Social Media Fail of the Week

This week’s social media fail is brought to you by US Airways! As you may have heard, US Airways took A LOT of heat yesterday for tweeting out one of the most graphic things a brand has ever tweeted. Now airlines automatically get a pretty bad rap on social media, mostly because delays happen, the accommodations are uncomfortable, there’s long lines, it’s expensive, etc., but what happened yesterday is likely to go down as one of the biggest social media blunders of 2014. The whole fiasco started off as a pretty regular exchange between a customer and the airline:

So far so good right? Delays happen, they’re not ideal, but they happen. US Airways response to the first tweet, I would argue, is spot on. The first response tweet from US Airways shows they monitor their social accounts, and engage with their customers when they’re less than thrilled. Good job! Unfortunately, here’s where things take a horrible, horrible turn for the worse:

The tweet was coupled with a picture, an extremely NSFW picture. How NSFW? Well, so NSFW that I won’t even be including a blurred out version of it in this blog post. That should give you some idea how NSFW this picture was. The tweet and image has since been deleted by US Airways but I caution and warn you, if you go googling for it, you will find it, and it will be no less NSFW when you do, so be warned.

With the NSFW tweet and accompanying image deleted, US Airways has since issued an apology via twitter which looked a little something like this:

Now, what happened? We’re not quite sure yet. Maybe an employee who was having an awful, awful day or the mishap could have been the result of an employee who recently found out they wouldn’t be working for US Airways any longer but still had access to their social account. At any rate, there’s an important lesson that can be learned from these social media fails.

For brands, be careful who you put in charge of your social media accounts. If there’s high turnover, take steps to prevent employees who are either on their way out the door or worse, already out the door, having access to your social media accounts.

For individuals, just think back to the whole Justine Sacco situation we blogged about just before the beginning of the new year. Always be mindful of what you’re posting.

What do you think about the US Airways NSFW fiasco? What do you think about social media #fails in general? As always, feel free to connect with me via Twitter!

Let’s Get Tradigital

By: Peter Girard

Last week, fellow Account Coordinator Tim Viall and I attended an event hosted by the University of Rhode Island Chapter of the PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America). It was an odd feeling being back on campus. Not sure if my colleague Tim feels the same way, but there’s a certain strangeness to going back to a place you work so hard to leave.

The event was sponsored by the Harrington School of Communication and Media and consisted of a main speaker, a panel discussion, and an ice cream social/networking to end the event. (How could we not go? Networking and ice cream? It’s a PR person’s dream…)

The main speaker was great. Rafael Sulit is the Director of U.S. Brand Strategy and Implementation for National Grid and was a pleasure to listen to. Now, when you think National Grid, your mind probably doesn’t jump directly to social media, but they’re active on a lot of platforms and doing it really well. From my point of view, the most beneficial aspect of the entire event was the networking afterward. But for the students, I’d have to say they got the most out of the panel discussion, which was “unfortunate”.

Let me first say that the panel was great. Moderated by Adam Roth, an awesome professor in the Communication Studies department, the panel consisted of Rafel Sulit, Giselle Mahoney – manager of communications and media relations for the Tech Collective, Lauren Bettencourt – brand manager charity by design for Alex and Ani, and Kerri Hicks – manager of web communications for URI. Audience members had the ability to ask questions out loud or submit them via tweet through a live-tweet wall. All the speakers were very knowledgeable, possessed different strengths, and worked in different environments.

But it was the networking after where students would have gotten the most bang for their (free) buck. Please understand, I came out of URI, by definition I am a product of URI and the Communication Studies department specifically. I understand probably better than most that of the students who attended, there were those who really wanted to be there, saw it for the opportunity that it was and took advantage of it. Then, there were likely students who were either asked or told to attend the event for a class they’re taking, write a paper likely shorter than this blog post about it and hand it in for some points.

As soon-to-be new grads, I think the better value for them would have been to stick around after the event and network. Here’s where the blog post opens up and becomes applicable to everyone. The bottom line is you’re never too old to continue growing professionally. While networking events can sometimes be hit or miss, if you make even one contact or exchange business cards with just one person, it’s worth it. Specific to this event, I held a conversation with three out of the four panelist, including the main speaker, and exchanged business cards with all of them. You never know if the contacts you make at an event like the one I attended last week will yield anything but it’s always better to have them than not.

Aside from ultimately making new connections, networking events provide a lower pressure environment to socialize with other professionals and this is undoubtedly a required skill whether you’re about to enter the work force, or you’re already a professional. ESPECIALLY in public relations. I would rather attend 10 networking events to hone in on my networking and socialization skills than underperform say, at a trade show or in a new business meeting. Use networking events as an opportunity to spread your social butterfly wings and flex your gift of gab and the return on investment could be tremendous.

If you have any questions about networking, or are looking for some tips, please feel free to connect with me via Twitter.

Networking & #Cheese

By: Peter Girard

Last evening, Nick Brown (director of account services for Caster Comm) and I had the pleasure of attending an awesome tweet-up at the swanky Hotel Viking in Newport, RI. Hosted by our friends over at WhatsUpNewp, we socialized with some local Rhode Island tweeps whom we’d never had the pleasure of meeting in person before, and partook in the consumption of a lot of cheese. I mean look at the spread they had:

Now the event wasn’t all socializing and cheese, WhatsUpNewp had a few guests of honor. The Hotel Viking was hosting an award-winning group of published writers who have all joined forces for a live read series entitled “Living, Out Loud: Writers Riff on Love, Sweat & Fears.” As a matter of fact, on Thursday, March 27 (tonight) this group will be holding their ‘essay-slam’ at The Redwood Library & Athenaeum in Newport at 6:00 pm. So if you’re local and you’re reading this, definitely check it out! If you get there early, there will be a wine and cheese reception starting at 5:30 pm. The event is free for members and $10 for non-members but seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. For more info or to reserve a spot of your own, call the Redwood Library at 401-847-0292 ext. 112.

Among the speakers at tonight’s event will be speechwriter and essayist Robin E. Bernstein; two-time Emmy Award-winning essayist lyna Bort Caruso; essayist and contributor to Newsday and The New York Times Claudia Gryvatz Copquin; Friars Club historian/head writer and essayist Barry Dougherty; and essayist and NY Times “Modern Love” writer Paula Ganzi Licata; the writersread personal essays which cover topics from food, travel, humor, lifestyle, love and more.

More information and details on the Living, Out Loud group can be found on their Facebook page or, you can follow them on Twitter at @EssaySlam

Time Management 101: Part II

By: Peter Girard

If you read the Caster blog from earlier this week written by my colleague Tim Viall, you’d know he ran through five tips for better time management. If you didn’t, well then you need to go back and read his to get the first five, as I’ll be covering another five! (plus if you read his before mine then you’ll be confused as you read “tip 6” and think I have no idea how to count properly…)

To recap why we’re running through some time management tips, last week Tim and I attended 10 Quick Tips for Better Time Management which the Rhode Island Foundation was nice enough to host as part of their Initiative for Nonprofits Excellence workshop. Our boss asked us to go and while we’re trying not to think too much into that, we like to think it’s because we’re awesome at reporting vital information back to everyone at the office and to you, the readers of our blog.

So, kicking it off where Tim left off bring us to:

6. Use a scheduling method

After you run through your time analysis you might find out that you’re not scheduling enough time in your day-to-day for certain activities. For example, if you’re budgeting an hour for an office meeting but they consistently run an hour and twenty minutes, make that change. While that extra twenty minutes might not seem like a lot, by not budgeting for it, you’re automatically putting yourself twenty minutes behind.

Remember to keep your schedule up to date too! Don’t just create one and assume that’s how your work week (or non-work week) is going to run for the rest of the year or even the month. As different activities come up that require your attention, make sure you’re adding them to your schedule or removing activities that no longer require your attention.

7. Learn to say “no”

Often times easier said than done. This is especially true if you’re new to a team. You want to do everything you can to come across as a team player and logically, it would seem saying “no” would be counterproductive to this goal, but that’s not always the case. While you definitely need to show coworkers you’re a team player, constantly saying “yes” to tasks or projects can do you and your colleagues a disservice. Constantly accepting tasks can put way too much work on your plate and if you’re unable to get through it all, you run the risk of letting a co-worker down or forgetting something. Learn to say “no” and stick to those decisions.

Follow a closed-door policy or just simply noting when you’re unavailable. There are just times where you need to buckle down and work through a project. Request that you not be disturbed when your door is closed, or set up a regular time, say Monday mornings between 9am and 11 am that no one interrupts you so you can have that time to focus on projects that require high levels of attention.

8. Control distractions

Now this is one that we all have control over, you just might have to fight with yourself to get into the habit of consistently following this rule. While we might think of ourselves are excellent multi-taskers, the truth is, our brains do not like multi-tasking. If you’re notoriously bad at checking Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. every ten minutes even if you’re working on a project for work, you might need to work on closing out of these sites, or taking more drastic actions. If you can’t help yourself and you’re constantly checking these distraction sites, you might want to look into installing an app that blocks your own access to a site of choice for a set amount of time. One of the most powerful apps of this nature that we’ve encountered is one called Self-Control.

9. Organize your space

A mound of “to-do” papers is depressing and demotivational so try clearing your desk of all the things that aren’t pertinent to the task at hand. If you find that you do better work when you’re facing a wall with no other distractions, move your desk so that it faces a wall. Or, if you find you need to be facing a window so you can glance outside from time to time, move your desk so you can do just that. Experiment a bit and try and determine the work-space where you’re at your most productive and do what you need to do to replicate that environment.

10. Know why you procrastinate

Perhaps one of the most difficult tips to tackle. Procrastination is something we all do so it’s okay to admit it. If you think you don’t procrastinate, you’re kidding yourself. If you find you’re putting off a particular project, take a couple minutes and try and identify why you’re putting it off. Chances are there’s a reason, even if it is deep down, as to why you’re putting off this project. Maybe you’re holding off responding to an email because you’re afraid of the path the conversation will lead down. Perhaps you’re putting off starting a project because you’ve convinced yourself it’s going to be a lot more work than it really is. Break the task down into manageable parts and do your best to accomplish something for that task every day, even if it’s just for five or ten minutes.

We’re habitual creatures at heart, we like familiarity and sometimes it can be extremely difficult to break a habit that’s become ingrained. But there is hope! Set attainable goals and don’t expect change overnight and you’ll already start your journey to better time management on a good foot. If you have any other time management tips, we’d love to hear what they are. Feel free to reach out to either Tim or myself on Twitter!

The Art of the “Unplug”

By: Peter Girard

Let me just start off by saying I’m pretty pro-technology. It has done and will continue to do amazing things for us. Technology has linked us up in ways that previous generations could have never dreamed of. Be that as it may, there’s still something to be said for ‘unplugging’ at the end of the day. The instant connectivity technology permits us to have can be an incredibly powerful tool during the work day, but depending on the time of the day (namely after work), can also be a curse.

Now the purpose of this quick blog isn’t to convince you to cancel your internet package or limit yourself to 1 hour of access a day. If you are however feeling a little hyper-connected, here’s a couple reasons to unplug after the work day is done.

This video went viral a while back and does an awesome job of visually representing our ‘addiction’ to technology and need to be connected. If nothing else, the video is a great PSA, hits you right in the feels, and might motivate you to leave your phone untouched for a couple hours.

“Goosfraba”

Disconnecting after work has its benefits. One huge one is stress relief. Researchers at Kansas State University have determined that we indeed need down time after work to prepare ourselves mentally for the next day. Denying yourself that ‘me time’ can lead to your stress level reading a little high and stress can lead to a whole host of health problems if not managed properly.

Continued work-related communication after hours can prevent your brain from relaxing and you may actually be robbing your brain of the time it needs to recover after a long work day. Again, this isn’t to say that come 5 pm you should shut off your phone or refuse to respond to work-related text message or emails because sometimes, situation call for that level of dedication. Just be mindful of how frequently you’re partaking this habit and if it’s something that can be tackled during regular business hours, consider worrying about it then.

Get those Zzz’s

Regular computer use (or smartphone, tablet, or other connected device in this case) has been linked to sleep disorders. Some research has indicated that the light put off by your device may be linked to reduce serotonin levels, and since serotonin is the body’s natural sleep hormone, that could mess with your sleep.

Though there’s no magic number the recommended amount of sleep adults should get is anywhere between seven and nine hours. However, on average in the US adults are getting about 6.8 hours of snooze a night.

There you have it. At the very least I hope this has inspired you to look a little more closely to how you spend your hours after work. There’s always work to do, just keep in mind your brain and body need time to unwind and prepare for the next day. Staying plugged into the matrix may lead to you taking one too many ‘mental health days’ than you’d like! Any questions/comments please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter!

When Opportunity Knocks…

By: Peter Girard

This will be a short blog post but it’s too awesome not t0 share so here it goes.  As I said in my last blog post, I’ve been on a bit of a social media kick lately.  For clients who hand over the reigns of their social media accounts to us (be it completely or partially) one of the struggles of maintaining an account is content.  Content is king after all and while you always want the content you’re sharing to be meaningful to your brand, the true focus needs to be on your customers.  Something useful to them, educationally, or just makes them smile or laugh.

Knowing which ‘type’ of content to share is dependent on your brand personality but a mix can be good.  This is exactly why I was so excited to see an email come in this morning from one of our clients.

SVS is a leader in high performance home audio products.  As a brand that successfully balances business through dealers and e-commerce, many of their orders come through electronically.   Through the online ordering process, consumers have the ability to include a note with their order.  Usually this is just the space where customers put additional delivery instructions like “Leave it by the back door” or “Just a heads up I have a dog, but she’s a sweetheart.  All bark no bite.”

But occasionally a unique customer comment comes in.  Case and point, the customer this morning who had this to say:

So what did SVS do? Well…

Now maybe it’s just because I like to geek out about social media but I loved this.  It took the SVS employee who saw the note all of 5 minutes to do the drawing and rather than feature the art on the box, they put it in the box with the customer’s order.

This is a perfect example of taking something common place in the work environment and making an opportunity out of it.  If you’ve ever struggling as a brand for content to share with consumers, sometimes all it takes is a fresh look at what you do every day.  What may seem so common place to you, a customer might find interesting or entertaining.

In either case, a tip of the hat to SVS today.  A quick, simple response to a customers’ albeit random request is guaranteed to make that customer feel appreciated, and above all, listened to by a brand he supports.  Because at the end of the day, it’s all about the customer.

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

By: Peter Girard

Admittedly, I’ve been on a bit of a social media kick lately. With my last blog detailing how to use Instagram for your Business and the one before that highlighting ways to do the same with Pinterest, I’ve been thinking about social media a lot. You can’t really blame me though, with so many different social media platforms, each with their own benefits depending on what you’re looking to accomplish online, social media is relevant, interesting, and becoming more valuable and more integrated every day.

So for this blog, I’ve decided to shift my focus to LinkedIn. Unlike my previous two posts, your key take-away won’t be how to use your LinkedIn profile to benefit your business, but how you can use your LinkedIn profile to benefit someone a little closer to home, aka, yourself. How optimized is your LinkedIn profile? For this blog, we’re going to run through some LinkedIn must-haves and review some common LinkedIn mistakes to help you obtain the rank of LinkedIn All-Star.

In Case You Haven’t Heard…

Given the chance, (albeit rare chance) you don’t know what LinkedIn is, it is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. LinkedIn has been around for over a decade (hence why it would be a little on the strange side if you had no idea what it was) and is mainly used for professional networking. To help put it into perspective, many describe it as a ‘professional Facebook account’.

Okay, so all of that sounds wonderful right? Now first things first, if you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile, you need to create one, ASAP. While a how-to is not the focus of this particular blog post, there’s plenty of material online on how to create a LinkedIn profile including this wonderful wikiHow, complete with pictures. For those of you that already have a LinkedIn account, read on because now we’re going to get into what you can do to make that profile even better.

If a picture is worth 1000 words then no picture is, well, worthless…

Out of all the things you can opt-out of putting on your LinkedIn profile, make sure a picture is not one of them. Ever been house/apartment hunting online? If you came upon a listing that show no pictures of the property did you spend a lot of time considering that listing vs. one with beautiful pictures that showcased the property? Chance are no, you were likely drawn to postings with photos. The mentality is the same on LinkedIn. The fact of the matter is, you’re seven times more likely to have your profile viewed if you have a photo. Beyond increasing your chances to be seen, having a photo on your LinkedIn profile can lead to more connections as it’s easier to remember you if there’s a face associated with the name.

Now what type of photo should you have on your profile you ask? Well, you can communicate a lot through a photo with good posture, open eyes, and a smile. Some argue that you should gravitate towards a professional profile photo but I think it’s pretty field dependent. A professional profile picture certainly won’t hurt your profile but in any case, the photo you choose should be a photo of you. Not your dog. Not your significant other. Not your baby (no matter how cute). It’s important to accurately represent your appearance too. Individuals who are a little bit older and that are worried about age discrimination might be tempted to put up a much younger photo of themselves but if you do land an interview, your interviewer may be confused as to why you look much different and you run the risk of coming across as dishonest.

Optimize your LinkedIn ‘header’

The above picture is what I mean when I reference your LinkedIn ‘header’. It’s the first thing someone sees when they view your profile and it’s important for a number of reasons. Here’s what to do to make sure it’s in tip top shape:

• Use your professional name. In other words, no silly names. LinkedIn is about business, save the silly names for your Facebook or Twitter account. Basically anywhere you’re not trying to professionally represent yourself.
• Optimize your location. More times than not, people search for professionals in specific locations. Adding your location can help you be found when people are doing those searches.
• Align yourself with your industry. Perhaps more important than being found by people in your area is being found by the right people in your area. Link yourself to your industry to ensure relevancy.
• Customize your profile URL. My custom URL is linkedin.com/in/petergirard because I decided to customize it. It’s much easier to remember and looks more professional than the default profile URL LinkedIn provides.
• Make the most of your professional headline. You’ve got 110 characters (30 less than a full sized tweet) to encourage potential visitors to find out more about you. Use this space to showcase your title or anything else you want to be one of the first things a potential visitor sees.

Don’t skip the summary

The summary section on your LinkedIn profile is there for a reason and it’s directly underneath your LinkedIn ‘header’ meaning if someone is scanning through your profile, it’s the next thing they see. You don’t have to put a novel in this space but it’s where you have the opportunity to express yourself, voice a little bit of your personality, and sell yourself. A well-written summary is what may ultimately give you an edge over someone else with a prospective employer so take some time to think about what you want to share but definitely do not leave it blank.

No lurkers allowed

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges with LinkedIn is being active on it. Too many people think simply having a profile is enough but chances are, simply having a profile isn’t going to land you a new job or any great connections. Here’s how to avoid the ‘lurker’ status:

• Join a LinkedIn group related to your field or based on personal interests. There are a TON of groups on LinkedIn that are excellent places to make new connections and engage with individuals either in your industry or who have similar interests as you. Network!
• Be actively posting. This can sometimes be difficult and because this is LinkedIn and not Facebook people sometimes struggle with what to post. First off, there’s no pressure to be posting something every day. Work out your own schedule but some ideas might include sharing some industry-specific news or an article you wrote.
• As a LinkedIn user, you can also follow companies and monitor who’s coming and going. If you see someone leave a company you’re interested in working for, it’s the perfect opportunity to reach out to their HR department and gives you the added benefit of appearing really tuned-in.

There you have it folks, hopefully by now you’ve got a better handle on how to fully take control of your LinkedIn account to reap some of the opportunities it can offer. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or take what you learned here and connect with me via LinkedIn!

Using Instagram for your Business

By: Peter Girard

So remember last week when I blogged all about using Pinterest for your business? Well I’m back to drop some more social media knowledge only this week we’ll focus on Instagram and how you can harness its power for your business.

Hello…my name is Instagram

First things first, what is Instagram? Well, Instagram is an online photo-sharing, (and now video-sharing!) social networking service that enables users to take pictures and videos, apply preloaded digital filters (or not, your choice) and share them via a variety of social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. Have you ever seen someone out at a restaurant, their food arrives, and instead of chowing down, they take out their phone, snap a couple pictures and then start eating? Chances are, those photos are somewhere on Instagram.

Myths Debunked

A popular (mis)conception about Instagram is that it’s an ocean of food and pet pictures, and while to an extent this is true, Instagram is so much more than that. Part of what’s made Instagram so wildly popular (and powerful) is its ability to find beauty in the mundane. You can find some of the most amazing photographs you’ve ever seen on Instagram and that’s good news for you and your business.

Need some inspiration?

In response to the number of businesses that have been flocking to Instagram, Instagram started the Instagram for Business blog. So if you’re looking for some ideas, tips, examples, or brand spotlights featuring companies who are doing Instagram right, that’s an excellent place to start.

Now that you’ve got a pretty good handle on what Instagram is, here are some tips/tricks that will help you start planning the Instagram strategy for your business.

Humanize your Brand

Don’t be afraid to showcase photos of employees or staff! Customers enjoy seeing and getting to know some of the faces behind the brand. Showing off your employees at work gives followers a behind-the-scenes view of your company but is also a great way to celebrate the great work your employees do and makes them feel valued. Aside from photos of employees, experiment with sharing photos from around the office or work place.

Find a Balance

Just like you would do (or should be doing) with all your other social platforms, you need to find that happy balance between fun pictures, and pictures from your business. Some recommend the 80-20 rule which would break down to 8 pictures relating to your business and 2 ‘fun’ or ‘non-business related’ photos. The balance you ultimately decide on is your choice and it might take some tweaking to figure out the ratio that works best for your business but it’s all worth it in the end run. This is also not a fixed ratio, what worked one week might not necessarily translate to next week or next month. Continuously track the engagement on your photos to find out what your followers like best. Which brings me to our next point.

Cultivate a Following

Getting individuals to follow you on Instagram so that you have an audience to share all your awesome photos with is very similar to building a following on any other social media platform. If you already have a successful Twitter or Facebook account, connect those accounts to your Instagram page. You can also encourage fans from your other social media platforms to follow you on Instagram. Hash-tagging on Instagram works just like it does on Twitter so make sure you’re using relevant, popular hashtags when posting your photos. Engage with others on Instagram by following them and liking their photos. You’ll want to find a balance to this too, following someone and then liking ALL of their photos can come off as a little creepy…

Take & Share Video

This is a fairly new feature but when Instagram introduced video, it was a big deal and has since been giving Twitter’s Vine a run for its money. One of the largest differences between an Instagram video and a Vine video is the ability to capture up to 15 seconds of content vs. Vine’s 6.5 seconds. While this does give you some more time to play around with, you need to make sure your videos are interesting. Taking a video is great for showcasing a process that images just don’t full capture and can be a very powerful tool in the Instagram toolbox but don’t share video for the sake of sharing video.

Mix it up a bit

Instagram allows you to add a digital filter to the images you take and make slight edits. Some of these filters can really improve an image you’ve taken, other filters might ruin your photo. Play around with all the filters to find the ones you like best but don’t be afraid to branch out and try a new one. Try to avoid posting pictures with the same filter one after another and remember, sometimes your image might not need any filter! If you’ve taken a truly spectacular photo that doesn’t need a filter, you can always post it with the hashtag #nofilter!

Develop a Posting Plan

Work out a schedule that works for you and your business. Compared to the high ‘feed speed’ of say, Twitter, Instagram is pretty relaxed and laid back. You do not need to post on Instagram every day. You certainly can post everyday but you run the risk of saturating your followers’ feeds and that might turn off potential followers or cause the ones you already have to ‘unfollow’. Instead, work out what you already have that’s ready to post, brainstorm some posts you’d like to make, and create a schedule. Spacing out your posts gives followers time to engage with your content and will also allow you to track what’s working once you get your schedule going.

While there are a TON more Instagram tips, these should be enough to get you started, or at the very least spark the conversation surrounding using Instagram for your business. If you have any questions or are interested in some additional tips, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or if you’re feeling especially ambitious, check me out on Instagram!

Using Pinterest for Your Business

By: Peter Girard

Social media for business is becoming more and more important, especially for search engine optimization.  With the recent shifts in Google’s search algorithms placing emphasis on linked social media accounts, it’s more important than ever to utilize social media for your business.

Which social media platform is right for you and your business?  While we can’t answer that question for you, we certainly can give you some of the information you need to make an informed decision.  For this blog, we’ll focus on Pinterest and how you can use it for your business.

What is Pinterest?

First and foremost, if you don’t know what Pinterest is, it’s a social media websites that allows users to ‘pin’ highly visual content like images and video to a virtual bulletin board of their creation.  The content you decide to post can be your own or, it can be videos and images found on other websites.  Once you ‘pin’ some content, you can then share it with friends who can in turn ‘like’ or ‘repin’ it to their board and their followers.  Written content like blogs and articles can also be pinned to a page and are displayed very visually.  For an example check out the image below which is a screen shot of the Caster Communication Blog Post board on Pinterest where we pin all our blog posts.

With a wealth of pinnable content at your fingertips, here’s some tips/tricks that will help you start planning your Pinterest strategy for your business.

Be Visual

As a general social rule of thumb, posts with images attached to them see more user engagement than posts without images.  Same rule applies on Pinterest.  The more appealing your pin is, the more likely it is to be repined or shared.  Always do your best to find a really great image to accompany your content.  This doesn’t mean you can’t share data or written content it just means adapting your data into charts, graphs, or even infographics.

Consider a ‘Guest Pinner’ Board

Since engagement is what it’s all about, getting your followers involved in your boards is a great idea for businesses.  Not only will it increase engagement but your followers will feel more personally involved with your brand.  Some ways to go about this might include creating a shared board where followers can pin testimonials or images/ videos of your product.  Or if you don’t want to relinquish posting control to your followers, setting up a board specific to pinning customer feedback/stories is another great way to show your followers how in tune your business is with your customers.

Promote Deals

Think of using Pinterest as an extension of your marketing.  You would share a deal, special offer, or sale with your fans on Facebook or Twitter, why not Pinterest?  Converting any special offers you may be running into attractive graphic coupons can be an excellent way to reach potential customers and demonstrates you’re social-media aware at the same time.

Pinterest Advertising

Although it’s still in its beginning stages, Pinterest announced the coming of promoted pins in late 2013.  They’ll work just like regular pins but will have a special “promoted” label, along with a link to learn more.  Pinterest mentioned the promoted pins where going to be: tasteful, transparent, relevant, and continuously improved by user feedback.  Keeping your eye out for updates to Pinterest’s Advertising options and being an early adopter might give your business the edge you’ve been looking for.

Humanize the Brand

You have an ‘About Us’ page on your website, think about creating an equivalent Pinterest board!  Post pictures of employee’s and attach a little bio/profile about them to help potential customers put a face to the brand.  Posting just one pin a week of office/work space events will slowly grow into an awesome, visual and engaging company profile.

Hidden Benefits

Three words. Search Engine Optimization.  Now we mentioned Google’s search algorithms at the beginning at the post and through all the updates at least one thing has remained constant.  As long as you have original high-quality content, and you have high-quality and relevant websites linking to your website, you’re going to do well in search rankings.  Since Pinterest adds a link to your website on your boards, you’ll likely benefit from valuable social backlinks to your website which can increase website traffic with highly targeted visitors – increasing potential leads and conversations.

Hopefully these tips are enough to get you started, or at least spark a planning conversation on looking to Pinterest as a viable option for your business.  Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to me via Twitter and I’ll try my very best to help!

PR Perfect Twitter Chats for (Almost) Every day of the Week

By: Peter Girard

Are you new to PR, or have you been in the game for a while now? New or vetted, there’s a lot of PR people out there and our industry changes on a day-to-day basis.  Whether you’re looking to learn some new tips/tricks of the trade, hone skills, ask a question, or just simply engage, Twitter chats can be an incredibly powerful tool and they’re right at your fingertips!

There are tons of Twitter chats going on all the time, all covering various topics.  So which Twitter chat should the savvy PR-professional make sure they’re a part of?  I’ve assembled a short list of some of the best PR/social media-themed Twitter chats for almost every day of the week (you owe yourself at least one day off!) but first, a quick recap of what a Twitter chat is.

A Twitter chat is a pre-arranged, interactive gathering/chat that happens on Twitter (duh) through the use of tweets that use a pre-determined hashtag that’s used to link all the tweets together in a virtual conversation.  Most Twitter chats follow some form of flow structure, usually where a moderator/organizer asks a question and then monitors participants responses.  Lurking, also known as strictly observing, is fine, but you’re likely to get way more out of the chat by actually participating.  If you do choose to participate, be sure to use and include the chat specific hashtag to stay linked to the chat.

Alright, now that we’ve reviewed what a Twitter chat is, here’s a list of PR perfect Twitter chats to mark your calendars with.

Sunday

#blogchat – unless noted, this Twitter chat happens every Sunday night at 8 PM Central.  Each week a different professional, business, or personal blogging topic is discussed.  The chat is open to everyone.  Fun fact, in 2013 #blogchat generated over 100,000 tweets!

Monday

#TheSMGirl – one of my personal favorites, this Twitter chat takes place every Monday at 1 PM Pacific.  Moderated by Cynthia Johnson (@CynthiaLive) this chat discusses everything social media.  Have a social media question you need answered?  Submit a question to Cynthia via her website or Tweet it at her!

#Journchat – moderated by Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans) this Twitter chat is a weekly conversation between journalists, bloggers, and public relations folks happening on Mondays between 7 and 8 PM Central.

Tuesday

#PR20Chat – previously moderated by Heather Whaling (@prtini) and Justin Goldsborough (@JGoldsborough) every Tuesday at 8 PM Eastern, #PR20Chat is working on relaunching and searching for new moderators.  Their previous chats were all about next generation PR aiming to help PR pros deliver stronger results by understanding now new media is shaping the PR industry so keep a trained eye for when they come back online!

#SmManners – live every Tuesday at 10 PM Eastern, this Twitter chat discusses general social media trends and engagement and is moderated by Dabney Porte (@DabneyPorte).

Wednesday

#SMChat – as the name implies, this chat explores the evolution of social media.  Running multiple “series” during specific weeks each month you can join the fun on Wednesdays at 1 PM Eastern.  Moderated by a ton of great and knowledgeable people, you can view their Twitter chat schedule on their website.

#RaganSocial – moderated by Sam Hosenkamp (@SamHosenkamp), social media director at Regan Communications/PR Daily this chat runs every Wednesday from 4 – 5 PM Eastern.  Covering social media in the context of the communications field, focusing on an array of topics from content to tools and more, they’re even nice enough to post their Twitter chat transcripts!

Thursday

#PRprochat – founded and moderated by PR professional and author Carrie Morgan (@morgancarrie) this chat is a little harder to catch, taking place only on the first Thursday of every month at 2 PM Eastern, but is 100% worth checking out.  This Twitter chat covers everything from SEO to content creation and social media.  Details on upcoming chats can be found on Carrie’s website.

Friday

#SMEMChat – a weekly Twitter chat happening on Fridays from 12:30 – 1 PM Eastern.  Moderated by (@sm4em) this chat covers social media for emergency management.

Saturday

#TakeADayOff – Take the day off, you’ve earned it!

Well there you have it, a PR perfect chat for (almost) every day of the week.  Have a social media / PR themed Twitter chat you frequently participate in that we may have missed?  Be sure to let us know so we can check it out and add it to the list!  As always, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter and happy chatting!