TheCraftStar Community: The CraftStar Social Media BootCamp Week 2: Pinterest and Instagram

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The CraftStar Social Media BootCamp Week 2: Pinterest and Instagram

Tuesday, January 14, 2014.

5pm PST

Special Guests: Anna Bennett, Jenn Herman

Welcome to The CraftStar Social Media BootCamp – Week 2!

Below is a basic rundown of the show ...

but you'll get MUCH more info by watching it!

This week, we’re going to break down Pinterest and Instagram … with two very special guests: Jenn Herman and Anna Bennett … both pros in their respective fields!

We kicked off The CraftStar Social Media BootCamp last week with an overview – what IS social media? Wade Harman and Jeff Sieh were on with us … and really helped us understand what the whole social media experience is all about. If you missed it, you catch it on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/CraftStarTV

The whole point of these bootcamps, is to understand what the major social media routes are … we use them all the time, but do we really know WHY? What exactly they do? How we should be using them?

At the end of this 6 week bootcamp … your creative e:commerce small business on The CraftStar, will have a social media map .. to grow your business in 2014. Really exciting.

I ALWAYS find it easier to do something, when I understand why I’m doing it! It used to drive my geometry professor crazy .. why, why, why. But once you get it, not only does it make it easier to do, but also more fun because you’ll be able to see the results!

So, let’s welcome Anna and Jenn … hello ladies!

ANNA

Pinterest Expert / Certified Social Media Strategist.

Anna has 20+ years experience and is a recognized expert in fashion retail, spa operations and training & development. Anna is a Certified Social Media Strategist and a Pinterest Specialist at White Glove Social Media Marketing.

Her background as a personal development seminar leader for Brian Tracy’s network is the secret sauce of her drive and energy. She loves interior decorating, crafts, helps those in need, a health nut, an avid golfer and she kicks her husbands ass regularly on the tennis court:)

Bragging rights

With a track record that includes; winning international beauty pageants, instructing for John Casablancas International Modeling & Talent Agency, being a two time national retail president’s club sales winner, a former best-in-class award winning luxury day spa owner/ operator, spa consultant & coach and developer of her own cosmetics line she brings vast experience to her work.

JENN

Tagline

Social Media Strategist, Trainer and Speaker. Instagram Fanatic and Blogger too!

Introduction

Social Media Strategist | Instagram Advocate | Trainer | Speaker

I am passionate about social media marketing and enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. I write about trends in social media and provide advice to small businesses on how to manage social media. Give me 30 minutes and I'll design you a custom social media strategy! For information, visit my blog at www.jennstrends.com

Bragging rights

Featured in blog posts for Social Media Examiner, Contributor of the Week for BizSugar

Let’s start off tonight with Pinterest …. Which is Anna’s speciality!

Some background info on Pinterest:

Started in May 2010.

1. Pinterest is now the the third most popular social network

2. It was the fastest social network to hit the 10 million visitor mark

3. Pinterst has a high success rate of turning users into customers.

Let’s go to the VERY basics … what IS Pinterest?

ANNA ANSWER

With these sorts of statistics, Pinterest is FANTASTIC for small business e:commerce:

The most popular categories on Pinterest are: fashion, design, home décor, recipes, crafts and hobbies.

An estimated 47% of U.S. online shoppers have made a purchase based on a recommendation from Pinterest

1. (source: BlogHer)

Bethan to Anna:

As creative small business e:commerce .. what can Pinterest do?

ANNA ANSWER

Bethan to Anna:

What’s the best way for e:commerce small business to use Pinterest?

ANNA ANSWER

Bethan to Anna:

What are the do’s and don’ts of Pinterest … starting with the dos!

ANNA ANSWER

Bethan to Anna:

How do you build an audience on Pinterest? How do you get people (buyers) see what you have for sale? Target customers?

Bethan to Anna:

How much time should someone spend on Pinterest as part of their social media marketing plan? Daily, weekly?

ANNA ANSWER

Bethan to Anna: Thank you Anna! Where can we find you on the internet? TELL US ABOUT YOUR SPECIAL OFFER!!!

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Pinterest:

1. As of august 2012, Pinterest became the fourth largest traffic source in the world

This puts Pinterest directly behind Google, direct traffic, and Facebook. Pinterest also drives more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. This puts Pinterest ahead of Yahoo organic traffic (source: Shareaholic).

2. 25% of Fortune Global 100 companies have Pinterest accounts

This is still relatively low in comparison to YouTube and Facebook. However, if you consider Pinterest’s age and rate of growth, this number is expected to climb. (Source: Burson-Marsteller)

3. After Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest is ranked as the 3rd most popular social networking site

(source: Experian) This shouldn’t be too surprising considering that Pinterest hit 10 million unique U.S. monthly visitors faster than any stand-alone site in history (source: TechCrunch). Pinterest currently gets well above 20 million unique monthly visitors.

4. As of February 1st 2013, 59 of the Interbrand Top 100 Brands are on Instagram, versus 69 on Pinterest

(Source: marketingcharts) This puts Pinterest directly behind Google+ which is currently at 70, yet still trailing behind Facebook and Twitter which are at 99 and 97 respectively.

5. 79% of Pinterest users are Women

This statistic confirms Pinterest as a prime avenue for reaching the female market. The imbalance between the sexes is starting to correct itself; this number is down from 92%. According to a Pew Research study, 67% of Americans currently use social media. According to the same study, out of the total internet users, 25% of females and 5% of males use Pinterest.

6. 81% of U.S. women online trust Pinterest as a source for information and advice

(source: socialmouths) This number is especially interesting when you consider the relative trustworthiness of competing networks; Facebook and Twitter lag behind at 67% and 73% respectively. Blogs match Pinterest in trustworthiness at 81%.

7. Mothers are 61% more likely to visit Pinterest as compared to the average American

(source: Nielsen) To get more insight on this and related matters you may want to review Pew Research Center’s ‘Demographics of Social Media Users.’

8. 11% of Pinterest pins are in the Food & Drink Category

Food & Drink has become the most popular category on Pinterest (source: Replinly Stats, Jan 6th 2013). According to Compete’s Online Shopper Intelligence Survey, 57% of Pinterest users have interacted with food related content. This makes it especially critical for companies in the food industry to regularly update their boards with new photos. DIY & crafts and fashion are the next most popular categories.

9. Shoppers referred by Pinterest are 10 percent more likely to follow through with a purchase than visitors from other social networking sites

(Source: Sprout Insights)Facebook’s share of social media referrals to retail stores dropped from 88% to 60% from Q1 2011 to Q1 2012 while Pinterest’s rose from 0.68% to 26% in that same span of time.

10. Zappos shoppers are 13 times more likely to share a purchase on Pinterest than they are on Twitter

(Source: Bloomberg) This number should make you strongly consider including a pin it button (or other Pinterest buttons and plugins) to your website to help grow your online and social presence.

11. According to a comscore survey, Pinterest users follow an average of 9.3 retail companies on the site

(Source: allfacebook) This compares to an average of 6.9 retailers on Facebook and 8.5 on Twitter.

12. As of May 2012, Pinterest referrals account for 17% of social media driven revenue on Shopify

(Source: Shopify) This number is up from 1% in 2011

13. Shopify Customers referred by Pinterest place an average order of $80, compared to $40 for customers navigating from facebook

(Source: Shopify) Yet another interesting ecommerce related Pinterest stat from Shopify.

14. Pinterest generates over 400% more revenue per click as Twitter and 27% more than Facebook

(Source: VentureBeat) Connecting with customers through social media is a great way to increase sales revenue; Researchers at Aalto University found that customers who participate on a company’s social media site contribute 5.6% more revenue and visit the business about 5% more than customers unconnected by social media. (Source: Aalto University) It’s important to remember what the strengths of each Social media site are; Facebook is for connecting with friends, Twitter is good for disseminating news and Pinterest shines at sales.

15. An estimated 47% of U.S. online shoppers have made a purchase based on a recommendation from Pinterest

(source: BlogHer) This estimate beats out both Facebook and Twitter, which stand at 33% and 31% respectively.

http://corp.wishpond.com/pinterest-marketing-resources-for-business/15-facts-you-need-to-know-about-pinterest/

Let’s see how Instagram stacks up with Pinterest!

Background on Instagram:

Instagram launched as an iPhone app in Apple's App Store on October 6, 2010. By December 2010, Instagram had one million registered users. By July 2011, Instagram users had shared over 100 million photographs. It reached 10 million registered users in September that year. The number had hit 30 million by April 2012.

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/5-big-facts-about-instagram-223870

Bethan to JENN: what has grabbed you about Instagram?

JENN ANSWER

Bethan to JENN: How is Instagram beneficial for e:commerce small business?

JENN ANSWER

Bethan to JENN: There’s a great recent example of the power of Instagram … Beyonce used it to launch her latest album.

JENN EXPLAIN WHAT BEYONCE DID

Bethan: saw a post on Google + of your 50 tips to “help you turn your instagram profile into an online destination” … let’s go through the Top 10… starting from the VERY basics!

The Top 10:

1. Complete your bio with relevant information
2. Make your username related to your business
3. Avoid odd spellings of your name in your username (Instagram search is not as friendly as other sites)
4. Include your full business name (or your real name) in your bio
5. Include your website in the bio – this is the only place where you can include a hyperlink
6. Upload a profile pic, ideally the same one you use on other platforms
7. Make sure your posts are PUBLIC – uncheck “Posts are Private” on the Edit Profile page
8. Do NOT connect your Instagram to Facebook or Twitter. Give people a reason to follow you here
9. Ensure you receive notifications for likes, comments, and contacts
10. Learn the Instagram lingo

Read it here: http://jennstrends.com/50-instagram-rules-for-businesses/

Bethan: Back to the Beyonce success story … it doesn’t mean it’s just for SUPER STARS … CraftSTARS can also benefit! You posted a piece that included 10 basic ways to gain traction on Instagram, let’s go through them one by one because they’re ALL great info!

1. Show, not tell

Have a great new product or service? Show followers what it does or how it

works by posting photos of it in action.

Cosmetics chain store Sephora often posts eye-catching color swatches of lip

gloss, nail polish and eye-shadow shades.

Shoe company Vans also posts photos of its shoes in action on the ground, in

the air and everywhere Vans fans

take them.

2. Run an Instagram contest

Need a boost in follower engagement?

Hold a contest. Have followers post photos using a fun hashtag, and then

pick the best ones that will win a prize.

One of the most popular Instagram contests was held by Mercedes-Benz

USA, which partnered with five of the most influential Instagram users

by giving each of them a Mercedes-Benz CLA to drive for five days.

3. Go behind the scenes

Everyone loves to see what happens behind closed doors.

Get personal with followers by giving them exclusive sneak peeks at new

products, events and other happenings.

4. Humanize your brand

People want to know about more than just your products and services;

consumers also care about a company's people, culture and values.

Humanize your brand by sharing photos of your staff, office and

extracurricular activities.

5. Give followers an adventure

Consumers also want to know the ins and outs of your operations.

You can give them an inside look by sharing photos of trade shows,

conferences and other industry events.

6. Post videos

In 2013, Instagram gave short-form video platform Vine a run for its

money with 15-second Instagram videos.

Get creative, mix things up and take advantage of this new feature by posting

videos in between images.

7. Use Instagram Direct

Instagram Direct, the company's new direct-messaging feature, is a great

way to personally reach out to followers.

Messaging is limited to 15 people, so it will require some creativity and strategy.

8. Launch an online store

If you're ready to sell, but not ready to set up an e-commerce website,

Instagram makes a great instant virtual storefront.

As CraftStar members … they already have “stores” on The CraftStar … so how can we maximize on those?

9. Deliver an experience

If you own a store, restaurant or other brick-and-mortar establishment, use

Instagram to make people want to visit by showcasing your facility.

This is a great strategy if you sell online, too.

10. Inspire followers

For businesses, Instagram is about connecting with followers on level

beyond just trying to make a sale.

Brands shouldn't just engage; they should also inspire.

Bethan: Which leads perfectly into: where do you start on Instagram?

JENN EXPLAIN

Bethan: How best to grow your followers?

JENN EXPLAIN

Bethan: What are the DON’Ts on Instagram

JENN EXPLAIN

Bethan: How much time should be devoted to Instagram as part of a small business’ social media campaign?

JENN EXPLAIN

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/5-big-facts-about-instagram-223870

- Instagram previewed the much-awaited Android version of its app at SXSW Interactive conference in March 2012. The Android version received over 430,000 pre-registrations and when it finallyreleased on 3rd April 2012, it was downloaded over a million times in less than 12 hours.

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/5-big-facts-about-instagram-223870

- Facebook's billion dollar valuation of Instagram makes the less-than-two-year-old startup more valuable than 161-year-old The New York Times Company. The New York Times Company, publisher of media heavyweights like The New York Times, International Herald Tribune and The Boston Globe, amongst others, was valued at 946 million dollars based on yesterday's closing price at the NYSE.

Source: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/features/5-big-facts-about-instagram-223870