Searching For Someone You Trust

But even the way people search for information online has changed. What I want to share is how searching for products or services has drastically changed due to social media and reviews. Now a days people want to buy from resources that they trust and resources that others have trusted. They want to make decisions based on quality reviews from other consumers or from the social interaction that the business does with its customers. These consumers are searching for strong moral and serviceable businesses that they can build a relationship with. Many searches are made based on a business or product’s approval ratings. As everything has become more socially connected online it is more important than ever to build your image. Many consumers can be instantly turned off with bad reviews and may never search for your business again.

Visual Search

The other aspect of searching that has changed dramatically is the visual search. This isn’t done through Google or other search engine’s image search. These visual searches are done quickly through social sites like Pinterest but can also include on a lesser scale Facebook, Google+, Reddit, etc. People relax on their computers and scan these social sites to view what new images will draw their attention. A great deal of advertising can be done subtly by creating images that grab the attention of viewers as they search for something fresh. People in general spend a lot of time online connect with people, images, an services socially and if an attractive image catches their eye they will feel a greater need to visit the source of that image and may potentially do business. An image can have a lot of power to create new business. That is so much effort is made by large corporations to make images that will drive further brand awareness among the typical consumer.

in essence the way that people in general search for anything has changed to many different platforms. People will continue to use search engines but the influence of these new search options has changed the marketing world. Now we have tools to complete searches using social sites (which is just scanning your news feed), image searches (looking at images on Pinterest or social sites), and searches based on reviews from others. By learning how to build a business model that strives to development strong relationships with is customer base, creates fascinating/shareable images, and extends its reach into social sites you will create more opportunities to be found by others in need of your services. The world of search has changed a lot in the last few years and will continue to do so. Be flexible with change and prepared to find innovative ways to promote yourself through all of these search methods.

Nowadays the consumer is paying more money for products or services that satisfy their emotions. But there is a slight catch, when you go to Pinterest it is rare to see a typical ad that attempts to instantly make a sale. The game of advertising has changed where going viral is key and that is accomplished by creating a strong emotional attachment with your audience. So how can you create an image that is attractive enough to go viral by appealing to the emotions of your audience?

When you decide to create an image for your blog, website, fan page, or whatever take into consideration how it makes you feel. When you look at the image do you think, ‘It’s a work in progress’ or do you look at it and say, ‘WOW, I just created a masterpiece!’ There is a big difference.

Now go to Pinterest and see what is trending under the ‘Popular’ tab. What visual statements are being shared by these images and what is sooooo attractive to their audience? Are these images just plain and simple, does it POP and grab your attention, is there any text and if so does the text have an image for a background or just a plain background? Most of the popular images you see aren’t trying to force a sales pitch down your throat. The general online consumer has learned to put blinders on when an image blatantly states it is an advertisement. Once again this comes back to creating images that strike an individual’s emotions. These ‘Popular’ images on Pinterest are going viral because of the appeal and you can create that same appeal.

Massive amounts of new visitors are finding sites/blogs that they have never heard of before because of a pin that caught their attention on Pinterest. Images can easily catch the attention of your audience and create the virality that will make you stand out. In the upcoming posts specific ideas will be shared on what you can do to make your images WOW others who see them.

If you have any ideas that have helped you to attract an audience to your page feel free to share with everyone else by commenting. Share what types of images on Pinterest are attractive to you and why.

So let me apply this to you as your attempting to grow your social media reach or expand your online presence.  When building a fan base there will always be barriers in the form of metaphorical lemons that will try to stop you from succeeding.  These minor road blocks can come in the form of stagnant growth, personal time management, little fan interaction, poor content, etc.  What you can’t do is let these issues slow you down.  It is time to pick yourself up and move forward.  Nothing good comes from not taking action.  You must grab these lemons by the hands and squeeze and turn them into delicious lemonade.  Be aware that in pursing this course of excellence it will require more hard work than you have yet put forth.  Are you ready for the challenge?

Success = Overcoming the Lemons

Success has never come from doing nothing or giving up.  Yes there might be a whole lot on your plate at the moment with big changes in your personal life; however, if your deepest desire is to do something you are passionate about it is time to take that big step forward.

Let me be the first to tell you that these lemons won’t stop coming.  They always seem to creep up when you least expect it but the good thing is they can make you stronger.  Every time a difficult situation is overcome you become just a little more wiser, a little more creative, and a little more courageous in the work you accomplish.  Think of your current challenge with your online business and how that is impeding you from achieving your personal goals.  What about this challenge is stopping you?  Now to overcome this ‘lemon’ you must gain deeper insight.  Study what others have done to achieve success and make a game plan of things that you can personally alter to turn your online business in the right direction.

Be comforted in knowing that many who are successful now have had to deal with problems similar to yours but instead of backing down and throwing in the towel they did everything they possibly could to turn their online business around.

You can succeed! Keep this simple concept in mind and it will be easier for you to overcome current and future challenges.  Always know, ‘When life throws you lemons, you can make lemonade!’

When you are trying to find your own niche think as a consumer for a minute.  Why do you follow or like some fan pages or individuals over others?  Is it their unique style, the consistency of images shared, or the quality of the pins?  When someone chooses to follow a Pinner it’s because of one of these three reasons:

1 – Personal Relationship

A relationship has already been developed between you and the individual or brand.  This relationship was founded on trust and quality.  Because of this connection there is a strong bond of loyalty that can only be strained if that trust is broken or quality disappears.  Otherwise this loyalty will not waiver and will promote any content shared by the source.

2 – Similar Interests

Many users on Pinterest follow others with similar interests.  They go beyond their comfort zone of friends and family and tend to follow individuals that pin about topics, products, or ideas that they themselves enjoy.

3 – PINNER GURU!

Those that have the greatest number of followers will always fall under this last category.  They are the ‘Pinner Gurus.’  Their Pinterest fan page is dedicated to one niche or topic.  They focus exclusively on this topic in all of their boards that are created and in the pins that are shared.  They want to stand out from the pack and will refrain from diversifying into markets that don’t directly affect their area of expertise.

Pinterest users are attracted to these ‘Pinner Gurus’ because of the love for their field of expertise and the quality of pins that are shared.  These users want a direct source that will give them something absolutely stunning just for them.  When creating your niche or area of expertise you must become the ‘Pinner Guru!’  To have a Pinterest niche that demonstrates your knowledge for your preferred field will draw the right audinece that you seek to promote your brand.

When creating this niche reflect on these questions and carefully make changes as needed to suit your followers needs:

Are the Pinterest page and boards focused on one market?

Do I frequently pin unique and ‘dazzling’ pins that I have personally created or found?

Is a form of pinning consistency established to meet the demands of my audience?

Do I only pin quality visuals that will strengthen follower trust?

Will this pin entice new followers?

How does this pin differentiate myself from other pinners?

When answering these above questions they will be a guide that will assist you in determining what your niche should be and how to set it up.  When deciding on your niche you must always, I mean ALWAYS remain focused in one area.  Specialize in that area and find ways to stand apart from others to attract the right audience to your Pinterest page.

If a Pinterest page is create around a topic in a saturated market there is still plenty of opportunity to create a niche.  Find one topic in that field that can cater to a specific audience.  For example,  there are countless pages created about food but many of these pages use the shotgun approach and talk about many different types of food rather than focusing on one subject.  What if you made boards dedicated to something much more specific like ‘Foods with Strawberries in them.’  This niche is still in a highly active market but it has created a new focus that will open the doors to a wave of individuals who are interested in foods made with strawberries.

Use these concepts in any board that is created to leave your signature mark.  Set yourself apart from the competition and make your page the one to come to when seeking to learn more about that one area of expertise.  Decide right now how you can create a Pinterest page that will market your skills and brand to the right audience.

The Pinterest Strategy

some forethought as to what is shared to avoid coming off as Spam to potential viewers.  To be successful, you need to put together  a ‘Pinterest Strategy.’

When you set a goal, you must create a strategy.  A strategy has to have more than just an action step, but also a beginning step to evaluate what must be done to achieve your objective. Strategies require a personal understanding of the effort that will be required  to complete a goal.  A ‘Pinterest Strategy’ requires a complete understanding of your market, their needs, and how to fulfill those needs.  Once the strategy is implemented you will see the ‘Mark’ you have left by the reactions of your viewers.

Powerful Pinterest Series

Over the course of the next few weeks a series of articles will be created focusing on the many great tools that Pinterest offers and how these can be used to your benefit as you market your businesses.  It is my intention to help you learn how to properly implement these lessons into your current business.  Although these lessons primarily focus on an international audience there are many applicable ideas and activities that can be used for even small local businesses.

The following topics are all key to the success of social marketing using Pinterest.  Once more this series will teach and focus exclusively on how to market your business, products, and site to a larger audience using this social platform.

Find Your Niche

Pinterest’s Viral Potential

Why Do People Engage with Boards?

Top Trending Pinterest Topics

Touch the Pinner’s Emotions: Questions, Statements, & Quotes

Capture Attention: Powerful Visuals

Mix It Up: Integrate Words & Visuals

DIY: Do It Yourself

Leaving a Breadcrumb Trail

Making Pins Profitable

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Pinterest Marketing and for good reason.  The growth of traffic to other blogs, sites, and fan pages, has grown exponentially due to Pinterest referrals.  When a brand wisely creates a marketing strategy they can have the same success others are currently enjoying.  Throughout this small series that will be shared, you will gain a greater interest in Pinterest and understand how to use the tools to your benefit.  Enjoy what will be shared and be quick to apply your personal ‘Pinterest Strategy’ as you review every lesson that is taught.

DON”T ALLOW YOURSELF TO FAIL!  Its really quite simple.  You have all the skills and talents needed to accomplish what you want if you put 110% into it.  What I want to share are simple tips that will help to motivate you at all times.  Remember these tips and if you have to tape them on your mirror, refrigerator, wherever to remind yourself that you can do it.  Don’t take a backseat any longer with your fan page but start working to knock that page out of the ball park.

Step 1 – Diligence

One of the most repeated steps in the whole world when it comes to making large personal changes.  The reason you come across it so often may be due to the fact that there are very few individuals that strive to be diligent in every aspect when working to create something unique for their viewers.

Diligence needs to be learned through practical application as often as possible.  That may mean creating a schedule to follow for creating and sharing content on your fan page, composing images, videos or eye catching posts that will attract attention, or conversing with your audience.  Followers of any page want to see some form of consistency and acknowledgement to know that this page is more than an advertising billboard but a true fan page that tries to touch its followers.

Step 2 – Dedication

Now dedication in my mind is truly becoming involved with your fan page.  Make your fan page a large part of your life and something you enjoy to do.  How can you dedicate your precious time to fan page optimization when you don’t like the topic you are discussing or the constant updating that is needed to keep the page active?

How to Dominate Your Social Page

Think of what you dedicate most of your daily time and efforts towards.  You may come up with a list of things that need to be done such as: cleaning your house, taking care of the lawn, running errands, working, eating, sleeping, etc.  These are a few examples of basic things that are done to maintain order in your life to a certain degree.  Now add items that you enjoy doing and are more for fun to the list such as: hobbies, sports, outdoor activities, movies, family time, etc.  Now on the other hand these activities are much more enjoyable and bring greater happiness when you are truly dedicating yourself to them.  When creating a fan page are you doing something that is routine or are you sharing your excitement for the content of the page with others who visit and follow you?  How and why you dedicate time to a fan page will show to any audience and will grow your page.

Step 3 – Delight

Every time a new comment is posted or content is shared, do you think about how it will delight your fans?  A fan page must delight it’s fans.  They want to be be satisfied with every visit that is made.  They come expecting to be treated first class and they should!  They are your valued customer.  Before any post is made you need to reflect on these simple questions:

1.  Is this post informative?

2.  Does it benefit my viewers in some way?

3.  Is this post social and viral?

4.  How can I get greater interaction?

To delight an audience requires a fun and informative environment that can suit their needs.

Step 4 – Dive In

An effective way to have a successful fan page will be to dive in head first.  Don’t slowly wade into the cold water thinking it will warm up sooner or later.  Just dive in and begin your journey.  Slowly attempting to make changes and improvements to your fan page will only keep you in the shallow end of the water.  You can’t lose out in the rich opportunities available if you just dive in sooner.  Mistakes will happen and poor content may be posted but luckily, you can change and adapt.  Keep educating yourself about proper social marketing and your page’s area of expertise so that you can give your very best.  Success is only created after a trail of mistakes has been left behind.

Step 5 – Dazzle

The last step is about the dazzle of the page.  Your page needs to draw your audience and make them desire more after they have visited.  Incorporate the lights and excitement of Las Vegas into your page or the breathtaking views of the Hawaiian Islands.  Followers can feel a similar draw to your page when a dazzling experience is shared.

You will have to go out of the norm if you really want to dazzle others.  Learn from others in your field but don’t follow every move they make as the style of page you create will be what entices others to return again and again.  By differentiating yourself, you will market your fan page to the audience that you deserve for a successful page.  The largest draw of new and continuing followers is that personal dazzle.  Find your own style.

Follow “The 5 D’s of Fan Page Dominance” and you will be well on your way to creating a social experience that is out of this world.

Pinterest is king!

While the numbers from this case study are impressive on their own, they even more significant when you look deeper into this example.  On this same website, I have a following of 35,000 fans who I constantly send to the website by linking to new articles.  In contrast, I only have about 5,000 fans on Pinterest.  The lesson to be learned?  Pinterest is the king of traffic.

Wouldn’t this look GREAT on your Pinterest boards?

Why I’m so disenchanted with Facebook

I spend a significant chunk of my day managing my Facebook Fan Page to engage with customers and fans, and to write compelling status updates to drive engagement.  Yet, despite this attention, Facebook only allows about 30% of my fans to see the status updates that I post.

In 2009, Facebook implemented Edge Rank, an algorithm it uses to determine which status updates are the most important to a user, and only shows the most relevant content.  Facebook determines the most relevant content by how often a user engages with a person or a page.  Therefore, if your users don’t click “like” or “share” or “comment” on your posts, they will eventually be kept from seeing your status updates in their newsfeeds.

This is precisely why Facebook is dead to marketers.  We work and scrap and fight to get people to like our Facebook fan pages.  Then, after we have done the work, they crop out 70% or more of our audience and prevent us from sending messages to that user even though the user has INTENTIONALLY liked our page to see our content.

This has always bothered me from a marketing perspective, but then Facebook pushed me over the edge two weeks ago when it rolled out Promoted Posts to all Facebook Fan Pages.  This allows a fan page owner to pay Facebook to show their status updates to their Fans who have already liked the page.   This means that not only do I have to push my customers to Facebook only to have 70% of them cut off from my status updates, but now I can pay Facebook for the privilege of contacting the people I already worked hard to earn?

But that wasn’t all that made me sick of Facebook…

Just for the sake of argument, I paid $20 or so to do a promoted post.  I posted a status update that I thought would drive maximum engagement, and then sent it out to the world and continually refreshed the page–anxious to see the results.  After the 3 day promotion period ended… that post did not reach even 1% more of my followers than my normal posts do.

Facebook is dead, and Pinterest is king.

But Pinterest Isn’t for Everyone

I don’t pretend that Pinterest is any kind of social media panacea, even though it has produced incredible results for my business.  Pinterest works for me because it is a highly visual social network.  In fact, it is so visual that it is impossible to write a text-only status updates.  The entire platform works by publishing pictures–and my website is in the photography niche.

Still, it is rare that any of my photography is shared on Pinterest.  The way that we have generated such a tremendous following on Pinterest is by encouraging our users to share our articles on Pinterest.

Also, my website advertises to people across the entire world.  If you are marketing a local business, it will not be beneficial to you to cast such a broad net since Pinterest does not have the capacity of Facebook to target users in a specific geographic area.

These issues usually come about because the of lack or overuse of one of these four character attributes which are: Ambition, Patience, Procrastination, and Consistency.  Simple as they might sound each and every attributes has a great deal of strength that can help or hinder anyone struggling with their pages growth and community out reach.  Let me explain to you how.

1st – Fan Page Ambition

What I mean by ambition is what you really want your fan page to be.  Do you want a simple fan page like the millions of other pages out there with just a few followers and little to no community involvement or do you want something spectacular that can truly be a social experience where individuals can share their stories, ask questions, and feel like they are a part of something important?  So many pages are created and the bare minimum is put to work on the page.  What happens from there is a lack of ambition.  There is a desire to achieve greatness but a lack to do so.  Goals aren’t made and no time is taken to think outside of the box to make your page stand out.  A decision needs to be made if you truly want your page to grow into that social community that so few achieve or if you want it to stay stagnant due to the little activity, work, and planning you put into it.  True, successful fan pages require your dedication to succeed.  This shouldn’t take away from the excitement or fun of building one but there is more to it than simply doing small routine posts.  So decide now to take action and achieve those fan page ambitions.

2nd – Patience to Press On

Fan Page Growth

How many of you can raise your hands and say that you have great patience?  If you do, I applaud you but I know there are many who lack patience.  Patience is one of the most critical attributes needed to build a page.  You need to have patience and understand that a page won’t simply grow into something great but will rather take a great deal of time.  To make a simple analogy lets think about planting a small seed.  You want that seed to grow into what you envision it to become yet it won’t change overnight.  You must nourish this seed by giving it enough sun light, water, good soil, etc. for the seed to take root and grow.  The process of this growth can be veeeerrrryy slow.   It takes a lot of work and you have to be patient as it will require your constant help.  Once the plant reaches maturity you may think you are done but you aren’t.  There is still a need to take care of it for as long as you want the plant to thrive.  Now that we have a simple gardening tip lets jump back into social networks and how this all applies.  Pages take a great deal of patience and care.  You might not see the fruits of your work for some time.  That doesn’t mean that you should give up early on but rather work harder and continue to be patient.  Be patient with the plans you have and patient with the expectations of the page.  Be patient as you build a fantastic page and patient with your potential community.  You have the ability to reach these goals, so be patient.

3rd – Page Procrastination You Are Guilty of Doing

Procrastination is one of those attributes that stops many from fan page greatness.  Fan page managers put off working on original content, unique status updates, great visuals, and even responding to comments/questions from visitors to the page.  Why would you put off doing all these things when you know that they will only help your page!?!?!  Don’t think that tomorrow or next week you will start to work on it but rather get going right now.  Plan to write an article that you can share on the page, think of a fun status update that ties in with your subject matter, create a visual that people will want to share with others, etc.  Do something now!  Sometimes procrastination can be reading or studying too much about the subject while thinking eventually you will apply what you have learned to you page.  Take action immediately once a new concept or idea is learned and share that idea with your page.  Helpful tips that you have learned from your personal experiences are great ideas of topics that you can share on your fan page as others may find them useful.  Don’t procrastinate, take action!

4th – What does Consistency Mean to You?

The last and final step is to be consistent in page posts and responses.  You can’t expect people to come to your page when you post once a month or if you respond to questions every once in a while.  Make it a habit to be consistent with what you are doing and your pages community will have greater expectations as to what you will do on a frequent basis.  A little bit of consistency can make a visit to your page a much more enjoyable experience.  There is a quality of consistency that is also important to your visitors as the need to receive consistent content that is of value to them.  Think of what they would like to see and what might be important to them.  With valuable, consistent content your page will be a step closer to your personal goals.

Remember to like and follow our Facebook Fan Page and Google+ Page to be part of the community.

What is Quality Content?

Quality content is the fresh content that is created for your first time visitors and fans. It is the meat of your fan page. This can consist of some links to articles, videos, or images from other pages or fan; however, a good 20/80 rule can be followed where 20% of the content provided on the page is from other sources while the majority, 80%, comes from you. People want to know what you think and what you have to share.

So how can you make quality content that is both your own and fresh? Here are some basic yet fundamental steps that are implemented constantly on my personal fan pages to provide quality content.

Research Your Content

Doing the necessary research to understand what your market needs to hear. Study material on the subject, blogs, fan pages, go to seminars, etc. Do whatever you need to in order to become the master of what you want to share.  Remember that research is a constant process to stay up to par with what you need to know so that your customers can receive the best service or value when visiting the page.

Quality Time = Quality Content

The more time you spend on writing articles, taking photos, creating videos, implementing activities, etc. will show. People know when you have quickly put together something compared to when you have spent quality time to produce a valued end result. What you put into your work will reflect based on your fan page activity and growth. To gain quality members quality work should be shared.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Social Media Tips

Don’t allow yourself to become intimidated by providing new and fresh content on a frequent basis. Just because it may be out of your norm doesn’t mean you aren’t good with presenting valuable information. With every post you take and every new step to improve your page you are learning far more then if you were to just read other pages.  Practice is the best way to truly learn what you have previous studied and the best part is when you continue to practice and make a few mistakes here and there you also begin to learn and adjust quicker.  The more practice you have the easier it becomes to create the type of content that will WOW your audience.  With each post you will better understand what fans like or dislike and you will be able to cater to their specific needs. Start implementing and posting what you know now and continue to push yourself to look outside of the box for anything innovative that can be implemented to truly create quality content.

Be Yourself

Share data, statistics, creative content, but above all be yourself. If you come off as being a robot people will think your page is cold and assume you are sharing information without really caring about who they are and how you can help them. Try your best to not miss an opportunity to attract a wider audience through your personally efforts of providing content that truly touches them and their needs. Share personal thoughts and experiences as well as get the fan page community involved.. Let your personality shine when creating the content you want so others learn more about you and what you offer.  Remember to like our fan page on Facebook or Google+ to get involved with our social communities.

1st – Google+ Is The Infant Social Site

Google+ is a new social site that has only been around for a few months and of course won’t have the interaction or the quantity of users found on LinkedIn or Facebook.  It is in its infancy stage with plenty of room to grow.

2nd – Google+ Early Dramatic Growth

Although visits there are minimal their personal growth is astronomical in comparison to other social sites growth in the beginning. You can’t say it will never overpass other social sites because that is what people stated when Facebook came out and there was a fairly big site at the time called MYSPACE!  Now ask yourself ‘Where is it now and why did it end up the way it did?’  Oh, and just to give you a heads up Google+ has now surpassed over 90 million people.  Not a small number by any means and done within a half years time.

3rd – KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

That leads into my third point, Google+ has brought the social media experience back to the very basic level where Facebook used to be.  Yes there are some pretty amazing features on Facebook; however there is constant change to the point where you have one feature down and everything is turned upside down on you again.  What’s more is the screen is becoming more and more cluttered with information, tabs, ads, posts, etc. where the clutter becomes more of a nuisance.

I vaguely remember that Myspace become more cluttered and crowded which eventually turned off their users who in turn, flocked to a little known site at the time…Facebook.  It took a few years for this to happen but it eventually did.  Myspace never thought it would lose so many ‘Faithful’ followers because all of their friends were already planted VIRTUALLY.

4th – Online Companies Come and Go

Online businesses come and go in the blink of an eye when critics and business professionals state, ‘These sites will never fail and its here to stay.’  Of course an investor or the corporate leaders will state the positive because that is a driving force for their success. What they don’t share are all the ‘What-Ifs.’  What if another site encroaches on our space. What if people start going elsewhere for business.  Companies are always in a constant push to stay on top and there is never one business that can relax and assume that what it is giving is exactly what the marker wants.  Trends change, the market changes, and technology changes.  All three of these factors can and will impact the growth and prosperity of a company or its potential downfall.

For more examples of online companies, not all social companies mind you, that hit their high note and now have dropped rapidly due to newer, cleaner, and better services here are just a handful to name a few:

• Yahoo / MSN – Google is currently dominating the search engine market but things change mind you.
• Pets.com – Interesting history with this one and how it hit the very bottom and was eventually acquired by PetSmart.
• MySpace – Tell me how many people really visit this social site anymore. Do they visit weekly…monthly…yearly?
• AOL Instant Messenger – Where are they now? Texting on mobile phones or posting on social sites have pushed this business out of the window.

There are many more but the above list should suffice.

Don’t trust that things can’t change. Don’t think that even though a company has attempted to enter the marketplace in the past and failed, it can’t come back with new tricks and learn from previous mistakes. Take advantage of potential trends early on because by starting now you will stay ahead of competitors.  An old grade school statement I remember to this day is, ‘first come first served!’  That is the absolute truth but once your the first you can quickly turn into the last due to various circumstances such as straying from your original formula.  Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook or add us to your Google+ Circles.