How to Use Pinterest for Your Business
There’s nothing like being the new kid on the social networking block (while also becoming the most popular), but that’s exactly what Pinterest is. Pinterest was launched in 2010 as a place where members can post (or as Pinterest calls it) “pin” their favorite photos, videos or images of a certain topic onto a pinboard. It has become so popular that between September 2011 and December 2011, it has seen an increase in visitors by 429% (according to the web traffic analysis service Compete.com).
Similar to other social media, users can follow their friend’s boards, “like” their boards or even share them on Facebook and Twitter. Pins can also be emailed or embedded into a website or blog, making it more available to more users. It’s a place where users can collect and show their passion – “organize and share the things you love” (Pinterest.com). (more…)
The Magic Number “3″
The Brain’s Favorite Number Is “3″
Specialists in communication arts know it. Lawyers know it. Teachers know it. Parents know it. Marketers know it. Psychologists know it. You know it too, although you may not actually realize it. The brain likes to chunk what it takes in, in threes. Think about how you memorize numbers such as phone numbers, long addresses, social security numbers, and padlock combinations. Can you remember the names of your friends that have a middle name? Doesn’t it slow you down just a little if they have two middle names?
How “3″ Applies to Marketing Communications
We’ve all seen the sales promotion literature that tries so hard to get across every single benefit of the product so you can be sure and remember them all. Do you? Of course not. You can more easily remember the three reasons for choosing or rejecting something. Something about one reason or two is just not strong enough to be persuasive. Four or more memorable points simply become unmemorable.
Try Out 3
Here are the three basic reasons to begin chunking your communication messages into threes:
- That is the way your audiences’ minds prefer to absorb the information.
- The mind will retain strings of threes better than larger clusters or more than three smaller clusters.
- Three supporting points give a structure that is sufficient without being clumsy or confusing.
Now, close your eyes and see if you can repeat back those three things.
See?
15 Minutes a Day to Make Your Business More “Social”
Go Ahead; Take On Social Media
The amount of time that can be spent on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin, for example) seems overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Make yourself an appointment for 15 minutes, each day, where you focus on placing your updates and messages on your target sites.
Focus on Where Your Customers Are
Focus on where you want to be for your customers. If the idea of being an inspiration to your customers appeals to you, then focus on those things you see throughout your day that would serve that purpose. They may be short articles, sayings or observations that you or others make and use those to help get your name in front of your customers. That is an easy way to develop copy for your social media sites.
Be Consistent in Your Social Media Approach
During your 15-minute appointment, log into each of your selected social sites or a blog focused on your industry. Upload messages, articles or observations to share with your friends and contacts. When you are consistent about delivering your positive messages, your potential customers will soon notice and remember you. Thus, you will achieve one of the goals of your marketing efforts: top-of-mind awareness about who you are and what you do to place excellence around your service and products.
Social Media Takes Time, but It Doesn’t Have to Take a Lot
Fifteen minutes a day will not be missed in the totality of your busy day, but it will make a world of difference in the view people have of you and your company. Just be consistent about making your presence known. Using social media for business is a battle of attrition; you wear down the resistances little by little while you build up your position in the market exactly the same way.
It’s time to change your game – a little. Whether you realize it or not, your marketing game has already been changing. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter didn’t start out being marketing tools but they have found their way into those possibilities.
Smartphones Are Making Huge Inroads into Retail Sales
If your website has not been enhanced for mobile usage, you are about to miss the biggest online shopping season ever. Unbelievable as it may seem, 25% of Americans – every man, woman and child – now own a smartphone. That’s 82.2 million buyers.
Surprise: The Over-60 Age Group
What may be the biggest surprise, though, is the 65+ age group which is up a whopping (more…)
Tablets Changing eCommerce: Plan Ahead for the Holiday Shopping Season
iPads, Touch Pads and Smartphones Are the New Shopping Carts
There’s no question that smartphones and touchscreen tablets have changed the way people work, but they have also changed the way people shop. The reason isn’t just because of the convenient internet access either. Both phones and tablets have downloadable gadgets supplied by many retailers that compress the experience into easy-to-use shop and purchase actions. Internet access even makes on-the-spot price comparisons a reality. (more…)
Why Headlines Sometimes Don't Work
From the ninth grade on, writing teachers, sales managers, copywriters, and others will tell you that you need to shout out your strongest benefit in your headline to attract the readers’ attention (just like everyone else’s headline). Although that would seem logical, it is not the most effective way to get better attention from the reader. So, how can so many people be so wrong? (more…)
"White Space" is just as important as the graphics and the copy
If you ever had the chance to work in an advertising agency where the copywriters and graphic designers slave away at creating the right combination for your print advertisement, you would likely hear the phrase:
“Make more white space!”
- What does it mean?
- Why would art and copy people want less art and copy by providing more white space?
It is all about what the eye sees and how much the brain can take in at one time. White space in advertising serves the same purpose as “negative space” in fine art and portraits. It is that space that forces the eye to see what you intend it to see. If there is not enough negative space, or white space, then the eyes and brain have trouble settling on what is important and needs to be viewed first. (more…)
Can You "Feng Shui" a Website?
Is there such a thing as feng shui (pronounced “feng shway”) for a webpage?
Feng shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy that governs spatial arrangement and orientation. It relates to patterns of yin and yang (the philosophy of how polar or contrary forces are interdependent in the natural world, i.e. “all things are in harmony and opposition”). It is an intriguing thought and there is no apparent reason why these ancient philosophies cannot govern effective webpage development. (more…)
4 Tips for Selecting a Memorable Domain Name
Tip #1: Search engines reward you for having keywords in your domain name. (more…)
Are Your Testimonials Really Working Hard Enough?
Why Aren’t Testimonials More Believable?
Why don’t testimonials work harder at convincing new customers to follow their experience? After all, they represent the experience of one who has already been your customer. Is there something the testimonials do or don’t do that causes them to fail to communicate the great experience received from your product or service? There are actually several tasks you can do to assure that the testimonials you use on your webpage and in your other advertising can be more effective at reaching into the customer’s mind and actually do what you intend them should do. From a good communications standpoint, let us take a look at what is wrong with the testimonials we see all the time. (more…)
