinterest is pretty striking. Stereotypical? You be the judge…
Trippy – I heart Trippy. It’s like all the wonderful aspects of Pinterest but totally focused on travel and travel planning and with more features. Log in with your Facebook account and “share travel ideas with your friends.” You can not only build up your own “boards” for places you’ve been and places you want to go, but you can create a travel planning board and connect with friends who have actually been to the place you’re going (or live there) and can make highly personal recommendations. I’m just getting started with it – including planning a trip to Costa Rica – but here’s my Trippy page. And here is my Costa Rica trip planning section.
5. Indulgy – This is like Pinterest, but with a black background. Fashion, interior decor, food, luxury products…
6. Fancy (thefancy.com) – Instead of pinning something, you can “fancy” it. The layout of Fancy is a variation on the theme of blocks of photos with greater size variations. You can also view the images as a slideshow.
There are countless other “create and share your inspiration” type sites including We Heart It and Piccsy, but so far none of them have seemed to capture the imagination, attention or numbers like Pinterest. Many of them have Facebook integration, but all of them have two major things in common: they are very visual and are very easy to use (save Trippy which is much more feature-rich and takes a little figuring out).
What do you think of these Pinterest dopplegangers or the influence Pinterest is having on the way we publish, share and connect online?
I’m pretty vocal about my disdain for sites like Klout that create arbitrary scores for how we use social media and give us a false sense of the quality of how we interact based solely on numbers. So why am I writing about PinPuff which is clearly positioning itself as the Klout of Pinterest?
I love Pinterest. I said recently in a live chat on The CMO Site that I’m bullish on Pinterest as a potential valuable enhancement to one’s social mobile tool kit. PinPuff calculates your “Pinfluence” in several manners, and I’d advise you ignore that part or at least take it all with a grain of salt.
The one thing I found interesting and helpful about PinPuff was being able to see my actual stats in an easy-to-read list: Followers, Following, Pins, Boards, Likes, Liked, Repins.
And I can also see the three boards of mine that are most popular (I’m assuming because they get the most repins): Words and Whimsy, Infographic Addict and Yummy (but not gluten free darn it).
So why is this important to me? Knowing which boards of mine are the most popular is akin to knowing which pages on my website are most popular. I can then look to see where they are positioned on my Pinterest profile and determine if they are popular because of prominent positioning or if there are other factors. If positioning seems to be the case, I can experiment with moving boards that are more strategically important to me toward the top of my profile.
Checking my most popular boards may also give me a sense of the types of images that are getting the most repins. I have noticed through email notifications that my Words and Whimsy pins get great response, and PinPuff’s stats prove it. I’ve been contemplating creating some of my own word-oriented art with clever quips to see how they fare as pins. I’m also considering tapping into my inner crafter wannabe to see if I can create word art out of other media. Maybe even sell my creations on Etsy.
I’m inspired! And I have PinPuff to thank for that. Who gives a hoot what my score is? I’m getting tangible, personal – and professional – benefits from interacting on Pinterest. Tracking how I’m using it and how others are responding to how I use it is Analytics 101.
I’m definitely not advocating that you compete with others based on their PinPuff scores or that you value one person over another based on what PinPuff says about them. Repeat after me: “Social media is NOT just about numbers.”
What are your most popular boards? Why do you think they’re popular?
Also see my post on The CMO Site: 10 Tips for Marketing with Pinterest and Mitch Wagner’s followup to my live chat Get More from Pinterest Marketing.
I just read the post The Costs of Facebook’s New Timeline for Pages, and it got me thinking. One part that stood out for me was this:
Bigger brands have more money to spend, so it will be easier for them to make the proper changes and transition smoothly. For small companies, the initial costs to make the transition might come as a huge shock…Developing a banner photo and new logo will cost brands some serious money, if they are looking to do it right.
Switching over to Facebook Timeline does present some issues that need to be considered and does require some changes to optimize for the new style. But initial costs that may come as a huge shock? Well, maybe if your consultant or developer is overcharging you.
There is no reason that transitioning to Timeline (something that Facebook is making permanent as of March 30), has to be pricey or complicated. Yes, you do need to take some time to think through how the new design can be leveraged to help you better achieve your goals. But let’s not go crazy here.
Below is a quick reference for the main things you may want to consider.
Update your About section - Under Edit Page–>Basic Information, pay special attention to the About line. Make it short, sweet, actionable and include a link (http:// is not needed to be a live link as long as you can include www). You want the link you place there to show on your Page and lead visitors to a strategic site or page.
Make sure your About and Basic info content properly communicates your goals and try to include a key action item.
Modify your Cover image – Be careful not to violate Facebook’s rules for these*, but you can include wording and a tagline on the image itself. Some brand Page cover images include interesting designs that draw the eye some or all of the four apps boxes that are lined up under the cover image. (New optimal dimensions: 851 x 315)
Edit your Profile image – Profile image dimensions are now 180×180. When you resize or redesign your image to fit, keep in mind how the icon will look next to your Page posts (choose your thumbnail wisely when you upload your new profile pic). If you’re artistically inclined, you can also devise ways to tie your profile image into the larger cover image.
Think about your apps. Tabs are now called “apps” (you may have noticed they haven’t been tabs for a while). There are four visible apps lined up horizontally under the cover image, three of which you can modify and move around. The Photos app is immovable and the image thumbnail is not changeable from last photo uploaded. Videos can be moved around, but the image displayed is the last video uploaded. You can change the thumbnail display images on the app boxes for any of the apps you add to your Page.
What apps you display (three) should be based on your goals and preferably be action oriented. Examples could include getting people to sign up for your email list or to register for your events. You can use the default events tab here, but note that it will display the image from the last event you posted so pay attention to how this looks.
If you’re integrating “F-commerce” i.e. an online store into your Facebook Page, this could be a critical app to display. Make sure the thumbnail you use is clear, action-oriented, and consistent with your brand look and feel.
Here are a few examples of how some major brands are currently handling apps boxes.
Macy’s includes a contest, VIP discounts…
Subway includes News and Offers, Events and a link to their Flavorizer app where you can create your own virtual sandwich combo:
Keep in mind that even though additional apps are not immediately visible, if someone does click to see more apps, you want the next most important ones to be ahead of the less important ones. Consider removing any superfluous apps to keep this area uncluttered.
Additional apps on Subway’s Page:
To edit the image on an apps box, simply click the button to the right of the first four apps that show, then hover your cursor over the app you want to edit. Click the pencil that appears, then choose Edit Settings. If you are modifying an app where the image can be changed, you’ll have the option to click “Change” next to Custom Tab Image. On these apps, you can also change the few words that appear beneath the thumbnail. Again, think actions!
Rearrange apps by clicking on the pencil and choosing to Swap Position With another app. Remember: Photos will always remain on the left side of the row. The size of the app thumbnail is now 111 x 74 pixels.
Set up an account with a third-party apps company. To easily add new apps, try a tool that helps you do this. If you’re making changes yourself, pick one that requires minimal design or programming skills. I like ShortStack to develop custom apps for Facebook Pages, and they are Timeline compliant. The cost for a subscription to create unlimited apps for up to 25,000 fans (on one Facebook Page) via ShortStack is $15/month. Alternatives to ShortStack include TabSite and Pagemodo. (referral links)
Don’t get duped into thinking you need to spend thousands of dollars for the transition to Facebook’s Timeline for your Page. If you need guidance regarding Facebook Timeline changes, feel free to leave a comment here. If you need a referral to someone who can help you make these changes for you at a reasonable price (under $1000), let me know.
*These are Facebook’s rules for Cover images:
Cover images must be at least 399 pixels wide and may not contain:
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Price or purchase information, such as “40% off” or “Download it at our website”
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Contact information, such as web address, email, mailing address or other information intended for your Page’s About section
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References to user interface elements, such as Like or Share, or any other Facebook site features
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Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or “Tell your friends”
All cover images are public, which means anyone visiting your Page will be able to see the image you choose. Covers must not be false, deceptive or misleading, and must not infringe on third parties’ intellectual property. You may not encourage or incentivize people to upload your cover image to their personal timelines.
Have you made a switch to Timeline on your Page? Share your Facebook Page URL here so we can check it out!
As I work with brands on their digital strategies, I’m finding that Pinterest is worth exploring for a number of reasons: to build brand awareness; for consumer or constituent interactions in social and mobile spaces; and for leveraging visual content easily and integrating it into other online channels, just to name a few.
Pinterest isn’t complicated to use, and even my self-professed “non-techie” clients are able to start pinning in minutes including from their smartphones. Like with any new communications or marketing tool, we work hard to make sure business strategy leads the adoption and use of Pinterest.
So far, my clients love Pinterest – both the use of it and the results they’re seeing, most of which are tied directly to their business or organizational goals, but some of which are surprising and unexpected. I’ll post some Pinterest case studies here over the next few months. In the meanwhile, I wanted to point out three things that brands should consider as they begin using Pinterest.
1. Make sure your website is “Pinterest-Ready.”
Using a lot of Flash? Chances are, Pinterest will not be able to find an image or video to pin on that page. If you are hoping people will come to your site to pin your images (which can then drive traffic back to your site), they’ll get frustrated when they come up empty on pinable images. Of course, they can also do a Google search and find a related pinable image to use (although it may not lead people to your website), but why make them work to promote their love of your brand? If you feel your target audience fits the Pinterest demographic and that you have pin-worthy images, you may want to rethink your site for ways to provide pinable images.
2. Rearrange Your Boards
Many brands are out there with big blank spaces on their main Pinterest page. Did you know you can rearrange the boards? Log into Pinterest and go to your brand page, then click the Rearrange Board button. Drag and drop boards into the positions you feel works best for what you’re hoping to convey and achieve.
Blanks in boards look…sloppy:
At the moment, I’m helping my clients prioritize their boards from a strategic standpoint (they were also conceptualized strategically although, in some cases, are modified over time) and making sure the most important boards are “full” meaning that at least nine images are added to it so they show up as a complete board on their Pinterest account page. You want people to arrive at your brand’s Pinterest page that looks and feels like there is care and attention put into it.
3. Follow Just the Relevant Boards
If you’re wondering who to follow via your brand’s Pinterest account, my advice again is to think strategically: what industries, companies, organizations and brands are complementary? Look for your vendors, partners, colleagues and customers, too. Follow competitors? Maybe – but you might end up repinning their pins and sending more traffic their way. That is kind and generous of you, but perhaps just keeping an eye on their accounts is a better way to go.
Then when you go to follow other accounts, stop a moment and ask yourself “Do I need to follow all of their boards?” If so, click the Follow All button below their photo or logo (left side toward the top). If not, just click the Follow button under the boards you specifically want to follow.
These are just a few tips and ideas for brands looking to use Pinterest effectively. You’re going to start seeing a lot of advice about Pinterest from many different sources. Whatever you choose to do, always make sure it is rooted in sound business strategy and practices while keeping an open mind to the way Pinterest – and other social mobile technologies – are changing the very way we communicate with our customers.
How are you using Pinterest as a marketing tool?
In the same vein as my post on Editing a Facebook Preview Link, I recently stumbled upon a feature I have never used on Twitter: Twitter Advanced Search. If you’re looking to extract some useful information out of the Twitter stream, try zooming in on specific tweet parameters.
You can add or take away words or phrases in a search or include hashtags. You can select language or list accounts you want to include that have either tweeted, were the recipients of tweets or were simply mentioned in a tweet.
The part I find really interesting is the Location field where you can specify within a 1000 mile radius of a particularly geographic location but also down to one mile. For those of you looking for geo-targeted data, this can be helpful. Read more
