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Pinterest: Five Newbie Mistakes You’re Making

June 13, 2013 By Carol Stephen 11 Comments

Pinterest: Five Newbie Mistakes You’re Making

Since Pinterest showed up on the social media scene, people have been flocking to it like ducks to water, or maybe like addicts to a new video game. People who weren’t that visual became more visual, and those who didn’t know they were visual, are suddenly spending hours on this visual site. So what are a few things to avoid and what should you be doing to have fun for yourself or your brand on Pinterest? Here are some simple fixes to common errors.

Keeping Default Boards

Fix: decide on the boards you really want. Say you are a small business selling hand knitted leg warmers and other trendy items for chihuahuas. You might want to create boards such as Tiny Dogs, SPCA, Local Doggy Events, and of course a board for your own homemade doggy outfits. You might also want to create boards for different types of outfits, such as hats, vests, paw warmers, etc. Keep in mind that you can change the names of boards later if you like. To change the board name, click on the board, go to “Edit Board” –>Title (don’t forget to save your changes!).

Ugly Board Covers

Fix: Make Each Board Beautiful! To entice people to see the contents of a board, pin the most visually beautiful cover you can. To change a board cover, simply hover with your mouse over the board. Click on “Edit Board Cover” to choose a photo. You can position the photo if you like, at this point. Then click “Set Cover.”

Following Nobody

Choose the Best Covers for Your Boards

Fix: Follow people you already know or whose pins you enjoy. Although unfollowing people who don’t follow you isn’t easy, you can unfollow people later. Note: like other forms of social media, there is spam out there! So beware of people who have 40 boards with just one photo on each board, or who don’t appear to be real people, or who only sell things like wrist watches.

Not Commenting

Like other forms of social media, Pinterest is social. So “like,” repin, and especially comment on others’ pins! People will appreciate you, and they will be more likely to reciprocate!

Not Having Your Business Name in Your Profile

Fix: Along with your business name and logo, you might want to include a few things about you. A photo of you or a logo also legitimizes your account. People want to know a little about you! To make changes, click “Edit Profile.” You can use the First Name line for your business name. Don’t forget to click “Save Profile” when you’re done. Note: Pinterest has recently partnered with brands to add information to pins, which is very useful for brands.

Not Pinning on Sundays

Fix: Take Saturday off and pin on Sundays! Sundays are the busiest days on Pinterest. So even just pinning a few pins will really help you with traffic and getting more eyes on your content.

What Have You Learned About Pinterest?

Have you changed your strategy along the way with Pinterest? What has helped you the most? Please leave a comment below! Thank you!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: beautiful, board, boards, Business, Default, Followers, Following, Mistakes, newbie, pin, pinners, Pinterest, Sunday

What’s the Future of Business: Generation C

June 11, 2013 By Carol Stephen 13 Comments

Brian Solis and Friends at Yammer

Recently, I had the privilege of hearing Brian Solis speak in person at Yammer in San Francisco. You’ve probably been hearing about Brian’s’ new book What’s the Future of Business because when Brian speaks, social media people listen. At this event, not only did Brian give his time freely, he also gave away stacks of his new books (in hardback, no less), stuck around for his fans, answered questions and signed autographs. So while the content of the book is innovative and exciting, the context and the giveaway are what really surprised me.

Social Media “Gurus”

Being in and around social media myself, every single day I get bombarded by people who call themselves gurus and leaders. Many of these self-proclaimed gurus spend little time actually engaging: instead, they broadcast! They don’t answer questions or engage with their followers. Instead (prepare to clutch your pearls!) some of them actually buy their followers. Brian doesn’t call himself a guru like a million others–he does the unexpected–by doing a massive giveaway. I’d say that’s inspiring! And also something that I’ll personally remember for a long time.

Generation C

Brian focuses not on Gen Y (the “Millennials”) but on Gen C, where “C” “represents a connected society based on interests and behavior. Gen C is not an age group–it is a way of life.” To Gen C, connection is everything. Which means, ultimately, that if you or your brand are not spending time connecting, then you’re missing a huge opportunity.

Shared Experiences

What’s the Future of Business

Clearly, Brian Solis is famous already and doesn’t need to share his expertise for free. So why did he give away his book? I think he did it to drive home his point: if businesses want to connect with Gen C, they will need to create memorable and non-traditional experiences for their customers.

Are You Creating Experiences?

What are you doing, as an entrepreneur or a brand, to create experiences that will appeal to Gen C? Are you using a combination of social networks and more traditional marketing to sell your products or services? Please leave a comment below!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Brian Solis, connection, Future of business, Gen C, Gen Y, generosity, gurus, Millennials, Social Media, WTF

Six Reasons Twitter Might Not Be for You

June 7, 2013 By Carol Stephen 9 Comments

Six Reasons Twitter Might Not Be for You

I’m a huge fan of Twitter. I mean, really huge fan. I’ve met many friends through Twitter, love Tweetchats, and get much of my news through Twitter. Despite my love of Twitter, I sometimes tell people that they don’t have to be on Twitter. When I do, I can see them visibly relax. “I don’t have to be on Twitter?” they ask. “Well, no. Why would you think you have to be?” “Oh, whew!” they usually say. “I’ve just been hearing so much about Twitter lately.” So if you’re one of those people who feels obligated, here are some reasons that Twitter might not be the right place for you.

Your Clients Aren’t on Twitter

Have you ever asked your clients what their favorite social media platform is? How about starting with a quick survey or phone call asking a few of them? Survey Monkey has free surveys, and you could do a random sampling of a few of your clients to see what platforms they use. If your potential clients are not on Twitter, why feel obligated?

You Can’t Speak Your Mind

Twitter May Not Be for You

If you’re in banking, or the medical field, you may need to be compliant on all social media and not just on Twitter. The banking and medical fields have been slower than other businesses to adopt social media, and that may be because major financial or banking corporations have not allowed their employees to use social media because of the extra workload for their compliance departments. That does not seem to be changing very quickly. If that’s the case, you may not want to fight that battle–at least not just yet.

TMA (Too Many Acronyms)

Twitter has its own specific language and acronyms. Tweets do not give you a lot of real estate to speak your mind. Tweets are usually a headline, maybe a link, and a hashtag. That’s it. So if you really dislike that form of communication, maybe the language of Facebook or LinkedIn would be better for you.

Twitter Won’t Get You Business

I hear this prejudice all the time from people who are not on Twitter. If you really believe this, then what are you doing on Twitter?

Twitter is Just People Talking about Food

What’s Stopping You from Tweeting?

Really? Again, usually people who have never been on Twitter say this. They’re the same people who said they’d never use a phone for texting and now can’t get in touch with their own kids unless they text those kids.

You Have Nothing to Say

If you really have nothing to say (and I seriously doubt that!), and dislike being social, then Twitter might not be right for you.

What’s Stopping You?

Is there some other reason you don’t want to tweet? Leave me a comment, below! You don’t have to tweet about it, promise!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: acronyms, Clients, Social Media, Survey Monkey, Twetchats, Twitter

WordCamp OC 2013: 10 Awesome Things

June 4, 2013 By Carol Stephen 11 Comments

WordCamp Orange County 2013

This past weekend, June 1 and 2, I attended WordCamp Orange County (my first WordCamp ever!). There were many sessions, ranging from Lucy Beers’ WordPress 101 to Devin Walker’s Website Optimization for Speed. Here are a few things that I learned.

Surround Yourself with Smart People

If you’re at Wordcamp, you’re already surrounded by smart people. WordCamp felt like being back at Berkeley, where people were interrupting each other’s interruptions because everyone shared the same curiosity and joy of learning. If you’re an entrepreneur spending hours and days working alone, getting out and soaking up some new ideas and fresh ways of looking at the world can reinvigorate you.

Say Hello

When you say hello to people, they say hello back! You might laugh at the obviousness of that, but really: People are so friendly, open, and generous with their ideas. Often all you need to do is say hello.

Work on Five Blogposts at the Same Time

Who’s the chick with Syed Balkhi?

During @syedbalkhi‘s talk on Time Management, he discussed focus and how no one can really multitask. What Syed does is start five posts at once, then if he gets a little writer’s block, he switches from one to another. Now that’s something to implement immediately. This is such an elegant and simple idea! By the way, Syed’s Beginner’s Guide to WordPress is jam-packed with ideas! As well as being technically awesome.

Have Deeper Conversations

Many times, between or after sessions is when the real learning occurs. That person you just met will give you a fabulous tip if you do a little homework (for example: read their blog before asking them a question about a particular blogpost they just wrote!). If you buy someone a drink or, better still, lunch, be prepared to hear more of the truth than you would during a session. This, paraphrased from Chris Lema.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate!

Don’t try to do everything yourself. Hire someone to do your accounting, or the chores that you might not enjoy doing. That includes everything from designing a logo to building a website to creating content.

Learn to Say No!

Do not meet that vampire at the coffee shop! (A vampire is someone who pretends to want to hire you, but then says they’re broke, and just wants free advice.) Do not pick up the phone while you’re blogging. And learn to say no to yourself, most of all. Do not let yourself get distracted and don’t head down the rabbithole with a “great idea” and end up buying 10 new domain names which three days later you’ll regret. Not that I’ve ever done that (today). Sayed Balkhi drew laughter and a lot of head nodding when he discussed the idea of buying domain names and meeting the broke customer at the coffee shop.

Focus on Your Strengths

Me, Peter Woolvett, and Bridget Willard

My friend Peter Woolvett of CustomerSpecs always says “mind your strengths,” and we heard it over and over at WordCamp. Don’t try to develop your weaknesses. Rather, do whatever it is that you’re good at.

Spend Time on That Great Idea

If you know something is important, spend the damn time on it. Use the time management matrix to determine whether it’s important and not urgent, and then eliminate distractions and do it.

Don’t Rely on Your Memory

How many times have you had a great idea and then promptly forgotten it? Use Evernote or a white board or a notebook, but get it down in writing!

Wake Up Early

Come on! You’re not really a night owl. Get up early when you’re your most productive and do your work. Then go out and “canoe with alligators”–Sayed’s phrase. Or whatever you like to do for fun–like meet that broke customer for lunch. Just kidding.

Be Accountable

We all perform better when we’re being watched. If you can’t afford a coach, try Timedoctor, which monitors your activities. You can’t improve if you don’t know where you’re starting from.

Your Favorite Part of WordCamp Orange County?

Maple-Bacon Donut Dispenser AKA Sidecar

Was it the maple-bacon donuts? Learning about WordPress Mobile? The after party at Durty Nelly’s? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Blog, blogging, Blogpost, Orange County, Time, time management, WordCamp, Wordpress

Who Has the Most Fake Twitter Followers?

May 28, 2013 By Carol Stephen 24 Comments

Ghost Followers

If you pay attention to numbers, then you might be interested in knowing about those with the most followers on Twitter. The top three at the moment are @justinbieber, @ladygaga, and @katyperry. Justin Bieber tops the charts with 39,548,681 followers, Lady Gaga has about 37,000,000 followers, and Katy Perry trails with 35,000,000. So if you’re a newbie on Twitter, you might be thinking that even getting 100 followers could be a massive understaking.

Note: before I go any farther, I’m not singling these celebrities out. Buying followers has become common practice, but it’s good to be informed.

A Long, Long Road

Let’s see…who do I know on Twitter, you’re thinking to yourself…uhh…your cousin, maybe? Oh, and your friend from the gym and those people you met in that networking group that one time (that’s 6 right there!). So getting to 40 million–how is that even possible?

Invisible Friends

Does Justin Bieber Have Invisible Friends?

Would you feel better if you realized that many large accounts have invisible friends? That’s right, and they had to buy them, too! It’s not like when you were a kid and you had friends who talked to you who then disappeared back into the wallpaper. These are fake accounts bought and paid for by these Twitter “superstars.”

It’s Not Really a Lie

If all three of these big celebrities are not telling the truth about their followers, what else might they be exaggerating? When Justin Bieber asks if you want to be his boyfriend cause he’ll “take you places you ain’t never been before,” should you belieb him or would you end up eating cold burritos on the side of the road? And did Katy Perry really kiss a girl or did they just shake hands? When asked about her fake followers, Lady Gaga just kept a poker face. Don’t worry: I’ll stop soon.

Ways to Check Follower Counts

Sites like Gizmodo, Status Bakers, and Status People’s Fake Follower Check have pointed out that for these celebrities and many others, somewhere from 47-50% of followers are fake.

Recently there have been a few articles on sites like Mashable about people buying fake followers. In fact, recently I’ve noticed many more accounts following me who offer followers for sale. Many accounts who offer fake followers do not have many followers themselves. They don’t care much about speling or “punkshuation,” either! You can check fake followers by using Fake Follower Check. Just login using your Twitter account if you want to know whether your favorite celebrity has fake followers.

Feeling Insecure?

If you’re having self-esteem issues because you don’t yet have 40 million or even one million followers, just remember: it’s not how many followers you have, it’s how you use them. And if you truly want to connect, then follow me. I won’t pay you, but I love you anyway.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Fake, Followers, Justin Bieber, JustinBieber, Katy Perry, KatyPerry, Lady Gaga, LadyGaga, Numbers, Twitter

Joy Hemp

May 27, 2013 By Carol Stephen Leave a Comment

Joy Hemp

@APositiveThoght “Just finished a consult with @Carol_Stephen helping me organize & structure my tweeter account. Thanks for the help.”

Joy Hemp
CEO Affirmation Cards

Apositivethought.com

Filed Under: Testimonial

Social Media: Different Platform, Different Language

May 21, 2013 By Carol Stephen 34 Comments

Social Media: Different Platform, Different Language

Recently, talking to social media “experts,” I’ve run across some very different opinions about how to use social media. One “expert” admitted she only checks her Twitter account once a week. Another admitted that he pushes his Facebook posts through to Twitter. And a third says she uses the exact same material at the exact same time across all platforms. So do some of these practices seem not very social? Here are some of my reasons for using different language on each platform.

Each Platform is its Own Country

Let’s talk LinkedIn. To me, LinkedIn is the land of complete sentences, good punctuation, no slang, and professionalism. The demographic is more business-oriented and less casual. I probably would not share a BBQ sauce recipe on LinkedIn as I might on Pinterest or Twitter. Nor would I use a bunch of hashtags or acronyms there. Facebook, similar to LinkedIn, is about connecting, but the language is different again. Although Facebook recently adopted hashtags from Twitter, I still wouldn’t use them there, since many people don’t fully understand them. The language of Pinterest is more casual, but still not as casual as Twitter. And so on.

One Post Across All Platforms Seems Lazy

Using one post across all platforms seems lazy

If I see someone using the same post across multiple platforms, what runs through my mind is this person isn’t taking the time to fully engage on any platform. So I’m not likely to engage with this person. They give the impression of being too busy to interact and of someone who only wants to broadcast.

Why Follow Different Platforms if Posts Are the Same?

If I see the same post in two or more platforms, why would I want to follow on all those platforms when I could get the same content by following in just one place? If you’d like to recycle your content, why not just wait a couple of days (people have a short memory on social media), then post that content in a different place? As long as the content isn’t “stale,” you can still use it again.

Do You Use the Same Language Everywhere You’re Social?

I’m very curious about this. I know people want to save time, but does saving time for ourselves make us less accessible to our potential audience? What do you think?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Facebook, hashtag, Language, LinkedIn, Media, Platform, Social, Twitter

Twitter By The Numbers

May 14, 2013 By Carol Stephen 18 Comments

Numbers Matter in Twitter

Maybe you weren’t good with numbers in school. Maybe numbers were boring to you and now you’re happier letting someone else deal with the “math” of your life. There are just a few numbers that you might want to consider when you delve into Twitter a little deeper. You could use some of these numbers to help you track your progress on Twitter.

Ratio of Followers to Following

Twitter by the Numbers

Like your cholesterol’s HDL versus LDL ratio, it’s important to shoot for a “good ratio.” On Twitter, that means roughly one follower to one following. Celebrities or superstars may have a huge number of followers and follow very few people. Some people won’t follow those with low numbers of followers (something to keep in mind if you’re going to run out and follow 2,000 accounts when only 17 people follow you). Decide if you want to follow a million people without many of them following you back. What do you get out of following all those celebrities, anyway? You could cut them loose and just put them on a list. For me, the most important thing when deciding to follow is good content and conversation.

Number of Tweets

You might want to look at an account’s number of tweets to decide if they would be a good fit. I am fairly chatty (which is prolific) on Twitter, so someone with only a few tweets may not be the best fit for me. If the account has only 23 followers, I will probably dominate their Twitstream, since I tweet 20+ times a day and that’s on a slow day. However, some newbies find that they really like the chatty nature of Twitter. But if you’re not going to have conversations on Twitter, you might not want to follow people with huge numbers of tweets. First check how many tweets a user averages before following them if too many tweets is a concern to you.

Number of Listings

The number of times you’ve been listed by others is a good indication of Twitter success in my book. So although this isn’t your usual key performance indicator, it’s one that is more important than followers, especially since followers can be bought. Being listed is a real badge of honor because it means that someone took the time to create a list and then put you on it. Take a look at my friend, @TerriNakamura’s listings, for example. She has been listed over 3,500 times. To me, that’s a real sign of success on Twitter.

Total Number of Followers

The total number of followers isn’t the most important number to many social media experts. Partly that has to do with how easy it is to plunk down some cash and buy followers. There are ways to tell if someone bought Twitter followers. And if you think big accounts are all truthful, Gizmodo has a great article about celebrities and their fake followers. In fact, selling followers on Twitter has become a huge business lately.

Which Numbers Impress You?

Are you impressed by large numbers of followers? Why or why not?

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Followers, Following, Listings, Numbers, Ratio, Twitter

Facebook: How to Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

May 7, 2013 By Carol Stephen 5 Comments

Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Some people naturally understand what others want to hear, and then either have no fear or no shame in saying it. There are those who can always strike a balance and share every detail of their beautiful, perfect lives. It’s great to be balanced (especially if you work from home), but today I’d rather talk about Grumpy Cat.

Everyone loves Grumpy Cat because she tells the truth, and the truth shall set us free. So here are some ways you can be set free.

Share Small Grumpy Moments

Facebook: Channel Your Inner Grumpy Cat

Don’t you hate when you haven’t had enough sleep? Your bed is lumpy and your pillow mysteriously disappeared during the night? That’s awful, right? Or your glass has a chip in it. Or maybe someone looked at you the wrong way–grrrr! So many perfectly shareable grumpy moments. How can you choose just one?

Be the Opposite of Perfect

People like to hear about those less-than-perfect moments. Moments such as the day your toddler bit you, the fantastic lemon tart you made except you used baking soda instead of flour, how after you drove away from getting your new car washed and detailed and filled with gas, you forgot to remove the hose from the tank, or how your cat fell asleep on a pile of grapefruit. And they want pictures.

Be Real

Maybe you do have the most gorgeous house in your entire city, county, and the world. But if that’s all you share, people may get tired of hearing from you, and hide you or report you as spam on social media. Not every moment is perfect, and some of the better moments come when you least expect them. Like turning away for an instant, and falling into your lovely pool and ruining your Coach handbag. (Now that’s the kind of moment we’d like to see!) Share proudly, and often.

Have a Little Fun with Tagging

Facebook: Have a Little Fun with Tagging

How about tagging some sneakers with the names of all your friends? Or something even more inexplicable, such as a sad dog looking out a window? It’s imperative that whatever object you tag has nothing to do with your friend whatsoever. Grumpy Cat would be so proud. Or, better still, jealous.

Forget About Saying Nice Things

What is it that everyone is thinking, but no one has the guts to say? Say that. If you want to learn to use good manners, that’s not the subject of this post.

USE ALL CAPS

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING, WELL, LOUD ABOUT CAPS. YOU BARELY EVEN NEED ANY EXCLAMATION MARKS WITH ALL CAPS!

THE END

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Cat, Facebook, Grumpy, How, To

Social Media: You’re Not Katie Couric!

April 30, 2013 By Carol Stephen 3 Comments

Social Media: How to Engage Like a Pro

Although this has been said a million times, I’ve only said it 999,999 times: you must engage on social media. And lately, I’ve been seeing more companies of all sizes broadcasting, instead of engaging. Katie Couric is a famous and beloved correspondent. We expect her to broadcast. However, it is likely that you are not a famous correspondent.

What do I mean by engagement? Here are a few ideas about ways you can step up your game.

Keep Your Focus on the Other Guy

If you’re shy, knowing what to say can feel uncomfortable. But asking a question about the other person is something anyone can do. The question shouldn’t be a yes or no question, but something more open-ended, like “how do you know [the person who introduced you to the other person on social media]?” or “what did you think about that news story?” You can ask about their home town. Were they born there? How do they like living there? Those questions are not so personal as to be off-putting.

Conversing on Facebook

On social media, keeping your focus on the other guy could mean gaining a friend and maybe later, a loyal customer. For example, take a look at how Starbucks dominates the social media landscape with conversations galore. They’re on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, have apps, and share seasonal specials that always reflect their own branding. They’re good listeners and also manage to talk frequently about the social good that they do, such as charities they’re involved in. As a smaller brand, you can ask yourself how you can do something similar, on a tinier scale. Pay attention to what your audience wants to see and hear. Of course, the content shouldn’t be completely off-topic, or that would cause confusion about your brand. The trick is to balance posts that your audience would like to hear about with what you’re sharing while actually listening and talking.

Converse on Facebook

If you don’t like to talk much, you can always “lurk” on Facebook. But it’s a lot more satisfying to like, comment on, or share a post. So try clicking “like” first of all. Then you can try a short comment, like “Yes!” or “I like it.” If you get very brave, you can share a post to your own wall. Being generous first is a good way to be social on social media.

Schmooze on Twitter

On Twitter, that most social of social media platforms, there are a million questions you can ask people. That’s a gorgeous profile picture! Where was it taken? You have an unusual name–are you related to___? You’re interested in Slow Food, what do you think of Michael Pollan’s work? Have you met my friend___, who is also interested in baseball and apple pie? And so on. And by the way, having a good profile picture is a good conversation starter for anyone.

Comment on Pinterest

Talking on Pinterest is like putting a message in a bottle. You might or might not hear back, and if you do hear back, a lot of time could have passed. People don’t talk as much on Pinterest. So if you do comment, you’ll stand out. Try commenting on Pinterest and then tag the person who’s meant to see the comment (even if you’re on their board, they might not see it!). To tag them, type the “@” sign, start typing their name and –wait for it!–their name should auto-fill. For brands, there are lots of ways to connect with fans on Pinterest.

Are you Engaged?

If you like to chat on social media, what has worked for you? Seriously, I’d love to hear your views!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Engagement, Social Media