Tag: Pinterest

What’s The PR Potential For Pinterest?

Posted on by Marijane Funess

After reaching 10 million monthly unique visitors more quickly than Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest is one of the most visited social networks today—that makes it important, period, and brands know this.
So, how can PR pros use it most effectively?

Here are 3 tips on how you can make your client’s Pinterest page a must-see.

Tips, Please

Everyone wants advice from an expert. If your client is considered an expert on a particular topic, use Pinterest to extend that perception by making their page a one-stop source for tips on that topic. This makes a page popular, providing value to your client’s customers.

Kate Spade NY, for instance, offers tips on dressing colorfully. HGTV? Tips on design.
Pinterest is where people go for easy-to-digest recommendations. Thus, pins should be functional. They should be tips for consumers to enhance their lifestyle. That’s what those who successfully use Pinterest for their clients understand.

(Consumer) Content is Key

While your clients are ultimately the experts, it’s great to let customers have a voice on their Pinterest page by re-pinning relevant content from them. In PR, we’re often too focused on one-way communication. However, social media has made everything two-way. Demonstrating thoughtful engagement by your client is as important (if not more) as seeing engagement from their customers.

What better way to do this then by repinning? Through this simple action, PR professionals can easily make client brands interactive while keeping their key audiences coming back for more.

Pinning is Learning

Repins have tangible value to both you and your client. When the content from a client’s page is repinned hundreds of times, internalize that and learn from it. If you pin something that sees little traction, whether through comments, repins or likes, maybe it’s time to rethink future similar pins.

Successful PR campaigns have learned to move on when things don’t work. Pinterest is a platform for your client’s customers to help you figure out what doesn’t work the brand you represent. Chances are, if it’s not loved on Pinterest, it may be off the mark.

Bottom line—when things don’t work on Pinterest, learn from it and move on. These are just 3 tips on how PR pros can use Pinterest effectively—what other strategies have you tried?

When A Piece Of Your Childhood Dies

Posted on by Marijane Funess

For some,  it was seeing the last Harry Potter movie.
For some it was John Lennon’s passing.
For me, the death of Monkees’ lead singer Davy Jones, hits right in my childhood sweet spot.

This phrase, “when a piece of your childhood dies” is very bittersweet. On the one hand, it invokes thoughts of lost innocence, but on the other, it provides an excellent opportunity to revisit really fond memories. And in this day and age, that means instant and ongoing sharing with all your friends on Facebook and other social media.
As a PR practitioner, it also allows me to examine the way social and conventional media convey and dissect pop culture news.

Obits in 140 Characters – The twittersphere exploded with short but poignant comments from celebrities and peers of Davy Jones, which, if strung together made for a lovely obit and of course, “RIP Davy Jones” was and still is a huge trending topic.

Survey Says! – Facebook becomes a forum for nostalgia and questions that bring your friends and acquaintances closer. For instance, I asked which Monkee was the favorite of most people I knew. Someone else asked which song was  the pop group’s best. It became an ongoing research study into late 60s pop lore.

Pining and Pinning – Even before his death, Davy had enthusiasts on Pinterest, but yesterday there was a surge of photos, comments and  repins providing a nice timeline of the singer’s life.

And if you only get your news on TV… – It was a serious walk down memory lane to see clips from the old show and interviews with surviving bandmates. There are some things that only TV can really give you, kind of like the Monkees themselves!